Wine News - December 2007 |
Welcome to
VOLUME V,
NUMBER 11 of Wine News, the e-Letter from the WineCountry.IT network. (Would you
rather see the e-Letter on your favorite browser? Use
this link. Usa il link seguente se vuoi leggere
le News in italiano).
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Monte-Carlo Wine Festival
Don't miss it!
Mark your calendars:
February 23, 24, 25, 2008
Wine producers interested in participating, please fill out the request form. Remeber, the deadline is September 30, 2007.
US wine producers may contact WineCountry.IT for your special discount.
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Wow! What a busy November!
First of all, we were busy organizing the Italian Flavor Forum VIII – Fall Edition, held on November 14, 2007, at San Francisco's Museo ItaloAmericano.
The following day, Friday, November 15th, we took advantage of the presence of three Italian producers of boutique wines in town, to organize a Cena con i Produttori Italiani di Vino (Dinner with the Italian Wine Producers) at Piazza D'Angelo restaurant, in Mill Valley, where Chef Nicola Nieddu created a six-course menu to pair with the wines, all new to the US market, introduced by the Italian producers.
Then, since Brigit and I were going to Iowa to visit family for Thanksgiving, we took the opportunity to scout out local wineries in an improvised Midwestern Sideways, to find out the state of the winemaking industry in that part uf the US. Check it out, it's quite interesting.
Now, without further ado, I wish you all enjoyable reading and happy holidays, whatever your faith or lack thereof. Whatever any of us believe in, let's try and get into the seasonal spirit of joy and love for one another.
Loris Scagliarini, WineCountry.IT President |
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Articles |
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| Iowa Sideways: A Quest for Wine in the Midwest – 1 |
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 Since we were in Iowa visiting with family for Thanksgiving, we could not let the opportunity to check out some wineries in the slowly growing wine producing sector in that state slip by. Iowa grape growing and winemaking was at its height when in 1920, Prohibition pretty much killed it, and only in recent has the industry timidly step forward.
On Sunday, November 25, 2007 Brigit and I trundle into Rob Benson's SUV along with Marzia, my daughter and Rob's wife, and their two lovely daughters, Erica and Lauren, and drive the Iowa backroads to Keosauqua, near the Missouri border, to check out Kaiser Home Winery. |
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Iowa Sideways: A Quest for Wine in the Midwest – 2 |
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 Dr. Edward Wallace moved to Iowa in 1992 after living in vine growing zones in New York, Virginia and Oregon and began pursuing his dream of producing quality wine with grapes grown in the midwest. In 1994 he started experimenting in his research farm with different grape cultivars obtained from breeding programs all over the US and Europe. The dream of Dr. Wallace and his wife Melody of establishing a commercial winery in the Iowa City area became a reality when they joined forces with John McNutt and Ilene Lande.
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| Italian Flavor Forum VIII – Fall Edition |
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 Our eighth invitation-only trade show organized in the San Francisco Bay Area, the Italian Flavor Forum VIII, took place on November 14, 2007 at the Museo ItaloAmericano (Italian American Museum), located in the Landmark Building C of Fort Mason, in the heart of the cool San Francisco Marina district.
The Museum is currently exhibiting hand carved and painted wooden nativity scenes from Val Gardena, in the Dolomite area of the Italian Alps, thus the guests sampled the wines and other Italian specialties presented, wandering among gorgeous artisanal pieces which reminded us that Christmas is rapidly approaching.
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(European) General State of Wine |
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 Despite 4 million visitors and a turnaround of 2.5 billion Euros, local institutions, municipalities and enoturismo (kind of rural B&B which serve part of their staples to their guests) are conspicuous in their absence.
"The improvement of the wine quality, protection of the Denominazioni di Origine (DOC) system, and promotion of the wine/terroir connection, must not detract from eno-tourism, nor disregard the involvement of local institutions."
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| Italian Restaurateur and Master Sommelier Makes Istanbul his Second Home |
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 Born to a family full of restaurant professionals, Italian native Alessio Di Gino works as a restaurateur and sommelier. Currently co-managing the Italian restaurant L'Altra Risacca in Istanbul's Maslak district, Di Gino considers Istanbul his second home.
"I love living here. Istanbul is a magnificent city, it is magic. Istanbul is unique. You feel the East meets Western culture in everything. From the Sufis to punk rock. You go from one edge to the other. Even in the food you can see it," said Di Gino.
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Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles:
Assovini Sicilia Associates Pleased with the Vinitaly US Tour |
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 The US market is currently showing a lot of interest in Italian wines, as the import data highlights, with a value of 1.54 million dollars in the first six months of 2007, or a 10.5% increase in quantity and 9% in value compared to the same period in 2006. It's a rapidly expanding market, but Italian producers must understand the dynamic, get to know the typical customer, and devise a coherent marketing strategy. These objectives can be attained by investing in communication and consumer education. Thus, participation in Vinitaly US Tours, or in the Italian Flavor Forums organized by WineCountry.IT, have become valuable tools for winemakers interested to export their products.
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November 6th: The Vino Novello is Out |
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 On November 6, 2007, along with all the other wines of the same category, which by law cannot be sold before this date, the Vino Novello dei Colli Bolognesi (New Wine from the Bologna Hills) hits the market. Among the wine producers associated with the Consortium of the Bologna Hills, only two produce a Novello: Cantina Bazzano, which the label Nuevo (New, in Spanish), made with Merlot grapes, and the Azienda Agricola Tizzano, whose Vino Novello is made with Barbera grapes.
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Barley Risotto with Red Wine |
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 He said, “Bella, have you ever met an Italian who didn't introduce you to the most delicious food?” Well, I could hardly resist that delicious-sounding accent—I mean, offer. And I have to say, I was very impressed with the barley risotto he cooked for me. I never thought barley would be a good grain for risotto. I always thought you should only use short-grained rice, but what do I know? He told me he had a chef friend who experimented with different grains in making risotto, and barley was his personal favorite.
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This month we present two products from Modena which are fairly similar to each other: Cotechino di Modena IGP, a savory pork salami made with lean and fat meat, chopped pigskin, and other leftover meat from other preparations, stuffed in pigskin,
and Zampone di Modena IGP. In this case the same mixture of pork meat is stuffed in hind leg of the pork. Both products are typical of the Italian holiday season.
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The Latium region is a true flavor mine. The many regional products have given life to food traditions whose roots date back over a millennium, including both peasant dishes and more exotic preparations derived from the diverse people who have populated the area at different times. The result is a unique, inimitable cuisine.
The recipes from Latium were provided by the well known restaurant Il Moro (The Moor) in Fiumicino, in the province of Roma.
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Thursday, November 15, 2007, the evening after the 
