Super Whites: Friuli reaches for the top

By Craig Camp
Friday, June 13, 2003

A MILD-mannered white wine entered a phone booth next to a winery and with a swirl of color and a whoosh of air a superhero suddenly appeared. What's that in the sky? Is it a white Burgundy, a Napa chardonnay? No, it's Super Whites!

Named by Slow Food and backed by its public relations machine, the Friuli "Super Whites" tasting tour once again rolled through the United States. Over thirty wine producers from Friuli, the most northeastern region of Italy, left their red wines at home and showcased their best whites. Fruili has become justifiably famous for excellent white wines and producers are doing their best to get the story out.

The real superheroes of Friuli are their indigenous vines: ribolla gialla and tocai friulano for the whites and refosco, schioppettino, and pignolo for the reds. That is not to say the wines from French varieties can't be excellent, but the unique flavors and textures of Friuli's own grapes offer a distinct style and balance that make them stand out in a world dominated by vines of French heritage. It also means that they get little more notice than Clark Kent.

The late Mario Schiopetto revolutionized the winemaking of the region more than thirty years ago by introducing stainless steel fermentation and aging, which allowed the expansive fruit flavors produced by the regions vineyards to express themselves. Soon he was followed by now-legendary winemakers like Silvio Jermann, Livio Felluga, Nicola Manferrari (Borgo del Tiglio), and Josko Gravner.

Today Fruili is recognized as the finest white wine region of Italy, and recent surges in the quality of its red wines have made this region the only area of Italy to produce both world-class red and white wines. Small producers, in the hills on the border with Slovenia, in the sub-regions of Collio, Colli Orientali del Friuli, and Fruili Isonzo are relentlessly pushing the quality envelope, and with each vintage are producing wines of complexity with a balanced power that is the hallmark of these vineyards.

The artistic passions of these winegrowers found the production of single-variety wines too limiting. Inspired by the success of Silvio Jermann's splendid wine, Vintage Tunina, a blend of chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, tocai, and picolit, it is now almost impossible to find a top winery that does not produce a "super-blend." Each winemaker sees this wine as a personal statement and each blend is a unique melange of the varieties in the vineyards. Although these blends are usually a producer's most expensive wines, only varietal wines made from a single grape qualify for D.O.C. status. So they are labeled only as I.G.T. Leading "super-blends" include: Jermann Vintage Tunina and Capo Martino, Miani Bianco, Vie di Romans Flor di Uis, and Bastianich Vespa.

Friuli has recently gotten a big public relations boost in the United States as Joseph Bastianich, partner of celebrity chef Mario Batali and son of the celebrity chef Lidia Bastianich, began producing excellent wines from the estate he purchased in Collio. Needless to say his wines are getting huge exposure at all of their restaurants. To his credit, all the wines under the Bastianich label are of the highest quality.

Stainless steel may have created the foundation for Friuli's modern success, including the rare wines of Gravner. However, the never-satisfied Josko Gravner left stainless steel behind for barrels, and now has left the barrels behind for amphorae and an ultra non-interventionist style of winemaking. These are radical wines often causing heated debates because of their brownish color and intense flavors. They have to be tasted to be believed.

The last decades have seen the emergence of a bevy of inspired wines from estates ranging in size from small to tiny. In addition to those mentioned above, look for Le Due Terre, Dorigo, Villa Russiz, Borgo San Daniele, Dario Raccaro, Ronco del Gelso, and Radikon among many others producing excellent wines loaded with personality.

In a mere three decades, Friuli has gone from making simple wines for local consumption to being Italy's most diverse producer of super-premium wines. Now that is a super feat.

Some Super Stars from Super Whites 2003

-2000 Bastianich Vespa: A new-style wine blended from chardonnay and sauvignon blanc with a touch of picolit and just the right amount of oak.

-2001 Borgo San Daniele Tocai Friulano: The wine of the tasting. Exceptional depth and power and a finish that will not go away, this is an extraordinary white wine.

-2002 Girolamo Dorigo Ronco di Jeri: A round, rich, and creamy sauvignon blanc without a hint of the (in)famous cat pee aroma.

-2001 Schiopetto Tocai Friulano: A classic wine. Very firm in style with clean minerals balanced with lively ripe fruit flavors.

-2001 Vencia & Vencia Sauvignon Blanc: Racy, zesty and fresh with crisp grapefruit balanced by rounder ripe peach flavors.

-2002 Villa Russiz Tocai Friulano: Round and complex, exceptionally perfumed.

-2002 Jermann Capo Martino: Always exceptional, this wine did not disappoint. Beautifully balanced with exotic honeysuckle aromas and a texture that is creamy and zesty at the same moment.

-2001 Vie di Romans Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, and Sauvignon Blanc: If the Borgo San Daniele Tocai was the wine of the tasting, Vie di Romans was the table of the tasting. All three of these wines are exceptional and this may be the best chardonnay of the region.

Fear of Wine: 100 Points of Perfection

By Craig Camp
Friday, October 10, 2003

SURVEY AFTER survey says that people's number one fear is public speaking; number two is ordering the wrong wine in a restaurant.

See those guys behind your back chuckling over that pinot noir you're having with your salmon while you chuckle about the Sonoma-Cutrer Chardonnay they're drinking with theirs?

When ordering wine in restaurants, what most people want is not to be wrong. The situation is always the same: One guy at the table is considered the wine expert. He usually isn't, but as he once pronounced merlot correctly during an office coffee klatch he has been anointed the company wine expert. From that moment on every time there's a business dinner the 46-pound wine list is deposited in his lap. Everyone at the table stares at him waiting for the pronouncement. The sommelier leans expectantly forward. Damn, that Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon sure looks good. (Better safe than sorry.)

It's very profitable to be the safe choice. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been made by wineries that have succeeded in becoming safe to order. Mondavi, Opus, Jordan, Santa Margherita, Louis Latour, Sonoma Cutrer, and many others make a tidy living by making wines that taste consistently pleasant -- also known as just good enough. In return for their lofty goal of pleasantness, they are rewarded by grateful consumers who happily pay ultra-premium prices for the privilege of ordering a wine that will not offend. These wines do have the added benefit of keeping the conversation on the business at hand -- nobody will be talking about the wine.

These wineries keep their star status by producing a few cases here and there of a super-cuvee chosen from a few barrels of the thousands of barrels of wine in the winery. These modern recipe wines then capture a high score somewhere and the PR machine goes into high gear. (They learned this method from the Chicago Cubs who know that a few playoff victories will keep the fans packing Wrigley Field for another hundred years. Silver Oak and the Cubs have a lot in common.)

The same fear does not exist in Europe. In Italy if they want to have fish after a first course that called for a robust red there is no problem. Either they continue drinking the red or change back to a white depending on their whim or if the first bottle is empty. No one is watching you.

In the United States wine has become either an icon or a lighter cocktail than beer instead of a mealtime beverage. This is confirmed by the fact that most American wine drinkers do not regularly drink wine with their meals at home during the week and perish the thought of even a single glass at lunch. Wine has become a public image that suggests status and education, and the bottles you order confirm or destroy your status as an intellectual and a financial success.

With the intensity of the newly converted we are sure that there must be an absolute right and wrong. This zeal has created the cult of scores. Wine religion fanatics will go to outrageous lengths to obtain a wine scored 98 points while ignoring a wine scored 93 points at half the price. The focus on only the elite and most dramatic of wines tells people with normal well-adjusted minds that there must be an absolute truth when it comes to wine quality. Being that absolute truth can be hard to find it seems much safer to stay with the famous and expensive bottles that all will recognize.

There is a law of inverse relationships when it comes to food-and-wine matches and wine scores. It seems the higher a wine's score, the worse it is with food. Wines that score in the 90+ point range have become incredibly similar regardless of their place of birth. The recipe for high-scoring wines is well-known by enologists and throughout the world they are creating technically perfect specimens that reach towards exactly the same image of 100 point perfection instead of lower-scoring individual personality. It is easy today to line up expensive cabernet sauvignon- or chardonnay-based wines from Australia, California, France, Spain, and Italy and to not be able to guess which came from where. It's as though they want there to be one wine in the world that everybody is trying to make. What fun would that be?

If you want to make wines like this, let me save you several years of study at UC Davis followed by several apprenticeships: the recipe for top scoring wines is simple and easy to do with enough money and sun . . .

1. High alcohol -- for big flavors, sweetness, mouth feel and texture.

2. New French oak -- heavy doses of high-toast French oak to boost bouquet and add sweetness on the palate.

3. Massively high solid extract for even more body, often attained by technical means in the winery.

4. Big color -- also often reached by technical means in the winery.

While this recipe is great for making wines that stand out to a taster faced with a line-up of 100 wines to judge, it also makes wines that just don't taste that great with foods other than barbecue and wild boar -- wild boar barbecue?

All of this hype and precise rating is a bit intimidating for the person who just wants a nice bottle of wine with dinner, and that means yet another bottle of Jordan Cabernet gets its cork pulled.

The king of wine reviewers is Robert Parker, whose recommendations are awaited breathlessly by subscribers who then fight it out, going from retailer to retailer to get a wine that scored two points more than another.

But if people are so obsessed by his opinions then why don't they listen to him?

In the Wine Advocate, Robert Parker writes about his scores, "80 to 89 (points) is equivalent to a B in school and such a wine, particularly in the 85 to 89 point range is very, very good; many of the wines that fall into this range often are great values as well. I have many of these wines in my personal collection."

Me too, in fact now that I think about it, most of the wines I like to drink on a regular basis fall into this slot. Don't get me wrong, I get impressed by flashy show wines just like everybody else, but I spend my own money on wines whose scores from the Wine Advocate and the Wine Spectator average in the high eighties. For me this is the sweet-spot for wines of regional character. I also think a wine that sells for 20 bucks retail ought to be pretty damn good. Who said the starting point for great wine should be $50? Twenty dollars for 750 milliliters of wine is hardly a drop in the wine bucket.

Ask yourself a serious question: what is the difference between a 92 point wine selling for $75 and an 89 point wine selling for $20. Statistically the answer is zero or insignificant -- so the only answer would seem to be $55. However, it can be so much more than money. The differences also include varietal and vineyard character -- things that many a ninety point wine has given up to reach join that exclusive club.

It seems there is a lost world of producers making excellent wines mislaid between the famous safe names and the hot 95+ point wine of the moment. One camp of consumers loves the rock-solid vintage-to-vintage continuity and safe boredom of neutral wines like Santa Margherita while the other camp likes flamethrowers like Turley. Between, there is a universe of outstanding wines, loaded with individual personality, that sell for a fraction of the price you pay for famous mediocrity and today's fashion statement.

Today for lunch I made risotto con rucola and gorgonzola piccante. For fun we tried a white and a red to see which best complimented the dish, which clearly went both ways. Each was delicious with the risotto and both are equally unknown. The red, 2000 Ronchi Barbaresco, may never see 95 points, but was bright and delicious and sells for around $34 (a bargain!). The white, 2000 Il Feduccio Yare from Abruzzo, was deep, complex and sells for $30. Both are wines that will give you hours of enjoyment at the table and you will feel good about the $30 or so they set you back. The world is full of such wines once you get beyond the brand names and the brand name scores.

Now, how many points should I give them?

ABPG - The struggles of fine Pinot Grigio

By Craig Camp
Friday, July 4, 2003

YOU REMEMBER ABC, that insider phrase used by serious wine types when asked what wine they would like to taste. Their response is ABC, anything but chardonnay. ABC seems to have been recently joined by another varietal: ABPG, anything but pinot grigio. The wild success of pinot grigio in the United States has made it another grape that's too popular to like among those in the know about wine.

As recently as the late 1970s pinot grigio had no foothold in the American market and only local importance even in Italy. As the story goes, Tony Terlato, owner of Paterno Imports, changed all that when he ordered 18 bottles of different pinot grigio wines, while dining alone, to taste one night at a restaurant in Alto Adige, and discovered Santa Margherita. How he found eighteen wines bottled under the name pinot grigio in those days remains a mystery, but the rest, as they say, is history -- or at least legend. Terlato's successful marketing of the Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio brand created not only the pinot grigio market in the United States, but also in Italy. Less than 30 years later, Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio is the number one selling premium imported white wine brand in the United States, reaching combined sales of 445,000 cases in 2002 according to Adams Beverage Dynamics magazine.

This accomplishment has earned Santa Margherita the privilege of being the brand that serious wine folks love to hate: the number one ABPG.

"At first pinot grigio was a chic new name. A name that turned on sophisticated customers," says Ray Capitanini, owner of the Italian Village and Vivere restaurants and creator of the first great Italian wine list in Chicago. "Pinot grigio was the ice breaker for good Italian white wine."

"When I first started in the wine business, I could not figure out why they were so popular," says Seth Allen, president of Vin Divino, a prestigious fine wine importer. "Many were oxidized and were made by people with a commitment to quantity not quality, but then I tasted wines like Eno Friulia and Jermann."

But Santa Margherita is just the tip of the iceberg these days. Pinot grigio sales have exploded in the United States and new domestic examples from California and Oregon are popping up every day. More than 6 million cases of pinot grigio, or about 12% of total wine imports, were projected to be sold in 2002 according to the forecasts of the 2002 edition of The U.S. Wine Market: Impact Databank Review and Forecast. This followed a 40% increase in sales over the previous three years as reported in the same trade journal. These huge surges pushed pinot grigio to the position of the number one imported category of table wine in the United States as it raced past former import leaders merlot and chardonnay.

There's nothing like success to earn you the scorn of connoisseurs.

This scorn is causing a serious marketing problem for Italy's best pinot grigio wines. Howard Silverman, owner of Howard's Wine Cellar in Chicago, observes, "Pinot grigio has become an entry-level wine for inexperienced wine drinkers. The ones that graduate to better wines don't want to go back to the wines they started with and don't try the top wines. The problem for serious Italian pinot grigio is that most pinot grigio drinkers don't want to spend any money. It's easier for me to sell high priced California or Oregon pinot grigio than the best Italians."

The name pinot grigio, or pinot gris as it is called in France, means "gray pinot." The grapes are not actually gray at all, but rather have a light reddish color similar to the flame tokay table grapes you see in American supermarkets. If you buy the classic pinot grigio from Livio Felluga you will notice the wine has a light salmon tinge that it gets from a brief period of skin contact during fermentation. Pinot gris is part of the same family of vines as pinot noir and pinot blanc. The finest examples of this variety are produced in Alsace (France), Friuli and Alto Adige (Italy), and Oregon (US) -- the latter, in particular, seems to be betting its white wine future on it.

"You have to open a lot of bottles to sell premium Italian pinot grigio," says Vin Divino's Allen. "People don't want to spend money on a wine category with a bad image. You have to convince them." Apparently he's doing that with some success: his Peter Zemmer and Villa del Borgo brands each sell more than 50,000 cases per year in the United States.

Yet, as with all mass produced products, somewhere there are keepers of the original flame that created all the heat in the first place. If you look hard enough, you can still find the true believers. Finding good pinot grigio is difficult, but the quality of wines produced by the finest pinot grigio producers in Italy makes it worth your efforts to seek them out.

The best of Italy's pinot grigio wines come from only a few zones in the two northeastern-most regions: Alto Adige (which borders with Austria), and Friuli (along the border with Slovenia). The wines from Alto Adige have a wonderful freshness and acidity from the alpine climate, while the wines from Friuli are richer and more complex. The best Friuli wines come from the zones of Colli Orientali del Friuli, Isonzo, and Collio. As with all things, quality doesn't come cheap and the best examples of Italian pinot grigio start at around $18.00 and can approach the $40.00 mark -- a hard sell indeed.

When it comes to vintages, stick to the youngest wines available for inexpensive pinot grigio wines: not more than a year old. For instance, the crisp, fresh, zesty 2002 Peter Zemmer from Alto Adige is already in the market and is a refreshing aperitif. However, for the more complex pinot grigio wines listed below, two or three years of bottle age will reward you with a more interesting and multi-layered wine.

At the end, we must return to the beginning. Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio is a crisp, clean wine that will not offend anything except your wallet and your intelligence. It is true it sells in Italy for about €5.50 in a store, but like all brands that establish a category it demands a premium. Sure you can buy facial tissues than cost less than Kleenex, but we still have a tendency to call all the tissue brands Kleenex don’t we?

The finest pinot grigio producers

-Livio Felluga, Collio

-Castello de Spessa, Collio

-Russiz Superiore, Collio

-Cantina Produttori San Michele Appiano, St. Valentin, Alto Adige

-Schiopetto, Collio

-Villa Russiz, Collio

-Borgo San Daniele, Friuli Isonzo

-Viticoltori Caldaro, Soll, Alto Adige

-Alois Lageder, Benefizium Porer, Alto Adige

-Ferdinado e Aldo Polencic, Collio

-Isidoro Polencic, Collio

-Ronco del Gelso, Friuli Isonzo

-Pierpaolo Pecorari

-Bastinaich, Plus, Colli Orientali del Friuli

-Jermann, IGT (Collio)

-Vie di Romans, Dessimis, Friuli Isonzo

ABC as easy as 123

By Craig Camp

Thursday, May 1, 2003

ABC, easy as 123
Oh, simple as Do Re Mi
ABC. THAT'S wine lingo for Anything But Chardonnay. Chardonnay is too popular to be cool to drink. At least that's what people say. This proves once again that what people say and what they do -- or in this case drink -- is not always the same. It's hard to fight fashion.

Yet chardonnay is popular for many reasons. Along with cabernet sauvignon, merlot and now syrah they can almost grow it anywhere -- and I mean almost anywhere. Chardonnay is easy to grow and to make, and the winemaker can greatly influence the outcome. Because the winemaker can have such a strong influence it is often technique that defines the flavors of chardonnay wines more than terroir. This is why so many chardonnay wines are boringly similar, or just plain boring. Most are created by winemakers taught the same unimaginative standards of flavor, quality, and technique at enology schools the world over.

The grand exceptions to this are the great white wines of Burgundy, where it all began for chardonnay. There the expression of a unique terroir is raised to the highest level, as are the prices.

The wine trade follows the fashion trend of chardonnay without giving it much thought. Sure there is a lot of sauvignon blanc and pinot grigio out there, but most producers are using the same strategies for producing these varieties with similar scintillating results. For instance, at many chain restaurants in the US you are presenting with a wine list consisting of four American chardonnay selections, a pinot grigio, and a sauvignon blanc balanced off with some white zinfandel and interchangeable merlot and cabernet sauvignon wines. Sometimes things are spiced up by the inclusion of Australian or South American wines that are trying as hard as they can to taste just like the California wines.

I was recently in a massive new grocery store in Ohio and the wine manager proudly showed me his wine section. It was gigantic, featuring over 600 different selections. You needed binoculars to see the end of the chardonnay section, which represented almost two thirds of the department. The problem was he could have replaced all the dozens and dozens of chardonnays on the shelf with just four or five of his selections and still have offered his customers the same diversity of styles and price points. They just would have had fewer pretty labels to choose from.

This ocean of identical chardonnay wines with different labels has made serious wine buyers adopt the ABC anthem and to do their best to ignore chardonnay -- except top Burgundies when someone else is buying. Yet we should remember that the reason chardonnay is so popular in the first place is that it tastes good.

Yes chardonnay tastes good and matches well with a broad variety of food. I confess that although it may not be cool, I like chardonnay. What I hate is the cookie-cutter, plastic-tasting swill that most companies spew out onto the market and that most people think is what chardonnay tastes like. It is not as easy as 123 to find wines that really taste like chardonnay. The mass of wine labeled chardonnay would seem to make it easy, but it is in fact harder because the good ones are camouflaged by all the chaff.

At the lower price levels of the chardonnay spectrum, oak is the enemy. That goes double for wood chips. Inexpensive wines should be all about fruit and drinking young. Oak has become the curse of chardonnay wines -- many think the flavor of oak is actually the flavor of chardonnay. At the higher price level, it is well proven by history that the judicious use of oak broadens and adds layers of complexity to chardonnay in a way that that it can do to no other white variety. What constitutes a judicious use of oak is a very broad category. Dominique Lafon can put his powerful and structured chardonnay in barrels for 18 months in his very cold cellar while the same treatment would (and does) destroy a California chardonnay. You can still taste the intense fruit of the Lafon while the California wine would effectively become oak juice.

To find the best bargain in chardonnay today you have to go back to the beginning. That is back to Burgundy. Yes, that Burgundy that is so famous for its hyper-expensive chardonnay is also home to the best deal in chardonnay today and most everyone ignores it:

The Maconnais offers many consistently fine chardonnay wines for under $15 (US). What anyone is doing drinking the Kendall Jackson chardonnay potion of sugar and wood chips when these wines are around is a mystery. I know that Pouilly Fuisse is a notoriously bad buy, but wines under the various Macon appellations like the Macon Village, Macon Vire, Macon Clesse, Macon Lugny, and Macon Fuisse appellations have to be the most interesting, inexpensive chardonnays that are produced. I know many of these wines have committed the sin of not actually putting chardonnay on the label, but rest assured Macon is chardonnay. The best part is you don't even have to buy these wines on sale to get a great deal.

Macon chardonnay offers a firm acidity and a complex mineral flavor balanced with just a touch of green apple fruit. This balance, fresh flavor, and most of all the crisp finish makes these wines not only exceptionally food friendly, but great aperitifs in the American style.

Some of my current favorites are:

- 2000 Macon Clesse, Les Acacias, Cave de Vire, a Christopher Cannan Selection
- 2001 Macon Chaintre, Domaine de Lalande, a Martine's Wines Selection
- 2001 Macon Village, Vieilles Vignes, Domaine Jean Touzot
- 2000 Macon Village, Domaine de Roally, a Louis/Dressner Selection
- 2000 Macon Charnay Franclieu, Jean Manciat, a Louis/Dressner Selection

No, these wines are not Lafon Meursault, but for everyday drinking wines that offer real complexity, they kick oak chips in the face of those flabby new world chardonnays.
Come on gonna teach how to sing it out, sing it out, sing it
Oh oh oh, ABC
ABC? Not necessarily.

Dancing Lessons: matching food and wine

By Craig Camp
Monday, October 20, 2003

IT'S LIKE the Tango; precise and intertwined.

Maybe it's is more like a waltz; stately and controlled.

Some think it's like a Salsa; all energy and movement.

There are others that think it is a folk dance -- all costumes and traditions -- and others that think it should be modern dance with no rules at all.

Whatever dance it is, it requires lessons and practice. This foot after that; lead this way and follow that way. It requires concentration and agility to dance well.

We're always trying to dance perfectly: the dance of which wine goes with what.

There are those that argue for contrast, others for harmony, and still others that demand flawless synchronicity. Many others are bound by legend and tradition or, worse, by reviews and fashion. The debate makes knowing the next step seem like your first Tango lesson.

Thirty years ago, Le Francias, in a northern suburb of Chicago, was the ultimate restaurant in the United States. Chef/owner Jean Banchet was on the cover of every American food magazine and the private planes were arriving at the nearby airport every night, where limos were waiting to whisk the passengers to the pleasures of his tables. The sommelier there told me the story of an older gentleman who would come in once a week to dine. He was always alone and would always order the same thing: an old bottle of Chateau d'Yquem and a steak -- finishing every piece and drop of both. The sommelier loved serving the old man because he loved the steak and the great sweet wine equally. "It was a pleasure to serve someone having such pleasure," he told me.

Pleasure, after all, is the only rule that counts.

When I was converted to wine (conversion in the religious sense is the proper reference point for those new to the wine sect), I set off to convert the heathens. The first and easiest target is your own family. At Thanksgiving I served the best Beaujolais Cru I could find. When Christmas dinner overloaded the table I opened fine Bordeaux and Burgundy. They always politely nodded and said "very nice" when I was obviously waiting for them to comment about the wine. Then Easter came and through an oversight I forgot to buy the white wine and, out of necessity, served a cheap California chardonnay. The response was overwhelming. They couldn't say enough good things about the wine. I had to soak the labels off for all of them so they could buy more.

This shook my faith in the true religion. They were experiencing more pleasure from the inexpensive chardonnay then they were from the Lafon Meursault I had served them at Christmas. Personal preference had reared its ugly head to confront all my certainty, not only about what was good or bad, but what was right with the food I was serving.

What really shook me up as an old hippie was that I now felt a certain kinship with Richard Nixon, who would serve his guests domestic wine while he was drinking Chateau Margaux out of a napkin-wrapped bottle. Tricky Dickie seemed somehow more human to me after that.

Believe me I know to what depths this all can take you. I admit it: I am a recovering match-oholic. That's right I was obsessed with matching exactly the right food and wine. More than once the restaurant's kitchen would close before I had even gotten through the first 150 pages of the wine list. I was getting ulcers trying to decide if this Sancerre or that Chablis would be exactly right with the first course. At first it wasn't bad. Most meals followed classical formulas, but then with the onslaught of "new-American" restaurants picking wines soon became a nightmare. During the same course one person could have pasta with a tomato sauce, one spicy pot stickers, one foie gras, and another six types of fresh oysters. What was the perfect wine for all of those things? The answer is simple: there wasn't one. After a few meals like this I was on the road to recovery for match-oholism.

The truth is that wines are much more adaptable to many types of foods than many wine experts would like you to believe. It is far safer to stray from 95 point wines and the safe choices of the world than you think. Few matches are really bad.

This is true. While there are some matches that really sing, most of your options fall into the more than acceptable "pleasure" category. This is great news unless you are more obsessed with ego and conspicuous consumption than about pleasure.

Let's look at a line-up of California wines -- assuming each bottle is of high quality. One bottle is a cabernet sauvignon, one merlot, one zinfandel, and a syrah. Now imagine we are sitting at Morton's and the waiter has just deposited almost two pounds of sizzling aged steak in front of you. Which wine is better with the steak?

The answer is clear: it depends. If you return to Morton's four times and have only one of the wines with your steak your perception will be much different than if you only went once and served all the bottles at once. The fact is they all go very well with the steak and on their own will give you a very high pleasure score. The differences in the wines are what make wines interesting, but the reality is that they all enhance your $30.00 steak with about the same dexterity.

To match wines with foods you only have to break them down into basic categories and find your preferences. Big wines go with big foods; sweet wines go with rich and sweet foods. Delicate dishes need delicate wines. Spice needs some sweet and hates tannin. Most of all you just have to experiment. You will find many matches that you just love and your friends don't. The main thing to remember is this experimentation is not dangerous. Few really disgusting matches imperil your palate although there is some danger to your pocketbook.

This is not to say there are not great matches. There are certainly harmonies of texture and flavor that are broadly appreciated and for good reason. Elegant and complex cuisine matched with just the right wine raises dining to an art form. When faced with the financial risks of ordering wine in restaurants great sommeliers are there to guide you to these gustatory summits. Sommeliers like Mark Slater at Citronelle in DC, Robert Bansberg at Ambria in Chicago, and George Cossette at Campanile in Los Angeles can introduce you to great experiences with wines you have never heard of and that don't require you to tap into the kids' college funds -- if you are open to the experience.

One of the great pleasures of food-and-wine matching is what I call elevation. Often when dining at home alone on some re-heated leftovers I'll open an extraordinary bottle of wine. While the match may not be classic, the wine itself elevates the entire experience of the evening. In this instance the wine matches the person more than the food. To me this is the most important aspect of matching food and wine. There is no arguing taste. If you like Chateau d'Yquem with your steak or Marcarini Barolo with your poached sole your are within your rights: even if you are wrong.

So we conclude by answering that ageless question: which wine is best with popcorn? The answer: the coldest one.

No Respect: Barbera Bursting Out

By Craig Camp
Monday, November 3, 2003

I WENT to a Rodney Dangerfield performance the other night and a barbera tasting broke out.

The wine that Piemonte produces of more than any other is an afterthought for most consumers and a nightmare for importers and distributors. Everybody wants to buy Barolo and Barbaresco and in order get their allocations they also buy the barbera and dolcetto wines of those producers. If you are an importer and decide to carry 5 Barolo producers and 3 Barbaresco producers that can mean you have 14 or so Barbera wines and 10 or so Dolcetto bottlings. They are usually all very good wines, but how many Barbera and Dolcetto selections can your customers put on their wine lists or on their shelves?

In northwestern Italy barbera is everywhere. It is a cheap, often fizzy and mostly thin acidy wine with barely more color than a dark rose. The Italians love it and fill up their shopping carts when it’s on sale at the Ipermarket at € 4.00 for a four liter jug. My neighbor buys it even cheaper as he heads out to a cooperative and buys a demijohn (56 liters -- sort of an Italian kegger). Some Italians will even splurge spending as much as 4 or 5 Euros for a single bottle.

To most Lombards and Piemontese the concept of an expensive Barbera is – well laughable.

The combination of a local market that won’t take you seriously and an overloaded export market can make life tough for serious barbera and dolcetto producers who don’t own Barolo and Barbaresco vineyards and so have no leverage.

Yet like the Union troops at Fredericksburg, serious Barbera producers keep charging the wall of trade and consumer resistance: often with similar results. In spite of this, barriques are purchased, gorgeous labels designed, heavy bottles ordered and old vineyards acquired all with the goal of making great barbera.

All this investment and attention has changed the entire concept of what barbera is and what you can expect when you pull the cork. Famed for its tooth jarring acidity, producers have taken to the barrel to soften out their barbera wines. Barriques combined with lower yields and old vines are producing wines that are lush, giant, deep purple that are out-and-out soft. The 11% and 12% alcohol levels of the grocery store brands become 14% or higher in these new style barbera wines.

Nebbiolo and barbera have opposite attributes. Nebbiolo has low color and high tannins. Barbera has high acids, low tannin and high color. Perhaps this is why they follow each other so well. The naturally low tannin of barbera means that this variety has a totally different relationship with aging in barriques made of new oak than the tannin laden nebbiolo. Oak aging can soften the sharp acidity and add a dose of needed tannic structure.

Giacomo Bologna changed everything for barbera when he released his Bricco dell’Uccellone in the early eighties. He selected grapes from the best vineyard and aged them in new French barriques and the results started a revolution in Piemonte.

This means that there are basically two types of barbera available in the export market as the cheap stuff fortunately tends to stay in Italy. The first is a fresher, fruity style that is aged in stainless steel. The second are the barrique aged powerhouses. Which one to pick depends on what is on the table, how much is in your wallet and your deep personal feelings about strong oak flavors in wine.

I say basically two types because there is in fact a third type: many producers are blending nebbiolo and barbera. It is in these blends you will find the Piemonte answer to the super-Tuscans. These super-Piemonte wines, that fall under the Langhe Rosso DOC, tend to be around 60% barbera and 40% nebbiolo and feature loads of toasty new oak flavors from many months in new barrique. Another thing they have in common with the super-Tuscans are their super prices and they often cost as much (if not more) than Barolo and Barberesco. Famous examples include the Sandrone Pe Mol and Altare La Villa, but take the time to search out the Suo di Giacomo of Eugenio Bocchino as it delivers the same punch for much less money. There is yet another dimension to blended barbera to be found in the various L’Insieme bottlings – some of which include dolcetto, cabernet sauvignon and merlot.

It can’t be denied. Good barbera is fun to drink. A wine full of life, zest and just begging for a good meal to be paired with. I know that some producers want to make a wine to challenge nebbiolo, but for me the pure joy reflected in the flavor of barbera is what makes it a wine I go back to again and again.

Few wines match so well with food. The fruit and structure of barbera in all styles lends itself remarkably well to a wide range of dishes. The fruity stainless steel wines are one of the best choices you can make for classic Italian-American cuisine and the oaky bottlings take on grilled and roasted meats in ways most merlot wines can only dream of all the while offering the same lush fruit that has made that variety so popular. Wine lovers outside of Italy are always in the hunt for search for the perfect pizza wine -- a concept Italians don’t understand. There are few better matches for pizza than a zesty barbera.

Eating in Piemonte is similar to running a marathon: you have to pace yourself. The antipasti can seem endless. At one restaurant when we ordered the house antipasti assortment they brought an extra table to hold them -- not a cart a whole extra table. If barbera did not exist the Piemontese would have had to invent it to handle this onslaught of appetizers. The refreshing acidity of barbera is just the thing you need to keep that palate in shape for the main course – and the Barolo.

The vast majority of the best Barbera wines come from three DOC’s: Barbera d’Alba, Barbera del Monferrato and Barbera d’Asti. Barbera d’Alba tends to be what you most frequently see in export markets as these are the Barbara wines made by the Barolo and Barbaresco producers. However, in the other two zones barbera is king and produces the best wines from those zones. It is in Asti and Monferrato and from small Alba producers that are without Barolo and Barbaresco vineyards that “bountiful barbera bargains” (©) can be found – by bargains I do not mean low prices, but that you get a lot of wine for the money.

Some barbera recommendations:

Big and Rich

-Roberto Ferraris, Barbera d’Asti, La Cricca

-Scagliola Barbera d’Asti, SanSi

-Sciorio Barbera d’Asti, Reginal

-La Zucca Barbera d’Asti, Martizza

-Alfieri Barbera d’Asti Superiore, Alfiera

-Arbiola, Barbera d’Asti, La Romilda

-Martinetti Barbera d’Asti Superiore, Montruc

Zesty and Fruity

-Destefanis Barbera d’Alba

-La Zucca Barbera d’Asti, I Suli

-Arbiola, Barbera d’Asti, La Carlotta

-Bricco Mondalino, Barbera del Monferrato Superiore

-Vinchio-Vaglio Serra, Rive Rosso, Barbera del Monferrato

-Tenuta La Tenaglia, Barbera d’Asti, Bricco Crea

There are literally dozens and dozens more. Every year there are more and more producers improving both their basic barbera for everyday drinking and their top-of-the-line barrique aged old vine cuvee.

Barbera may not get the respect it deserves, but at least no one is laughing anymore.

Nose to Nose: The debate over high-tech wine

By Craig Camp

Monday, November 10, 2003

THEY ARE nose-to-nose and the sparks are flying. The argument has gone on for the better part of two days. What started out as an intellectual debate has dissolved into exchanges of not-so-subtle insults. Luckily, the combatants are mouse-to-mouse instead of face-to-face. It started out simply enough when one of them declared Domenico Clerico (the famed Barolo producer) a genius. However, the other guy took exception to this as he is convinced that Clerico and people who think like him are destroying one of the world's great wines. The battle between old and new never ends.

Winemakers love to promote the idea that they are simple farmers. Romantic images and bucolic country scenes of happy grape pickers, hillside vineyards, and dusty bottles in old cellars are featured in all the brochures. However, if they were more honest the pictures would be of roto-fermenters, reverse osmosis equipment, and the oxygen tanks for micro-oxygenation.

Are the new-style wines better or are they blinding us with science? Why do wines taste so different now than they did twenty years ago?

First of all, there's little agreement about what's right and what's wrong. Hi-tech equipment like reverse osmosis systems can be found in giant commercial Australian wineries and small Burgundy domaines. What one winemaker swears by is anathema to another. The wine media confuse the situation further by railing against high-tech winemaking and then promptly rewarding, with the highest scores, those who make wines by those methods.

Contrary to the quiet country gentleman image most wine producers like to project, those from the most famous wine making districts are usually savvy and experienced business people. They know all too well how to take market research and translate that data into a product that sells. In Hollywood they have tours past the homes of the stars: in Napa they could have tours past the homes of past and present Fortune 500 CEO's -- people who understand the positive results you can get by providing people with pleasure easily attained. Bordeaux and Tuscany have become equally corporate and other great vineyard regions are not far behind. It should be no shock that wines produced in Napa, Maremma, and Pomerol can be difficult to tell apart -- the owners belong to the same vinous country club.

So, why do so many wines taste the same? It's simple: too many winemakers make it in the same way using technology to overwhelm vintage, variety, and terroir (the taste the specific vineyard microclimate gives the wine).

Just as the Vatican is the center of Catholicism, Australia has become the center of the religion of high-tech winemaking. For an example of pure high-tech, just taste the red wine lineup of the well-known winery Rosemount. The portfolio includes cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and shiraz, but the differences in the flavors and textures of these wines is insignificant and, in fact, they are basically interchangeable. The different varietals only exist for marketing purposes. Each of them is made according to a recipe that will appeal to the lowest common denominator, and the result is essentially the same wine in different bottles with different names. Australia may be the holy see of this kind of winemaking, but Bordeaux, Tuscany, the USA, and South America are right there with them -- and the rest of France, Italy, and Spain are trying as fast as they can to become Cardinals. One real danger of all this technology is that as flavors become more standardized, many less popular grape varieties could become even more unimportant because they don't fit well into the grand marketing scheme. Why make a gamay that tastes just like your pinot noir that tastes more or less like your syrah.

Here's a look at some of the winemaker's bag of tricks:

-Roto-fermenters: just like it sounds, these are fermenters that rotate during the fermentation of red wines so there's a more continuous and even interaction between the grape skins and the fermenting grape juice. In standard fermentation tanks the skins form a hard "cap" floating at the top of the tank which has to be "punched down" back into the juice to be sure that color and other components are extracted from the skins. More modern methods include "pumping over," which means simply that: gently pumping the fermenting juice over the cap of grape skins at the top of the tank. Supporters point to quicker color extraction and softer tannins, but detractors complain of over-extraction of obvious flavors and under-extraction of subtle flavors that add complexity.

-Micro-oxygenation: the extremely slow release of tiny (micro) amounts of pure oxygen through wine. Proponents note rounder mouthfeel, better color and reduced vegetal characteristics. This new technique was introduced in 1991 in France. Critics claim it strips the wine of individual personality and texture. The truth about micro-oxygenation is that it is still a concept in its early stages of development with techniques constantly being adjusted and no one is sure about the future. Most of the people making wine with this method are not worried about the future as they want wines than can be consumed immediately.

-Reverse Osmosis and Must Concentrators: an ultra-fine filter that allows liquids -- water, acid, or alcohol -- to pass through, but will retain color and flavor components. You might remember the principle of osmosis from high school chemistry and biology. That is where if you sleep on your book during class the information will somehow pass to your brain. If reverse osmosis has occurred and you have forgotten, basically if you put pure water and wine at the same pressure separated by a semi-permeable membrane, water will flow across the membrane from the water side (more concentrated in water) to the wine side (less concentrated in water). Though this is not what you want in winemaking the principle is useful. The trick is to increase the pressure on the wine side, which reverses the flow. Too much rain during harvest: no problem, filter it out. Overripe grapes giving you too much alcohol: no problem, just filter it out. Too much acetic acid: no problem, just filter it out. This technology can be applied before or after fermentation and if used before fermentation is known as must concentration. As the equipment is expensive this technology is more common among large wineries or producers that can charge super-premium prices. It has become popular among top Chateaux in Bordeaux. Seemingly a winemaker's dream, reverse osmosis has become the most hated of the new techniques by traditionalists.

All of these can be applied with good result in certain circumstances. Contrary to the cookie-cutter results achieved by corporate winemaking, like you see at Rosemount, Antinori, Latour, and Rutherford Hill, some of these techniques and others are being applied with success (okay, controversial success) by top winemakers throughout the world.

Perhaps the biodynamics movement in winemaking can be seen as a backlash against these innovations by some producers as they take on an anti-techno attitude to differentiate their wines and to reflect their belief in wine as a natural product as compared to an industrial one. The wines they produce are bound to create debate when contrasted against highly manipulated ones. To point out yet another contrast between organic and biodynamics, most of the technical manipulations mentioned above would be completely in accordance with organic requirements.

Not so many years ago the debate focused on chaptalization (adding sugar before fermentation) and acidification. There was not much more winemakers could do besides choose what age barrels to use from what forest. The French looked down their noses at the Californians because they added acid to their wines and the Californians complained that the French cheated by adding sugar. However, as much as people argued about this point, it is clear that great wines were made in both places by a few passionate winemakers who knew how to employ these methods with just the right touch. It would seem logical that we could expect the same results from these new technologies.

Wine is a part of our history and it has always changed with the times. Jazz no longer sounds like it did in the days of Louis Armstrong, but it is still a powerful art. Baseball has changed from the days of Babe Ruth, but it is still extraordinarily entertaining. Wine, which combines both art and entertainment (an appropriate if not often accomplished match), is no different.

There are always a few who can innovate intelligently. Most use technical innovation to make more money: making wine trying only to never offend that will avoid more than a perfunctory swirl and sniff. Yet there are always a dedicated few that are trying to open new horizons. It takes a keen eye and an open mind to appreciate art that is pushing the envelope.

The arguments are sure to continue: fun, huh?

A Wine Without Fear: Amarone

By Craig Camp
Friday, September 26, 2003

IT'S MACHO. It's big, tough, and strong. It's not afraid of really moldy, stinky cheese. It's Amarone.

Amarone: it's the massive, powerful, high-octane Italian wine that is the darling of wine drinkers in Italian-American steak houses and restaurants across the United States. For some strange reason the same customers that are addicted to the "delicate" flavors of Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio love to order Amarone as their red wine. Not that they care which Amarone it is as long as it says Amarone on the label. This has created a huge demand in the USA for Amarone -- any kind of Amarone. As you might have guessed this uncritical demand doesn't inspire a lot of producers to make great wine.

Amarone is the king of the ocean of wines produced in Veneto, a region cursed by its own fertile soils and benign weather. It's easy to grow grapes in Veneto. Unfortunately it's also easy to grow a lot of them on the same vine. The result has been the destruction of famous names like Soave, Valpolicella, and soon Amarone by producers willing to settle for the minimum qualities required by the liberal DOC rules. Some of the best producers, like Anselmi in Soave, have left the DOC, while others are ignoring the new DOCG Soave with studied boredom. Veneto is a mess. This is a shame because the region has not only the capability, but actually does produce some of Italy's best wines.

To understand Amarone you have to understand Valpolicella. Yes, that light, cheap, easy-drinking wine sold by the big Veneto wine companies is a direct relative of the powerful Amarone. Valpolicella, like so many Italian wine regions today, is a work in progress even though its wines can be directly traced back to Roman times. The Valpolicella region stretches across the hills north of Verona. To the northwest of the city is the Valpolicella Classico zone where most of the best vineyards are located. In Valpolicella they use grapes not likely to be on the Wine Spectator Who's Who of Grapes: rondinella, molinara, and the leader of the pack, corvina. For you old Steppenwolf fans that is corvina not corina corina. Corvina joins a long list of Italian varieties that makes great wine in only one spot in the world: barbera and nebbiolo in Piemonte, aglianco in Campania, sangiovese in Toscana, montepulciano in Abruzzo and Le Marche, nero d'avola in Sicilia, negroamaro in Puglia, garganega in Soave, ribolla gialla and refosco in Friuli, teroldego in Trentino, and lagrein in Alto Adige to name a few.

So how does that light red wine on sale at the grocery store become the powerful Amarone? It's a complex process. It's hard, time-consuming, and expensive. What does this say? Avoid cheap Amarone.

Like most regions, Valpolicella mostly makes bulk commercial wine. But for a small additional investment there are many wonderful red wines from this region, ranging from excellent light everyday wines to some of the most complex and expensive wines produced.

To make great wines here, first you do the basic things. You use mainly the best vine (corvina), you cut yields, you use old vines for your best selections, you don't pick until the grapes are very ripe (a big gamble), and if you're really dedicated you do something beyond all of these risky choices: after you pick your grapes late you take them and put them on racks for several months to dry. When they dry, water goes and sugar stays. More sugar means more food for the yeasts to eat during fermentation, and more yeast food means more alcohol. It doesn't only mean more alcohol, however. When done with care and proper selection it means more of everything: more fruit, more body, more complexity . . . and that means Amarone. The drying of the grapes is called appassimento and is a process used to improve most of the best red wines of the region.

So the producers take their best grapes and dry them not only to make Amarone, but to create a full range of their best wines. The ultimate expression of the vintners art here are Recioto della Valpolicella and Amarone. In a simplified way they are the same thing, but Recioto is a sweet red and Amarone is dry. Amarone is Recioto della Valpolicella fermented out to dryness. Hence its name from amaro or bitter -- meaning dry. Both Recioto and Amarone are strong cheese wines without rival.

The best producers take portions of the wines and grapes they are drying to make Recioto and Amarone and blend small portions of them into their normal Valpolicella wines to make wines of more character. In one technique the lees (leftovers in the barrels) of Amarone and Recioto are added to the wine to restart fermentation and in another a small percentage of Amarone is added to the Valpolicella blend. The end result is the same: a stronger, more dramatic and complex wine called ripasso. As is so typical these days, the best producers often no longer use this designation and you'll just have to let you palate tell you the truth. When you taste a regular Valpolicella with a dramatic depth and roundness you can be sure that the wine has been super-charged by ripasso to some degree.

So there's a broad range from massively overproduced Valpolicella to ultra-complex concentrated and everything in between. And the only way to tell the difference before you drink is to learn the producers.

There always seem to be cherry trees surrounding the best vineyards in Valpolicella. The growers say the cherry trees add the cherry flavors to their wines. High on the highest hill in the area sits Corte Sant'Alda with the steeply sloping Mithas vineyard below. Although not in the classico zone, owner and winemaker Marinella Camerani has transformed these vineyards into some of the area's best. She has single-mindedly taken this formerly ignored property and, through sheer determination and passion, created some of Veneto's bests wines and an Amarone that has received the highest awards possible. Although all of her wines are excellent her ripasso, Valpolicella Superiore, "Mithas," Corte Sant'Alda, and her Amarone are some of the best examples of the modern style produced in the region. While her wines are not inexpensive they are tremendous values considering the quality. One sip of Corte Sant'Alda and you will realize how hollow commercial Amarone can be. In certain great vintages she also produces a Mithas Amarone. It is not to be missed.

In the heart of the classico zone, Speri has been quietly producing some of the best wines of the region. The Speri Valpolicella Classico Sant'Urbano is as close as you can get to an Amarone without actually being one. This wine is one of the greatest values in the entire region. Speri's exceptional Amarone is produced in a classic style with layered complexity and an unending finish. Speri is incapable of making bad wine, or even mediocre wine.

The peak experience of the region lies in two extraordinary producers -- one old and one middle aged, one exceedingly modern and one exceedingly traditional.

Dal Forno Romano makes wines of exceptional power and concentration. They approach Port in power and exceed it in price.

The other is a quiet gentle old man. You approach the winery that looks not much more than a house. The cherry trees surrounding the house are covered in the early spring smoke of cuttings being burned in the vineyards. You enter the winery through what could be a garage door. Inside these unexceptional surroundings are the extraordinary wines of Giuseppe Quintarelli. The immense fame of the name seems neither to fit the simple surroundings or the gentle old man who greets you with a quiet smile. However there is something about his demeanor that demands your respect and you feel almost humbled in front of him. The wines of Quintarelli have been recognized as the finest of the region for decades. These are the opposite of the Dal Forno wines, not because they're not powerful, but in the sense that they don't hit you over the head with drama. These are wines that demand something from you. As you taste wines with him, Signor Quintarelli watches you to see if you understand. If he feels you understand the wines, he draws from the huge barrels behind him wines that have been resting there for six or more years. You get a small smile when you say arrivederLa. You quietly leave with the feeling that you have somehow grown, just as you do when leaving the presence of a great work of art.

Today, the region has exploded with fine producers and much-improved older ones: Tedeschi, Allegrini, Tenuta Sant'Antonio, Bussola, Bertani, Tommasi, Le Ragose, Le Salette, and Accordini are all making excellent wines. The entire ranges of wines from these producers are worth seeking out. Today, Valpolicella is interesting from top to bottom -- if you stay with the best producers.

I have some really mature gorgonzola waiting for a challenge. Have no fear -- I know just the wine.

Oasi degli Angeli and Kurni

By Craig Camp
Thursday, May 15, 2003

THERE SEEMED to be one less chicken in the yard than there had been in the morning, but my mind was too satisfied to think of much else besides the beautiful afternoon. We had just finished a wonderful lunch at Oasi degli Angeli, an agriturismo and home to Kurni, a wine rapidly becoming the most famous wine in Marche and one of the most collectable wines in Italy.

Eleonora Rossi and Marco Casolanetti are Oasi degli Angeli and Kurni. They are the creators of the wine, food, and sensations that surround this hidden spot in the often ignored Marche region. The Marche is an extremely beautiful region on the Adriatic Sea with Romagna to the north and Abruzzo to the south.

Oasi degli Angeli, located just outside of Cupra Marittima, is an estate that dates back three generations when the great-grandfather of Eleonora created a small farm in the Marche dedicated to the growing of grapes, olives, fruits trees, and vegetables. In the middle of the 1990's Eleonora and Marco, her companion in life and a winemaker, decided to dedicate the farm to the cultivation of wine grapes and to make an agriturismo (a small guest-house in the countryside) out of the family estate. They chose to call their wine Kurni, nickname of the family of Eleonora. Although Kurni has been released only four times, they have already been awarded the prestigious Tre Bicchieri (three glasses), three times by the Gambero Rosso, their top award, and barely missed a fourth in the difficult 1999 vintage. The Gambero Rosso will have to come out with 'four glasses' award to keep up with the exceptional Oasi degli Angeli Kurni as Marco and Eleonora continually strive to improve their creation.

When I asked Marco and Eleonora what they thought the difference was between Oasi degli Angeli and other estates, they enthusiastically and spontaneously answered: "Us!" I agree with them.

Marco and Eleonora bring a unique level of passion and energy to their work and the results of this intensity are clear to see -- and to taste. Eleonora directs her energy to the kitchen and Marco to the winery, but the results of their partnership creates a symbiosis that brings the food, the wine, and the hospitality to peak levels.

The small osteria at Oasi degli Angeli offers the best the estate can grow, all prepared with great care and creativity by Eleonora. This is country food prepared at a very high level with exceptional ingredients. A simple chicken roasted with fresh picked herbs makes you think you have never before tasted chicken. Marco has assembled a wine list that not only offers the best of Marche, but wines from cutting-edge winemakers from all over Italy. The room may be rustic, but the shelves filled with Riedel crystal alert you to the pleasures soon to arrive at your table. Four lovely rooms await those who decide that one meal is not enough.

The Marche has been ignored by generations of wine lovers as a region that only produces a simple white wine, in a fish-shaped bottled, called Verdicchio. Like so many forgotten Italian wine regions, however, the Marche is making a strong comeback, with many small producers emerging to make some excellent wines, both red and white.

Reds are leading the way with fine examples of montepulciano and sangiovese blends being produced in Rosso Conero and Rosso Piceno. In Rosso Piceno, Saladini Pilastri is producing some of the best values in Italy with single vineyard wines, Piediprato and Monteprandone, which are dominated by montepulciano. Sangiovese in Marche can be thin and sharp, but in blends dominated by the powerful montepulciano the tart Marche sangiovese brings a refreshing liveliness. Even in the much-maligned Verdicchio there are producers like Villa Bucci making extraordinary wines.

Kurni is on a whole different level of being. A garage wine in the true sense, the 1.4 hectare vineyard yields a miserly 4,000 bottles in a good vintage. Kurni is produced from 100% montepulciano with the vines averaging over 35 years of age, grown at an altitude of 80 to 100 meters above sea level, with a sun-bathed southern exposure. The soils here are calcareous with clay and sand. Marco has cut yields to brutally low levels and as a result these vines yield grapes with concentrated and powerful flavors unrivaled in Marche or in any other montepulciano.

Then Mad Marco the Winemaker takes over in the winery, making wine in a way that can only be calculated to drive his accountant insane. Marco reduces the yields further by taking a small percentage of his few remaining grapes and makes them in a passito fashion much like they do when making Amarone. The rest of the wine is given a long maceration and fermentation in stainless steel vats (approximately 40 days) at a temperature of about 29 degrees centigrade. After fermentation the wine goes into 100% brand-new 224-liter French-oak barrels for 9 months. Then, just to be sure, after 9 months all the wine is racked into a completely new set of 100% brand-new 224-liter French-oak barrels for another 9 months. That's right, all new barrels -- twice. "It's not for the oak flavors, but for the oxygen," says Marco, referring to the fact that montepulciano needs to be oxygenated well to open up and develop finesse. After another four months of bottle age, Kurni is ready for sale.

Selling the wine is the least of Marco's problems, as Kurni has become the darling of the European wine press and demand far outdistances the 4,000 bottles he lets escape from the vines.

Kurni is a majestic, powerful wine most decidedly in the modern camp of Italian winemaking. It is a dark ruby-purple with a rich bouquet redolent of ripe wild berries, sweet vanilla oak, and the rugged earthiness of montepulciano. It is a mouthful of a wine, but the intense flavors are carried wonderfully by a zesty acidity. Drinking Kurni is both a profound and a hedonistic experience -- just like Marco and Eleonora.

As we walk off our lunch with a stroll through the vineyard, my mind goes back to that missing chicken. I wonder where she went?

Pinot Report?

The Pinot Report

Pinot Noir of the Year

Loring Wine Company

Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills Cargasacchi Vineyard 2004

“Deep ruby purple color; deep, slightly closed aromas with hints of pepper and cassis; big, bold flavors of black cherry and cassis, deep layers of pepper and spice notes; moderate tannin; smoky oak; great structure and balance; very long finish.” The Pinot Report

The tasting notes above come from The Pinot Report. This Loring Pinot Noir is their selection for the best pinot noir released in 2005. I mean to take no issue with this wine in any regard as I have never tasted it or any other wine from Loring. It may be wonderful. However, the tasting note itself reflects the dangers faced by pinot noir today. Let’s take a look at his comments;

• “Deep ruby purple color”
• “aromas with hints of pepper and cassis”
• “big, bold flavors of black cherry and cassis”

There must be some mistake here as these descriptors certainly can’t describe great pinot noir. Where are the references to the brilliant light garnet color, the elegant and complex bouquet and the haunting delicately long finish. Here we have an opaque purple wine tasting and smelling of cassis. Isn’t that Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon?

The Loring may or may not be a great wine in its own right, but if it tastes anything like The Pinot Noir Report says, great pinot noir its not. If you are going to report on pinot, report on pinot.

Wente Vineyards and Foreigner Create ''Legends of Wine & Rock'

LIVERMORE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 21, 2006--In a cross-promotion illustrating the emergence of wine as the adult beverage of choice on a rock and roll scene long dominated by spirits and beer, Wente Vineyards has teamed with legendary rock band Foreigner to create the "Legends of Wine & Rock" pre-concert wine tastings. These exclusive gatherings represent a first-of-its-kind opportunity for fans to meet Foreigner, while sipping wines from Wente Vineyards. A sweepstakes to win a trip to The Concerts at Wente Vineyards to see Foreigner live in 2007, and free online music downloads, are also part of the promotion. To date, nineteen events are set for 2006 in eight states and four countries.

This is one of the most appropriate pairings I’ve seen in a long time. Sales of Wente wines and Foreigner CDs are sure to skyrocket! It really shows you how bad the PR problem is for the Wente brand, when they have to team up with a has-been rock group to improve their image. Come to think of it, it also shows you how bad the situation is for Foreigner when the only wine brand they can partner with is Wente.

Wente and Foreigner are certainly names that will live on as legends. Legends of what I’m not sure.

Corky Paranoia

By Craig Camp
Friday, August 15, 2003

I SIT in the corner of a dark restaurant on a worn chair with dark green plastic upholstery. The walls are a dark imitation wood. The room is empty except for me and the wait staff. As I peruse the menu the only safe bet is the filet mignon. There was no other choice. I could drive no longer and when I pulled into the hotel it was almost 10 p.m.. There was nothing else open in this wide spot on the interstate in Iowa so it was going to be dinner here or nothing else.

I see her coming out of the corner of my eye and the paranoia starts to build in my mind.

"Would you like a cocktail?" she asks in an automatic way.

"Can I have the wine list?" I ask with a sense of resignation.

She brings the list back in a few minutes and I am relieved to find Gallo Sonoma Zinfandel. Not bad, it will wash down the steak just fine.

After a few minutes watching the "Frasier" rerun on the bar TV she finally arrives back at the table.

"Would you like some wine?" she asks with complete and sincere boredom.

"Yes, I will take number 124," I say, knowing better than to order it by name.

After a few more minutes with "Frasier," she returns to tell me my selection is not available by the glass. I explain I want the whole bottle and she reacts with disbelief and with more than a little irritation that she will actually have to open a bottle at the table.

But it is only now that the paranoia really starts to set in. What if the wine is corked? I know what the response will be: disbelief, irritation, and the certainty that I am trying to rip them off. First the bartender will come out then the hotel manager.

"Don't you want to try something else," they will ask, assuming I just don't like the wine.

She finally arrives at my table with the bottle some minutes after my steak has arrived. I watch with apprehension while she attacks the bottle with a huge winged auger corkscrew. She pours about 11 ounces in a 12 ounce glass that weighs about a pound and waits for me to taste.

With trepidation I put the glass to my nose waiting for the nauseating smell of books that have been in the basement for a few decades.

But wait! There it is! The smooth fruity smell of blackberry jam. No problem after all. This will wash down my now-cold steak quite well.

I tell the waitress the wine is fine. We are both visibly relieved.

"Would you like an ice bucket?" she asks.

I developed my corky paranoia because so many times the bottle has been bad and then I've had to deal with hassles. Sometimes even at the Holiday Inn they replace the bottle with the speed and aplomb of the sommelier at Trotter's; other times it is not so easy. Even at well-known restaurants you can run into problems. One time, while eating at one of the outlets of a famous Chicago restaurant group, I got a badly corked bottle of Trimbach Riesling. When I returned the bottle the manager came to the table and insisted I order a different wine instead of getting a new bottle. He said it was restaurant policy. I was not happy.

The root of these problems is simple: neither consumers nor the trade know what corky wines taste like. Recent estimates say around 5% or more of bottles are spoiled by bad corks. The huge majority of those bottles are consumed not returned. This is a nightmare for producers as consumers that drink these wines just think that winery doesn't make very good wine. It is confusing for servers who have some customers drink and some return corked wines.

Corky wines are easy to spot and once you get the knack it's like riding a bike. First of all think musty. Find an old damp basement with some books that have been sitting there for a few years. Open that damp book and insert your nose. Breath deeply. That's what corky wine smells like. The first thing that goes are the fruit aromas. The next time one of your corky savvy friends rejects a bottle be sure to save your glass to compare to the new unaffected (with any luck) bottle. The difference will astound you. Sometimes you may have even thought the first wine was fine, but when you put the two side-by-side the fruit in the good bottle will sing compared to the bad one. Comparing in this way is the only sure fire way to learn to identify corked wines.

The villain in this story is 2,4,6-trichloroanisole or TCA for those of us who don't like to mispronounce words badly in public. When a cork is contaminated with TCA it makes the wine that comes into contact with it stink and taste bad and we say the wine is corked or corky. Scientists have come up with several culprits that create TCA in corks, but the exact reason is still unknown and hotly debated. The most common reason cited is the interaction between chlorine used to process the cork and the TCA that already exists in a mold present in the cork bark, but the cork industry has widely abandoned the use of chlorine and bad corks are still with us. Cork manufactures are rushing to find ways to prevent TCA-tainted corks and are using a wide array of new technologies for processing cork including ultra-high pressure, microwaves, and other Rube Goldberg contraptions, none of which are yet proven.

So the real question may be why the heck are we using corks to seal wine bottles anyway? There can be no doubt that the main reason is tradition and status. The great wines of the world come in cork-sealed bottles. Lesser wines want to appear grander in the eyes of the consumer and feel obligated to use real corks. The massive demands placed on the cork industry by the producers of millions upon millions of bottles of wine destined for consumption within months of release mean that a lot of people are drinking bottles of funky-smelling and foul-tasting wine. There's no reason to use natural corks in wine that is intended for current consumption. Well, no reason other than marketing.

Are there any reasons to use real corks? Tradition holds that minute quantities of oxygen pass through the cork and interact with wines, helping them to reach the perfect point of maturity. Romantic, yes; likely, no. Angelo Gaja, the famed producer of super-premium and super-expensive Italian wines, has for years used the largest and most expensive corks available. His thinking was that by forcing his supplier to make very long corks he would assure that only the finest sections of the cork bark could be used in producing his corks. Even so it is worth noting that for his wineries' own libraries he uses Stelvin screw-caps to guarantee the quality and consistency of those wines he is saving as historical reference points.

Led by producers dedicated to protecting their creations and by mass brands that see the commercial benefits, alternative closures are making their presence felt in the market. The major types are:

-Plastic-based synthetic corks. These are widely used by both upper- and lower-end producers. They seem to function well with the major problem being that they can be hard to get out of the bottle. These are popular because the can fit in traditional bottles and made to look kind of like cork -- or they can be made in sporty colors for the more adventurous. Made from food- or medical-grade plastic they theoretically add no flavors to the wine, but some experts (I am not sure who they are) complain of a difference in flavor over time. Certainly in the short term they work fine.

-Screw caps or Stelvin caps. These will take you back to your college days and the fine wines you were drinking then. Long the favored seal of wines like MD 20/20, screw caps appear to work great. They are totally neutral and easy to use, with the added benefit of not having to lug that heavy corkscrew around with you all the time. One huge plus is when you have leftover wine you just screw the top back on. There appear to be no problems with screw caps except image. People just seem to have trouble accepting that serious wines come in these bottles. Pioneering wineries like Plumpjack in California are helping educate consumers that great wine can come with threads on the neck of the bottle.

-Altec. A brand created in France that uses very fine natural cork particles bound together with an adhesive. The producer, Sabate, claims them to be 100% TCA free. Critics say the glue flavors the wine. This type seems to be losing popularity. One of the main attributes is that it works with a corkscrew with the same feel as a regular cork.

-Crown caps. Yes, like glass Coca-Cola bottles. These have long been used by the Champagne industry to seal bottles while they are aging on the lees. All you Champagne lovers out there will attest to how well they keep wine over long aging periods. Pioneering work is being done now in Australia and we can expect to see more of these in the future. Like screw caps, they work great but have an image problem. Oh, and you have to carry around a bottle opener or use your teeth. (Warning: That was humor. We do not recommend opening crown-top bottles with your teeth. Except in emergency situations -- like when you don't have a bottle opener -- and then at your own risk).

When I tear the foil off of bottles these days and see a synthetic cork on my Beaujolais or Grignolino that was chilling in the refrigerator I feel a sense of calm. No stinky wine tonight. I am also sure my server in Iowa would have preferred to twist off the top of the Gallo Zin instead of wrestling with her little-used corkscrew -- and I would have been paranoia-free. However, I admit to still preferring the ceremony of pulling and sniffing the cork when I open more serious bottles. I like it more out of the romance than logic.

Screw tops on bottles of Lafite, Spottswoode, or Gaja Sori Tilden are hard to imagine, but who knows? The future is changing and it is no longer as hard to imagine as it used to be. After all, the last bottle of 1982 Gaja Sori Tilden I opened was corked. So much for romance.

Brianna, Basilicata Bianco, IGT, 2003, Italy

A white wine from Basilicata in the USA? That's a suprise, but in this case a pleasant one. The Briannia is 100% greco, and once again this varietal shows its potential to make really charming white wines with more than a little complexity. Fresh and crisp with just enough richness, this is a wine to reach for with your seafood pasta dishes.

Jumilla, Juan Gil, Monastrell, Spain

Monastrell and Mourvedré are one in the same, and like growers in southern France, the Spanish have discovered the value of their old vineyards. This chewy, but still structured wine is warm and earthy with touches of leather all packed into a concentrated rich dark red fruit package. However, unlike so many others, this wine is rich, deeply fruity and powerful, but not overblown or blowsy. I enjoyed this wine over three days, so some short term aging is fine, but probably not absolutely necessary as this is a wine wearing all of its charms up-front. It was a great match with some smoky homemade sausages from my local butcher. From 40-year-old vines.

Walla Walla Vintners, Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, 2002

I liked this wine a lot. Nice balance, lovely bright cherry aromas and flavors blended with a lively herbal touch and a tobacco bite. Certainly rich and forward, but in a balanced sort of way. Plenty of new oak shows throughout, but it manages to not go over the top. Compared to what's out there, it is worth the $40 price tag. A short term ager that will benefit from 3 to 5 years of cellaring.

Champagne Pierre Moncuit, Grand Cru, Blanc de blancs

Lovely, lilting, lively and lingering, the frothy Blanc de blancs is yet another slap-in-the-face to the major Champagne houses and at $36.00, a bargain compared to most ultra-premium domestic sparkling wines. Wonderfully toasty and yeasty on the nose and palate with a smooth creamy texture that delicately coasts every corner of your mouth. Very long and complex finish. I'[m going back for more.

Barolo Wars: not-so-long ago in this galaxy

Barolo Wars: not-so-long ago in this galaxy
By Craig Camp
Friday, September 5, 2003

THE WAR had dragged on for decades. So long nobody even seemed to remember when the first shot was fired. At first it was underground -- just a few revolutionaries calling themselves The Modernist Party -- but soon their numbers had exploded and eventually they controlled almost the entire region. The Conservative Party, which had ruled for generations, was overwhelmed before its leaders knew what hit them. Perhaps they deserved this revolution. They had become set in their ways and the economy had declined as the old infrastructure rotted away without modernization. The Conservative Party was satisfied with the way things were and wanted nothing to change, even if everyone could see that change would make things better -- fertile ground for a revolution.

The Modernists had been encouraged by support in the international community fueled by sensationalist press reports published throughout Europe. Soon it became more of a fashion to join the Party than a statement of true beliefs. It wasn’t long before the Modernists had enough of an army to invade the United States. Led by Generalissimo Marc De Grazia’s brilliant tactical moves it wasn’t long before they overran the whole country -- all with the adoring support of the American press. Only recently have both sides realized that war would ruin them all, and an uneasy truce has been signed. Today you can even find them dining at the same table.

This brings us up to date in the ongoing story of The Barolo Wars, the battle between new wave producers and believers in traditional methods. Barolo, with its grand tradition, has long been recognized as the greatest Italian red wine. Certainly, the conflict between old and new is a battle that has occurred in all the important wine growing regions of the world. But the speed and the totality of the change in the aristocratic, conservative Barolo region has made this transition very controversial and divisive.

The Barolo region is located in Piemonte, in Northwestern Italy, only a short distance from the French and Swiss borders. The name Piemonte (Piedmont in English) literally describes the area: piedi monte means foothills, and indeed this region of steep hills is at the foot of the Alps.

The legal restrictions on growers and winemakers in Barolo are strict and clear: Barolo can be produced only from the nebbiolo vine grown in specifically delimited areas in the Cuneo province of Piemonte. It must be aged for three years in barrels of oak or chestnut before release (or five years if designated as Riserva). There's a long list of other rules regarding what you can and can't do.

So what’s the problem? How can there be such a battle between styles if there are all these rules?

First you have to see the way things were -- no not the movie -- the way things were in Barolo. When I first traveled there in the early 1980s it was like going to a winemaking museum. I was accustomed to all the sparkling stainless steel in California, and it was hard to believe that people still actually made wine in such a seemingly primitive manner. They would ferment the nebbiolo forever on the skins at high temperature, leeching out all the harsh tannins, and then they'd age it for another forever in huge (30 to 50 hectoliters), old, and often not very clean barrels. When modern professors of oenology see this in their nightmares, they wake up screaming. What you ended up with were brownish, semi-oxidized wines with little fruit and lots of screaming tannins that needed years of aging in bottle to mellow out -- if they ever did before what little fruit that was there disappeared. I’ve got some bottles from the early 70s that will still take the enamel off your teeth. (I bet you can’t wait to get a bottle.) Wines produced in great vintages and grown in the finest vineyards, however, could not only survive this abuse, but prospered from it. They were in fact some of the most complex and interesting wines on the planet. These are the wines that made Barolo famous. The problem was that the weather was only good enough in about three vintages out of a decade to make wines like this, and in weaker years the wines were, to be kind, well, weaker.

There was another problem. What if you where a winegrower in Barolo, but did not own one of the hotshot vineyards that would make the great wines in great vintages? The owners of famous vineyards could sell their wines in the lesser vintages because of their fame, but you were stuck with wine you couldn't sell easily. Well, a couple of sharp growers thought they saw the answer in a style of winemaking that was spreading over the planet at the time. Led by winemakers in Australia and California the so called "international style" of winemaking produced wines very dark in color, with huge sweet fruit flavors, soft easy tannins, and strong oak flavors from aging in small barrels of new French oak. All of these combine to make easy-drinking, consumer-friendly wines that don’t require long aging. These sharp growers realized that with these techniques they could replace the complexity that their vineyards could never give with the charm and fruit that this new fashion in winemaking would provide.

Before long, a couple of these producers got rave reviews from wine critics whose palates were attuned to this modern style -- and the buyers beat a path to their door. The rush was on and the salesmen of French oak barriques (224-liter oak barrels) got rich. Nobody wanted to be left behind and even producers with great vineyards rapidly adopted these modern techniques. Only a few traditionalists have survived. Fortunately, the traditionalists that have survived are some of the best winemakers in Barolo.

But it's really an overstatement to say that any traditionalists have survived. Even the staunchest conservatives don’t make wine like they did thirty years ago. Winemaking in Barolo is a cleaner, more scientific endeavor these days. There have been dramatic advances in vineyard techniques, and growers in all the communes are re-planting with a more balanced blend of the three allowed clones of the Nebbiolo vine. All of this means that the winemakers have much better grapes to work with than in the past.

There are great wines in both styles and which you prefer will depend on when and how you're drinking Barolo and, of course, on your own palate. I confess to being a lover of the more traditional style. I like my wines to taste of the place, and the ultra-modern Barolos lack varietal intensity and the flavors of the region where they were grown. This is not to say I don't enjoy some of the modern Barolos made with a lighter touch.

Although the war itself has calmed down there are still battles. The battle of the moment is over the aging potential of the new style. Aging ability is considered a crucial characteristic of Barolo by many lovers of this wine who believe that, without proper aging, you can't release the full range of nebbiolo's complexity. Many people now complain that the modern Barolos they bought in the early 1990’s have aged badly and do not now have the structure to support all that oak and alcohol.

It's convenient to say that there are two Barolos today: one modern and one traditional. But in reality there's a continuum of styles ranging from the ultra-modern on one end to the ultra-traditional on the other, with most falling somewhere in between.

You are the final victor in this war. Barolo as a winemaking region has improved dramatically. There are more outstanding Barolos available than ever before and they come in a myriad of styles that can please almost every palate.

In Piemonte, Barolo is served at the climax of the meal: when the meat comes. With earlier courses, the lighter Barbera and Dolcetto wines are served. A classic accompaniment for Barolo is Brasato al Barolo (beef braised in red wine), as of course is almost any dish made with the famous white truffles of the Alba region. Barolo is a rich, complex wine with a firm tannin structure. Match it with grilled and roasted meats, game birds, and complex dry cheeses like Parmigiano Reggiano. Serve Barolo at cool room temperature. Several hours in a decanter will bring out the flavors in younger wines. Older wines should be also be decanted well before serving because they usually have sediment. Traditional style wines benefit from long decanting times -- some people open them five or more hours before serving. (I recommend at least two hours.) By the way, just opening the bottle doesn't count. You have to decant the wine for it to get the required air. Decanting is not as essential for modern style Barolo, but I recommend it whenever possible.

Although I prefer the traditional style, I also admire the new style and which wine I drink depends on the situation. It's also important to realize that the leading producers of each style are equally dedicated and passionate about winemaking. Having both styles is a great situation: I drink the modern wines when they're young (5 to 10 years old) while I'm waiting for the traditional wines to reach maturity. What a great world: a nebbiolo for every season.

Watch out, though. Somebody is going to take a shot at you no matter the style you choose. War is hell.

The Perfect Vintage - Barolo and Barbaresco 2000

By Craig Camp
Monday, November 24, 2003

IN FRONT of me are three glasses of wine. Wine for thought? Indeed.

They are all from the same producer, same grape, same region, but different vintages and vineyards. All are from a winemaker renowned for his classic style.

These are my tasting notes on each wine:

Tasting notes -- Wine 1: Bright ruby/scarlet with garnet hints. Just translucent. Closed at first, but opens into floral, rose dust, and firm ripe plum aromas. Firm on the palate, but the tight flavors slowly grow to a delicious layered intensity. Tarry, bitter cherry flavors grow into warm ripe raspberries on the palate. The finish is extremely long with full tarry, bitter cherry flavors that fade into firm but well-rounded tannins. An excellent wine that needs 2 to 3 years aging and should be at its best by 2006. (A-)

Tasting notes -- Wine 2: Ruby with garnet hints. Translucent. The aromas are quite round, with a hint of overripe plums and spices with earthy hints. There are also bright floral notes with violet hints. Round and ripe on the palate with quite a load of very ripe fruit. Dark canned cherries and raspberries followed by very apparent but well integrated tannins. Compared to other vintages, I would put it as just a bit overripe. Although still too young, I think it will mature quickly and drink between 6 and 8 years old. (B+)

Tasting notes -- Wine 3: Bright scarlet/ruby with hints of garnet. Translucent. Smoky dried porcini aromas slowly open into tart raspberry fruit. Closed and intense on the palate with layers of flavors: mushrooms, leather, cherry, and raspberry. The finish is concentrated, long, and very tannic. Truly an outstanding classic wine destined for long-term greatness. Needs at least ten years of aging. (A+)

Each of these wines clearly shows the characteristics of the vintage from which it was produced and raises the question: Is there such a thing as a "perfect" vintage. Recently The Wine Spectator announced it was rating the 2000 vintage in Piemonte a perfect score of 100 points. Is such a thing possible? Can Mother Nature ever be perfect?

Rating a vintage as perfect is, of course, controversial and indeed that probably was The Wine Spectator's intention: nothing like controversy to sell a few more magazines. However, the real controversy here is not the perfect rating of the 2000 vintage, but the fact that the producers themselves almost universally prefer the two vintages on either side of 2000: 1999 and the vintage perhaps most highly regarded of all by growers, 2001.

So, why does a magazine like The Wine Spectator prefer a vintage like 2000 while the producers prefer 1999 and 2001? The answer may lie in the three wines above.

These three wines are all from the nebbiolo grape and produced by the exceptional Poderi Colla estate (one of my favorites). The wines of Poderi Colla are made by the highly respected Colla family, who make wines with great respect for the vine and vineyards from which they come and reflect a strong sense of history. In other words, the nebbiolo wines of Poderi Colla actually taste like nebbiolo and accurately reflect the character of the vintage in which they were produced.

The three wines were:

- 1. Poderi Colla, Nebbiolo d'Alba, 2001

- 2. Poderi Colla, Barbaresco, Roncaglie, 2000

- 3. Poderi Colla, Barolo, Bussia, Dardi Le Rose, 1999

Each of these wines was very good, but the super-ripe flavors of the Barbaresco from the 2000 vintage stood out clearly when compared to the other two wines. These ripe flavors intensified when matched with food. The Nebbiolo d'Alba and Barolo stood out for not only their balance, but for the complexity that balance allowed to show through. The super-ripe flavors of the Barbaresco seemed more one-dimensional and to overwhelm the myriad of nuances that the other two wines promised to deliver in the future.

I don't want to pick on the Colla Barbaresco, which is a fine wine, and when I say super-ripe I am not talking about the super-overripe flavors you get in many southern Italian and Spanish wines. However, in relation to the other two wines, its riper but less complex flavors clearly stand out. What also stands out is that the Barbaresco is much easier on the palate for drinking right now. The intense nebbiolo flavors and tannins of the Nebbiolo d'Alba and Barolo require years of aging before they can share their inner secrets.

What makes 2000 a perfect vintage in today's marketplace is that it's a perfect vintage for offering pleasures easily attained. Super-ripe vintages produce soft, early maturing wines, so the focus for great vintages today always seems to be only on ripeness. Certainly, grapes that are under-ripe will not make good wine, but overripe grapes do not make good wine either. Just like a vintage can lack sun, a vintage can have too much sun: ripeness alone does not determine quality.

Too often wine consumers seem to equate quantity of flavor with quality. The more money they spend, the more flavor they want. Yet the quantity issue for wine should be how much complexity they can get into the wine, not how much power they can pack in.

A recent tasting of the modern-styled Moccagatta Barbaresco wines showed their 2000s to be soft, round, fruity, and once again just a shade on the ripe side. However, in the forward, oaky style of nebbiolo produced by this estate, the soft and ripe character of the 2000 vintage seemed to enhance the gentle, round flavors of this style as contrasted to the more classic Colla style. In more balanced vintages like 1999 and 2001 new-wave wines like Moccagatta often seem to be straining unnaturally to hide their natural nebbiolo tannins: like someone wearing a too-tight girdle. What is a great vintage for one producer in one style is not necessarily a great vintage for another in another style.

What makes a great vintage is simple:

-Enough sun, but not too much.

-Enough wind, but not too much.

-Enough rain, but not too much.

-Enough fruit, but not too much.

Then if all of that works out: enough winemaking, but not too much. Too much of anything is bad when it comes to wine.

The Piemonte region has been blessed with a now famous and unprecedented string of wonderful vintages. These vintages can loosely be grouped into classic nebbiolo vintages for long-term aging and more forward vintages for earlier (not early) consumption. Those vintages are:

Classic long-term vintages

1996, 1999, 2001

Riper, more forward vintages

1997, 1998, 2000 (and probably 2003)

Which of these is the best vintage, the perfect vintage? That depends on you: if you like softer wines or wines for aging; if you store your wines in your warm closet or in temperature-controlled luxury; whether you like the classic or modern barrique style; and a long list of other personal preferences. Every authoritative source declares each of these vintages to be top quality and rates them within points of each other: the differences in the scores so narrow that they are statistically insignificant. Great wines were made in all of these vintages, and you just have to find the ones that fit your taste, storage conditions, and your wallet.

The last point is another factor to take into account when choosing what vintage to buy. Now that The Wine Spectator has declared the 2000 vintage to be perfect, you can bet they will be perfectly expensive.

Too much press makes for rich producers and importers, like too much sun makes for rich wine.

That's Tokay for You - Tocai, Tokaji and Tokay

By Craig Camp
Tuesday, December 9, 2003

IN EASTERN Hungary small groups of rolling hills give birth to one of the world's great dessert wines. The luscious, dark golden wines of Tokay are among the most historic of the world's great wines. They were sought after by Europe's royal houses long before many of today's classics were known. During the Communist era, this area of Hungary fell on hard times. But following the breakup of the Soviet Union and the subsequent growth of the European Union, foreign investment has reversed the neglect. Once again Tokay wines are taking their rightful place on elegant wine lists and in serious wine cellars.

That's the problem.

The re-entry of Tokay into the world wine market coupled with the increased regulation of food and wine names by the EU has created an identity crisis for two of Europe's other fine white wines: Alsace's Tokay d'Alsace and Italy's Tocai Friulano.

While all three of these wines go by the name, Tokay, there are many differences. They are spelled differently: Tokaji in Hungary (often labeled Tokay outside of the country), Tokay in France and Tocai in Italy. They are made from different grapes: Furmint in Hungary, Pinot Gris (pinot grigio) in France and Tocai Friulano in Italy. So to simplify the situation: Tokay in Alsace is made from pinot gris, which is called pinot grigio in Italy. But Tokay in Hungary is made primarily from a grape called furmint which is not related to pinot gris or the pinot grigio in Italy. Furmint in Hungary and tocai friulano in Italy may or may not be related and each country argues that they used the name first. The tocai friulano in Italy is in no way related to the Tokay of Alsace which is made from what they call pinot grigio in Friuli. No need to clear that up.

The EU bureaucracy decided years ago that the name Tokay belonged only to the wines produced in those rolling hills of eastern Hungary. They ruled that by 2006 the French and the Italians must give the Hungarians exclusive right to the name Tokay. But the debate goes on, appeals continue and the outcome remains in doubt.

The French went to work right away and began hyphenating the old name, Tokay d'Alsace, with the new name, Pinot Gris. But after years of "Tokay d'Alsace-Pinot Gris" crowding their labels, they are now dropping the old name and today everyone is accustomed to seeing only pinot gris on the label. Meanwhile, the Italians did nothing.

Well, not quite nothing. In one way they have been quite busy. A small group of producers in Friuli, willing to cut yields, have elevated tocai friulano into a competitor for Italy's best white wine varietal. Unfortunately, their right to use this name in the future is running out.

Although the exact reason for the use of the name Tocai is lost in history, it seems probable that at one point the Tocai wines of Friuli were actually made from furmint, the same grape variety that produces Hungary's Tokay. But some time after the turn of the 20th Century, furmint was replaced by sauvignon vert in the vineyards but winemakers still bottled under the old name. This change most likely was a consequence of the replanting forced by the devastating attack of the phylloxera root louse during this period. The sauvignon vert offered a more productive and hardy alternative. Whether the furmint vine and the Tokay name moved from Italy to Hungary or the other way around probably depends on the nationality of the historian!

The tocai friulano is the same vine that the French call sauvignon vert or muscadelle. It is widely planted in South America where it is commonly (accidentally I'm sure) mislabeled and sold as sauvignon blanc. Like so many other varietals, this vine only seems to produce great wines in one region of the world while yielding uninteresting results on the rest of the planet. Tasting a wine like the Borgo Dan Danielle Tocai Friulano from the Collio region will convince you that, indeed, this varietal is capable of greatness -- if only in Friuli.

Friuli has now established it leadership among the Italian regions when it comes to producing exceptional white wines. Tocai, along with Ribolla Gialla, produces the most interesting white wines of the area. Commercial attention focuses on pinot grigio (or is that Tokay d'Alsace?), chardonnay and the various "super-white" blends of varieties created by winemakers as personal creative statements. But time after time, if you taste through a producer's wines, it's the tocai friulano that sticks out in your mind.

If you are looking for a varietal descriptor of tocai friulano it is pears. Ripe, luscious pear flavors carried by a refreshing mineral flavor and zesty acidity that mixed together create an exceptional wine to enhance food.

Now that they have figured out how to make it, they must figure out what to call it.

Some tocai friulano wines recently tasted and recommended:

-Alberice, Tocai Friulano, 2002 Tenute Aleandri, Corno di Rosazzo, Colli Orientali del Friuli

Bright pale gold with lively hints of green when caught by the light. Very floral perfume that reminds one of apple blossoms and acacia. The floral notes are rounded out by mineral hints with just a touch of butterscotch. The floral characteristics continue on the palate, but are well balanced by bittersweet almond flavors with just a slight touch of lime in the finish. This wine has a round mouthfeel but carries all this fruit and flowers on a firm backbone of acid. The finish is long and firm and there is not a touch of fruit sweetness: just clean mineral flavors with just the right finishing tang of acid.

-Villa Russiz, Tocai Friulano, Collio, 2002

Bright, very light gold. Racy, perfect pear aromas with underlying notes of hazelnuts. Very fresh. Concentrated pear essence on the palate followed by firm mineral and nutty components. Absolutely mouthwatering on the palate, but not a simple light wine. The crisp acids and clean firm fruit flavors carry the substantial 13.5% alcohol effortlessly. Seafood anyone?

-Torre Rosazza, Tocai Friulano, Colli Orientale del Friuli, 2002

Bright, sparking light gold. Full and rich in the nose. Firm mineral and tart pear aromas open into apricot and licorice notes. Broad rich poached spiced pear flavors expand into apricots with a touch of lime. The finish is expansive and complex with both fruit and minerals and with lovely light and lingering citrus flavors.

-Livon, Tocai Friulano, Ronc di Zorz, Collio, 2002

Bright light gold. Full aromas loaded with fresh pears, lime and butterscotch. Fresh and racy on the palate, but not light. Crisp, mouthwatering acids broaden into spiced pears with firm mineral notes. The finish is balance, long and refreshing. The lightness and balance on the palate makes the hefty 13% alcohol almost imperceptible.

Other top producers include: Miani (oaky style), Roncus (elegant, structured), Russiz Superiore, Schiopetto (classic, racy), Paolo Rodaro, Borgo del Tiglio (dramatic), Borgo San Danielle, Livio Felluga, Edi Keber (intense, concentrated), Dario Raccaro, Ronco dei Tassi, Ronco del Gelso (dramtic fruit extraction).

Hallelujah, I'm born again! The rebirth of Chianti Classico

By Craig Camp
Wednesday, January 21, 2004

THE VIEW is breathtaking. Spread out as far as you can see are the famous hills of Tuscany and they do not fall short of their much fantasized reputation. We are standing at the edge of the highest vineyard in Gaiole, one of the communes of Chianti Classico. The hillsides in all directions are covered with undulating rows of vines radiating rich green tones in the watercolor gold sunlight that has attracted painters for thousands of years.

The vineyards directly in front of us are on the steepest slopes of all. Standing next to us is the winemaker of this estate on the crest of this hill and he carefully explains the nuance of each rise and fall of the terrain in perfect English -- as well he should. The winemaker’s name is Sean O’Callaghan and he makes the exceptional wines of Riecine from the beautiful vineyards in front of us. Sean is Irish and came to Riecine to work for its late British owner, John Dunkley, and is now part-owner with an American, Gary Baumann. He is an exceptional winemaker and his talents, combined with these special vineyards, creates Riecine Chianti Classico Riserva, one of the greatest fine wine bargains in the world. Chianti Classico is indeed an international place.

The Chianti Classico zone that spreads out south of Florence has undergone a tremendous transformation in the last quarter-century. Today the owners of the estates are no longer just old aristocratic Italian families, but are owned by successful business families that are almost as likely to come from England, Germany and Switzerland as from Milan and Rome. Slowly, but surely Tuscany is becoming more-and-more like the wine-theme park that Napa Valley has become. Not so long ago it was very different.

The man sitting across the table from me is a revolutionary. It is 1984 and many wealthy Italians live in fear of the Red Brigades. However, this man is not a political revolutionary. His radicalism has led him to do the unthinkable -- he is making a wine out of 100% sangiovese in Chianti Classico and has banned the famed “Gallo Nero” black rooster logo of the Chianti Classico consortium from the necks of his bottles.

This man was the late Sergio Manetti and I had spent a pleasant afternoon with him wandering the vineyards, visiting his wine museum and tasting the wines of his exceptional estate: Montevertine. It is now evening and we are tasting all of the wines he has produced to date including the phenomenal Le Pergole Torte. As the smells and crackling sounds of the rabbits roasting in the huge fireplace filled the warm Tuscan farmhouse kitchen, he described each wine and vintage and talked about the potential greatness of sangiovese. Sergio Manetti believed in sangiovese.

These winemakers were creating what came to be called Super-Tuscans: wines that intentionally took the DOC name off of their wines so they could make them the way they chose. In these days, other than the DOC name, there was only the simple Vino da Tavola designation that had been the domain of Italy’s most common and cheapest wines. Suddenly Vino da Tavola became chic. This was a time when Super-Tuscans were new and controversial and not at all like today when even humble estates offer a Super-Tuscan for sale. While Antinori and most others went the route of “improving” their sangiovese with merlot and cabernet sauvignon, Manetti and a few others devoted their attention to establishing the greatness of sangiovese in its own right.

It seems strange to think that the wines we now think of as Chianti Classico did not exist in the 1970’s. No one ever heard of the term Super-Tuscan and most producers were satisfied to put out average wines and then depend on the name of Chianti Classico and the Gallo Nero logo to sell their wines to the world. Chianti Classico was a region stuck in its own tradition and suffering from the Italian government policy of treating all of Chianti as a brand to be developed for export with all emphasis based on quantity instead of quality.

Then, to make matters worse, there was the famed Chianti “recipe” developed by the legendary Barone Bettino Ricasoli in the late 1800’s. This formula required blending white grapes to soften and freshen the sangiovese and made a lot of sense in those days. This formula was eventually formalized by the Chianti Classico Consorzio in 1924 and producers had to follow it to carry the respected Gallo Nero on the neck of their bottles. Then there was also the tradition of “governo” or a second fermentation started by adding sweet, dried grapes to the new wine. This process also made the wines more drinkable in their youth. However, times had changed and the tradition bound Consorzio had not. Revolution was inevitable and it happened fast.

Tignanello was born in 1971 and Le Pergole Torte in 1977 and their impact, along with the wines of other innovators, on the press and the market was immediate and dramatic and by 1984 the Chianti Classico Consortium was forced to change its regulations or perish as producer after top producer abandoned the Chianti Classico DOC and the Gallo Nero for at least some of their wines.

As late as 1983 the regulations for Chianti Classico allowed the addition of up to 30% white grapes into the blend and required a minimum of 10%. This all changed with the introduction of the DOCG Chianti Classico in 1984, which lowered the minimum percentage of white grapes to 2% and set the minimum for sangiovese to 75%. Equally revolutionary was the allowance of up to 10% of foreign varieties – essentially meaning cabernet sauvignon and merlot. These changes simply made legal what the best producers had already been doing for years anyway. More changes in the regulations occurred in 1996 when the minimum requirement for white grapes was totally dropped, the minimum percentage of sangiovese was raised to 80% and the percentage of allowed foreign grapes and/or classic indigenous grapes like canaiolo was set at 20%. For the first time a wine that was 100% sangiovese could be legally called Chianti Classico. Once again the bureaucrats were simply admitting to reality.

Today, Tignanello (2000 vintage: 80% sangiovese, 15% cabernet sauvignon, 5% cabernet franc) and Le Pergole Torte (still 100% sangiovese) and many other Super-Tuscans could carry the Chianti Classico DOCG and the Gallo Nero. However, this is not likely to happen as the Super-Tuscan category is now firmly established and their Super-Tuscan offering is usually the most expensive wine offered by producers in the Classico zone. With the spotlight of fashion on the Super-Tuscans and with the changes in regulations and improvements in viticulture, Chianti Classcio Riserva has become the best value in great Tuscan sangiovese. The market seems to have become fixated on Super-Tuscans for prestige and regular Chianti Classico for value meaning that Chianti Classico Riserva has been caught in the middle and it too often ignored by consumers. While the flavor profile of many Super-Tuscans seems to be defined by new oak, the character of many Chianti Classico Riserva wines often speak more of sangiovese and their vineyards than their more expensive “Super” cousins -- and they cost less.

The rebirth of Chianti Classico is a long way from complete. The recently concluded “Chianti Classico 2000 Project” was launched in the late eighties to analyze and study every aspect of the varietals and vineyard techniques used to produce Chianti. The results of this study identified 7 clones of sangiovese as ideal for the Classico zone and these clones are now approved and available for replanting or new vineyards. These results, along with the mass of other data produced by this unique and exhaustive research project means that we can expect continued dramatic improvement of the wines of Chianti and Chianti Classico in the coming decades. While Chianti Classico is ancient winemaking zone it is in fact undergoing the growing pains of a young one. The concepts of winemaking, viticulture, varietals and everything surrounding wine production in the Chianti Classico zone have been reborn.

Sean O’Callaghan arrived at the hilltop winery of Riecine in 1991 after the changes launched by visionaries like Sergio Manetti had been put in motion. His dramatic and elegant Chianti Classico Riserva is 100% sangiovese aged in a blend of small French oak barrels and classic large barrels of Slovenian oak and is packed with the character of both sangiovese and the vineyard where it is grown. Mr. Manetti would approve.

After the 2005 vintage no longer will any white grapes be allowed in the Chianti Classico blend and an era will come to an end in the hills south of Florence. With every death there is a birth and indeed Chianti Classico has been born-again.