andiamotrips - campania, italy with karen phillips

An update on the last month of my primo livello course with Ais . The past month has been busy, but my Sommelier courses continue... and I continue to be in the front row.  As each week goes by, the challenge of attending a course such as this in Italian is becoming more evident.  In fact, I have been so engrossed in the material, that I haven't had a chance to take any pictures...It is a blast, however.  Here is what has been going on... Lessons 5, 6 and 7 had to do with La Degustazione -the three parts to wine tasting.  The lessons were conducted by professional sommelier Lucia Pintore . I missed lesson 5 (Vinitaly), inwhich she discussed the the Visual Analysis .  The visual examination is pretty brief.  It is here where the limpidity (limpidezza) of a wine is observed.  You need to look for any particles that may be present in the glass.  Color ; a wide range of colors ranging from greenish yellow to amber for whites, to soft rosè to dark rosè for rosè wines, and purple

Last week I was on the road-the annual 7th grade field trip, where my friend and co worker Kate and I took a group of 16 7th graders on a whirlwind tour of Orivieto and Florence.  I look forward to this trip each year because it is a time to travel, see great works of art close up, bond with the students on the endless bus ride to and from Florence, no sleep :-) This year, Kate and I discovered three works of art outside of the museums and cathedrals;  Orvieto and Florence's restaurants and wine bars.  These were not your usual mass field trip with students-chicken cutlet and french fries-pizza-coca cola- stops.  These were restaurants with real tablecloths, linen napkins,...waiters. Le Grotte del Funaro .  Via Ripa Serancia, 41 Orvieto.  This place was awesome!  A restaurant inside an ancient cave that was used by ropemakers ( funaro) Osteria dei Baroncelli , Via Chiasso dei Baroncelli, 1 Firenze.  Here the staff was excellent.  We had a great rissoto con funghi.  Frescoes

4 days and more than 80 addresses in Naples for a new and glamorous stroll through the city, where the common thread is wine presented in unusual combinations such as Vino&Design, Vino&Arte, Vino&Gioielli, Vino&Moda, Vino&Cibo, Vino&Musica, Vino&Parole, Vino&Tarocchi, Vino&Coralli, Vino&Bellezza, Vino&....... Enoteche, wine bars, restaurants, hotels and spas, art galleries, boutiques and jewelers will participate throughout the Via Chiaia, Vomero, and Centro Storico area. For more info, look at the web site (in Italian-sorry) wine and the city .

Campania has dedicated an entire month  to the wine world with events in historical locations, appointments in cantinas, and wine tastings. A month of exciting events  cross-linking wine, art, design and luxury. From the Isola Verde of Ischia to  verde Irpinia, passing through the city of Naples and Caserta Palace, all the way to the archaeological site of Pompeii. A whirlwind schedule of events are planned to celebrate good wines from my Campania. The calendar, sponsored by the Assessorato all’Agricoltura di Regione Campania ,  from 6 May to 8 June  stars i Consorzi di Tutela , the Strade del Vino , and the many associations involved in the promotion and enhancement of the winemaking world, including the Movimento Turismo del Vinoa and  la delegazione campana Donne del Vino will close with a grand gala at Città del Gusto Napoli. The heart of Wine Month is VitignoItalia held in Naples, Castel dell 'Ovo, May 16 to 18 with over 300 wineries from across Italy on hand for a wine

Wednesday, April 7th. The day before Vinitaly. Trudging through the construction site which would become the Campania Felix Pavilion I notice a familiar face…a familiar smile. It’s Antonio Papa . Antonio Papa from Azienda Agricola Gennaro Papa ….from Falciano del Massico in Caserta. Antonio, who I met several months ago at a wine tasting with Angelo Di Costanza at Enoteca L’Arcante in Pozzouli. Antonio, who now, was waiting patiently for his stand to be completed so that he could get the show on the road. We exchanged greetings and I promised to stop by for a chat during the fair. I kept that promise the next morning…glad I did. Three glasses, three wines and a little conversation. A conversation that focused on the primitivo grape (Falerno biotype).100 % primitivo used to make his Falerno, an ancient wine dating back to the 4th century B.C. Nettare degli dei , nectar of the gods. A conversation that concentrated on the territory, his territory, near the sea, the foothills of M

Saturday night.  Via Chiaia, Napoli.  A must for an evening stroll;  window shopping with the beautiful people.  Smack in the middle of this luxurious shopping pedestrian zone, you'll find Tramontano .  The place for leather purses, wallets, and handbags.  The place for the belts, for shoes. And last Saturday night, the place for spumante.  Five of Campania's best;  Selim vino spumante brut- De Conciliis, Greco spumante-Fattoria La Rivolta, Cabrì spumante-I Favati, Malazè spumante extra dry-Cantine Babb, and Asprino spumante-I Borboni.   Five different spumanti, and like the selections of the new spring collection presented that evening, you could observe, try it out, and choose a favorite.  I did.... What a beautiful evening...

I mentioned a few blogs ago that I had a golden opportunity to get a behind the scenes look at the wine biz by helping out in the Terre del Principe stand at Vinitaly. So, between my own personal appointments for my blog, I assisted in countless meetings with importers, restaurateurs, journalists, and curious wine enthusiasts. Discussing the grapes; Pallagrello Bianco, Pallagrello Nero, and Casavecchio. Discussing the wines; Fontanavigna, Le Serole, Rosato del Vulture (new), Castello delle Femmine, Ambruco, Centomoggia, and Vigna Piancastelli. Discussing the history of the grapes, the winery, the various vintages…After 2 days of a very hectic schedule, the opportunity came for another type of wine tasting. In ristorante ! Wine is meant to be enjoyed with a meal. So, in my opinion, the best way to degustare un vino is to have it, side by side, with a meal that is designed for that particular wine, that particular vintage. I had this chance at Vinitaly with Terre del Principe, Oste

My quest for my Campania white at Vinitaly led me to Pavilion 7. To Feudi di San Gregorio . To my friend, Alessandro Palmieri . My first appointment on Friday, April 9th. A crucial one because I really needed wine tasting guidance to get me through the rest of the fair. I had to skip a sommelier lesson to get to Vinitaly on time, and Alessandro (Ale), besides being the area manager for Feudi, is also a professional sommelier. Perfect man for the job. The big names in Campania whites are three- Falanghina, Fiano di Avellino , and Greco di Tufo . As the wines were being poured, Ale began to discuss aromas…aromas in general, comparing the intensity to that of roses, from a single rose to a full bouquet. An excellent simile for aroma intensity. Complexity? A bouquet with roses, daisies, etc. Three glasses in front of us. 2009 vintage. New labels designed by Massimo Vignelli . a) Serrocielo 2009 Falanghina Sannio DOC b) Cutizzi 2009 Greco di Tufo DOCG c) Pietracalda 2009 Fiano di

No matter where I turn, my aglianico, in version Taurasi is popping up all over. Star of Città del Gusto’s recent wine lab and present at least 4 wine tastings that I attended at Vinitaly . Why? Taurasi , the wine and the town, is on a roll. From last fall’s inauguration of a Regional Enoteca smack in the middle of Taurasi’s central storico to ‘ Andar per Taurasi’ ; the latest opportunity to know Taurasi up front and personal. April 30 and May 1st Slow Food Irpinia Colline dell’Ufita e Taurasi will present two slow days in the Taurasi DOCG area. Visit wineries, taste local cooking, enjoy the architecture of an area that is ready to welcome you with open arms. An area nestled in Avellino with an altitude anywhere from 300-800 mt above sea level. Where the vinyards exist together in harmony with the boschi , woods. Where chestnuts and fruit such as peaches, nuts, cherries, and figs live side by side. Shuttle buses will be ready and waiting at the Avellino-Rocchetta San’Antonio t

When you attend a wine fair, particularly one the magnitude of Vinitaly, you’ve gotta have a plan. It is impossible to get through the week if you don’t.. I was in search of something fresh…something to get me through the warm months of late spring and hot, dry summer… something from Campania. Vinitaly gave me two ways to accomplish my mission. One, I attended wine tasting one on ones with particular wineries that I was interested in such as Feudi di San Gregorio, Quintodecimo, Grotte Del Sole, and Mastroberadino . Two, I attended several organized wine tastings. An organized wine tasting is pretty neat because they are based around a particular theme. You not only get to learn about the wine, but the territory and history of it as well. Finally, there is someone (a professional sommelier, journalist, or wine expert) who  leads you through it. A mini-lesson if you will. Vinitaly was full of them. I attended three in particular that I would like to devote this blog to. So here

Just back from Verona.  Back home in Campania.  I sit here reflecting on my Campania vigna felix  that made, in my opinion, una bella figura , good impression, in Verona. My Campania vigna felix , a pavillion  with nearly 200 wineries represented.  My Campania vigna felix which I called home for 4 days.  A pavillion divided into neighborhoods, each province with its own vico.  Each province with its own personality.  Each province with its own... feeling.   My Campania vigna felix where, as I walked around, I felt the warmth of the people who represent Napoli, Avellino, Caserta, Salerno, and Benevento.  Calore from friends such as Gaetano and Eva Bove from Tenuta San Francesco   who generously shared their wine and typical products such as salamis, mozzarella, and bread from Tramonti.  Antonio Papa , always there with a smile.  Nanni Copè's Giovanni, a gentleman with a great sense of humor.  The explosive personality of Bruno De Concillis who seemed to be everywhere.  I

At the end of the day at Vinitaly, when the stands shut down, the lights go off, the fun is not over.  It's Vinitaly...it's Verona...it's time to go out and eat.  We found an excellent place.  How do I describe it?  It's a wine bar.....it's an enoteca....it's a delicatessen...its an osteria...it's Retro Gusto .  And it's amazing. I couldn't wait to share the pictures...a blog on the menu soon . Retro Gusto Via Berni, 1 37122 verona tel. 045 8002167 http://www.retrogusto.it/

Over the past couple of weeks, my facebook home page has been flooded with news about THE wine fair in Verona- Vinitaly.  Giornalists with their take on what to try while there, wineries 'inviting' you to stop by their stands for assaggi .  Enough to get me real excited about the trip. Wednesday morning at O dark thirty, my friend, Luca Vicidomini ( Tenta Matilde Zasso ) picked me up to begin our journey to Verona.   Exhibitors need to arrive a day early to set up their stands. So, at 0530, that morning, we began our 7 1/2 hour drive.  I must admit that I wasn't much company at first.  The first 2 1/2 hours I slept.  (I hate long drives!!).  Once I did wake up, I looked out the window and enjoyed the view that Italia offered me that sunny morning.  I took advantage of the fact that I was in the car with a winery owner and bombarded him with questions about Campania wines, grapes, the different vineyards and vines that I saw along the way.... I think he preferred me asleep. 

While preparing for my 4th sommelier class, I was a little overwhelmed with the subject matter. We would be learning about the grape … everything about the grape . My textbook is in Italian, so you could imagine my struggle with the scientific terminology as vocabulary for the chemical composition of the uva jumped out at me in my second language. I spent a lot of time flipping through my Italian/English glossary and then on line to try to understand what exactly was being discussed. I even emailed our instructor, Francesco Martusciello before the lesson asking him to be gentle with us. He was…In fact, at the beginning of class, Francesco, just off the train from a day trip to Florence, said up front that the topic for the lesson would be duro , rough. It is important for a sommelier, one who would be tasting wine and describing it, to understand the principal component of wine-the grape. The lesson was divided into three sections- colore, aromi, gusto -color, aromas, and taste.

In Campania, la pastiera , is dessert that MUST be served during the Easter season.  Each paese , town, has their own version, and I'd like to pass on one from Avellino.  Flavia Pappalardo of Tenuta Montelaura prepares it this way. The Avellinese pastiera, particlarly hers, is different from the one prepared in Naples in three ways. 1) In Avellino, wheat takes precedence over all the other ingredients, giving this dessert a  'pizza rustica' quality. 2) She uses ricotta made with goat's milk instead of cow's milk. which gives it a stronger flavor. 3)A splash of Strega liqueur. Here is the complete recipe: Ingredients for a pastiera (2.kg) 200 gr. of grano crudo (a 'raw wheat'-not easy to find in the  supermarket, which is equivalent to 600g of grano cotto which comes in a jar) 300 grams of wheat flour OO 350g sugar   9 eggs  500 gr of ricotta ½ liter of whole milk  180 grams of lard  1 lemon 1 tsp cinnamon powder  80 g mixed candied fruit 40

I stopped by Ciao Vino in Varcaturo, as I usually do a few times a week to 'see what's up', and I was taken aback by the makeover.  E' arrivata la primavera ...Spring is here!  Easter gift baskets decorated in rich spring colors such as purple, green, and yellow beautifully displayed throughout the enoteca.  Also, a warm, sweet aroma of Cinzia Dalmonte's freshly baked pastiera napoletana, a 'must eat a slice or two'.  In fact I did... two.   Stop by.  You won't be disappointed.  But hurry! Enoteca Ciao Vino Via Madonna del Pantano, 50 Varcaturo (NA) 081 509 0425