andiamotrips - campania, italy with karen phillips

I don’t know at what point I realized that my Vineyard Hopping on this particular day with Antonio Dente , Mastroberardino ’s agronomist, would be different. But at some point on the Autostrade A3- Napoli -Salerno it hit me. Because on this day, Antonio took me out of Irpinia and brought me to Pompei for the Piedirosso harvest. A harvest of grapes that would become Villa dei Misteri . Pompei…traffic, souvenir stands, restaurants shops. Pompei…not your typical place for a vineyard. Or is it? Inside the ruins of Pompei, a beautiful project has been going on since 1996. A partnership between the Soprintendenza Archeologica Napoli e Pompei and Mastroberardino . A project that would bring Pompei ‘back to life’...in the vineyards. A project where archeologists studied and discovered where the Ancient Romans planted their vines. Antonio, along with Mastroberardino’s Dario Pennino and Dr. Annamaria Ciarallo (from the Sopridenza) filled me, as well as a small group of journalists, in on

Fiano di Avellino October 31st... Città del Gusto Napoli ...the event that everyone has been talking about for weeks... One questioned remained...Which wineries will be present? Here's the list... See you there...  Amarano from Montemarano (Avellino) with Taurasi Principe Lagonessa ’06, Boccella from Castelfranci (Avellino) with Taurasi Sant’Eustachio ’06, Cantina dei Monaci from Santa Paolina (Avellino) with Greco di Tufo ’09, Cantine dell’Angelo from Tufo (Avellino) with Greco di Tufo ’09, Colli di Lapio from Lapio (Avellino) with Fiano di Avellino ’09, Contrade di Taurasi from Taurasi (Avellino) with Taurasi Riserva ’05, Di Prisco from Fontanarosa (Avellino) with Greco di Tufo ’09 and Taurasi ’06, Ferrara Benito from Tufo (Avellino) with Greco di Tufo ’09 e Greco di Tufo Vigna Cicogna ’09, Feudi di San Gregorio from Sorbo Serpico (Avellino) with Fiano di Avellino Pietracalda ’09, Greco di Tufo Cutizzi ’09 and l’Aglianico del Vulture ’07, Galardi

Another great wine tasting at Citta del Gusto Napoli.  This time it is to present their guide Bere Bene Low Cost 2011 .  This guide is a great reference for those who are looking for wines under 15 Euro. There will be a few hundred wines available to try...definitely a hot ticket . The date is Sunday, November 14 from 1930-2230 hrs.   Cost: 18 euro/15 Euro for Gambero Rosso Subscribers Note: 15 Euro for Slow Food, Ais, Fisar, and Onav members, the price is 15 euro, but you must present your card at the time of purchasee. For more information, or to purchase tickets contact Città del gusto   Via Coroglio, 57/104   Tel.: 081 19808900/902/910   NAPOLI@CITTADELGUSTO.IT ; eventi.na@cittadelgusto.it WWW.CITTADELGUSTO.IT

Paolo De Cristofaro at Vinitaly 2010  T he  Gala’ del Vino Campana   seminars, led by  Paolo De Cristofaro , will touch briefly on each of the 5 regions of Campania followed by informal wine tastings with the following wines: Here is the program: 1830 hrs  The  newcomers: wines that made the Gambero Rosso finals for the first time Fiano di Avellino Ventidue ’09/Villa Raiano, Campi Flegrei Piedirosso Montegauro Ris. ’07/Grotta del Sole, Falerno del Massico Rosso Ri Sassi ’07/Volpaia, Aglianico del Vulture ’07/Feudi di San Gregorio, Taurasi Primum Ris. ’06/ Guastaferro andTaurasi Principe Lagonessa ’06 /Amarano 1930 hrs  Wines that have won the due bicchieri colorati and cost under 15 Euro Costa d’Amalfi Ravello Bianco ’09/Marisa Cuomo, Costa d’Amalfi Bianco Pereva ’09/San Francesco, Fiano di Avellino ’09/Rocca del Principe, Fiano di Avellino Montefredane ’09/Sanpaolo, Greco di Tufo ’09/Cantina dei Monaci andGreco di Tufo ’09/ Di Prisco. 2030 hrs  "Sins of Youth: the fi

This is an evening you definitely do not want to miss...A gastronomical get together with products from the sea combined with Autumn’s bounty. Here's the menu: Appetizer: octopus salad on crisp fennel with an orange sauce Spicy pumpkin soup and small reef fish Linguine with shrimp and red cabbage and a touch of piennolo tomatoes Millefoglie of flag fish and potatoes, sweet and sour broccoletti, raisins, and nuts Annurca apple tart with a berry sauce The cost of the dinner € 30 including drinks (water, Coke, Fanta), excluding wine. (*table of four, wine is included) Reservations and info 081 883 26 73 Ristorante Il Poeta Vesuvino Viale Europa 42, Torre del Greco - zona Leopardi Open Tuesday through Saturday evenings, Sundays only for  lunch, closed on Mondays. http://www.ilpoetavesuviano.it/

Last week I had an opportunity to try an delicious dessert at my cooking class led by Chef Maurizio Santin .  It is a cake that he prepares often for his son's parties.  Here's the recipe for this 2 layered masterpiece: Cookie Crust (bottom layer) Ingredients 50 gr. hazelnut flour 100 gr. almond flour 150 gr. flour '00 ' 400 gr. of egg whites 300 gr. granulated sugar 2 gr. maldon salt 100gr. yeast 300 gr. hazelnut butter Procedure Melt the butter in a casserole dish until it browns. Remove from heat and bring to room temperature. Mix egg whites, sugar, salt, flour and baking powder together with the sifted dried fruit flour and finally the browned butter at room temperature (be careful not to spill the burnt casein). Spread on a round baking pan that has been lined with parchment paper, You want to be sure that the mixture is about 1 cm high. Bake at 170C° until it turns light brown. Hazelnut cream and chocolate (2nd layer) Ingredients 190 gr. milk

Chef Antonio Pisaniello and his wife Sommelier Jenny Auriemma have put together an incredible  series entitled Rossidisera (Reds of the Evening). This Saturday, October 30th, Jenny has chosen   Azienda Vitivinicola Guerriero from Taurasi to sit side by side a 5 course meal prepared by Chef Pisaniello. The cost is 40 Euro (wines included). For more information, contact La Locanda di Bu at 0827 64619 or 392 26 03 952

Months of vineyard hopping. It all boils down to this-harvest time...Harvest time in Campania. To say that this time of year is the busiest for a winery would probably be the understatement of the year. I wanted to witness..participate...live life in the vineyard during this exciting period. My golden opportunity came when enologist Massimo Di Renzo invited me to swing by Mastroberardino . He didn't have to ask me twice... We met up in Atripalda (Av) where the winery is located.   Antonio Dente , Mastroberardino's agronomist whisked me off in his SUV to Lapio (Av) about 12 minutes away.  The Fiano di Avellino harvest had begun that morning. Lapio, about 450 meters above sea level, where the soil is clayey, chalky, and heavy.  He drove me to a territory where many believe that the Fiano grape expresses itself the best.  Here where it is able to bask in the southern sunlight and refresh itself in the evenings. A stroll through the vineyards with Antonio Dente is a somm

My sweet evening at Mise En Place began as soon as I opened the door to  Le Arcate , the restaurant where the lessons are held. At the back of the dining room, I saw a friendly familiar face. Romina Sodano , president of the cooking school. She called me over and introduced me to the chef… Maurizio (Santin), this is Karen…a BIG fan of yours …. The fun began….And in this class, everyone participates. We donned our aprons and opened up our cooking kits. Kits packed with the recipes for the evening. The topic.. Autumnal Desserts …and Chef Maurizio Santin was the perfect man for the job.  Maurizio Santin, personable, pleasant, professional, relaxed. He shared with us recipes, tips, and tricks of the trade. Everything you wanted to know about desserts. We whipped through recipes such as crema cotta al marscapone e cioccolato, plumcake ai morrini e salsa inglese alla vaniglia, meringata alla nocciola e cioccolata calda, il tiramasu destrutturato, and torta Lorenzo. Romina is the per

The seminar  topics for the Gala’ del Vino Campana on the 31st of October have been announced.   The seminars, led by Paolo De Cristofaro , will touch briefly on each of the 5 regions of Campania followed by informal wine tastings. Here is the program: 1830  Caserta The   newcomers: wines that made the Gambero Rosso finals for the first time 1930 Naples and Salerno Wines that have won the due bicchieri colorati and cost under 15 Euro. 2030 Benevento "Sins of Youth: the finalists enthusiastic about their prospects of change over time" 2130 Avellino The veterans, classic Campania excellence " The   seminars are free, but reservations are necessary   For reservations, contact Myriad & Partners (Tel 392/9866587 - email: info@galavinocampano.it ) Press Office: 320/4332561 - stampa@galavinocampano.it Website: http://www.galavinocampano.it/ Citta del Gusto, Napoli Via Coroglio 104/57 - Naples (Bagnoli) Phone: 081/198 08900-902 Fax 081 / 198 08 911 W

One of the benefits of living in Campania is that there are hundreds of great wineries a day trip away. If you live in Naples, there is a pretty good number nearby as well…fifteen minutes more or less I decided that Grotta del Sole would be the perfect winery to kick off this fall season’s Friday night wine tastings. Our host for the evening was enologist Francesco Martusciello (whom I affectionately call Maestro ). So last Friday night, as the sun was setting, he took us on a tour of his winery… one of the largest in Campi Flegrei. We discussed his winery’s history over glasses of Asprinio D’Aversa …learned about the different methods to make spumante…talked about the differences in his Falanghina Dei Campi Flegrei DOC and his Coste di Cuma Falanghina DOCG … An aglianico from Castelfranci (Av) was on our wine tasting menu as well.... Quarto di Cuma IGT …We discussed George Clooney …yes, George Clooney, who chose Aspirino D’Aversa for his latest movie…what else, what else…o

October 4th...the night Trentino rocked Città Del Gusto in Naples.  The evening began with a guided spumante tasting with Gambero Rosso's Daniele Cernilli and Paolo De Cristofaro . Everything you wanted to know about sparkling rosè but were afraid to ask...Then it was off to the 'piazza' to try wines from 31 wineries and taste fantastic 'finger foods' while listening to music. A real festa!  But then at Città del Gusto...it always is...

A new cooking school has opened up on Via A. Falcone, 249 . Mise en Place . A school where you can learn traditional cooking as well a nouvelle cousine from some of Italy’s best chefs; Marcello Valentino, Maurizio Santin, Nicola di Filippo, Claudio Campanile, Piergiorgio Giorilli, and Giuseppe Giuliano . Mise en Place has a course calendar stocked with a wide variety of courses. And cooking isn’t the all that you’ll learn here. During each lesson,  sommelier Marina Alaimo will hand pick a winery and present a mini course on wine and food pairing. Here is the fall program: October: 18-19 Autunm desserts with chef Maurizio Santin. 25-26 Sicilian Pastries with pastry chef Giuseppe Giuliano. November 1 Campania Cooking: Innovations and Traditions with chef Claudio Campanile. 2 From Vesuvius to the Sea with chef Nicola Di Filippo. 08-09 Mediterranean Cooking: A variety of cous cous recipes with chef Marcello Valentino from Palermo. 15-16 Chocolate with Maurizio Santin.

It's going to be a party and it's going to be big...no..huge.  A party to celebrate Campania wines.  A party to present those wines which recieved the due biccheri colorati or the tre bicchieri ratings in Gambero Rosso's Vini d'Italia 2011   Guide . An event with over 40 wineries, wine tastings, seminars, and much much more. Here is a brief rundown of the program... 1600 hrs:  A presentation/meeting to discuss the 'state of' Campania wines 1800 - 2200 hrs: Wine tasting stands will be open. 1800- 2200 hrs: Guided wine tastings and seminars (reservation only... details  here) Cost is 20 Euro and tickets can be purchased on line here  or directly at Citta del Gusto Napoli,   Via Coroglio 104/57 – Naples  : 081/198 08 900-902 - Fax 081/ 198 08 911

A couple of weeks ago I received an invitation to what was probably ‘the invite’ of the Neapolitan fall season. An invitation to the inauguration of Enzo Coccia’s new Pizzaria La Notizia …October 11, 2010. A quick call to Enzo to confirm the address- Via Michelangelo da Caravaggio 94/A…Vieni…ci aspettiamo…. Making my way down the street, I couldn’t help but think back to a dinner da Enzo. A visit to a pizzeria where I became part of the Notizia family. A place where whether you’ve been once or one thousand times, Enzo and his staff treated you as one of their own. As I parked the car, I wondered if I would feel that same love and sense of belonging in a brand new location with trendy interior design. A menu with artisan beer and an expanded wine list to include my Campania favorites. I parked, approached, and was instantly relieved, instantly comforted. La Notizia friends know that at Enzo Coccia’s place, besides a great pizza made with top class products, you’ll get that s

A weekday morning in October. An Indian summer. The perfect morning for a visit to Pallagrello country. An ideal opportunity to walk Casavecchia vineyards. And an excellent chance to spend the day with Giovanni Ascione-Nanni Copè’ s one man show. My appointment was with Ascione just off the A1 exit where I followed him to Cantina Casa Vecchia …a cantina where he has been making his wine for the last 2 short years of Nanni Copè’s young life. A temporary home, while his small cantina is being built next to his home about 15 minutes away. I was curious…curious why Ascione; business consultant, sommelier, with a Masters in wine tasting, wine writer, and world traveler would choose this small corner of Campania to produce wine. His Sabbie di Sopra il Bosco. Over the course of the day my question would be answered. I left my car at the cantina and we headed towards his vineyard in Castel Campagnao where his Pallagrello Nero and Aglianico grow happily side by side. Where these two Cam

It's time to harvest la catalanesca grape at Azienda Agricola Cantina Olivella , via Zazzera 14, Santa Anastasia (Na). Here is the program: 0900:  We'll start harvesting grapes (complete with our grape harvesting kits provided by the winery) 1300:  A small lunch provided by the winery with products from Pastificio Le Gemme del Vesuvio, Azienda Agricola Giordano Francesco, and E'Curti. 1500:  A chance to see initial wine making phase of the grapes harvested that morning. In addition, live music, an art exhibit, and 'prodotti tipici' Space is limited and reservations are necessary. The cost is 10 Euro per person. To reserve, contact the winery. Azienda Agricola Cantine Olivella 081 5311388 349 364 7929 info@cantineolivella.com

On Wednesday, October 13,  a new Pizzaria La Notizia will open to the public on via Caravaggio 94 in Naples. Pizzaria La Notizia has been known for some time as a true gourmet temple. The elegance and comfort of the new club will stand up to the high quality Enzo Coccia sets for his pizzas. Pizzas that have been known and appreciated in the ‘States’ for some time now.  The work, under the careful supervision of the architect Renata Di Martino , took over a year to complete. Di Martino, an architect almost "obsessive" in every detail: from the oven made by master artisan Stefano Ferrara to the cold storage at different temperatures and humidity. If you’ve never been before, it is definitely a place to try once, twice or several dozen times... If you’ve been to La Notizia before...you can surely expect your favorites with a few surprises...stay tuned. And I’ll see you at La Notizia! PizzAria La Notizia Via Michelangelo da Caravaggio 94/A 80126 Napoli

Get set for an evening of gastronomical fusion between Le Tre Arcate (Piano di Sorrento), Il Giardino di Ginevra (Capsulla,) and SlowFood Sorrento ! A spectacular serata with a great menu, great wine, and a sneak preview of , what else?... Panettone! During the meal, a video will guide you through the process of panettone production with the famous lievito madre. Le Tre Arcate’s Chef Salvatore Accietto has designed a menu which will be paired with Fiano di Avellino Docg 2007: Ciro Picariello, CampoRe di Terredora, Pietracalda dei Feudi di San Gregorio Menu Raviolino Fritto di Bufala Carnaroli con Bandiera, Piennolo Vesuviano e Mandorle Tostate Spaghettoni del Pastificio dei Campi con Baccalà e Arancio Candito Provolone del Monaco con Mostarda di Pomodori di Sorrento And we can’t forger Il Giardino di Ginevra’s pannetone... Panettone Classico Pandoro con Mousse di ricotta di bufala variegata agli agrumi Panettone ai marroni canditi con mousse di cioccolato Sao to

Marilena Aufiero has an unforgettable smile. One that I’ve seen from a distance on several occasions over the past several months. In the vineyards during Anteprima Irpinia , Behind various ‘banco di assaggi’ at numerous wine fairs; Vitigno Italia, Enoteca Regionale in Taurasi, Grandi Vini da Piccole Vigne … numerous occasions, but for one reason or the other, I missed the chance to try her wines, to have a chat. When I wanted to see Greco di Tufo up close and personal, a friend mentioned Cantina Bambinuto . Another opportunity, but one that I would not miss. Cantina Bambinuto is located in Santo Paolina in the heart of Irpinia, about 500 meters above sea level. It is a small winery that packs a big punch. Like Marilena. Marilena, whose smile was not hampered by the cool autumn weather that hit Irpinia that week. She was more than ready for the upcoming harvest and proud to show me her vineyards and cantina. The soil in Santo Paolina is full of clay. I don’t recommend taking a w