A Wine Tasting Gone Wild -Lunarossavini, Giffoni Valle Piana (Sa)

Chef Angelo Borghese and all of us!

My first baby steps into the blog world were those as a wine blogger.  I loved walking through vineyards, speaking with producers, tasting wines with professional journalists, and attending wine events such as Vinitaly.  In fact, it was that way back in 2012 in Verona I tried a wine from Lunarossavini.  Quartara 2008.  A fiano, that I learned was fermented in amphora.  Amphora? I asked myself.  For me it was the first time I tried a wine of that type.  I will never forget, however, the brilliant straw yellow color of that glass.  Nor the message from enologist Mario Mazzitelli a few days later who 1) apologized that he wasn't at the stand when I stopped by and 2) invited me to taste some wines in his winery Giffoni Valle Piana in the Salerno province.
Well, I time went by learned and appreciated a crucial and  important point, that wine was meant to be paired with food.  Over time, my visits to wineries, ahime', were few and far between in exchange for visits to some of Campania's top restaurants.  And on those restaurant's wine lists, I noticed over and over wines form Lunarossavini.
So I thought - wouldn't it be great to combine a visit to the winery with one of my best friends - who is also a chef?  A fusion of fun.  A wine tasting gone wild...so to speak.  Wine tasting as it should be. Unpretentious.  With friends - where you learn about the wines, the territory, food.  And, magari, have a good, no, great time!

When I arrived at Lunarossavini- that late Saturday morning, I was greeted by Mazzitelli.

Mario Mazzitelli 

 Mazzitelli, enologist and owner of the winery took me right into the cantina to show me around.  The winery has been around since 2006 - after years of Mazzitelli working for other wineries throughout Italy and Europe.  Here's a fun fact - Lunarossavini is the first winery in Campania to use amphoras.  To Mazzitelli it seemed natural.  The ancient Romans used them...why shouldn't he?  They have many benefits over  wood barrels - especially for a Fiano -porous, a longer life.  Mazzitelli gave me a quick run through of how his wines are produced,  His Quartara, for example.

A fiano grape grown in clay rich soil is harvested in rounds.  The first beginning in August.  A series of grapes that are macerated and fermented in amphora, then passed to barrels, then eventually bottles.  As he was explaining the similar vinification  process for his Borgomastro Aglianico wine,

that is when 'the chef' arrived - Angelo Borghese of the nearby Settanta Neo Bistrot. It was time to get wild.

Wines deserve a dish to go along with it. During a series of appetizers prepared by Borgheese which included algae chips with tuna, tasted bread with butter and anchovies, cheese and various deli meats, we had a chance to try a range of Lunarossa wines...
Costacielo 2018 - red, white and rose'.  The winery's  base wines, even if I hate that term.  Fiano and aglianico wines fermented in steel tanks and aged in amphora.

Rossoamarea 2012 - an aglianico with a small percentage of primitivo fermented in steel tanks, then long termed aged in barriques (reds need a bit of wood) and then bottled.

Borgomastro 2015.  Aglianico wine - fermented and macerated in wooden barrels for about 30 months, then aged in bottles for one year.

Then- it was time- to tatste Quartara with Mazzitelli nearby. And he did not disappoint- we had some time to make up!  I had the chance to try 3 vintages, 2017, 2014 (paired with Borghese's tortelli with genovese) and a 2013.

A wine tasting gone wild.  Wine tasting in the company of friends, where you feel free, have fun...and yes, learn something about a territory that maybe you did not know about. There was also a chance to try Lunarossa's Fuorilinea - a moscato orange wine, that was macerated and fermented in amphoras. One of the beautiful things about this wine, besides the taste and aromas, was that the 1,250 labels for the bottles are designed by children AND a portion of the profits go to children's charities.  Wild! 

Thanks, Mario and Angelo for the chance to be wild!
Note - the winery calls itself Lunarossa Vini e Passioni - Wine and Passion.  Coincidence??? I think not!

Behind the Label, Oi Ni, Tenuto Scuotto, Av

Adolfo Scuotto and "Oi nì "

Last month, during the rush to taste and photograph pics during Festa a Vico, I decided to take a break.  I glanced to my right and noticed Adolfo Scuotto of Tenuta Scuotto pouring wines.  Ecco! The perfect spot to wind down, taste one of his wines (or two) and maybe a little chit chat. 

Scuotto reached for one of my favorite Fiano wines (first tasted last summer during a lunch last summer at Rossellini’s) Instantly my mind flash-backed to that hot August afternoon – that glass of wine, the aromas, and of course – the label.  So it was hard not to notice that something had changed.  The label!

"Oi nì " - 'old' label 

I asked Adolfo perché’/why?

Here’s his reply…

Per capire il potere evocativo della nuova etichetta è necessario spendere qualche parola sul nome e sulle sue origini. "Oi nì " è un residuo spagnolismo presente nella nostra lingua e soprattutto nelle forme dialettali dell’Italia meridionale. Sta a significare "o ragazzo", con la "o" vocativa e il termine “ni” (dallo spagnolo "niño",). Quest’ espressione viene spesso utilizzata, in modo affettuoso, per rivolgersi ad un Figlio e nella famiglia SCUOTTO se ne è fatto largo uso fin dai tempi di mio nonno. Con la nuova etichetta non solo se ne evoca il ricordo, ma soprattutto si aspira a far essere più immediato il messaggio che si vuole comunicare. Cosa c’è dietro ad una bottiglia di vino Oi nì: un vero e proprio rapporto filiare tra Produttore e Prodotto: Attesa per la sua nascita, cura ed Amore incondizionato, gli stessi sentimenti che legano appunto un genitore ad un figlio…mio nonno a mio padre, mio padre a me.

"Oi nì " - new label

To understand the evocative power of the new label it is necessary to speak a bit about the name and its origins. "Oi no" is a residual Spanish present in our language and above all in the dialectal forms of southern Italy. It means "oh boy", with "oh" vocative and the term "ni" (from the Spanish "niño"). This expression is often affectionately used when addressing a son and the Scuotto family has been used it since my grandfather's period. With the new label, not only does it remind you of it, but also above all it aspires to make the message that you want to communicate more direct.  What's behind a bottle of Oi nì wine?  A real relationship between the producer and the product: in anticipation for its birth, care and unconditional love, the same feelings that link a parent to a son ... my grandfather to my father, my father to me.

Bellissimo! I told Adolfo. 

I’m not sure if he noticed my eyes tear up.  

Lunch on the Beach, Chef Vincenzo Piacente, Hotel Parco Dei Principi, Sorrento (Na)

The first time I met Chef Vincenzo Piacente, it was a breezy summer evening last June.  He prepared for me a tasty appetizer on the dark grounds of a medieval castle.  As tasty as the dish was, I told the chef that hopefully the next time I taste his cuisine, the lighting would be a little better.
Fast forward several weeks and I found myself parking across the street from Hotel Parco dei Principi in Sorrento.  I had an appointment for lunch, with Chef Vincenzo Piacente...on the beach, where the lighting was much better than that evening at the medieval castle.

Hotel Parco dei Principi is a 5 star almost unnoticeable from the road, but hard to miss from the sea.  A short walk from the main gate took me through cool green gardens that lead up to the reception.

 I opened the door and entered the lobby decked out in blue ceramic tiling designed by Gio Ponti. (And for the occasion, I traded in my usual blue jeans and sneakers for a blue dress and black heels) After a short walk around, I decided to relax in the lobby before lunch and look over the menu.

 I was curious as to what the chef hand in store, excited about sharing the dining room tourists from all over the world who flock to Sorrento and this hotel year after year.

But as 1 pm rolled around, I noticed that I was pretty much alone waiting for my table. Alone, until a member of the chef's brigade came out of the main kitchen.  
Ciao, Karen! 
It was Gaetano Borelli, who I also met earlier in the summer.  The chef said you'd be wearing a blue dress.  Chef Piacente is down at the beach.  I'll show you.

Beach?
I'd forgotten! Piacente had told me that in the summer, lunch is served at the Poggia Siracusa Restaurant on the hotel's private beach.  Dinner, instead, at the Gio Ponti Restaurant, where I was waiting.

Basile took me down...way down to the beach by way of a series of elevators/labyrinths until finally we arrived to Poggia Siracusa where Chef Piacente and staff were in the midst of a hectic lunch service. A lunch service that focuses on light lunches with popular dishes to please the international traveler who desire something quick and easy before heading back to sunbathe or for a swim,

Chef  Vincenzo Piacente

On that particular day, however, Piacente decided to serve some of the dishes that are usually found on the evening menu to see how it would look on the beach.  

So while I waited with a glass of Fiano di Avellino 2013 by Terredora, the chef sent over his welcome dish.  An assortment of fresh seafood include shrimp and oysters. 

Next, an appetizer of lobster cooked in infused black tea with red berry mayonnaise and crispy rice.

This was soon followed by breaded swordfish stuffed with Italian parsley, garlic, pecorino romano cheese, raisins and pine nuts.

It was then time for a couple of first courses.  Fantastic first courses.
The first, mezzi paccheri pasta from Gragnano with amberjack fish.  The fish was presented in two versions, raw and cooked.

Next, the chef's cacio pepe pasta dish with vermiciello bucato pasta from Gragnano, mussels, and a creamy sauce made with yellow pachino tomatoes.

Second course -   sea bream cooked in lemon with sweet potatoes had that 'tocca in piu' thanks to the addition of marinated caper leaves from dottoressa Alfonsina Longobardi of the restaurant Nonna Giulia.

Between each course, I looked out to the sea, watched bathers and fish enjoying the early August vacation period, sipped on water and wine.

Time for dessert. 
Poggia Siracusa's version of delizia di limone with strawberries.

A perfect ending to my lunch.
A lunch in which the chef impressed me once again as he had that summer evening at that medieval castle.
But here, at Hotel Parco dei Principi...
on the beach...
the lighting was much, much better.


Hotel Parco dei Principi
Via Rota 44
 80067 Sorrento (NA)
081 8784644

Wineries to Watch - Lunch with VITI in Cesinali (Av)

Wine maker Luigi Sarno, Cantina del Barone, asked me if I wished to join him for a quick lunch before heading back home.  It was around lunchtime, his mom had just prepared a risotto with porcini mushrooms, and so I thought -why not?  Lunch with the wine maker is a perfect opportunity to try their wines where they  perform at their best; At the table, paired with local specialties.  And this would be a perfect opportunity to see how Sarno's Fiano di Avellino Particella 928 would stand up at lunch.  But Sarno had other ideas.  Sure, he opened a bottle of his wine, but at the table, there were two other bottles from two other wineries as well.  You see, two years ago,  Cantina del Barone along with Cantine Dell'Angelo and Il Cancelliere decided to come together under one umbrella and form a small coalition... an alliance.  A union that would stand strong during the various wine fairs and wine tastings that can take a toll on small wineries in terms of costs and time.  A union that would focus on the strengths of each winery, therefore highlighting the strength of the territory. A union named VITI - which in English means vines.

Back to the table, back to Sarno, who decided to open up his latest Particella 928 Fiano di Avellino 928 IGP 2012.  Probably one of the most interesting Fianos that I have tried in a long time.  Fiano.  That's what does Cantina del Barone does. Punto e basta.
The meal continued, Sarno opened up another bottle of wine.  this time a Greco di Tufo from Cantine Dell'Angelo.  Sticking with vintage 2012, we went for the cru Torrefavale Greco di Tufo DOP 2012.  As I tasted, I was instantly brought back to a visit with the owner of the winery, Angelo Muto and Luigi Sarno (his enologist).  To reach the vineyard that produces this wine, we needed a jeep and a prayer.   An elegant expression of the cantina's Greco di Tufo  which is known for its sharp nose and palate.

The next wine was the only red of the VITI trio.  An Aglianico from Il Cancelliere.  Sarno tasted first, sharing with me that this wine; Campania Aglianico IGP 2012, an Aglianico that doesn't touch any wood whatsoever is, well,  a tasty bomba.  15 % alcohol content.  Wow...
I listened, I tasted.  I thought back to a visit to Montemarano where the winery is located back in, well, back in, well, back in 2012.

One lunch.  Three wines.  Three wineries.
I appreciated that. Not only because I had an opportunity to taste three reflections of Irpinia, but I had an occasion to see how a territory can work and grow together, from a small kitchen table in a small town to a large international wine fair.

Viva VIVIT.

Cantina del Barone
Cesinali (Av)

Cantina Dell'Angelo
Tufo (Av)

Il Cancelliere
Montemarano (Av)

A Glass of Wine, A Place to Stay - Cantina Del Barone, Cesinali (Av)

Karen, I want to show you something...
Those were the words wine maker Luigi Sarno, Cantina del Barone, spoke to me the other day as we were walking down the narrow road that leads from his small wine cellar to his vineyards in Cesinali (Av).
A new wine? I thought.  Vinitaly was just the previous week.  It had been several months since I had seen Sarno, and a couple of years since I'd visited the vineyards.  We chatted a bit, stop a couple of times on the small path that divides his Fiano vineyards into two separate sections.

I'll be right back, Sarno said.
He left me alone for a minute or two, so I decided to wander over to one of my favorite spots on the property.  A majestic century old grapevine that seems to stretch its arms out wild as if to say welcome...
But something was different.  To get to my vine, I had to walk around a freshly painted casa.  Walk across a freshly cut lawn.
Sarno joined me.
This is what I wanted to show you, Sarno smiled as he held a set of keys.

And with that, he opened the door to his latest project.  A project that he hopes will not only bring wine lovers to his territory...but will also keep them there.
4 mini apartments that can sleep up to 7 were just about ready. 4 mini apartments that would allow travelers an experience and not just a place to stay.  An Irpinia full immersion provided by Sarno and his family which could expand to tours of other wineries in the area, visits to local artisans, farms, restaurants.  Even cooking courses provided by Sarno's mom in the not so distant future.
My eyes went from Sarno to the window as I imagined myself waking up here, having breakfast with a caffe' and fresh jams prepared by the Sarno family.

 I imagined myself enjoying that Cesinali evening  breeze that his vineyards love. I imagined having a glass of wine and a place to stay. Sarno continued to speak, sharing his project...sharing his dream.  I continued to listen, entranced by his enthusiasm.
There are just a few finishing touches before opening like bedding, toiletries, and...a name.
Stay tuned!