In a Xavier Clua vineyard, old vine grenache blanc . . .

Feeling the air of the 95 year old Pian del Moro vineyard owned by Musto Carmelitano

Musto Carmelitano - Aglianico di Vulture in purezza!

Francesco - Elisabetta - Luigi

Let me introduce you to the fantastic wines from Musto Carmelitano.

Elisabetta Musto Carmelitano’s family has been making wine for four generations in the DOCG of Aglianico del Vulture. For much of that time the production had been mainly selling grapes but also wine in demi-johns. Elisabetta began in this way as well, though in 2006 she began building the current winery and created Azienda Agricola Musto Carmelitano. She directs the winery with help from her father and brother. She gives great thanks to her father and uncle who each believed in her and continue to give her great support.

Aglianico

They have 14 hectares of land – both vineyards and olive groves. The total production of wine, however, is a miniscule 1700 cases! Part of the land is from her father, part is from her uncle – also a small part from her great-grandmother. They have vines that are as old as 100 years. The vines of their top cru – Pian del Moro have an average age of 90 years. Their other cru Serra del Prete has vines with an average age of 45 years. They have been farming organically since the beginning and have been certified organic since 2010.

Aglianico thrives on volcanic soil. The winery is in Maschito, just south of Monte Vulture, the extinct volcano that provides mineral-rich, volcanic soil for the great wines of Basilicata. For a grape that can have such power and structure, these wines have tremendous grace and finesse as well as a refreshing underlying minerality from the volcanic soils. The two cru’s are vinified in stainless with 20 day macerations, after which the Pian del Moro spends a year in used tonneaux and the Serra del Prete spends six months in stainless steel and six months in cement. The fresher, younger Maschitano rosso is vinified in stainless with a short maceration and then spends just six months in stainless steel. We also receive small quantities of their Maschitano Bianco, a dry Moscato which is vinified in stainless followed by six months in cement. It shows a striking minerality as well as refreshing acidity.

While relatively new as a winery, they are producing classic, traditionally-made wines that showcase the best of what Basilicata has to offer!

Drink of the Week Profile - Part 1

skyler-brown  Wednesday, February 15, 2012
http://www.drinkoftheweek.com/2012/02/visit-the-hills-of-abruzzo-italy-without-leaving-home-part-1/

This week I had the pleasure of sitting down with Justin Gallen, an Italian importer and one of his producers, Francesco Cirelli, a winemaker from the eastern Italian region of Abruzzo. In the first part of this interview series, Gallen discusses his passion for wine and the qualities it must possess before he brings it to the United States.

Drink of the Week (DOTW): You’re a sommelier and Italian importer of fine wines. How did this all come about and have you always had a passion for wine?
Justin Gallen (JG): I’ve been in the wine business for about 20 years. I was the kid who wasn’t interested in getting beer. I always wanted a gallon of Burgundy or Bartles & Jaymes or wine coolers or whatever else it happened to be. I’ve always been fascinated by wine.

DOTW: How do you find your producers?
JG:  I’lI go to the organic and biodynamic fairs that take place in Italy a couple times a year and meet the producer and taste their wine. I met Francesco by chance. He was given a list of importers and sent out a blind email with his contact information and website. The website looked professional and the wines looked good. When we met, I tasted the wines, looked at the package, and said “yes,” right away.

DOTW: What do you look for in a wine?
JG: The wine has to be very, very good and at a really good price point. I’m looking for wines that are food-friendly. Wines that have a little less alcohol and a little more acidity, so that it pairs well with a different range of food and won’t overwhelm. I’m also looking for wines that will age well, because it’s important to drink wine at many different times of its life. In its youth, when it’s got a lot of fruit and it’s beautiful and exciting and vibrant, and then at its middle-age, when it’s gained a little bit of sophistication and it’s turned into something a little bit more interesting, and of course, in its older age, when it’s gained a sort of delicacy and wisdom for a wine that you won’t find in a wine that’s youthful.

DOTW: You chose the word renascimento for the name of your business. Why?
JG: Renascimento means renaissance in Italian. It represents the rebirth and revival of the types of wines I would like to find in the market. Hopefully the wines that I’m importing are providing a rebirth or revival or renascimento for the people who taste them, so they discover a new world of wine that they never knew they had.

Visit Rinascimento Wine Company.
Visit Cirelli to learn more about their wine and other products.

Drink of the Week Profile Part 2

skyler-brown     Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Last week I had the pleasure of sitting down with Justin Gallen, an Italian importer and one of his producers, Francesco Cirelli, a winemaker from the eastern Italian region of Abruzzo. This week Cirelli emphasizes the importance of organic and biodiversity farming, a concept he puts into practice back home in Italy.

Drink of the Week (DOTW): What types of wine does Cirelli produce?
Francesco Cirelli (FC): First of all, we are respectful of the sense of place. They have to be wines that are showing the characteristics of the place where the wines are being produced. Second, they have to be as natural as possible meaning that, yes, we are certified organic.

DOTW: Where does your wine come from?
FC: We acquired an estate in 2003 in Abruzzo. It’s an eastern Italian region of Italy on the same latitude as Rome. Whereas Rome is on the west, we are on the east. We don’t have any background in agriculture, but we really wanted to experience something new. We really wanted to change our life and try to focus on different values. Since the beginning, we wanted to have a full farm concept and organic, so we decided to plant the new vineyards, but at the same time we planted the fig trees, we planted garlic, we planted olive trees. This is extremely important if you want to be a real, organic farm. It’s rather better to have different cultivations instead of being a monocultural kind of farm. We also started breeding geese. Now, we have 300 geese going around the farm naturally feeding the soil and controlling the weeds.

DOTW: What are some of your other products?
FC: We produce wines, extra-virgin organic olive oils, fig marmalades, fresh garlic. We also produce hams and salamis from the goose meat and a very nice marmalade from the Montepulciano grapes. We have about ten different products.

DOTW: Can you talk a little bit about the winemaking process?
FC: It really depends on the style of wine. Now we are producing two different styles. The first is a little bit more of a daily wine. A little bit easier, great drinkability and low in acidity. Those wines are fermented in stainless steel tanks. The second style is a little bit more, I would say, philosophical or a little more complicated. We decided to use a very old container for fermentations which is clay. They are 800-liter clay vessels. Two different winemaking processes, two different styles.

DOTW: Can you choose a favorite?
FC: The favorite is the amphora-fermented wines. They are the more artisanal containers. Those are the containers where you are obliged to intervene manually and you can use nothing except for your body. If you have to clean, you have to go inside with your swimming suit and clean the vessel. You cannot use anything else. This makes for a more emotional process. It’s the one that requires more effort. It’s you and the clay vessel, that is all.

DOTW: Mr. Gallen, on your website you’ve said something very beautiful, “Every time I open a bottle, I want to be taken on an adventure of the mind. I want to be transported to another place and another time… another world.” Where does Cirelli’s wine take you?
JG: The reason why people are fascinated by wine is that it does transport you. When you taste the Montepulciano, the Cerasuolo, the Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, you can feel yourself being taken to the Italian countryside. You smell the flowers, you smell the herbs in the soil, you smell the flavors that are coming from the grapes and you can feel the sun on the grapes and the sun that, then, is on your shoulders as you are transported into that environment. It truly is the one alcoholic beverage that provides you with a sense of place and a sense of history and a sense of being in the moment… and Francesco’s wines definitely do that.

http://www.drinkoftheweek.com/2012/02/visit-the-hills-of-abruzzo-italy-without-leaving-home-part-2/#.Tz9K_NTRqbI.blogger


Visit Rinascimento Wine Company.
Visit Cirelli to learn more about their wine and other products.

http://www.drinkoftheweek.com/2012/02/visit-the-hills-of-abruzzo-italy-without-leaving-home-part-2/

Wine Dinner with Giuseppe Vaira of G.D. Vajra next week . . .

&

Wine Dinner with Giuseppe Vaira of G.D. Vajra and Luigi Baudana

Wineries, Barolo

Wednesday, February 8^th 7pm

@ 3 Square Café, Venice

White Bean Crostini & Parmigiano

“N.S.Delle Neve” Sparkling Langhe

Taleggio & Pear Risotto

2010 Chardonnay Luigi Baudana, Langhe

Wild Boar Stew with Mushrooms over Polenta

2009 Barbera Vajra & 2009 Nebbiolo Langhe Vajra

Cheese selection from Piemonte

2006 Barolo Albe Vajra

69.50 per person + tax and tip

Limitied seating , please call for reservation # 310 399 6504

By S. Irene Virbila

Los Angeles Times

This is a zippy Trebbiano from an estate in Italy's south dedicated to organic farming. I can remember when it was nearly impossible to find a crisp white from that region. But Cirelli's 2010 Trebbiano d'Abruzzo is as refreshing as lemon sorbet. The fruit tastes ripe and golden, but the wine is bone dry.

It's just what's needed if you're serving a seafood salad or pasta. It's great with vegetable soups, beans with tuna and grilled salmon. Who knew easygoing Trebbiano could have this kind of elegance and balance? At $13, it's a small miracle.

Region: Abruzzo

Price: About $13

Style: Crisp and dry

What it goes with: Seafood salad and pasta, soups, grilled fish

Vajra's harvest: Fact Sheet- Barbera d'Alba DOC SUPERIORE

Fact Sheet- Barbera d'Alba DOC SUPERIORE

The Wine


Designation: Barbera d'Alba DOC
Wine type: red dry wine
Variety: Barbera 100%
Bottle size: 750 mL


The Vineyard

An expression of the terroir, our Barbera comes from an exceptional vineyard. Bricco delle Viole is in the Comune of Barolo, our oldest vineyard and a great Barolo cru, with soils rich in magnesium and manganese and very low in iron. Back in the days, farmers used to plant multiple varieties in each hillside. So called progress drove most of the people to focus on one variety per block. Here, we preserve a small piece of history by saving these old vines.

The Farming


Farming: sustainable
Pruning: Guyot mixed system
Ground: natural turfing
Irrigation: no
Green harvest: yes, according to vigor and climate of the season


The Harvest


Harvest: secon half of September to first decade of October
Picking: by hand
Sorting: manual


The Vinification


Vinification: 20-day maceration at free temperature < 32°C.
Method: traditional, punch-down
M.L.F.: during first year of ageing
Ageing: 20-24 months in Slavonian oak casks








TASTING NOTES 2007:

A violet red color followed by great concentration in the nose and mouth classify this 2007 Barbera vintage. Dark fruits, dried herbs, flowers, and liquorice easily coalesce into light mineral notes. Our 2007 vintage Barbera Superiore has a richness and depth that lasts all the way from the nose to the tremendous finish.

“Una Barbera che baroleggia”. This was said to express a terroir driven Barbera with structure and complexity. Somehow, a Barbera that tasted like a Barolo. That’s what we ask to our Superiore: to give us as many facets and emotions of our Barolos, with all the crisp character of its variety.

G.D. Vajra Barolo Chinato Cocktails

Hey!

So G.D. Vajra makes one of the best Barolo Chinatos (Barolo wine fortified and flavored with herbs and spices, mainly Quinine, an herb that was was used in the Colonies in Africa, Australia, and South America to ward off malaria.)

Erik Adkins at Heaven's Dog in San Francisco has been a big supporter and I had him and his bartender buddies work up a few cool drink recipes for the G.D. Vajra Barolo Chinato the last time I was up in the Bay Area.

Ask for them to whip one up for you.

2 oz Sazerae Rye

3/4 oz G.D. Vajra Barolo Chinato

1/2 oz Apricot Brandy

Stirred up with a lemon peel and served in a rocks glass.

with Gin,

2 oz Millers Gin

1/2 oz G.D. Vajra Barolo Chinato

1/2 oz Apricot eau de Vie

1/2 oz lime juice

1/2 oz simple syrup

served shaken, not stirred

A great time was had making these and luckily I had my designated driver for the ride back home!

Anyone want to name these creations?

2009 Harvest at Favaro, Piemonte

La Famiglia Favaro

Le Chiusure. Notice the trellising in the vineyard? Pergola Veronese (arched over the heads of the pickers like they do in Verona). This provides for more air to circulate around the bunches of grapes so there is less opportunity for fungus and rot.

Erbaluce grapes ready for harvest. Erbaluce literally translated means "grass of light".

Everything is done by hand at Azienda Agricola Favaro.

Benito and Camillo Favaro hard at work during harvest.

My "behind the burner" expert profile

Plus, Jenny made me answer all these questions about how I got in the business (ahhh, yes, Gallo Hearty Burgundy!) and what my favorite wines are (all of them . . . ) and then she cleaned up my messy, terse answers and added a dash of personality and I actually come off pretty good!

Check it out here.

How to Choose a Wine for a Dinner Party

Hey!

My friend Jenny Meier is writing freelance articles on wine and food for a new online site called www.behindtheburner.com and in her last article quoted me extensively (okay, so maybe extensively is a touch of an overstatement).

Go here to read about how to choose a wine for a dinner party.

Cheers.

J

The July Tasting, Ze Pinot Trio (Blanc, Gris & Noir) & Ze Fromages Zey Fancy, PODCAST is up! Check it out......

Podcast of the July '09 Tasting- Ze Pinot Trio (Blanc, Gris & Noir) & Ze Fromages Zey Fancy

https://www.cheesestorebh.com/Features/podcast.asp

You can hear me from minute 4:21 to minute 6:40 and from minute 16:20 to 25:42

That means you can listen to me drone on about wine. Cool, huh?

(and yes, I know I say, "ya, know" a lot. Trying to break the habit, but it is really hard!)

Bill Mayer's Age of Riesling/VVWS wines to be poured at Elvino in Venice, CA all weekend . . .

As many of you know, I represent Bill Mayer's The Age of Riesling Austrian and German wines here in Southern California. These wines are magical. Come on down and taste some of the rarest and most interesting wines being made today.

Thanks.

Justin

Tasting at Elvino Wines:

Friday: 5:00pm to Closing

Saturday & Sunday 1:00pm to Closing

Three Wines -$12.00 No Reservations Required

Elvino Wines

TASTING MENU:

July 31st - August 2nd, 2009

Three Wines From Austria:

Austria's wine history goes back to the fourth century A.D., when the land that is now Austria was controlled by the Celts. These ancient inhabitants controlled much of what is now Central Europe, planting vineyards to make wine along the way. By 800 A.D., the time of Charlemagne, winegrowing was well established in the region, and by the King's decree, guidelines were set into place for viticulture and the classification of vines. Charlemagne was also responsible for the first tasting rooms and wine shops when he established Buschschenken, taverns and inns where winegrowers could sell their wines directly to the public.

Monasteries were responsible for most of the wine production in the Middle Ages. Monks from the Cistercian Brotherhood brought Pinot Noir from Burgundy and by the thirteenth century the Benedictines had already established many famous vineyards.

Though the Riesling grape came to the region in the Middle Ages, Austria's most famous grape, Grüner Veltliner didn't show up until early in the twentieth century. The most widely planted grape in Austria was actually developed in the laboratories of the Klosterneuburg Wine Academy, as researchers were searching for more frost-resistant grape types.

Our three wines this weekend come from the wine region of Lower Austria (Niederösterreich), which is actually in the northeastern part of the country. The name refers to the regions location along the lower part of the Danube river. Our two white wines are grown in the Wagram-Donauland area, east of Vienna. The Wagram is actually an ancient shoreline left behind as an ancient river receded towards the Danube. What's left is a cliff-like formation that runs parallel to the river. On top of and on the other side of the cliff is the hill country where vines are grown. Most of the soil is loess (löß), perfect feeding ground for Grüner Veltliner.

Our red wine is from vineyards just south of Vienna in the Thermenregion, named for the many natural hot springs that dot the area. The vineyard where Spaetrot Gabeshuber's Pinot Noir and St. Laurent are grown actually sits over a volcanic fault line. The winemaker believes this actually benefits the vines because of the constant warmth emanating from the ground. Once you taste their Klassik you'll have to agree that these were some happy grapes.

Fresh baked breads provided by 3 Square Café + Bakery & gourmet items from Market Gourmet

Taste All Three Wines/ $12 - No Reservations Required

Every Second Sunday of the Month is Sparkling Sunday

2007 bernard ott, riesling von rotem schotter Riesling Feursbrünn, Wagram-Donauland

Bernard Ott has built a considerable reputation in Austria for his Grüner Veltliners, but he also makes a small amount of Riesling as well as Sauvignon Blanc. In 2005 Ott committed to biodynamic vineyards, and according to importer Bill Mayer it has given Bernard more peace as he spends his time in the vineyards. The vines are planted in red gravel soils (Rotem Schotter), at elevations up to 1200 feet.

Made in stainless steel, this wine shows floral notes with crisp aromas and flavors of tangerine, lime and tropical fruits. Racy acidity and crushed-stone mineral flavors focus the fruit and keep everything on the palate clean and bright to the finish.

Spaetrot Gabeshuber 2007 spaetrotgebeshuber, klassik

50% St. Laurent, 50% Pinot Noir

Gumpoldskirchen, Thermenregion

In 1999 Johannes and Johanna Gebeshuber purchased the winery Spaetrot, in the famous winemaking village of Gumpoldskirchen, located less than a half an hour south of Vienna. The winery was a respected co-op in the 19th century but was in a state of decline when it was purchased in 1905 by the famous/infamous Mayor of Vienna, Karl Lueger. Lueger built large cellars and brought the winery up to the standards of the time, but by the 1990's the co-op was again in a state of disrepair, brought on largely by the wine scandal of 1985.

The Gebeshubers focused on bringing back the quality of the original Spaetrot.. With a respect for tradition the couple brought the high standards back to the vineyards and cellar. They have chosen to specialize in the traditional white vatietals of the region: Zierfandler and Rotgipfler, the wine this blend produces is also called Spaetrot throughout the region. The duo also grows red varietals: Blauburgunder (Pinot Noir) and St. Laurent, of which the Klassik is a 50/50 blend of.

Grown in the warm, fossilized soils around Gumpoldkirchen, this wine is ripe with cherry and red berry aromas. Flavors of black cherries and ripe red fruit mix with spice, floral and earthier notes of tea leaf. Delicious with duck, delicious with vegetarian lasagna.

New Arrivals

2007 BÄUERL, Grüner Veltliner, Federspiel Pichl Point Wachau, Austria $17.50

Johann Bauer's hands

Importer Bill Mayer's Notes: "There are still a few good values in the Wachau, wines of great integrity from small producers. And that's where Mr. Bäuerl comes in. Bäuerl (a very difficult name for us Yanks to pronounce correctly) is in the little village of Joching, up the street and behind Joseph Jamek. His estate is tiny, only 5 hectares (12 acres), though he leases 2 more. Though the vineyards overlap, the wines are quite different. Whereas Jamek is elegant, subtle, and fine, Bäuerl's are lusty and earthy, with plenty of stuffing. They are not the most elegant wines in the world, but they give you the goods, and are just packed with flavor. Young Johann Bäuerl is tall and thin, very boyish, and rather shy. Perhaps that is due to his very rudimentary English? His German is idiomatic and strongly accented, and not easy for me to follow. His hands, which are large and expressive, are farmer's hands, see the photograph. He has never exported before and is not well-known, yet. But it is clear that a fire burns in him. He is ambitious, wants to ascend to the front rank of Wachau growers, and with his energy and seriousness, I'm sure he will."

©2009 Elvino Wines · 1142 Abbot Kinney Blvd. · Venice, CA 90291 · 310-396-9705 · www.elvinowines.com