Page 16 - Italian American Herald - September 2021

16 ITALIANAMERICANHERALD.COM | SEPTEMBER2021 ITALIAN-AMERICANHERALD
THE CHEF’S PERSPECTIVE
continued from page 14
containers directing me to fill them to give to our neighbor. I delivered my offering next door. Moments later, a message was received that the soup was delicious. Things were looking up for my experiment. I had picked up a good loaf of rustic bread earlier in the day. When Liz happily suggested that my soup accompanied by the bread was to be our dinner that evening, I knew that my experiment was a success.
Creating interesting and delicious foods and making people happy with my creations is my passion. The process is always an adventure for me and each success with any single dish is a joy and a rush at the same time. It is an exhilarating feeling that must be experienced. Words simply cannot do the
feeling justice.
When was the last time you looked
through your spice cabinet? You may be surprised by what you find. Go out and try something new that you haven’t tried before. Find a recipe if you are new to kitchen experiments. If you are a culinarian, expand your reach. Be creative and surprise yourself and those that you care about. This is an adventure that is fun and exciting. Don’t let the possibilities pass you by. vegetables were identifiable yet matched in the soft texture that makes for an outstanding soup.
Now came the moment of truth. I ladled small servings of the soup into two small tasting cups. One for me and one for Liz. I allowed these to stand for a few moments to cool just slightly. I called Liz into the kitchen, handed her a cup and spoon. Then
I observed. Liz was cautious. She tested the aroma and tentatively took a small taste. I waited. She cocked her head slightly and took a slightly bigger taste. Still, I waited. The second hand on the clock ticked off each second one after the other. Liz took a third taste and then it happened. A small smiled appeared. She nodded and declared the soup to be very good. She then handed me two containers directing me to fill them to give to our neighbor. I delivered my offering next door. Moments later, a message was received that the soup was delicious. Things were looking up for my experiment. I had picked up a good loaf of rustic bread earlier in the day. When Liz happily suggested that my soup accompanied by the bread was to be our dinner that evening, I knew that my experiment was a success.
Creating interesting and delicious foods and making people happy with my creations is my passion. The process is always an adventure for me and each success with any single dish is a joy and a rush at the same time. It is an exhilarating feeling that must be experienced. Words simply cannot do the feeling justice.
When was the last time you looked through your spice cabinet? You may be surprised by what you find. Go out and try something new that you haven’t tried before. Find a recipe if you are new to kitchen experiments. If you are a culinarian, expand your reach. Be creative and surprise yourself and those that you care about. This is an adventure that is fun and exciting. Don’t let the possibilities pass you by. IAH
VINI D’ITALIA
Veneto: That fabled land where the magic happens
By Frank Cipparone
“We opened in Venice, then next played Verona...then Mantua and Padua... and then...”
Those Cole Porter lyrics from a long-ago Broadway musical sound like a tourist’s itinerary of Veneto. A gondola ride and gelato in St. Mark’s Square. Standing under Juliet’s balcony in Verona, or exploring the museums and churches of Padua. Maybe even day-tripping to Treviso or Vicenza. Food, art, scenery, it’s all there. And wine. Oceans of wine.
Veneto is the engine powering the Italian wine industry. Tuscany is rightly more famous and Piedmont may be more prestigious but neither comes close to matching Veneto’s 233,600 acres of vines or annual production. Last year the region churned out an eye- popping 120 million cases. That’s over 1.4 billion bottles, enough to supply every resident of Europe’s wine producing countries with four.
Due to the global pandemic, that was actually a drop-off from a staggering 142 million cases in 2018. Even so, that was more than Sicily, Campania, Friuli, Lazio, Lombardy, Umbria, Sardinia and Marche combined. If Veneto was a nation it would rank fifth among the world’s wine producers.
Veneto is the birthplace of Valpolicella, Prosecco and Soave, DOC labels that can be found anywhere wine is sold. Throw in big ticket Amarone and you have 17 million cases per year, almost 206 million bottles of just those four wines.
The forces driving those statistics are giant commercial producers, behemoths like Bolla, Zonin, Santa Margherita and Gruppo Italiano Vini, the umbrella corporation for Lamberti, Folonari and other familiar names. Their successful business model is based on mass marketing wine that is recognizable, reliantly consistent, and fairly priced. You know what you’re getting for the money.
That’s not a knock on mass-produced wines. They are what they are. But when a wine becomes a brand like Coke or Pepsi it loses some of its identity. To maintain that level of large- scale production requires the financial resources to keep it humming and the primary material to function – grapes, bought from hundreds of growers who are paid for quantity. Quality control becomes secondary to keeping investors happy.
Though they may not have the means to compete with the big boys, there are family- owned properties and winemaking artisans who are making authentic, classical Soaves and Valpolicellas and other wines that reflect the traditions of Veneto.
The hills around the medieval town of Soave are home to two of the finest examples of that wine. Four generations of the Pieropan family have earned well-deserved accolades by growing, producing and bottling Soave and Valpolicella from their own vineyards. They were the first to make a single vineyard Soave and stick to the traditional Valpolicella formula that includes lesser- known local red grapes. The two to look for are “Ruberpan” Valpolicella Superiore and “Calvarino” Soave.
On the other side of the hill sit the organically farmed, biodynamic vines belonging to Balestri Valda, true artisans of
the winemaker’s craft.
Besides their range of
outstanding Soaves,
they are one of the few
wineries that make a
100 perfect Trebbiano
di Soave, an almost
extinct variety that’s
been around since
Roman legions marched
through the area. They
mix it with Garganega
for an offbeat old school
Soave. I’ll vouch for their “Sengialta” Soave, the best I’ve had.
If you’re a Valpolicella fan you’ll appreciate those of Luigi Righetti, a small winery that’s been around for over 100 years. Tedeschi, a fixture in the region since 1630, crafts a range of outstanding reds. One of them utilizes obscure grapes like Oseleta, Dindarella, Negrara and Rossignola to add a traditional feel to Valpolicella and Amarone. They also make wines in the “ripasso” style that blends freshly fermented Valpolicella with the previous year’s grape pomace from Amarone before aging in bottle. For something unusual, try “Corasco”, a super ripe, cherry flavored winner of Corvina, Refosco and Raboso, two other Veneto red varietals.
Corvina, the primary grape for Valpolicella and Amarone, is fine on its own. A fine example is Gerardo Gaspari’s “Jema,” a
rare single vineyard version form Verona. Combined with Corvinone and Oseleta in San’Antonios “Monte Garbi” Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso it becomes rich, smooth and savory enough to be an affordable Amarone, Jr.
At his Dolce’ property on the border of Veneto and Trentino, Albino Armani makes Valpolicella Classico and Amarone at the highest altitudes of the production zone. His Valpolicella “Recioto” is a thing of beauty, a classic blend of grapes air dried on trays in open air lofts. Armani has a passion for all but forgotten grapes with a historical connection to the Valdadige. Foja Tonda is rough and ready, a brawny tannic mouthful not for the faint of heart. Nera
di Baisi is gentler and fresher, but so little exists he is limited to a thousand bottles
a year. Armani also has a unique twist on Glera, the grape associated with Prosecco. After fermenting in terracotta it goes through in-bottle fermentation that yields a “pet-nat,” a naturally created sparkling wine.
Still not convinced of Veneto’s diversity? Check out Villa Angarano’s “Torcolato,” an air- dried white wine made from Vespaiolo, or Ornella Molon’s late harvest Verduzzo dessert wine sourced from flatland vineyards near Piave. She also bottles two styles of Raboso, a Refosco, Schioppettino, and Moscato Rosa, a darkly colored wine that smells of red roses. IAH