Napoleonic Wines

The Invasion of French Varietals into Italian Soil
(a seminar conducted February 18th, 2010)
The premise of this seminar and tasting is an investigation of wines made in Italy using varietals of French origin. Let’s start by noting that tracking of the movement of grape varietals across international borders is not unlike marking the evolution of any large cultural shift, i.e. language, art, music, et cetera. Timelines to record these changes are intrinsically fuzzy, and the material of concern, namely vitis vinifera in our case, is a constantly evolving population.

Industry Meets Artistry: A Tasting of Lombardy

Since the Middle Ages, Lombardy has been the epicenter of big Italian business, be it silk and textile manufacturing around Lake Como, banking in Milan or mining and metallurgy in Brescia.  In terms of a wine region Lombardy’s got it all!  From the refined bubbles of Franciacorta (Italy’s rival to Champagne) to the crisp and full white wines of Lake Garda, not to mention the regional endearing oddities of the Oltrepò Pavese with their unique fizzy fruit and the big boys of the alpine Valtellina, where the local nebbiolo (chiavennasca) creates a sublime counterpart to Barolo. 

Wines from Valle D’Aosta (Italy)

As you turn North from Torino you leave behind the rolling foothills of the Langhe and start to climb towards Europe’s highest peak and border with France: Monte Bianco. Once a colony of Piedmont, the Valle D’Aosta was ruled by the House of Savoy for over a century. The heights of Gran Paradiso Nature Reserve collide with the often swollen banks of the Dora Baltea River where vines, grasping to the steep mountain pistes, thrive. The soils are predominantly glacial moraine so grape choices and wine styles are primarily determined by altitude (300 - 800m). This is Italy’s smallest wine region and many of the wines never make it outside the Valle D’Aosta, never mind overseas. These wines are fresh and bright and would be perfect for a summer picnic, but they are also beautiful with rich game and charcuterie, fitting for the cold New England winter. 

Read More

Feast of the Seven Fishes

It is a tradition in Southern Italy and now of Italian Americans to celebrate the night before Christmas with the Feast of the Seven Fishes also known as La Vigilia .The tradition of eating seafood on Christmas Eve dates from the medieval Catholic tradition of abstinence. Meat, butter and other milk products were not allowed on Fridays or other Holy Days. Instead fish, typically fried in oil, would be served. This tradition has evolved and now the lush feast seems a far cry from any sort of abstinence! While the exact dishes vary from family to family, there are always some seven combinations of anchovies, sardines, dried salt cod, smelts, eels, squid, octopus, shrimp, mussels, oysters, and clams.

We have sought out a fabulous line-up of seafood friendly Italian wines, expanding beyond just the Southern climes to include some Northern favorites as well. From fresh and fruity to minerally and complex to lush and smoky, we look forward to opening your eyes to the wide range of wines that will compliment your Feast of the Seven Fishes.

Read More