For a Fistful of Dollars

Last week, I waxed about the glories of the Viviani Casa dei Bepi Amarone. A friend who is a sommelier, wrote back, saying that he “giggled” when he decanted the wine. Ah, the enthusiasm of youth.
But what a wonderful thing to have happen. And to those folks who dine there, they will put out $157.00 for that bottle. That's less than what it is retail in SF/LA/NYC. A real deal.

A far cry from what I ran into this week farther up the highway.
Day 1) Out west, an “Italian styled” place was setting up staff seminars. Would I take a look at the list?

Would I like a tooth pulled without numbing it first?

A list that is 70 % California (read: Silver Oak, Silver Oak, Silver Oak.) Umbrian wines from Tuscany, Campanian wines from Tuscany. And when they do get it right, aside from the only three regions that matter for red wine in Italy (that would be Tuscany, Piedmonte, not my spelling, and Veneto), then they just put the wines into the “Miscellaneous Reds” section. Like mystery meat. Treating Aglianico as if it were Spam.

And who out there have ever heard of a Valpolicella d'Abruzzo? It was on the list, in the Veneto section.

A wine that costs $6.00 selling for $10.00 a glass or $38.00 a bottle, that’s just wrong. And a Brunello that costs $35.00 going for $120.00, as if we all have that kind of discretionary income, what’s wrong with these knuckleheads?
Day 2) Another foray into an Italian spot for lunch. Asking the server about the wines, he delivered “we have Merlot, Cabernet, Chianti, Shiraz, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay. Which one would you like?” How about telling me who made them? Forget it, I walked behind the bar myself to see the death of the Italian restaurant in middle America. There was barely an Italian wine by the glass, between California, Australia and Chile, and the lone Italian wine was a pitiful Chianti. Not as good as the one you can buy in a market in Italy for less than 2 Euros.

What in the hell is wrong with these restaurateurs?
And the salespeople who call on these places?
And the diners? Where is the outrage?

Day 3) I have gotten my prescription refilled and had my rage medicine re-adjusted. And also went to the woo-woo Doctor to have my chakra’s re-aligned. Really. Not joking.
Some of the restaurant owners remind me of the guy in the picture, lots of gold and glamour. But really, do they ever look at their world? I know some folks do, my friend who gets excited over a bottle of Amarone that he will sell as a great value (and at $157.00 it’s 5 times the wine Silver Oak is, but there are only 6000 bottles of it made and there are 50,000+ cases of S.O. being made). But for every one of the excited ones there are guys out there who would rather not deal with it, buy it for $6.00 and sell it for $38.00. And you don’t want to ask if the fish is farm raised or wild. Or which kind of mushrooms they use. (Hint: they aren’t porcini).Who’s putting who on? This is a what a gentleman today called a scherzo. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. More is coming to this industry, assaults are coming from all directions, and friends for years can no longer share ideas and move things forward as easily. I haven’t seen something this disjointed since I last had a barrel fermented Pinot Grigio.
If these were the good old days and restaurants were Mama Leone’s I would understand. But when Mama Leone’s wine list from the 1960’s begins to look like something I wish I had seen these past few days, then we definitely have run aground.

I’m not interested in attending another funeral. If Chianti is dead, along with the future of Italian wines in restaurants, then maybe moving to Oaxaca and tending a mezcal field might not be such a bad idea.

This industry has invited anarchy to the table. Bring it on. Make my day.

A Menu for Hope III -- December 11-22

For the past two years, members of the food and wine blogging community have raised money for various charities through a tremendous project called A Menu for Hope
The original event was conceived shortly after the Asian tsunami a couple years by Pim (of the Chez Pim blog) to raise aid money for the victims. That initial project was a great success and last year, the culinary blogging community raised an amazing $17,000 for UNICEF by doing an online raffle of various culinary/food/wine items.

It's time for A Menu for Hope III and this year's beneficiary is the United Nations' World Food Program.



HOW IT WORKS:The campaign is essentially a big raffle for prizes. You look through the prizes, figure out which one(s) you want to try to win, and then you buy "virtual raffle tickets" -- one for each $10 of donation you make to our cause on the special web site set up for that purpose.

When you make your donation, you simply specify the prize number(s) (each prize should have one) and the "number of tickets" your donation is buying. Donate thirty bucks, get three tickets, and use them for one prize, or for three. Just be specific in your request.

Here's the site to enter / donate.

THE PRIZES:So first of all, remember that these are just the wine blog prizes. There are TONS OF OTHER PRIZES awaiting you over on Chez Pim’s site. Go check them out too. But not before taking a look at these incredibly generous and creative donations from wine bloggers far and wide:

All of the wine donations are listed on the Vinography site

WB09 - Italian Wine Guy is Your Sommelier for a Night. Courtesy of Italian Wine Guy

I will be offering to be the sommelier at someone's private dinner party for up to six people in the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas Area for an evening (or farther if someone wants to pay transportation costs). They will choose the menu to cook for their friends (or the restaurant to eat at) and I will bring the wine, including some from my cellar to match the cuisine and tell people about them. Approximate value: $200

The more you give, the better your chance to win. The campaign is scheduled to run from now until Friday 22nd, 6PM PST. So get a move on!

All of the wine donations are listed on the Vinography site
Roll your mouse over the thumbnail photos to see prize code and description. Click on a photo for more details

This year's deserving charity is the UN World Food Programme -- a fitting recipient of the goodwill from food and wine bloggers and their readers. I hope you will consider donating something. The smallest amount is a mere $10, which if you're sitting in front of a computer that you own, you most certainly can afford.

Here's the site to enter / donate.


More Details and complete instructions on following page...

If you're interested in participating, here's what you need to do:
1. Go to the donation page at First Giving.
2. Make a donation, each $10 will give you one raffle ticket toward a prize of your choice. Please specify which prize or prizes you'd like in the 'Personal Message' section in the donation form when confirming your donation. The prize code for my Italian Wine Guy Sommelier for a Night is WB09. Do tell us how many tickets per prize, and please use the prize code -for example, a donation of $50 can be 2 tickets for WB02 and 3 for WB09.
3. If your company matches your charity donation, please remember to check the box and fill in the information so we could claim the corporate match.
4. Please also check the box to allow us to see your email address so that we could contact you in case you win. Your email address will not be shared with anyone.
5. Check back on Chez Pim on January 15 when we announce the result of the raffle. (The drawing will be done electronically. Derrick at Obsession with Food is responsible for the application that will do the job.)
Thanks for your participation, and good luck in the raffle!

100 Bottles of Wine On the Blog

Passing the 100th post-

About a year ago (Dec 28, 2005) I started this little blog. I remember getting an e-mail from Tracie, something to the effect of, “you poor man, having to go all over the world drinking wine, wah, wah…” that kind of thing. And she told me, while I was at it, to start writing more than once every three months. Then David encouraged me to write, write, and write. My companion then started to write her account of our path as ones who had lost the loves of our lives on her Table for 4 ~ Dinner for 2 site. In exchange for doing her pictures on her site she said she would help me edit mine. Seeing as she is an excellent editor, a great cook and that she fundamentally pulled me through the tunnel of grief, I am glad our paths crossed. And very grateful.

Somewhere around summertime Alder at Vinography linked On the Wine Trail in Italy on his site and traffic started coming. Thanks Alder. Then Tom at Fermentation wrote about this site, calling me something like the “Consiglieri of Italian Wine”. Sweet. Thanks, Tom.

Meanwhile David back in Italy Insight recalled he had called me the “John The Baptist of Italian Wine” and we were off to the races.

Alice at Veritas in Vino has also been an encourager. Freelancing and searching for inspiration as well as trying to make a living, she has made time for me. Merci!

So has Regina at Gastropoda. I remember years ago writing to her about her visit to Pantelleria. She was writing for the NY Times back then. She replied and I’ve been bugging her ever since. Thanks a millione!

Even folks like Michael Bauer and Eric Asimov have been kind enough to reply to my incessant meanderings.

And my other editors, Andrew Barrow , Sarah Caron and Cate O’Malley of the Well Fed Network , who are patient with my technical issues as well as my rants.

Teresa, over at NYCE (news you can eat) , thanks for quoting me and making me sound legible. You’re too much girl!

Of late Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page have shown that they are love cats. Thanks guys! And David and Iris have been new friends that someday (soon) we’ll have to share a bottle of wine together, even if it’s Moscato.

Lest I forget, there are wine lovers out there, working late nights in small café’s and going home and writing about it. Keith over at East Village Wine Geek is the burning the midnight candle. Two other folks who, if they would write a little more (to paraphrase Tracie, you have to start writing more than once a month…;) are Genevelyn, and Tony at Rosenthal with An Overripe World. All of you ARE the future for this business.

Not to forget the guys Marshall McLuhan warned us about. Jay over at Grape Radio and Gary over at Wine Library TV. These guys are looking at this whole wine thing in a kinetic way. And they both happen to be very animated. Jay, I owe you a lunch, and Gary, well, thanks for boundless energy and enthusiasm. If we were ever to bottle a wine with your energy it would give Champagne a run for its money!

So, while I haven’t really said anything new and I have probably forgotten to thank some folks, this will have to suffice for now. I’ll follow with some of my favorite photo’s taken this year, On the Wine Trail. Cheers!

Grazie Tutti e’ Cent’Anni! - Alfonso

The negociant and the winemaker

The million dollar wall

Paul Pontallier ands the 2005 Chateau Margaux

Alain Vauthier of Ausone

The original garagiste - Le Pin

Romano Dal Forno

Amphorae and Slovenia

the pagan garagista - Gravner Breg, steal or borrow

Vin Santeria ( yes, those are red grapes)

Vin Santo

The tongue of a wine merchant

Old friends...

In Praise of the Wild

Last night a coyote was spotted in the neighborhood. Several e-mails were in my in box about it. One suggested we call animal patrol if we saw the creature. My first thought was, “They're coming back.” I was excited.

Years ago when I lived at the edge of the Angeles National Forest in Southern California, these guys were part of my daily life. I saw them when I took my dog and son for a walk in the hills; we’d hear them serenading at night. I like them. They represent nature’s ability to spring back, to return the shriek of civilization with their own enduring howl from the unbroken, the path of nature reclaiming her stake on the land.
Are there wines that have responded to that ideal of the wild? If you have ever had a wine from Pantelleria you might say so. Certain Primitivo wines from Puglia are clear on this, as is Gravner in the north near Gorizia.

Biodynamic is the new Pagan in Tuscany

I am thinking that in Tuscany the human touch could use a little more of that dance with the wild dog. Certainly Rampolla understands this, as do some of the producers in the southern Maremma. Umbria might be well on its way to a clearer understanding of this. Some of the red wines from Montefalco approach this, and certainly their older wines - the Orvieto antico back in the caves, laying, waiting like some long forgotten time capsules.

Amaro and grappa might very well be on that list. Averna is now a calmer version, but in its first days I could only imagine. But why, all I need do is get in to the way-back machine and remember the first time I put a Cynar to my lips. That was a trip back to the 9th century Sicily when the Khilafah reigned over the island.
And the power of fire of the magic al-ambic transformed the crushed remains of the grape into something raw and harsh, but transcendental, too. Susanna Gualco in Piemonte understood that in a way that made her a force of fire, a female acolyte Romano Levi would aspire to huddle over the cauldron with.

There is a lot to praise, but today I am looking for wines that answer that call of the wild and usher back in the unpredictable, the powerful, the un-manipulated. And I am keeping an eye out for my new neighbor.