Wherefrom came all these carefully fermented fruits: Red raspberries paired harmoniously with black, Michigan cherries married to Montmorency, a whole boggy family of cranberries? Why, from the early morning harvest whilst the single village tourist was still aslumber! The day blurs and the setting heat of the sun gives way to the final lulls of…
Category: Italy
Recipe – Dessert: Tiramisu (Italy)
Two very highly regarded Italian restaurants near me, Trattoria Stella and Pepe Nero, both make a wonderful “classic” tiramisu. This dessert could be described as Italian Heaven in the mouth. I would order it often, especially if I had the perfect excuse with me – someone willing to share it. But then: Having walked by containers…
Review – White Wine: 2011 Luigi Baudana Dragon Chardonnay, Langhe, Piedmont (Piemonte), Italy
The drawing is okay – certainly an attractive addition to the label, and with some creative anatomy going on – but they should ask me to draw one. The dragon is in the swallow. Pleasingly sharp bite tackles mid-way in the mouth before spiraling its way down the throat, fire and claws and all. But…
Review – White Wine: 2011 Tentua Villa Tavernago Campo Bianco Pinot Grigio, Pianello Val Tidone, Italy
Wine shown about one hour after opening, around 9:00 pm (21.00h) EST. A royally flavorful entry – or rather, just a short-lived glimpse. Aromatic notes similar to fruity sparkling grape juices or light bubbly Champagnes. The taste ends in a mostly tasteless dryness. Bursting with Granny Smith and Golden Delicious apples, d’Anjou pears, also with…
Review – White Wine: 2008 St. Paul’s Passion Pinot Bianco, Südtirol Plotzner, Alto Adige, Italy
Extra effort for a good wine: Three pictures instead of one, but they all turned out lousy due to lighting conditions. A burst of refreshing cooling mustiness poofs up through the nose, especially when (or even when) well chilled. Instantly I was transported to a studious monk’s combination bedroom-library, then upon the first sip, transported…
Review – Red Wine: 2010 Goose Bump Velvety Red, Sicily (Sicilia), Italy
Very, very purple in the nose and lungs… a hint of spice. Deep thick fruity purple, like grape taffy or an organic grape juice reduced to a syrup sauce or freshly made warm jam. The experience, at first, fights between trying to be mature and dry vs. trying to be fruity and sweet. Without much…
Review – Red Wine: 2010 Alberto Bocelli Sangiovese Rosso Toscana, Tuscany (Toscana), Italy
Oh so rich deep floral notes, as if having my nose and lips enveloped by a plum-red rose of mature bloom, while the sun-warmed breeze gently lifts the fragrance of a thousand neighboring petals to encircle the rosebush in a lazy lingering cloud of noble enchantment. Darker and a more robust Sangiovese than Chianti-region Sangiovese-based…
Review – White Wine: 2010 Borgo Magredo Pinot Grigio, Friuli Grave, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy
(Photos: The bottle in the evening and at night.) Chewy? Something like that: Take a sip and end up with a light bite from a fluffy slice of rum-raisin bread or a can of preserved pear slices. Very direct notes of apple, pear, and white grape juice in the aroma and flavor – perhaps because…
Review – Red Wine: 2009 Lanciola Chianti Colli Fiorentini, Tuscany, Italy
Appealing and luring dry bittersweet aroma immediately brings me to a dry summer climate. I want to be dancing in a vineyard during a late night soirée where it is too hot to wear anything beyond my lightly ruffled cotton dress splashed with the same colors that glow from the hanging paper lanterns that line the…
Taleggio Cheese – Arrigoni Premium Washed, Pagazzano, Bergamo, Italy
Scandalously creamy!!! Immensely superb texture and flavor amalgamated together in harmonic balance. In the photo, note how the sensuous goo is already in a liquid enough state to begin temptingly flow from its form, right after it was taken out of the 34°F frigo – and yet, it still holds itself together well enough so as to…
Culinary Poetry 