Wine News - December 2004

Luigi "Gino" Veronelli Dies – The Italian Enogastronomic World is Mourning

The news of Luigi Veronelli's death pains us and brings us sadness. He died at 78, on Monday, November 29, 2004.

With Luigi Veronelli, Gino to his colleagues and friends, the Italian enogastronomy world loses an important point of reference, especially for those among us who write about food and wine for a living. All of us, to a certain degree, referred to, or reflected upon Gino's ideas and writings at one time or another.
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Marisa Tognarelli Still on Top of the Wave

Marisa Tognarelli's products have received recognition in Trieste, Nonantola and Ancona. Her name was honored in more than one way and Maestro Danilo Freguja recently gave her the nickname of "Binoche from Sestola", because of the similarity between the Juliet Binoche character in  the movie "Chocolat" and Marisa, both physically and personality wise.
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La Dispensa dei Sapori della Valpolicella e del Veronese, or the Valpolicella and Verona Flavor Pantry

The most anticipated enogastronomic winter event in Verona and the surrounding Valpolicella area returns from the 4th to the 8th of December, 2004. The Dispensa dei Sapori della Valpolicella e del Veronese trade show is an open window to the most appreciated typical foods and wines from this area and includes the eighth annual Palio of the Extra Virgin Olive Oil Veneto Valpolicella DOP (DOP: Denomination of Origin Protected).
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Temperature-Sensitive Wine Label

Wouldn't you like to know when that bottle of wine is just at its best temperature and ready to be served?

Well folks, technology is here to help at least some of us wine lovers.
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Guide to Apulia and Basilicata Wines 2005

As of Monday, November 22, 2004 the "Guida ai vini di Puglia e Basilicata 2005", or the Guide to Apulia and Basilicata Wines 2005, with 30,000 copies published by Edisud and edited in collaboration with sommeliers associated with the ASI (Association de la Sommellerie Internationale, or "International Association of Sommeliers" in French), is available at the newsstands. The 288-page guide introduces over 850 labels from 171 wineries, the evaluation of 300 tasted wines, regional recipes, suggested food-wine pairings and the suggested retail price, by the bottle, for each wine.
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Italian Businesses Strive to Lure Chinese Partners

"Along with 30,000 other businesses from the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, we hope to expand the Sino-Italian cooperation, partnering with more Chinese businesses," said Alessandro Tesini, an Italian parliament speaker who is visiting China. "I hope [that willing partners] will emerge during our delegation's stay in China," he added.
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'Sideways': A California Wine Movie

Payne obviously took notes. His new movie "Sideways" has to be the only film to ever get a laugh out of a reference to "secondary malolactic fermentation." Name-dropping '61 Chateau Cheval Blanc and wineries from Sea Smoke to Opus One, the film has impressed critics and enophiles alike. In fact, Time magazine recently called it "the best American movie of the year."
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Sommelier Luigi Perazzo wins the Fourth Master del Sangiovese

The event is organized by the Ente Tutela Vini di Romagna (Protection of the Romagna Wine Association) and the AIS. (Associazione Italiana Sommelier, or Italian Association of Sommeliers), in collaboration with the Enoteca Regionale Emilia Romagna (Emilia Romagna Regional Wine Library). Luigi Perazzo, an AIS professional sommelier from Milan, where he manages the restaurant La Dolce Vita (from the famous Fellini movie title, meaning "The Sweet Life"), won the prestigious award.
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Cafaggiolo Caste, Truffle Satellite Auction with London and New York

The "International Tuscan Truffle Auction" is this fall's food event, with direct satellite links to the Italian Wine Merchant wine shop – owned by Mario Batali, Sergio Esposito and Joseph Bastianich in New York – and the Zafferano restaurant owned by Enzo Cassini in London. This year there's a new record! An 850 grams truffle sold for $52.000 to a group of buyers gathered at the Zafferano restaurant in London.
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Flavor School – Tasting Seminars at the "Rural Living Trade Show"

The second annual "Buon Paese" trade show, this year presents a rich , complete panorama of the state of rural tourism as well as food production. The goal of the event is to give a comprehensive picture of today's rural life, from agriturismos, to educational farms, from food and wine producers to the local artisans.
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From Valpolicella to Amarone to Ripasso

Especially now with autumn's cold weather setting in, these warm, hearty wines are a comfort. Masi's Valpolicella is like a cozy old sweater, while the Campofiorin is like a soft Merino wool suit, and the Amarone like a cashmere coat
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Ancestor of Sangiovese Grape Found

The news that researchers have found the species of vine from which the famed Sangiovese originated was published during the international symposium on Sangiovese wine organized by Arsia (Tuscany's regional agency for agriculture) in Florence.
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Restoration and Typical Products within "La Buona Tavola" event

The convention "La valorizzazione dei prodotti tipici attraverso la ristorazione" ("The Enhancing of Typical Products through the Restaurant Business"), was held within the event "La Buona Tavola" ("The Good Table"), the event organized by Confcommercio (the Italian association of merchants) and the Scuola Regionale Specializzata nella Ristorazione dell'Emilia (Emilia Regional School Specializing in Restaurant Management).
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Sleuthing Out What's In Wine (Part one of four)

Fish bladders, eggs, copper, milk -- are they really in that bottle of Syrah? They might have been at some point. Winemaking may be called an art, but there's plenty of science involved in the process, and some of the substances thrown in the tank along the way might surprise you.
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The First Italian Truffle Museum Opens in San Giovanni d'Asso

This museum is the twenty ninth in the province of Siena, in Tuscany and was inaugurated on Saturday, November 13, 2004 in San Giovanni d'Asso, in the underground store room of the local, over one-thousand-year-old castle, in the presence of the president of Siena Province, Fabio Ceccherini, and San Giovanni d'Arco's mayor, Michele Boscagli.
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Fins Buys Norwegian Wine Giant

The Finnish alcohol producer and importer Altia Corporation is buying the Scandinavian Beverage Group (SBG), the group that dominates the wine market in Norway.
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Rare, Fine European Wines Freed From Bureaucratic Limbo

Fine wine collectors -- and even folks who indulge in high-priced tipple only occasionally -- got welcome news last week with the loosening of rules that have dampened fine wine imports for nearly a year.
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Turin Wine Trade Show: On the Side of the Wineries

Promoting native grapes for new quality wine marketing.

The Salone del Vino di Torino, or Turin Wine Trade Show, is an open window on the world of Italian quality wineries. This fourth annual Salone is a classic-style trade show dedicated exclusively to professional, business operators an specialized press.
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All in the Sebastianis (Second of five parts)

Sam and Vicki Sebastiani's eventual project is an ambitious shrine to food and wine from Italy and California, built on the rock-quarry land where grandfather Samuele Sebastiani once worked at the southern edge of Sonoma County. Most of the land is natural wetlands, but it's also high enough for a great view of the Sonoma wine country, including the southernmost Carneros vineyards, and the perfect gateway stop for tourists headed north from San Francisco.
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'Brand California' Aims to Overtake France by 2007

The California wine industry will overtake France as the UK’s number two wine region by 2007.

That is the goal of Brand California – a new project devised by the Wine Institute of California.
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Cantine Soloperto from Manduria Releases Novello Wine

The Cantine Soloperto from Manduria releases for the first time ever, a Novello wine, the 2004 Primitivo del Salento IGT. This is a first for the family of winemakers that has been in the business for over 40 years. The decision to produce a young wine that pairs well with most dishes was made thanks to the favorable weather that has allowed for exceptional high quality wine this harvest season.
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Consortiums Key to Competing Overseas, According to Frescobaldi

After a meeting of a group of wine manufacturers with the Italian President, Vittorio Frescobaldi, Marchesi de' Frescobaldi SPA Chairman, praised the Italian leader and supported the idea of establishing consortiums to better compete on the international markets.
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Novello Wine: Italians Will Drink 100,000 Bottles per Day

At least one hundred thousand bottles a day of Vino Novello (New Wine) Made in Italy will be drunk, between release and the beginning of the Summer.

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A wine for the rest of us

... (The) Salviano Orvieto Classico Superiore is an unqualified value at $12.99.

"It's a staple Umbrian wine," says Mr. Incisa. "In Italy, when you think of Umbria and winemaking, Orvieto is that wine that comes to mind."
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Tasting Notes: Start the Party - Proseccos Are Here

Martini & Rossi Prosecco ($16) is the right wine at the right time. Up until the last couple of years, finding prosecco in Dallas was like trying to find cowboy boots in Bombay: They were probably there if you looked hard enough but not at the corner shoe store.
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