Wine News - December 5, 2005 |
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Welcome to VOLUME III , NUMBER 19 of Wine News, the e-Letter from the WineCountry.IT network. (Would you rather see the e-Letter on your favorite browser? Use this link. Usa il link seguente se vuoi leggere le News in italiano).
It's already December and another year is about to end. Isn't it funny how time slips away?
At WineCountry.IT we are looking forward to 2006 which, no doubt, will be here in the blink of the eye.
We already have a fairly full schedule for the new year, starting with an extra Italian Flavor Forum event dedicated exclusively to restauranteurs, wine bars and specialty resellers in the San Francisco and North Bay area. This 'mini' Forum will take place on January 11 in the gardens of the Consulate General of Italy, at Broadway and Webster, in San Francisco.
The second Italian Flavor Forum of the year is another extra event, planned for the 11th of February in Dakar, Senegal. The details are not finalized yet, so we will give the specifics in the next e-Letter.
Finally, the third Italian Flavor Forum represents an expansion of the regular events organized in the US. WineCountry.IT has teamed with Project4U, the organization that usually takes care of the Italian Flavor Forum invitations, to organize Italia Gourmet Show (IGS), a two-day event to be held at San Francisco's Fort Mason Center the 14 and 15 of March.
The IGS is the first trade show of its kind in the western US. During two days the event will showcase the best of Italy's specialty foods and wines to US trade professionals and press Food and Wine production. The event represents a golden opportunity for importers, distributors, retailers, restauranteurs, wine bars, and wine collectors to meet directly with Italian producers, sample their gourmet fare and place orders. In the next issue we'll provide further information.
That's all for this issue. Enjoy the following article, purchase some good Italian wine and sip it by the fire. A toast to you in the upcoming holidays. 'Cin sin!'
Loris Scagliarini,
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Articles |
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| Wine Spectator's 'Top Ten' Wine of 2005 |
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 Two Italian wines, both from Tuscany, have been included in the special yearly 'Top Ten' 2005 of Wine Spectator, arguably the most important US wine magazine. The two wines that earned Italy the two places in the top positions of the yearly world ranking are the Sette Ponti Toscana Oreno 2003 (5th place) and the Castello Banfi Brunello di Montalcino Poggio all'Oro Riserva 1999 (7th).
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| Lugana: a wine that emphasize the union of tradition and environment |
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 Winemaking Italy includes a great number of enological pearls. One such a pearl is the Lugana, a white wine linked indissolubly to its DOC production area, Lugana. This is a small, precious wine zone on the southern shores of Lake Garda which encompasses the municipality of Peschiera del Garda in the Lombardy region, as well as the municipalities of Sirmione, Desenzano del Garda, Pozzolengo and Lonato in the province of Brescia.
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| Modulgraf: A forward Looking Label Company |
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 Modulgraf, a graphics company founded in 1982, specializes in printing self-adhesive labels, especially for the wine industry. Thisrequires an almost maniacal high quality and finesse even in the smallest detail of the labels, which often become collector's items.
In addition, Modulgraf's research and development department answers specific needs of the wine industry, such as providing producers with protection against forgery, as well as informing consumers and guaranteeing that the product they purchase is what the label says.
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| South Africa: A Vineyard Called Democracy – Third of Five Parts |
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 Three and a half centuries of wine history don't seem very long, especially when compared to countries such as Italy, Greece, Spain or France, where wine has historical roots that dig deep into ancient times. It is interesting though, to observe how historic events in South Africa affected the local wine agriculture and culture, possibly more intensely than in other world areas.
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WineCountry.IT
Columns
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Italian Native Vines
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Rosa D'Ancona completes her presenntation of the Abruzzo native vines introducing the regional red and white grapes, in addition to providing a brief history and description of the only red grape from this region, the well known and appreciated Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, whose wines have gained well deserved success in recent years, both on national and international markets.
As usual, D'Ancona completes the regional portrait suggesting some outstanding producers.
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We close 2005 introducing as December Company of the Month forward looking Piedmont winery, located in a quiet, green landscape in Gavi, in the province of Alessandria: Castellari Bergaglio Azienda Vitivinicola. This winemaking family have handed down over four generations the love for the vine and its precious products.
To this day, the member of the family work with passion and enthusiasm, striving to better the quality of their wines, drawing from the creativity, personality and know-how of the people working with them.
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In addition to being the holiday month, December is also the month in which we look back to the accomplishments achieved during the year that is about to end. We also make plans for the new year. Thus December is an important month in more than one way. During this month families gather together around festive dinner tables to share traditional recipes, amid seasonal music and joyous pops of uncorked spumante corks in the background.
Let's find out what Chef Davide Dalloco from the Scuola Alberghiera di Serramazzoni suggests for a traditional meal with friends and family Emilia region-style
- Cold cuts with crescentine (kind of fried bread from Modena)
- Tortellini in broth – (see recipe)
- Cotechino [kind of pork salami] in prison (see recipe)
- Zuppa inglese (Dessert made of cookies, pudding and liquor)
- Grana Padano cheese with plum jam
Buon Appetito!
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As of Friday, November 25, 2005 the EU regulation making compulsory the 'Contain sulfites' mention on bottled wine labels is enforced. The rule regards wine whose sulphur dioxide content exceeds 10mg/kg, or 10mg/lt. 
WineCountry.IT organized a 
As is always the case with rules, some exceptions are foreseen. The Boberg Region, for instance, includes the Paarl district and a portion of Tulbagh, but may be used as W.O. exclusively for dessert wines.
