Why Volterra?: Part II
Views like this.
Etruscan Calories
In the ancient walled hilltown of Volterra, sangiovese grapes sprawled on hillsides, ready to be harvested and we couldn’t get enough of the fresh porcinis, wild boar and chianti classico.
Centuries of artisanal pride and culinary savvy was showcased in every beautiful shop — like this pasticeria loaded with authentic tiramisu and cannoli.
Italy – a few more tastes
So how was this latest trip to Italy? Here are a few choice images – words to follow.
Mint tagliarelli with fresh porcinis — at La Bussola in Firenze. Quite possibly the finest plate of pasta I’ve ever had.
Late Harvest Salad
While quaffing a bracing bit of white wine from the French Savoie, I inhaled my new favorite appetizer at Soif. Served in a rustic glazed dish, fat gigande beans were joined by pancetta and those sexy end-of-the-season tomatoes that taste like a Mediterranean smile. Served warm, this dish ($6) was enough for two to enjoy, along with some crisp wine. The more minerals the better. I’m thinking Grüner Veltliner – the wine poised to bump Chardonnay back to the Stone Age.
Late Harvest Tomatoes
Worth waiting for! These are luscious examples of what a Mediterranean climate, ingenuity and lush, organically-composted soil can do. They come from the sun-drenched Ben Lomond gardens of my friends Mateo and Francesca.
Green Zebra, Matina, Heart of Compassion, Black Cherry, Sungold — a few of the names of these amazingly flavorful, intensely ripe September tomatoes.
If you’re not lucky enough to have a garden contact like mine, then hit the farmers markets this month.
Flying High
The infamous Le Cigare Volant, now in its 21st vintage, was the wine that launched Rhône Ranger Randall Grahm into the oenological stratosphere. A brilliant riff upon the Châteauneuf-du-Pape blend of grenache, syrah, mourvedre and a few dabs of this and that, the Cigare has always proved reliable, classy, and in some years, great. 2004 — the year of the latest Flying Cigar release – might be one of the great ones. Weighing in at a highly drinkable 13.5% alcohol, this garnet red elixir is dense with roses and licorice, a hint of cassis, spice and a beefy center. Minerals haunt every sip of this blend of 50% grenache, 24% mourvedre, 22% syrah, and a bit of carignane and cinsault.
This cuvée‘s grapes hail from Gilroy and San Benito, as well as the mighty Bien Nacido vineyard down in Santa Maria. The Bonny Doon Vineyard flagship is a lovely creation, about as good as $30 gets and a sensational partner to that festive rack of lamb you’ve been planning. Best on Day Two, so open it now! Le Cigare Volant — life’s too short not to indulge.
Inside the Flame
A book of sensory adventure: The rituals, passions and discoveries of an engaged life.