New Italian Travel Guide Cookbook

ITALIAN FOOD & TRAVEL Has ARRIVED !!!

ITALIAN FOOD & TRAVELS

"ROME VENICE PIZZA PASTA & ?"

TRAVEL GUIDE - COOKBOOK

Daniel Bellino- Zwicke

AMAZON.com

ITALIAN FOOD & TRAVEL

"ROME VENICE PIZZA PASTA" & ?

Italian Food & Travels "Rome Venice Pizza Pasta &? Travel and Eat throughout Italy, with Bestselling Italian Cookbook / Travel Writer - Daniel Bellino Zwicke. Take a journey with Daniel on his many journeys in Italy, from Rome, Venice, Verona, Florence, Naples, Capri, Positano, The Amalfi Coast, Sicily, Puglia and more. Daniel Bellino has 40 years experience, spending time in Italy, eating, drinking wonderful Italian Wine, living among the locals, gathering a brigade of stories and tasty Italian recipes from every region of Italy. Daniel has a great perspective of Italian Food knowledge, of Italy, and how to travel in this the most beloved travel destination in all the World, from the Ancient Roman ruins of Rome, to the singular uniqueness of Venice, to Sicily and it's people, food, Roman & Greeks ruins, and some of the most beautiful churches in all the World. Daniel weaves wonderful stories of Italian adventures, with many tasty recipes to accompany the stories, Travel Info, and knowledge of Italy, its sights, peoples, landscape, and it's food, the most beloved cuisine in all the World.

Included are Recipes for 40 of Italy's most beloved dishes, and a few extra surprises. Italy's most loved Pasta Dishes, Ragu Bolognese, Porchetta, Wild Boar Ragu, Amalfitana Lemon Cake, how to make Limoncello, Ragu Napoletana, Pesto Genovese, Caponata, Lasagna, Spaghetti Vongoles, Pasta Nerano, and much more. You'll Love these amazing recipes.

Special Section : Anthony Bourdain's Italy. Follow Tony's footsteps, and relive his most memorable Italian meals - Rome, Venice, Sicily, Sardinia, Puglia, Venice, Tuscany and more.

TRAVEL INFO

40 of ITALY'S Most Loved RECIPES

ULTIMATE TRAVEL TIPS

Stories of ITALY - The Food, People, & Places

SPECIAL - BOURDAIN in ITALY

On the Author - DANIEL BELLINO ZWICKE is the BESTSELLING author of a number of ITALIAN COOKBOOKS - including : SUNDAY SAUCE, Grandma Bellino's Cookbook, POSITANO The AMALFI COAST Travel Guide - Cookbook, The Feast of The 7 Fish "ITALIAN CHRISTMAS" - La TAVOLA - Sinatra Sauce aka The SINATRA COOKBOOK, & Segreto Italiano.

Daniel lives and Writes in New York's Greenwich Village, and is currently working on several projects, including a book on Chianti, and the Food & Wine of Chianti Classico.

Daniel created and runs the Highly Successful Italian Instagram page @NewYork.Italian - which as of the publication of this book, has more than 500,000 loyal Followers. The page pertains to all things ITALIAN, both in New York - America, and ITALY - Italian Food & Wine, Recipes, music, movies, Italian Travel, Italian-American Culture, and of Italy, Pizza, Pasta, cooking, books, and anything related to Italy and Italian Americans.

Basta !!!

AMAZON.com 

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The Worlds Tastiest Pasta

PICI BOLOGNESE

And The WORLDS BEST EVER RAGU BOLOGNESE RECIPE

by DANNY BOLGONESE

aka Daniel Bellino Zwicke

RECIPE  in The RAGU BOLOGNESE COOKBOOK

 

It's The #BestTHINGever !!!

.

The RAGU BOLOGNESE COOKBOOK

And The WORLDS BEST BOLOGNESE SAUCE

by Danny Bolognese

AMAZON.com

     The Best Things in Life are Free ... It's a great old saying. A wonderful old song was evven written on the sbject. The song The BEST THINGS in LIFE are FREE starts out with the lines "The Moon Belongs to Everyone. The Best Things in Life are Free." The song mentions "Flowers in Spring," "Robins that Sing," and "The Sunbeams that Shine." They don't mention Bolgonese Sauce, though they easily could, for it is without question, one the Best Things in life, and it certainly is one of "The Best Things Ever." No doubt. And it can even be free, and if not free, and if you are making it, and paying for the ingredients to make it, it may not be free, but it's dam near it, costing a measly .95 Cents to serve a portion of it. Bolognese the taste is so devine, almost orgasmic, "seriously, it is." It's that good. The taste of properly made Ragu Bolognese, dressing whatever pasta you choose; Spaghetti, Tagiatelle, Rigatoni, whatever, a proper made Ragu Bolognese is one of the most devine dishes imaginable. The great Marcell Hazan said of it, "There is no more perfect union in all Gastronomy than the marriage of Ragu Bolognese and homemade Bolognese tagliatelle." Well I couldn't agree more with Marcella, except that, though homemade tagliatelle is absolutely wonderful, it is not absolutely essential for the great dish of Pasta w/ Ragu Bolognese, they very most improtant element is that you have a perfectly made Ragu Bolognese, the thing that will give the dish 90% of its unmatchable sinfully luscious flavor. The Pasta and the grated Parmigiano Reggaino are great, but "it's all about the Bolognese (Sauce)."

There are many great dishes in the World, and of many different international cuisines, but nothing quite like a well made "Ragu Bolognes," trust me. I love a great Bouf Bourgonnone, Coq au Vin, Foe Gras, Vietnamese PHO, lush American BBQ Ribs, the perfect Hamburger, a juicy Prime New York CUt Sirloin Steak, Tandoori Chicken, a NY Pastrami Sandwich, Belgian Chocolate, perfectly Roast Chicken, I could go on and on, I love these dishes and a couple hundred more, but there is no dish that I love more than a properly made Bolognese, and no Bolognese Sauce that is better than mine, "None," not Marcella's, not anywhere in Bologna, Italy, nor anywhere in all of Emelia Romagna the region it comes from. I know it may sound pompous and egotistical for me to brag about my Bolgonese as I do, and I know people would call me insane, for me to think that of all the great Italian Chefs all over Italy and especially in Emeia Romagan, that I would have the nerve to think that I make "The Worlds Best Bolognese," but it's TRUE, "I do!" I make without a doubt, the single Best Ragu Bolognese in the entire World. Yes it may sound absurd, but absurd it's not. Just ask the some four or five-hundred people who've had it, they'll all confirm the fact that the worlds single best tasting most perfect Bolognese Sauce is made by none other than Italian-American Italian-Cookbook Author (formerChef) Daniel Bellino Zwicke of Greenwich Village, New York.

I was taught the recipe of this the Worlds Greatest Bolognese when I was a cook at the now defunct Caio Bella Restaurant, up on Thrid Avenue at 75th Street in New York back in 1987 by Chef Pasquale, sorry I can't remember his last name. Anyway, Chef Pasquale was from Brindisi Italy, a city in the South of Italy in the region of Puglia. Pasquale started working in kitchens in Brindisi where he first honed his craft. He later went on to work in kitchens in Milan, Bologna, Parma, London, and Tokyo, Japan before moving to New York and becoming the Head Chef at the restaurant Mezzaluna, the 1st restaurant to make and serve real Italian Pizza made in a wood-burning Pizza Oven in New York and in the United States. The restaurant was a big hit, and a couple of the waiters at the restaurant, a guy named Rocco and my ex-boss Enrico Proetti wanted to go out on their own and open their own restaurant, and so they did. They got togehter with a wealthy older Italian man "Fred" who became their partner and put up all the cash to open the restuarant up the street, called Caio Bella. Caio Bella was a big success, and a quick one at that, and it was soon one of the hottest restaurant of the day, back in 1987 when I went in looking for a job. I met Pasquale, we chatted, I told him about my background and my asperations with Italian Food. Pasquale hired me, and the rest is history. I had mostly worked in French Restaurants before that, and I'd gone to New York Technical College in Brooklyn where they taught Classical French Cusisine, which is the food I wanted to cook when I first got started. Yes I first wanted to cook French. But after I made my first trip to my ancestral home of Italy in the Summer of 1985, I caught the bug, and from then on, i wanted to cook authentic Italian Food. I soaked up and learn all I could of true Italian Food, made the Italian way, and I don't mean Italian-American, but by Italians. So I decided I needed to get a job at a great Italian Restaurant in New York that had a great Italian Chef from Italy. I went to Sandro's and Arqua first, and they both offered me jobs, but when I went up to Caio Bella and Chef Pasquale hired me as a line-cook, I decided to take the job at Caio Bella.

Pasquale was a great teacher, and he showed me personally how to make all the dishes on the menu, including his great recipe for Ragu Bolognese. I made it just the way Pasquale showed me how to make it, and from then on, I was the person at Caio Bella who always made the Ragu Bolognese. Pasquale liked the way I made it, exactly the way he showed me, and that was that. And I've always made my Bolognese just like that. No matter what others may tell you, every Bolognese is at least a little different from all others, and so was Pasquale's which latter became mine, and ever since I've made it at Caio Bella in 1987, I've never tasted one quite like mine, which as you know by now, is "The Worlds Best Ragu Bolonese Ever." No Brag, Just Fact as Walter Brennan used to say in his Cowboy TV Show back in the 60s.

In 1998 I finally acheived my dream of opening my own restaurant. I opened up what turned out to be the 1st Ever Venetian Wine Bar (Bacaro) in the United States of America in Bar Cichetti. I was the Chef / Wine Director and managing partner of Bar Cichetti. I received numerous accolades from the New York Times, Time Out Magazine, New York Magazine and other publications, including my favorite one of all, a 5 page spread about me and my restaurant Bar Cichetti, and my favvorite line of all from The Journal of Italian Food Wine & Travel Magazine which saide, "Daniel (Bellino Zwicke0 makes the Best Ragu Bolognese in America." Yes they said that, I couldn't agree with them more.

  Thanks, Daniel    

      

  THE BEST THINGS in LIFE are FREE  - LYRICS The moon belongs to everyone The best things in life are free The stars belong to everyone They gleam there for you and me The flowers in spring The robins that sing The sunbeams that shine They're yours, and they're mine love can come to everyone The best things in life are free The moon belongs to everyone The best things in life are free The stars belong to everyone They gleam there for you and me The flowers in spring The robins that sing The sunbeams that shine They're yours, and they're mine love can come to everyone The best things in life are free The moon belongs to everyone The best things in life are free The stars belong to everyone They gleam there for you and me The flowers in spring The robins that sing The sunbeams that shine They're yours, and they're mine love can come to everyone The best things in life are free ooh... Lord... Everything... Every one of those good things The best, best things in life are free...  

 

#BestThingYouEverATE !!!

.   

New York Tre Bicchieri is Coming 2025 NYC

 

ITALIAN WINE EVENT of The YEAR

NEW YORK CITY

2025

ITALY'S BEST WINES

ESTATES

"Can't wait to see all My Friends. From Italy, and New York Italian Wine People

as well. My Favourite day of the Year. Seeing Friends and Drink Italy's Best Wine."

"Who Could ask For More" ?

I am looking forward most to seeing some of my good friends : The Rallo's from Donnafugata (Marsala, Sicily), the Columbini's from Fattoria Barbi who make my most favorite Brunello, Nadia Zenato of Zenato and her family's awesome Amarone,  Lamberto Frescobaldi of Frescobaldi - makers of wonderful Chianti Rufina and Brunello di Montalcino.

Always look forward to tasting the wonderful Prosecco from Villa Sandi, San Leonardo (and Enselmo), Brunello from Poggio Antico, any Barolo at all, as well as Barbaresco, great Italian White Wines, any Chianti, and Duca Enrico as well. It should be another great day in New York. Especially for New York Italian Wine Lovers and "Big Dogs of Italian Wine" in New York.

"Today is the Day. The Tre Bicchieri Tasting in New York City. Gonna see all my Italian friends from Italy (Wine Producers). Hoping Tony Rallo of Donnafugata (Sicily) will be there. Haven't seen him in a while. I saw his sister Jose at The James Suckling tasting a few months ago. Not such a good tasting. I couldn't believe it when I walked through the door of the Suckling Tasting. They had some DJ with "Bad Taste in Music" playing Horrible Loud Music. What? I don't get it? Why would you do that? Have some DJ playing crappy loud music. Whose idea was that? Never saw that at a Wine Tasting ever in my life, and I hope I'll never see (hear) that again. Please?

Anyway, to a much better tasting than that "Shitty Suckling Tasting" Gambero Rosso's Tre Bicchieri and the Top Italian Wines of The Year. Much better. Yes, going to Tate some nice Barolo's, Brunello, Chianti and more. Going to see Irminia D'Angelo of Donato D'Angelo, whose family makes one of the best Aglianico's in the World, and without question one of the Best in Basilicata, and for me, they are the best.

Well folks. That's it for now. Getting ready to go up to the Metropolitan Pavillion on West 17th Street where Tre Bicchieri New York has been held for almost 20 years now. It used to be held at The Puck Building which was wonderful. Miss that space. It's a stupid sporting goods store now. What? How do you take a beautiful event space in one of the coolest old buildings in New York and make it into a dumb ass store? I don't get it.

Off to Tre Bicchieri. "Yeah" !!!

Daniel Bellino Zwicke

I will report back, as always after the Tasting, to give you my impressions and 

talk about my Favorite Wines.

I will post pictures of the Event and write my experience, Tuesday night and on Wednesday. 

"Stay Tuned" !!!

Daniel Bellino Zwicke

GOING to The AMALFI COAST ?

POSITANO The AMLFI COAST

TRAVEL GUIDE - COOKBOOK

Daniel Bellino 

AMAZON.com

Bellino on Chianti

CHIANTI

VILLA CALCINAIA

GREVE

Chianti! Chianti is Sacred Nectar of the Gods. Being so, Chianti should thus be treated accordingly to its exalted status, being deserved of society’s highest accolades that is Chianti’s due. Since its creation by the Baron Ricasoli in the 1870’s, Chianti has been held in the highest esteem and prestige. In its existence it has had a bit of a bumpy road in terms of quality and prestige for a portion of its history. This bumpy road or shall we say low-point for Chianti took place around the early 1960’s and into the late 1970’s, a period of about twenty-years. The Chianti of Chianti Classico in these years was pretty much; thinned-out, characterless, commercial wine of quantity rather than quality. It was all about producing as much wine per acre, that was possible, with pretty much a disregard for quality, large quantities of insipid, weak nondescript wines instead of wines with proper concentration, substance, and character. At the time (1960-1981), this was pretty much the case for most wines of Italy, not just Tuscany and the region of Chianti Classico. This being said, there was always a small percentage of top quality producers that never strayed to the negative side. These producers (wine estates) always produced good top-level wine outside of the majority of those producing a inferior product (Chianti). It’s just that at the time, the majority of the Italian wine industry was going for the money. It was more profitable to produce higher quantities of inferior wine, than to produce smaller amounts of higher quality Chianti, and so this is the way thing went for some time. Most likely it was not just that those making Chianti in this low-period may have wanted to make better quality Chianti, but the market which included the United States as the primary customer, along with Italians in Italy didn’t expect it. Once some estates started turning out lower quality Chianti, there was a snowball affect and so it seems, most Americans buying Chianti in the 50s, 60, and 1970s just expected Chianti at a cheaper price, of acceptable quality, and in the ubiquitous straw-wrapped wine-flask that was Chianti at the time was famous for, cheap and in its expected Straw Bottle. This is what the larger Chianti buying public, and even if there was higher quality Chianti, and there was some, most consumers just wanted the cheap stuff. One of the most influential figures in the history of Chianti is the Italian statesman, Bettino Ricasoli who created the Chianti recipe that would later be canonized in DOC regulations. The Ricasoli family traces their lineage in the Chianti region to Lombard barons who ruled during the 11th century. The family estate in Brolio is located in what is now known as the heart of the Chianti Classico region in the province of Siena. Orphaned at a young age, his family estate was crippled with debt and in disarray shortly after Ricasoli got married. Restoring the estate and its vineyard became his primary focus. Ricasoli traveled throughout France and Germany, studying the latest winemaking methods and brought back with him vine cuttings of new grape varieties. He began to experiment in his vineyard and cellar on which grapes produced the best wines at his estate. His work eventually settled on a blend of three Tuscan grapes-Sangiovese, Canaiolo and Malvasia.

CASTELLO BROLIO

The BIRTHPLACE of CHIANTI

   I myself am on, and have been on a personal quest to have the laws governing how Chianti can be made. If I could make Chianti, what would I do? How would I make it? What style, thick and concentrated, thin and light, or somewhere in-between? Would I allow non-traditional secondary grapes of Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot? “Certainly not! That would be most sacrilegious.” Number one, in molding what many consider to be a real and true classic Chianti, “you never ever allow, Merlot, Cabernet, Syrah or any grapes that are not native or traditional to the Chianti Classico zone into the mix (the blend of Chianti). As anyone who know a little about Chianti, they know that the primary grape of this storied wine is Sangiovese and from the beginning Chianti has always been a wine made with a blend of 3 or 4 native grape varietals with the primary grape being Sangiovese with small amounts of native grapes making up the remainder of an estates Chianti Classico. The secondary grapes to the primary grape of Sangiovese (75-100%) should only be either; Canaiolo, Colorino, Ciliegiolo, Trebbiano, or Malvasia Bianco, or Malvasi Nero, with any of these grapes being added singularly or in any combination the vintner chooses. The percentage of white grapes allowed since 1984 is a maximum of 6% as opposed to the once ridiculous about of 30% in the sixties and seventies. The allowance of up to 30% white grapes was the major factor in bringing about the bad reputation that Chianti garnered during those dismal years when the quantity of wine made (bulk) was favored over quality in smaller numbers of production in much of Italy. Luckily there were producers like the Antinori family who started making great wines in the Chianti Classico zone which could not be labeled under the Chianti D.O.C. but as Vin di Tavola (the lowest designation, though these wines were of Superior quality), in the wines; “Solaia” which was made primarily of Cabernet Sauvignon with about 20% Sangiovese and “Tignanello” which was made of 100% Sangiovese in its first vintage in 1971. After the first vintage of Tignanello a percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon (15-20%) was added a couple years later and Tignanello became and was designated a Vino di Tavola which most people know as Super Tuscan. So that very first vintage of the now famous Super Tuscan wine called Tignanello, was originally classified as a Chianti Classico. The Marchese Piero Antinori began making Tignanello in the Chianti Classico region along with “Sassicia” from his vineyard on the Tuscan coast of Bolgerhi. These wines were instrumental in elevating the wines of Tuscany, in that by making these high quality wines and inspiring other producers to do the same. So, the act of making exceptional quality wines in and around the Chianti region, which were not Chianti’s but Super Tuscans, was the factor that sparked the beginning of better and better Chianti’s over time.

   The last two dates of 1984 and 1996 in which we see the governing bodies changing the laws governing the production of Chianti. These laws forced producers to make better Chianti. These laws which allowed producers to completely eliminate white varietals from Chianti and not allowing more than 6% white grapes was the main factor to improving quality in the wine, while at the same time allowing up to 15% of other varieties such as Merlot or Cabernet and the allowance of making a Chianti from 100% Sangiovese, thus allowing a Chianti that is not a blended wine, if a producer so chose to make Chianti in this fashion. These two new amendments gave way to radically changing what a Chianti was, now, what many believe to be more of a Super Tuscan than a true Chianti. Chianti’s made of solely 100% Sangiovese or those made with 10 to 15 percent Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon would lose much of the general character that a “True Chianti” should have in order for it to really be Chianti and not just to say it is Chianti when it really is not. It’s really a Super Tuscan, which is fine, just to label it, or say that it is Chianti, when it really is not. I must admit that at the time the laws first allowed the addition of these International varieties, I was quite excited and thought that this was a great thing for Chianti. It wasn’t. I was wrong. I quickly changed my mind about what true Chianti really is, and not a wine that has substantial parts Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon instead of what they should have, which are the tradition Chianti sub-varietals of Canniolo, Colorino, Malvasia, or Trebbiano. As I tasted these new wines and at the same time started learning a great deal more about Italian wine, I soon discovered that the Chianti’s that had either Merlot or Cabernet tasted completely different. “They didn’t taste like Chianti!” They didn’t have the wonderful rustic characters of true Chianti. They taste more like wines from California, instead of having the characteristics from the “Terroir” of where they came from.

“Chianti Classico”, “Chianti Rufina”, “Colli Sienesi”, or “Colli Fiorentina”. Fortunately most producers making Chianti do not put Merlot or Cabernet in the bottles they label Chianti, most use Canaiolo or Colorino as the secondary grape. Wine estates that grow Merlot, Cabernet, or Syrah, generally use these varieties to make “Super Tuscan” wines which are much more profitable as they can get much higher prices on the wholesale and retail markets for these wines. To myself and other Italian Wine Geeks, if wine has Merlot or Cabernet in it, it’s a “Super Tuscan” not a Chianti and should be labeled as such as these grape varietals used, even in smaller percentages of only 5 to 10 percent are still powerful enough as to substantially change the character of what is supposed to be “Chianti”. These wines become something else, they become “Super Tuscans” and should be labeled as such (as far as I’m concerned)and not as Chianti which as the laws stand now they can be called Chianti. I am on a personal crusade to have the laws changed once again, which would eliminate non-native varietals from the Chianti blend.    One of the new parameters of making Chianti is that it can be made solely of 100% Sangiovese. This is the other part of laws governing Chianti which should be changed. As in its long tradition, Chianti was always a blend of grapes with Sangiovese making up the greatest part of the mix. Chianti was and always should be a blended wine, it should not be allowed to be made solely of Sangiovese, then again it’s a Super Tuscan not Chianti if you have a truly traditionalist mind towards Chianti. Chianti, when it was originated in the 1870’s by the Baron Bettino Ricasoli was a wine made of a blend of native grapes of the region of Chianti. The original Chianti made by Ricasoli was a blended wine made mostly of Sangiovese as the primary grape with small portions of Trebbiano and Cannaiolo. Until the lastest laws of 1996 which laid down the parameters of how Chianti could be made as a blend and it can also be made of purely 100% Sangiovese. Chianti made of just 100% Sangiovese is not quite true Chianti as well. I love Sangiovese. It is my favorite grape varietal in the World, but as well, Chianti was always a blended wine with Sangiovese as the primary grape varietal. Chianti was a blended wine for well over 100 years. With the latest laws, Chianti can be a made purely of Sangiovese. Some wines that are made of 100% Sangiovese and are known as Super Tuscans are; “Prunaio”, “I Sodi San Niccolo”, “Cipresso”, Le Pergole Torta among many others. They are wonderful wines that fall into the Super-T category as any wine made in the Chiati Classico Zone should be. Chianti should always be a blend, even if it is only 1% or 2% of another native grape, which should be Canaiolo, Colorino, Ciliegiolo, Trebbianno, or Malvasia Bianco, or Malvasia Nero. The white varietals should not exceed more than 2% of the blend. This is how the new laws governing the production of Chianti would be laid down if it was up to me and others who are traditionalist and want Chianti to always adhere to its original form. “Real Chianti!” The wines should have fairly low yields of grapes harvested, but not so low as to produce super-concentrated rich wines that are more like blockbuster California Cabs or Super Tuscan powerhouses. This is not what Chianti is about. Chianti should be a have a certain amount of concentration and at the same time maintain its wonderful rustic character with Cherry and Sour Cherry flavors dominating with a touch of spice and earthiness. Chianti should be an easy drinking medium to lower-scale-full-bodied wine. Chianti should always maintain the tradition of being a blended wine with Sangiovese making up the great the majority of its physical make-up. It should never be solely made from 100% Sangiovese but contain at least 2% of one, two, or three of the traditional native sub-varietal grapes of Chianti Classico and never Merlot, Cabernet, Syhrah or other International variety. If I could set these laws as the new DOCG laws of Chianti Classico the laws would never have to be changed again. The laws, the way they are set today are a little too broad. One thing that is good in the way the laws stand now is that they do allow for a proper Chianti to be made, and most Chianti’s are made in this manner, but at the same time they allow for non-native varieties and the allowance of 100% Sangiovese. These last two regulations must be changed for all Chianti’s to be “True Chianti”. It is as simple as that! So, let us hope that one day in the near future, these laws will be laid down and every single bottle labeled Chianti is actually real, true Chianti that lives up to this great wines history and origins.      Chianti Classico. What is it? First off, the area came first, the wine Chianti Classico is name after the area it comes from, which is Chianti. The Chianti Classico is the most famous. It stretches from just a few miles south of Florence at its most northern tip and runs down almost 30 miles to Castelnuovo Beradenga at its most southern point. As Chianti grew in popularity and fame, a number of other regions where Chianti can be made developed. Some of these areas are Cooli Fiorentini, Colli Senesi, Colli Arentini, and Rufina. None of these sub areas have ever gained anywhere near the fame as thee original Chianti Classico Zone. The Chianti Zone of Rufina, just outside Florence is the most prestigious zone apart from Chianti. These Chianti’s are of the highest quality. Three very well know producers in this area are Frescobaldi, Selvapiana, and Rufino and although the zone of Rufina is not as well known as the Chianti Classico zone, the zone of Rufina does have thee most famous Chianti of all, Rufino’s Chianti Classico Riserva Ducale (Gold Label).    So in closing, let us say that we hope the laws that govern the making of Chianti Classico will be changed some day. I think it is sure to happen. It would be best if it happens sooner than later, that in the making of Chianti, there shall be no Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syhrah or any other non-native or non-traditional grape varieties of Chianti Classico. Also the laws should be changed to eliminate 100% Sangiovese Chianti’s, Chianti should always be a blend.    The region of Chianti Classico is one of the World’s most beautiful wine regions, if not the most beautiful. It is enchanting, filled with castles, all forms of wine estates from small and simply to big and majestic. The beautiful rolling hills of Chianti are filled with Cypress trees that dot the crest of many a hill, along with rugged stone farm houses and the wondrous rows     Sangiovese vines lining the gently sloping hills.      Chianti is relatively untouched or spoiled by any type of ugly modern structures. The Chiantigiana road is still the ancient one built by the Romans and its pavement blends in perfectly with its untouched surroundings. Chianti is filled with lovely little towns like Castellina, Gaile, Greve, and Radda where you will find the famous Dante quoting butcher Dario Cechini. You can visit and stay in beautiful wine estates like Fattoria Valle, Castello Verazzano in Greve where the explorer Giovani Verazzano is from. You can stay at the beautiful estate of Vignamaggio where Gioconda lived and was painted my Michael Angelo. She is “Mona Lisa.”    Chianti, it’s not just a wine. “It’s a Place, a very beautiful place!”

CHIANTI AGING in BARRELS

at CASTELLO VERRAZZANO

GREVE in CHIANTI

.

Author Daniel Bellino-Zwicke

with The Owner of Castello Verrazzano

Caveliere Luigi Cappellini

.

SUNDAY SAUCE

Daniel Bellino Zwicke

  .

VILLA CALCINAIA

CONTI CAPPONI

GREVE

 

.

Road Leading to Villa Calcinaia

Conti Capponi

Greve in Chianti





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Having Lunch with The CONTI CAPPONI

VILLA CALCINAIA

GREVE in CHIANTI

.                                   A LIST of TRUE CHIANTI’S made primarily with Sangiovese with small amounts of native sub-varities such as Canaiolo, Malvasia Nero, Colorino, and Ciliegiolo and not containing any Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syhrah, or any Intl. Varieties.   Monsanto “Il Poggio” Chianti Classico Riserva Castello Verazzano Chianti Classico Castello Brolio Chainti Classico Reserva Vignamaggio Chinati Classico Riserva “Mona Lisa” Rufino Chianti Classico Riserva “Ducale” (Gold Label) Selvapiana Chianti Rufina

.

    .  

MANGIA ITALIANO

MEMORIES of ITALIAN FOOD






"IF I MADE CHIANTI"

Daniel Bellino Zwicke

CHIANTI ???

CASTELLO VERRAZZANO

"REAL CHIANTI"

If I could make Chianti, what would I do? How would I make it? What style, thick and concentrated, thin and light, or somewhere in-between? Would I include non-traditional secondary grapes of Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot? “Certainly not! That would be most sacrilegious.” Well, for sure, I would make a true, authentic Chianti as Chianti is intended to be as set forth more than 130 years ago when Bettino Ricasolo created Chianti and set forth the formula of Chianti being a wine of the a blend of “Native Chianti Classico Grapes.” 

In this wine “Chianti” the blend was to include as a must a majority of the most famous and cherished of all Tuscan grapes, “Sangiovese.” With Chianti made of primarily Sangiovese as well as complementary native grapes in small percentages which included : Canaiolo, Cielegiolo, Colorino, Mammolo, Malvasia Nero, Malvasia Bianco, and or Trebbiano. Yes this is what true and Real Chianti should be, a wine based on the original and traditional recipe for Chianti, created by the Baron Ricasoli and made just as the creator stated for some 100 years. In the past 40 years two things happened that has gotten Chianti off track to what it was originally and should always be. The first thing, was that back in the 1960 and 1970 many in this most famous of all Italian Wine zones were making Chianti purely for profit without any regard for the traditions and quality of the wine. Many of the producers of Chianti grew high yields of inferior grapes simply to gain a higher gross amount of fruit and juice to make the wine. The governmental powers that be went along with these detrimental practices traded off for higher profits. The Chianti Consorzio allowed for large numbers of White Grape Varietals into the Chianti blend which while making the wine more profitable in sales, had the negative affect of making thinned out inferior wine, if any particular producer (maker of Chianti) chose to go the “High Profit low Quality” route. Some did, but Thank God not all. Many had pride and would not produce an inferior but Superior Chianti.

Finally in 1984, the laws governing what Chianti (The Formula) could and could not be were changed in order to set Higher Standards, making Chianti a Great Quality Wine and eliminating the facts that allowed producers to make Poor Quality wine if they so choose to. They could not anymore. The rules for making Chianti which allowed for the possibility to produce inferior Chianti were eliminated. White grape varietals such as Trebbiano and Malvasia Bianco in large quantities were no longer permitted into any wine labeled Chianti. Bravo! If the laws governing the production of Chianti had stayed like this, it would have been a great thing, and all Chianti would be of a high quality and of Long Standing Native Traditions and practices. Chianti was and would be a excellent quality wine that was and tasted as it should, like “Chianti.”

Unfortunately the governing bodies of the Italian Government and Chianti Consorzio did something atrocious in the year 1996. Once again they changed the laws on making Chianti. They made a “Terrible Blunder,” in the name of what they said was to be a better Chianti, they allowed for the use of International grapes such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syhrah. And they allowed for up to 20% of these other grape varietals with the primary grape of Sangiovese being a minimum of 80% to 100% at the producers' discretion and desire as to how each individual Estate wanted to make their Chianti. These laws made for a wide range in latitude of Chianti as a whole. Allowing for Chianti that if it had 10% or more of Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot, it would completely change the character of Chianti for those estates that chose to use amounts of even 5% or more of Merlot or Cabernet.

Thank God there was in this large range of latitude in the laws of what was aloud in Chianti and in what percentages, so what we end up is a wide range of different Chianti styles. Not Good! 

So the laws did allow for Chianti to be made in the traditional and proper manner of Sangiovese as the primary grape with small amounts of other native grapes, to end up with Chianti that taste like Chianti. Thank God for that.

Now this all being said the laws for making Chianti also included latitudes for making what can be labeled Chianti and wines that are labeled as Chianti, allowed for wines that do not taste like Chianti. They do not taste like Chianti as they have Merlot and or Cabernet Sauvignon in them. The Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon and overpower the more delicate Sangiovese grape, resulting in a wine that does not taste like Chianti, but some kind of Super Tuscan wine or so-called baby Super Tuscan. If you put Merlot or Cabernet into what is supposed to be Chianti, that wine will not have the classic quintessential character that Chianti has, when made in the classic traditional style.  A proper Chianti should be a light to medium body wine, possessing red fruit flavors, with hingts of earthiness and a tad of spice flavor as well.

What a Chianti should not be, is a Big Full Bodied Fruit Bomb wine, nor anything approaching it, as some Reserve Chiantis are these days.

As stated, a Chianti should be light to medium bodied. This does not mean that it should be thin or lack substance. It should definitely have flavor, but in a more subtle and restrained manor which makes the wine go well with the food you are eating and not overpower it as many wines tend to do these days.

If I myself (and my friend Charles Sciccilone) could set these laws as the new DOCG laws of Chianti Classico the laws would never have to be changed again. The laws, the way they are set today are a little too broad. One thing that is good in the way the laws stand now is that they do allow for a proper Chianti to be made, and most Chianti’s are made in this manner, but at the same time they allow for non-native varieties and the allowance of 100% Sangiovese. These last two regulations must be changed for all Chianti’s to be “True Chianti” Non native grapes like Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon should never be allowed in Chiant (if it was up to me), and Chianti should always be a blend of mostly Sangiovese (85 to 95%), with 5% to 15% native secondary grapes such as : Colorino, Canaiolo, and or Malvasia Nero, etc.  It is as simple as that! So, let us hope that one day in the near future, these laws will be laid down and every single bottle labeled Chianti is actually real, true Chianti that lives up to this great wines history and origins.

Chianti Classico. What is it? First off, the area came first, the wine Chianti Classico is name after the area it comes from, which is Chianti. The Chianti Classico is the most famous. It stretches from just a few miles south of Florence at its most northern tip and runs down almost 30 miles to Castelnuovo Berardenga at its most southern point. As Chianti grew in popularity and fame, a number of other areas in Tuscany where Chianti can be made, were developed. Some of these areas are Colli Fiorentini, Colli Senesi, Colli Arentini, and Rufina. None of these sub areas have ever gained anywhere near the fame as the original Chianti Classico Zone. The Chianti Zone of Rufina, just outside Florence is the most prestigious zone outside of Chianti Classico, when it comes to Chianti. The three most well know producers in the Chianti Rufina zone are : Frescobaldi, Selvapiana, and Castello Trebbio.  And although the zone of Rufina is not as well known as the Chianti Classico zone.

So in closing, let us say that we hope the laws that govern the making of Chianti Classico will be changed some day. Changed for the better, preserving tradition and history of this great Italian Wine. "Please" !!!  Oh, how I wish it would happen. It would be best if it happens sooner than later, that in the making of Chianti, there shall be no Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah or any other non-native or non-traditional grape varieties of Chianti Classico. Also the laws should be changed to eliminate 100% Sangiovese Chianti’s, Chianti should always be a blend, even if just 2% of another native grape such as Colorino, Canaiolo, or Cielegiolo were added. Chianti must always be a blende wine, dominated by mostly Sangiovese (at least 85%) with a smaller percentage of native grapes. The region of Chianti Classico is one of the World’s most beautiful. It is enchanting, filled with castles, all forms of wine estates from small and simply to big and majestic. The beautiful rolling hills of Chianti are filled with Cypress trees that dot the crest of many a hill, along with rugged stone farm houses and the wondrous rows Sangiovese vines lining the gently sloping hills.

Chianti is relatively untouched or spoiled by any type of ugly modern structures. The Chiantigiana road is still the ancient one built by the Romans and its pavement blends in perfectly with its untouched surroundings. Chianti is filled with lovely little towns like Castellina, Gaioli, Greve, and Radda where you will find the famous Dante quoting butcher Dario Cecchini. You can visit and stay in beautiful wine estates like Fattoria Valle, Castello Verazzano in Greve where the explorer Giovani Verazzano is from. You can stay at the beautiful estate of Vignamaggio where Gioconda lived and was painted my Michael Angelo. She is “Mona Lisa.”

Chianti, it’s not just a wine. “It’s a Place, a very beautiful place!”



by DANIEL BELLINO ZWICKE


Below is a Small LIST of TRUE CHIANTI’S made primarily with Sangiovese with small amounts of native sub-varities such as Canaiolo, Malvasia Nero, Colorino, and Celegiolo and not containing any Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syhrah, or any International Varieties “What-so-Ever.”.




Monsanto “Il Poggio” Chianti Classico Riserva

Castello Verazzano Chianti Classico

Castello Brolio Chainti Classico Reserva

Castellow Querceto Chianti Classico

Vignamaggio Chinati Classico Riserva “Mona Lisa”

Rufino Chianti Classico Riserva “Ducale” (Gold Label)

Selvapiana Chianti Rufina

Badia Coltobuono

Daniel Bellino Zwicke

CASTELLO BROLIO

And The BIRTH of CHIANTI

By BARONE RICASOLI

Best Selling Cookbook Author - Wine Travel Writer

Daniel Bellino Zwicke with his Friend Cavalieri Luigi Cappellini

Who makes "REAL CHIANTI" at his Estate CASTELLO VERRAZZANO

GREVE in CHIANTI

The MARCHESE FERDINANDO FRESCOBALDI

With COOKBOOK Author Daniel Bellino Zwicke

And a Bottle of FRESCOBALDI "NIPPOZZANO" CHIANTI RUFINA

POSITANO The AMALFI COAST

TRAVEL GUIDE - COOKBOOK

AMAZON.com

HOTELS WORLDWIDE

BOOKING.com

Best Italian Cookbooks Christmas 2023 24 Gifts

 

From the Latest GOOGLE SEARCH 

"BEST NEW ITALIAN COOKBOOKS" ???

SUNDAY SAUCE is # 1

Sunday Sauce

Daniel Bellino Zwicle

AMAZON.com

New York, October 12th 2023

We searched Google today (October 12, 2023) for Best New Italian Cookbooks, and this is what came up. Number 1 at the Top of The List pf Best Italian Cookbooks is SUNDAY SAUCE by New York Italian-American author Daniel Bellino Zwicke. We have a couple more New Yorkers in the # 2 spot Best Italian Cookbooks with STATEN ITALY by Italian-American cousins Sal Basille, and Francis Garcia of Staten Island, New York.

In the # 3 spot is The Vespers Trial Italian Cookbook by Dominic Vesper and Thomas Vesper.

Two experts teach you how to "really cook" – in the kitchen and the courtroom. Follow Tom Vesper and cousin Dom in The Vespers' Trial Cookbook as they take you on a fun-filled, fact-filled, food-filled, instruction-filled journey to prove the unlikely axiom that good cooks and good trial lawyers share the same skills. All the while giving civil trial lawyers tips for success – from Dom in the kitchen and Tom in the courtroom.

The FOOD of SICILY

Fabrizia Lanza

In the 4th spot # 4 is The FOOD of SICILY by Fabrizia Lanza.

In this all-new cookbook from Fabrizia Lanza, one of the world’s greatest food cultures is distilled in 75 recipes for the home cook, plus a loving tribute to its ingredients, passions, influences, and history

 

Tucked away on an estate in the countryside south of Palermo is the Anna Tasca Lanza Cooking School, a unique center dedicated to preserving and sharing the great food culture of Sicily. The spirit of the school, now run by Fabrizia Lanza, the founder’s daughter and scion of a renowned family of winemakers that goes back generations, is what makes Lanza’s The Food of Sicily such a singular cookbook—not just a collection of recipes and techniques, but a vibrant and beautifully photographed profile of the land, the people, the history, and so much more.

# 5 BEST - ITALY by INGREDIENT by Viola Buitoni and Molly DeCoudreaux

A fresh approach to Italian cuisine through its most iconic ingredients, presented by Italian-born cooking instructor Viola Buitoni.

From glossy drops of balsamic vinegar to flakes of parmigiano reggiano and spoonfuls of fresh ricotta to creamy grains of risotto—the ingredients of Italian cuisine are beloved staples known the world over, available in specialty stores and served in restaurants across the globe. As a native Roman raised in the Umbrian countryside, Viola Buitoni grew up with these artisanal foods, learning about how they developed from centuries-old wisdom, tight-knit communities, and sustainable production. Now a US-based cooking instructor, Buitoni’s passion is sharing the beloved flavors of her homeland with home cooks.

BEST ITALIAN COOKBOOKS

We did another search and these books popped up. 

SUNDAY SAUCE was still in there at # 1 & The Top Spot - Best Italian Cookbooks, with The Vespers Trial Cookbook Italiano Rustica , this time at # 2 instead of 3, with STATTEN ITALY by the two Italian-American cousins Sal & Frncis from Staten Island moving from 2 to the # 3 spot. Still good, and in the top 3.

On this search of BEST ITALIAN COOKBOOKS, The RAGU BOLOGNESE COOKBOOK by Daniel Bellino Zwicke popped up in the # 4 spot Best Italian Cookbooks - Google Search of BEST ITALIAN COOKBOOKS.

Well, these are all good cookbooks, and if you're doing your 2024 Christmas Shopping early or not, we'd recommend any of these fine Italian Cookbooks, escpecially Sunday Sauce at the # 1 Top Spot, will really apeal to all American home cooks, who love cooking Italian, "You can't gowrong."