Piedmont Barolo Barbareso

Prized Barolo Vineyards Near ALBA

in PIEDMONT

Of all the great wine regions of Italy, the greatest wine country of all, the region of Piedmont is probably the most diverse .. The best known wines of the region include Barolo and Barbaresco, which are both made from the Nebbiolo grape 100 % .. Gavi is another wine of great popularity with American drinkers and of the World, and is a white made of the Cortese grape. Barbera is well known on America and Dolcetto and Gattinara as well. Barbera is made of the Barbera grape and Dolcetto is made from Dolcetto, while Gattinara is made from Nebbiolo. Other wines include Arneis, a white, Brachetto d'Acqui (Sweet Sparkling Red), Moscato d'Asti (Sweet Sparkling White)

BAROLO & BARBARESCO

Since time, Nebbiolo has been the most highly-prized vine and the wine-growing emblem of Alba and Langa, and when it is matched with a great wine-making terroir it is capable of expressing itself at sublime levels in wines of remarkable personality, intense bouquet with smooth tannins, and outstanding possibilities of evolution over time. This is Barolo and Barbaresco wine ...

GIACOMO CONTERNO

Considered by Many as The Pinnacle of BAROLO Wines

And Barolo's Top Producer

My Personal Favorite

BAROLO
BARTOLO MASCARELLO

The GREAT BARTOLO MASCARELLO

And His Daughter

Maria Theresa

"SEE This SIGN" ???

Pay ATTENTION !!!

And Take The ADVICE !

Do Not Drink BAROLO or BARBARESCO

or BRUNELLO

THAT Has Been HEAVILY OAKED In Small FRENCH OAK BARRIQUE BARRELS ..

The Small Barrels Distroy The Delicate Character of NEBBIOLO and SANGIOVESE Based Wines'Like BAROLO, BARBARESCO, and BRUNELLO, The GREATEST WINES of ITALY ..

WINES Like BAROLO, BARBARESCO, and BRUNELLO are Best Aged in Large Slovenian Oak Barrels that are much gentler and better suited to these wines ..

Remeber "No Barrique" !!!

And No Berlusconi !!!

BAROLO

La SPINONA "SORI GEPIN"

A Single Vineyard BAROLO

That is Resonably Priced

And as good or Better Than Many Barolo's

That are 2 or 3 Times The Price

BARBARESCO

Barbaresco is one of Italy's great premier wines. Barbaresco like Barolo are made of 100 % Nebbiolo grapes and of the highest quality of standards .. Barbaresco is every bit the equal of Barolo but often in the minds of many plays second fiddle to Barolo that is by no means true, but is a unjust perception of people that really don't know that much about wine. In a way this status of Barbaresco as 2nd Fiddle to Barolo is a blessing in disguise for thos of us in-the-know who do know our wine. The blessing is in the fact that Barolo is more popular and sells more and more easily than does Barbaresco, the wholesale and thus retail prices of Barbaresco generally run  a quarter to a third less than Barolo wines, and as I've said and anyone who knows Italian Wine well will tell you, Barbaresco is every bit the equal of Barolo .. So if you read this and didn't know before, now you do. So next time you are in a restaurant and see a Barolo for $120 a bottle and a Barbaresco for $90, go for the Barbaresco. 

Don't get me wrong, I love Barolo, and have druck many fine ones and all the great ones over the years .. Luckily, being in the business, I don't have to pay and usually I don't have to buy wine. It is given or bought for me .. When I do pay, because of the equal greatness of the wine and the fact that Barbresco is about a third cheaper, I go for the Barbaresco.

Basta! Nuff said.

BARBARESCO MARENGO MARCHESI di GRESY

Is One of THE BEST

And One of My FAVORITES

"TRY IT"

The 2000 and 2001 Vintages of BAROLO and BARBARESCO were

Two of the GREATEST VINTAGES Ever for BAROLO and BARBARESCO

PS ... A little secret. The 1996 vintage of Barolo & Barbaresco was not nearly as highly exalted as 2000, 2001, and 1990 but every bit the equal and at much lower prices. I drank many wonderful 1996 vintage BAROLOS and BARBARESCO and just loved them. 1996 is my favorite vintage ever for Barolo and Barbaresco. I had the great fortune to drink many oustanding 1990 Barolos and Barbarescos as well as those of 2000 and 2001, but the vintage of 1996 for Piemont is still my Favorite ...

ANGELO GAJA Makes Great BARBARESCO

and is the Most Famous and Most Esteemed of all Barbaresco Producers

His Wines are Wonderful and Highly Esteemed but I'm Sorry to say are not

Worth The Rediculously OUTRAGEOUS PRICES THEY CHARGE.

You Can't Buy a GAJA BARBARESCO for less Than $450 in a restaurant and that is at the low-end. They are usuually $650 a bottle and up .. It's all MARKETING and HIPE !!!

If people are DUMB Enough to pay these outrageous prices, the importers and distributors who set the pprice, along with Angelo Gaja are gonna go for the Gold. But beleive me, you can normally get a bottle of Marcesi di Gresy or similar Barbaresco like from my friend Italo of Castello di Neive for about $90 to $105 a bottle as opposed to a bottle of Gaja Barbaresco for $450 to $650 a bottle .. These other Barbarescos that will cost you about one-hundred dollars are every bit as good as the Gaja ones that cost $500 or more .. "Beleive me, It's the Truth." !!!

CLEMENZA & SINATRA 'S SUNDAY SAUCE Recipes

As a boy and young man, Dolly Sinatra would often make Frankie Spaghetti & Meatballs, which Frank loved all his life, from his Mom and at his favorite restaurant “Patsy’s” on West 56^th Street in New York.

    Frank also liked Maccheroni with Sausage & Meatballs, otherwise known as Sunday Sauce or simply “Gravy” with Sausage & Meatballs.

SUNDAY SAUCE alla SINATRA and other great Italian-American Favorites are in SUNDAY SAUCE "When Italian Americans Cook" As with all of Daniel's Italian Cookbooks, Sunday Sauce is filled with tasty recipes couple with stories and facts pertaining to many of Italian America's favorite dishes, like; Mussels Marinar, Pasta Fazool, Italian Wedding Soup, Spaghetti & Meatballs and the centerpiece of the book "Sunday Sauce" aka Gravy ..  And speaking of Sunday Sauce and "Gravy" Mr. Bellino has include some great ones, like; Clemenza's Godfather Sunday Sauce, Momma DiMaggios's Sunday Gravy and Daniel's own families renowned recipe "The Bellino Family Sunday Sauce Gravy" If you love Italian food and the Italian lifestyle, "Don't Miss This One," SUNDAY SAUCE "When Italian-Americans Cook"  .....

DOLLY SINATRA 'S SPAGHETTI & MEATBALLS

LIKE SHE MADE FOR FRANK

RECIPE In "SUNDAY SAUCE"

DOWN With ROBERT PARKER

. .

Robert Parker

 

 

 

 

Most Wine Drinkers may not know this, but they'd be well advised not to ever listen to Robert Parker and his ill-advised wine news-letter The Wine Advocate. Not if they want the best wine drinking experience possible and they want to choose a good wine to go with their meal, they will not follow the terrible advice and reviews that Robert Parker gives on wine. The kind of wines Parker loves the most are overly oaked, Overly-Rich, heavily concentrated wine that are crafted to be Heavy Thick Full Bodied Oaky Fruit-Bomb Wines. Wines that clash with food instead of complimenting it. If it was up to Robert Parker he'd have all the wines in the World tasting like over-manipulated, big, fat powerful wines like California Cabernets and Meritage Blends instead of wonderful food complementary wines like; Chianti, Barolo, Brunello, Beaujlais, some Bordeaux wines and the like. Wines  that go well with food instead of clashing with it as many of the so-called Parkerized Wines do. The man has ruined the publics perception to what good wine is and should be. The public thinks because he is a famous wine writer, that he knows best and what he's talking about. Maybe he does, but the style of wine he likes, well?     If the general public wants the best wine drinking experience possible, they'd be wise to steer clear of The Wine Advocate and any wine advice dished out by Parker.

      Robert Parker's advice on wine is advice that steers and influences peoples perceptions of what great wine is, into a quite a bad, almost one-dimensional place of homogenized overly thick un-natural wines. People should stop taking advice of Robert Parker, the World of Wine would be a much better place, a place of real wine that is  It SUCKS! Robert Parker's advice reviews, and Ratings of Wine that is.

     If you want to is true to the local terroir of whereever any particular wine might come from. In other words, Chianti should taste like Chianti, Barolo like Barolo, and Bordeaux like Bordeaux and not like a "Big Fat" California or Autralian Cabernet or Meritage Blended Wine and such.  People should drink Wonderful Wines that go great with food and are "Real Natural Wines" the kind of Wines that were made for 100 of years and still are except for those wines made by owners who have fallen into to whole Robert Parker "Spin Doctor" realm and make "Overly-Concentrated Wine" that taste fake and un-natural, they are manipulated and are the kind of wines that Parker likes and gives High 90 Plus Ratings to.

   Drink real Chianti (not any that contain Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot), drink Barolos that have been aged in large gentile Slovenian Oak Cask instead of small 225 liter Barrique Barrels that make many wines taste more of Wood (the way Parker likes them) than beautiful unadulterated with natural fruit (Grapes). Wines like; Brunello, Cote du Rhones, and just about anything other than overly-concentrated, overly Oaked, minipulated overly-oaked wines from Australia and over-powering Californian and Australian monsters and you'll be doing OK.

   "Just DON'T Listen to anything ROBERT PARKER and his highly popular but we say awful newsletter "The Wine Advocate" has to say or Write about Wine." The man almost single handily Destroyed what Good Wine "is" and should be.

Be "Anti-Parker" you'll be glad you did. "Do." Daniel Bellino Zwicke

 

 

 

NO BARRIQUE

NO BERLUSCONI

NO ROBERT PARKER

 

SUNDAY SAUCE Due For NOVEMEBER RELEASE 11/25/13

WHILE YOU AWAIT THE RELEASE of "SUNDAY SAUCE" You MIGHt WANT to CHECK OUT One of DANIEL'S Other BEST SELLING ITALIAN COOKBOOKS "La TAVOLA" and The FEAST of THE 7 FISH "An ITLAIN CHRITMAS EVE FEAST"  All AVAILABLE on AMAZON.com

GREAT VINTAGE SASSICAIA

The 2009 SASSICAIA IS PHENOMINAL

I LOVE IT

WENT CRAZY WHEN I TASTED IT at The 2013

TRE BICCHIERE TASTING THIS YEAR

The 1997 1998 1985 and 2007 Where Among My Favorite

SASSICAIA VINTAGES EVER

WHEN I TATSED THE 2009 ?
WELL, ONE of MY ALL-TIME FAVORITES

The 2009 SASSICAIA Is in PERFECT BALANCE

That's ALL I REALLY NEED To SAY

If a WINE Is In PERFECT BALANCE

That Pretty Much Tells The WHOLE STORY

GREAT JUST THE RIGHT AMOUNT of ACID

TANNIN AROMA AND JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING

YOU LOOK For In A GREAT WINE

The 2009 SASSICAIA Has IT

IT's a 94 Point WINE In MY BOOK

Again, LOVE IT !!!!

SASSICAIA WINEMAKER SEBASTIANO ROSA

And I TOAST HIS OTHER GREAT WINE

BARRUA

WE TALK ABOUT BARRUA

And The SASICAIA 2009

"And YES"

WE DRANK The SASSICAIA Too !!!

The 2009

ITALIAN WINE MASTERS CHIANTI BRUNELLO TASTING

Emanuela Stucchi 

Badia Coltobono

And Me

The Italian Wine Masters met at the New York Hilton for their Annual Chianti Brunello Tasting on Tuesday, February 8th. Many fine wines where on hand, including a Prosecco Tasting with many producers on hand including from Conegliano Valdobbiadene Consorzio along with numerous Vino Nobile, Chianti, and Brunello estates on hand. The stars of the show were of course the wines of Brunello di Montalcino. Not to take anything away from the zones of Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano, Chianti, or Prosecco that wonderful refreshingly light bubbly from the Veneto and the Wine Bars of Venice, Prosecco.

I must say, as being a great lover of Chianti and one of its Biggest Advocates in all the United States as well as being one of the country's top authorities on the subject, I was a bit disappointed with the Chianti offerings on hand. Two of my favorites in Fontodi and Vignamaggio from Panzano and Greve respectively were present, such notables and top producers as : Villa Calcainaia, Monsanto, Badia Coltobuono, and Castello Verrazzno were not where in sight. Si La Vie.

Let's get to Brunello. The tasting was of the latest vintage on release. This being the 2006 vintage Brunello and 2004 and 2005 Brunello Riserva. There were some solid offerings with favorites of the tasting going to Fattoria Barbi, Ffrescobaldi, Col d'Orcia, Livio Sassetti, and Tenuta Greppone Mazzi.

Favorite of all were the normale Brunello 2006 by both Fattoria Barbi and Brunello Castel Giocondo from Marchese Frescobaldi of whom my good friend the Marchese Ferdinado Frescobaldi was on hand, and as always great to see. 

My BUD

The MARCHESE FERDINANDO FRESCOBALDI

And ME

"I LIKE To CALL HIM The MICKEY MANTLE of ITALIAN WINE"

The Rosso di Montalcino's of which the 2009 vintage were shown at the tasting were a wonderful surprise. Most were drinking beautifully, medium in body, full of flavor, and just pleasantly enjoyable drinking wines. I particularlly loved the Barbi Rosso and Frescobaldi Rosso di Montalcino Campo ai Sasso 2009, of which I could have sat there drinking and chatting all day with the Marchese Frescobaldi. Quite a wonderful experience.

My favorite Brunello of the day was the Brunello Riserva 2005 from Fattoria Barbi. A awesome wine that was absolute perfection. And for overall the best table that just edged out Barbi by a hair was the table of the Noble Frescobaldi Family, with the lovely Rosso Campo ai Sasso, the Brunello 2006, and the Brunello Riserva 2005. The only dissapointment on the table was the Brunello Luce della Vite 2006 Of Castelgiocondo of which was quite tannic and lacking in overall balance.

I pleasant surprise was from Castello Romitorio, who was showing a wonderful wine in the San'Antimo Ross 2006.

This wine was a real winner and a joy to drink. Made up

made up of 60% Sangiovese, 20% Canaiolo, and 20% Cabernetof Sauvignon, perfectly balance and a joy to drink.

by Daniel Bellino Zwicke

KEVIN ZRALY TALKS BRUNELLO

KEVIN ZRALY

"I WANT TAHT JACKET KEVIN" !!!

The Great Kevin Zraly held a Brunello Seminar at The New York Brunello Tasting 2013 ...And for the few lucky enough to attend, it was quite a great event. Great, yes great, and Mr. Keven Zraly in my book is quite great when it comes to knowledge of wine, his Love and approach to it, drinking, tasting for his own pleasure and knowledge as well as the Drinking, Tasting, and Education Kevin imparts on those in his classes, readers and owners of his famed Windows On The World Wine Course (Book), and anyone as I've Just said "Lucky Enough to Attend One of Mr. Zraly's Wine Seminars," in this case for one of Italy's and The World's most esteemed wines and one of Kevin's 3 Favorite Wines (Kevin's words) Brunello di Montalcino.

   "Don't Touch It! Don't touch it !!!" shouts Kevin Zraly, near the beginning of his seminar. He know there are always people on every level of experience at any one of the many wine seminars he has conducted over the years, including the most experienced and at least one or maybe several people who have never ever been to a Seminar Wine Tasting like this in their lives. This maybe their first one, "Don't Touch Don't touch!!!" It's quite funny and a bit shocking the way Kevin does these as he sets the tone for his style of wine seminar, which is "No Muss No Fuss No BS," and as Mr. Zraly says no English Poetry, in an effort to say there will be none of that overdone pontification, just straight normal talk, and talk even a beginner could grasp about wine, and with Kevin his approach will make you love the object and the subject of "Wine" even more. That's what a great wine educator does. There are not many better than Kevin Zraly, "if any?"
   Yes, the seminar was quite wonderful. If being at the most important Brunello Tasting of the year wasn't enough, and being the first in the World to taste the 2008 Vintage and 07 Riservas, in a beautiful setting like Gotham Hall, in The Greatest City in The World, and as the Head of The Brunello Consorzio stated this glorious day, "New York Is The Greatest and Most Important Market in The World For The Producers of Brunello di Montalcino." Yes Sir "It Is." Yes those at The New York Brunello Tasting were among-st the first in the World to taste these fine wines, and Mr.s Zraly made that point, as well as stating how wonderful the Wines were, that we were very fortunate to be drinking them, and that Brunello was along with Bordeaux, one of his 3 Favorite wines in the World to drink. Myself and Michael Colameco (Who is The fine host of "Real Food" one of TV's Best Cooking Shows on PBS) sitting next to me at the seminar, we both surmised the third  of Kevin's 3 Favorite Wines of The World had to be Burgundy. This we need to find out.
    "Smell it 3 times. Cover the glass with your hand. Sniff! Toast the person sitting next to you and drink. Think about it for 1 minute at 15 second intervals. Do you still taste it? What do you taste?" Well, we tasted 8 very fine offerings of this fabulous wine, Brunello di Montalcino. The wines were all wonderful, and being at Benvenuto Brunello in such a gorgeous setting as Gotham Hall and being led in a Tasting of Great Brunello by one of the World's Greatest Authorities on Wine, this was a combination that was unbeatable. Being in the Italian Wine and Restaurant Business for more than 25 and writing for another 8, I can tell your that I've been to many a incredible wine event, like: a Vertical Wine tasting and Luncheon with the Marchese Piero Antinori, Dinner at Spark's Steak-House with Jacopo Biondi Santi and his wines, as well as lunches and dinners on many great wine estates in Italy. The kind of events people would kill to be able to attend, I've been to many, and this Brunello Seminar tasting with kevin Zraly shall be filed in my head with some of those other great wine moments. It was most enjoyable, and I'm so glad I made it (almost din't go).
   So Bravo Brunello! And Bravo Kevin for your passion, love of the wine, and the way you lead others, in your very Zraly Direction.



Daniel Bellino Zwicke


BRUNELLO SEMINAR with KEVEN ZRALY .. January 31, 2013 .... Afternoon Seminar

WINES: BRUNELLO di MONTALCINO

1.   Palazzo - 2008
2.   Fanti -2008
3.   Tenute Sivio Nardi - 2008
4.   Donatella Cinelli Colombini - 2008
5.   Uccelliera - 2008
6.   Palazzo - Riserva 2004
7.   Col D'Orcia 2001
8.   IL Poggione Riserva 1999


An overall assessment and thoughts on the 8 Brunello's we tasted. First off, they were all very good to wonderful to remarkable. A great line-up including some excellent producers and very fine vintages of recent years. It seemed an overall consensus that pretty much everyone (Writers, Restaurant People, Wine Professionals,and Hobbyists) in the room liked each and every wine we drank, all wonderful wines, and with Kevin "Cheer-Leading" us with his love of wine and Brunello, I believe everyone enjoyed these wines even more than if they had tasted all 8 in another manner than this great tasting-seminar.
   As all wines were wonderful, I must admit that there were 3 wines that we all got a bit more excited and super-charged over. These wines were; the Brunello Uccelliera 2008, the Brunello Col D'Orcia 2001, and the Brunello IL Poggione 1999 ... Without going into any, as Kevin Zraly would say "English Poetry" these 3 wines were just wonderful. The kind of wines you light up over and just saying "Wow," is enough to say that they had everything you want in a great Brunello or any great wine, great aroma, Wonderful Taste combined with "Perfect Balance," and simply greatness.
   Again, a great tasting, overall Benvenuto Brunello, lots of great wines, wonderful people, and a fine Seminar-Tasting of Brunello conducted by Mr. Kevin Zraly. Again, Bravo!

It's BRUNELLO TIME in NEW YORK

Brunello Time in New York! Hey I think i just coined a new phrase for our great city New York.   Yes I know it can never catch on like the poetic "Autumn in New York" ... Autumn in New York, the phrase started as a song in 1937, a song that became quite famous and sung by many musical greats like Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitgerald to name just two. The phrase has been made into a movie, and tough it has been a hugely successful song, it's greatest popularity and famed comes as a "Saying" and Slogan of The Great City of New York, "Autumn in New York." Brunello Time in New York. No it will never be as famed as the Autumn of New York, but if you're as big as an Italian Wine Geek and Lover like me, this phrase Brunello Time in New York will sound quite wonderful to you.

    Yes, yesterday, January 31, 2013 was Brunello Time in New York with for all us Italian Wine Guys (Girls too), one of our biggest and most cherished days of the year, The New York Italian Wine Year anyway. It is the Brunello Tasting, as we New York Wine Guys call it. The official named used by The Consorzio Del Vino Brunello Di Montalcino, the governing body of the famed Italian Wine Brunello, these are the people who organize this great show and tasting of the release of the latest vintage of Brunello, the tasting officially known as Benvenuto Brunello.

  As I said, this tasting (event) is one of the most dear of the year to me. That is along with the 

Tri Bicchieri Tasting, the biggest of the year. The Brunello Tasting is quite dear to me, as Sangiovese is my favorite of all grapes, as are the great wines made of it, especially Chianti and Brunello, my favorites, along with Morellino de Scansano, Vino Nobile, and some Super Tuscans that are based on this noble grape Sangiovese. And speaking of Sngiovese and Brunello, the wine Brunello is made of 100% Sangiovese, and of Snagiovese Grosso, also known as Brunello. And Brunello can only be made in Montalcino, and no-where else in the World, and it must be made to the exacting standards of The Consorzio del Brunello Di Montalcino, of whose President was on hand for the event.

    The event "The Brunello Tasting" consist of 52 of the more than 200 producers of Brunello. The main reason for this Brunello Tasting is the "Release of The Newest Vintage of Brunello di Montalcino," in this case The 2013 Brunello Tasting is for the Release of The 2008 Brunello's and The 2007 Brunello Riservas. These are the two main wines of the tasting, but other wines are shown and offered, along with Moscadello the famed Dessert Wine of Montalcino based on Moscato. All producers will have on hand their Rosso di Montalcino made with the same grapes (100% Sangiovese Grosso "Brunello") as the Brunello. The Rosso's are not aged as long, and the grape yeild is slighly higher. The 2010 Rosso di Montalcino where on hand, and one of the nice things about drinking these Rossos is that you can get an advanced glimpse of what the 2010 Brunello's will be like when they are released in 2016.

     Well, some Big Guns of Italian Wine were out at the Brunello Tasting. Big Guns from Italy along with some Big New York Italian Wine Guys like; Renzo Raspiacolli (Wine Director Barolo), Phillipo Debarladino, and Charles Scicolone, one of America's Greatest Authorities of Italian Wine "If Not Thee # 1 Top Guy." And speaking of Big Guns, as far as Italian Wine goes, The Biggest Gun of Them All, "The Marchese Piero Antinori" was on hand at this, one, along with The Count Cinzano of Col d'Orcia and other Italian Wine luminaries.


Daniel Bellino-Zwicke

"ME And THE MARCHESE"

MARCHESE PIERO ANTINORI

BRUNELLO TASTING 

NEW YORK 2013

MARCHESE FERDINANDO FRESCOBALDI

With ITALIAN FOOD & WINE WRITER

DANIEL BELLINO ZWICKE