The NEW YORK ITALIAN FOOD & WINE GUY Blog is dedicated to many things, but mainly to three very GREAT ONES being NEW YORK, ITALIAN FOOD, and ITALIAN WINE. What's greater than these?
Tuesday, August 23, 2022
Piedmont Wine Region Italy Barolo Barbaresco
Friday, August 12, 2022
Big Dogs Italian Wine New York NYC
ITALIAN WINE CULTURE NEW YORK
Marchese Lamberto Frescobaldi
with Author Daniel Bellino-Zwicke and Marchese Leonardo Frescobaldi
in NEW YORK
.SASSICAIA Winemaker SEBASTIANO ROSA
with Friends Daniel Bellino-Zwicke and GIOVANNI FOLNARI of NOZZOLE
NEW YORK
LUIGI CAPPELLINI (L) the Propritor of CASTELO VERRAZZANO
GREVE in CHIANTI
Meeting with Friend and Wine Director of DeGrezia Restorante
DANIEL BELLINO ZWIKCE
NEW YORK NY
Count Francesco Muroni Cinzano (R) Propietor of Col D'ORCIA
Meets with DANIEL BELLINO ZWICKE
at DeGrezia Restorante in NEW YORK
Gianpaoulo Motta & Author Daniel Bellino Zwicke
at Bottega del Vino, Verona Italy
Antonio Rallo of Donnafugata
with Author Daniel Bellino-Zwicke
The KING of BARBARESCO
ITALO STUPINO with Author DANIEL BELLINO ZWICKE
CASTELO di NEIVE BARABRESCO "SANTA STEFANO"
GOING to The AMALFI COAST ?
STORIES & RECIPES
Daniel Bellino Zwicke & Nadia Zenato
at WINEBOW Portfolio Tasting NEW YORK
ZENATO AMARONE
.
SUNDAY SAUCE
WHEN ITALIAN-AMERICANS COOK
TERLATO TASTING
everything was in perfect balance, full of flavor and a joy to drink.
Thursday, August 11, 2022
What is Barolo
Barolo is made from the Nebbiolo grape, or more precisely, from three sub-varieties of Nebbiolo, whose name recalls the fog (‘nebbia’ in Italian) that often envelopes the hills and valleys where it’s made at the time of the vendemmia.
Just eleven comuni (towns) are allowed to produce Barolo, all comprised within a small area in the province of Cuneo, to the east of the regional capital of Turin: La Morra, Barolo, Verduno, Castiglione Falletto, Monforte d’Alba, Serralunga, Novello, Roddi, Grinzano Cavour, Diano d’Alba and Cherasco.
While the Nebbiolo grape, which some consider indigenous to Piedmont, has likely existed in the region since the 1st century AD (but ‘only’ explicitly mentioned with this name in 1268), Barolo is a more modern invention; among the figures who played a significant role in its development is none other than Camillo Benso Count of Cavour, known by most for being a statesman and the leading figure in the movement towards Italian unification.
It all happened on the Grinzane estate, a castle surrounded by vineyards less than 100 kilometers from Turin, which once belonged to Cavour’s family. A young Camillo (22 years old) was sent there in 1832 by his father, who wanted to distance him from Turin, in an attempt to control his hot-blooded personality and liberal spirit. Thus, for a while, Cavour shifted his energy and passion from politics to winemaking, determined to make Nebbiolo, which was already being produced on the family’s estate, the best on the market.
As far as Italian wine regions go, it’s hard to beat Barolo. Crowds are thinner than in Chianti, the food better than in Friuli, the landscape lusher than in Umbria or Sicily. In the heart of Italy’s northwestern Piedmont region — a gastronomic paradise famous for its rich pastas and white truffles that are in season right now — this noble wine region encompasses the town of Barolo and 10 nearby municipalities. In addition to producing the most venerated of Italian wines — the robust, age-worthy Barolo — the region is also a delight to visit, especially in autumn after a trip to the annual truffle festival in the nearby city of Alba. Along winding roads that climb steep hillsides blanketed with neat rows of nebbiolo vines, there’s always an ancient castle up ahead, or a world-famous wine estate, or a storybook hamlet with swoon-worthy views. Just bring an appetite.