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In a recent post on the wines of Piemonte I wrote: you will be hard pressed to eat better in Italy - in the world maybe - than in Piedmont. The typical dishes of the local osterias like vitello tonnato and agnolotti del plin have been honed to exacting precision over the centuries. Tajarin al sugo, for example, is really not open to interpretation--the point is to do it well!

Even bagna cauda, which seems nothing more than a simple relish tray, is a thing of profound culinary pleasure. On my first night here in Alba, I walked straight to the Ceretto-owned Osteria La Piola where I had hoped to satisfy my year-long craving for carne cruda, the Piemontese specialty of chopped raw veal. On this particular night, the restaurant was paying homage to bagna cauda, a dish that is normally taken at home among friends given its communal nature of dipping vegetables in a cauldron of hot oil and anchovy. Raviolo in brodo was promised at the end so I thought I could suffer through a platter of raw vegetables. Yet when I crunched into that last cardoon and the last piece of bread sopped up the last bit of oil--I wanted more!

Sunday was a day of snow in the Langhe. At least a foot had fallen by morning and all of my winery visits were postponed. Without wi-fi or even a magazine to read I ventured out onto the streets of Alba in search of an English language newspaper. What I found instead was a translated copy of Nonna Genia, the classic work of Luciano de Giacomi and Beppe Lodi on the cooking of the Langhe region. With a bottle of Barbera and a slice of bakery pizza I read the book cover to cover that afternoon before going back in the snow to find a plate of tajarin.

From Nona Genia:
"In the culinary world tradition is not accorded the same respect it enjoys in other arts. We have great museums proudly showcasing their masterpieces from every era of human endeavour, acclaimed orchestras performing classical music throughout the world and collectors avidly competing for old masters, thereby driving up their value.

But in the culinary world, value is placed not so much on tradition as on the new. Today's culinary culture has adopted the mentality of the fashion world, where "tradition" is almost an embarrassing word."

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But here at the peak I decided I had to take it all in and stop for a coffee and a streudel and a roadside chalet advertising their bar.Skiers were decked out in their gear, fortifying for the day with pastry, granola and coffee. I watched as the ski lifts across the street carried the days first passengers to the top.

The Alps are a place of breathtaking beauty and travelling these high mountain roads with their spectacular views are worth the trip alone. My day of tasting that laid ahead would be equally inspiring.

I left the chalet and after several kilometers of switchbacks, weaving through tiny villages that seem to barely cling to the rocks, the valley began to open up. That's when I first noticed the mindbogglingly vertical vineyards of the Valtellina.

Nebbiolo has been cultivated in Valtellina since ancient times. No one would build these now. This is truly viticulture on the edge--the kind of wines we like--and we're happy to be working with some of Valtellina's best wines in the very near future.

Stay tuned for more!

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If you follow me on twitter you know that I've arrived in Italy and have been visiting Tenuta di Angoris as well as some exciting new producers in Friuli–Venezia Giulia that we're extremely excited to be working with in the very near future. 

I met up with Angoris' trade manager Matteo Buranu and enologist Alessandro Dal Zovo in their Colli Orientalli vineyard named Stabili La Rocca. Stabili (meaning 'always here') and La Rocca ('the rock') refers to the Ponca soil that typifies the eastern hills of Friuli and gives Friulano wines their signature minerality. 

Ponca is a strata of clay and Eocenic marls, locally known as ponca, with low levels of active calcium. As Sandro demonstrates, this is very friable stuff and the Friulano vines dig deep into this stuff to give wines that ar unique to this place.

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Alto Adige (Südtirol) is the northern, German-speaking section of the Trentino-Alto Adige region of Italy. The Dolomites surround the valley on three sides where vines grow precipitously up the soaring mountainsides. Apple trees canvas the valley floor with villages. Houses feature decorated balconies and sharply-slanting roofs to fend off the heavy snows. Apples are featured in the cuisine of the region, as well as smoked speck and bread dumplings known as canederli served in a warming broth. Menus in Bolzano, the region’s commercial hub, are often written in both German and Italian, a telling sign that Alto Adige is at the crossroads between Italian and Austrian cultures. 

I recently wrote a few words about Alto Adige on our website. Click here and scroll down to read more about all the diversity and pleasure that Piedmont has to offer. 

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You will be hard-pressed to eat better in Italy—in the world, maybe—than in the region of Piedmont. Piedmont, meaning “foot of the mountain,” lies in the northwestern corner of Italy, bordering France to the west and Switzerland to the north. It is enclosed on three sides by the Apennines and the Alps, and the cuisine here reflects its Alpine climate and proximity to France. Although the costal tourist destination of Cinque Terre lies just an hour from Gavi, the cuisine of Piedmont is decidedly mountainous rather than Mediterranean. In a typical Piemontese osteria, butter, eggy pastas, rice, and red meat are cooked with such honed and loving skill that you might wish you’d eaten here instead of your last Michelin-starred experience. 

Such exalted cuisine requires equally glorious wine, and Piedmont produces more DOC/DOCG classified bottles than any other region in Italy. Barolo and Barbaresco are the best-known wines of Piedmont. These highly collectible and highly sought-after long-lived reds are the product of the calcareous strewn hills of the Langhe, and the grapes seem perfectly content in the environs of northeast Italy. Nebbiolo, named for the morning fog of the region called “la nebbia,” gives such a beguiling aroma and satisfying structure that its most avid admirers are the wine world’s most passionate fanatics. 

I recently wrote a few words about Piedmont on our website. Click here and scroll down to read more about all the diversity and pleasure that Piedmont has to offer. 

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At the 48th parallel, Champagne is the most northerly wine region in France. The challenge of ripening at such a northerly extreme can be a challenge, and quality can vary widely from year to year. Through the centuries, the large merchant houses of Champagne developed a system of blending from multiple vineyards and vintages as a means of maintaining a consistency. And although the "méthode champenoise" process is mimicked worldwide to create sparkling wine, the distinctive flavor of Champagne has yet to be replicated anywhere else on earth. 

While 96% of all Champagne is produced by either a grande marque or a co-op, the popularity of "farmer fizz" has risen steadily. One can confirm that a wine was grown and produced by a small grower by looking for a tiny code on the bottom of the wine’s side label. If the code begins with "RM" (Récoltant Manipulant), it means the growers grew the grapes and made the wine themselves.

I recently wrote a few words about Champagne on our website. Click here and scroll down to read more about all the diversity and pleasure that the Champagne has to offer. 

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Pictured above: Raclette!

One of the great differences between the wine-growing regions of the New World and those of Europe is that in Europe local wines play an essential role in everyday life. 

The humble red Schiava grape, for example, is an indispensable partner to Bolzano's bread dumplings flavored with speck, but its pale pink color and high acidity make it an unlikely candidate for "international" status. 

Lambrusco, the simple and frothy red wine from Emilia-Romagna, will never be taken seriously, and yet its specific purpose is to wash down rich plates of lasagna and Prosciutto di Parma, and the locals wouldn't have it any other way. 

The mountainous Savoie region in eastern France produces similarly overlooked but locally important wines. Overlooked but not unsold, that is. The Savoie is tiny and winegrowers in the region have no trouble selling most of their wine to thirsty tourists aprés-ski. But the Savoie's dry white wines are full of sap, minerals, flavors of pine nuts and orchard fruits, and I can't imagine having boiled potatoes and melted cheese or fresh boudin blanc without some. 

I recently wrote a few words about the Savoie on our website. Click here and scroll down to read more about all the diversity and pleasure that the Savoie has to offer. 

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Pictured above: the harbor in Nantes. 

The Loire finally end its journey in the region of Nantes before it empties into the Atlantic. This coastal region features granite and gneiss soils on which the neutral-tasting Melon de Bourgogne produces bone dry, lemony, almost briny white wines that seem to pair magically well with the famous oysters of the region. The appellation of Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maineproduces the most intense and salty Melon wines of all, where they are frequently bottled directly off the fine lees for added richness.

I recently wrote a few words about the Loire on our website. Click here and scroll down to read more about all the diversity and pleasure that the Loire has to offer. 

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Photos from a past visit to the Loire Valley's Anjou-Saumur: 1. Morning fog near the Layon; 2. Beth Becker at Château Piere-Bise; 3. Tasting at Château Pierre-Bise; 4. Les Treilles in Coteaux-du-Layon; 5.Tasting at Domaine des Baumard ; 6. Jesse with Nicolas Joly; 7. Quarts de Chaumes; 8. Boudin noir and apples à la Jo Pithon; 9. Beth in Saumur; 10. Nady Foucault of Clos Rougeard

Anjou-Saumur is the largest region of the Loire Valley and is one of its most diverse. The Cabernet Franc growing areas of the Touraine (Chinon and Bourgeuil) continue into Saumur-Champigny (meaning "field of fire") where the red wines are particularly aromatic. The "Saumur" appellation serves as a catch all and may be still and red or white but more than half of Saumur wines are sparkling. Further west, Anjou is known for its off-dry Anjou Rosé which is made from the local Grolleau grape variety.

But the real pursuit of Anjou is sweet and golden Chenin Blanc produced in a luscious dessert style in Coteaux-du-Layon and its crus of Quarts de Chaume, and Bonnezeaux. These sweet Chenins are the result of passerillage (late harvest) or pourriture noble (botrytis). The difference between a sweet passerillage wine and a sweet pourriture noble wine is remarkable and becomes crystal clear for a taster visiting the region.

Perhaps most importantly is the dry and powerful Savennières where the biodynamic guru Nicolas Joly holds court among many other worldclass producers. 

I recently wrote a few words about the Loire on our website. Click here and scroll down to read more about all the diversity and pleasure that the Loire has to offer. 

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Photos from a past visit to the Loire Valley's Touraine: 1. Informal tasting at Château de Coulaine in Chinon; 2. Beth Becker at Château de Coulaine; 3. Beth Becker before an epic tasting at Christophe Des Champs in Bourgueil; 4. Cabernet Franc vines in argile-calcaire soil; 5. Caves deep below Bourgueil; 6. Philippa Sydney, François-Xavier Barc, and Charles Sydney at Charles Joguet in Chinon; 7. Cabernet Franc in Clos de la Dioterie at Charles Joguet in Chinon; 8. The tasting room at Jacky Blot in Montlouis.; 9. Tasting with Manuela Chidaine of Domaine François Chidaine in Montlouis-sur-Loire; 10. 100% Romorantin Cour-Cheverny

The Loire river turns west at Orléans and begins to make its way towards the Atlantic. This is where things get really interestsing. The Gamay wines of Cheverny offer light red wines full of soft red fruit while its Sauvignon-based white wines remind us that we're still transitioning from Le Centre. The odd Cour-Cheverny is based on an obscure white grape called Romorantin to produce a wine that is delicious enough in situ. Wines labled "Touraine" can be produced from Chenin, Sauvignon or Chardonnay for white wine. Red Touraine is made from Côt (Malbec), Cabernet, Pinot Noir, and Pinot d’Aunis.

The important stuff lies in the western half of the appellation where one finds golden Chenin growing in tuffeau soils in Vouvray and Montlouis-sur-Loire. Equally significant are the Cabernet Franc's of Chinon, Bourgueil, and St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil. Arguably the greatest expression of the Cabernet Franc varietal, at least in the herbal and floral style produced here. 

I recently wrote a few words about the Loire on our website. Click here and scroll down to read more about all the diversity and pleasure that the Loire has to offer. 

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Photos from a past visit to Sancerre and other regions of Le Centre: 1. The village of Sancerre; 2. Sancerre town; 3. Sancerre's three soils; 4. Jesse Becker, MS, Emmanuel Mellot and Dominique Roger in Bué; 5. Beth Becker in St-Andelin; 6. The road to Chavignol; 7. A perfect Crottin de Chavignol; 8. Beth near Chavignol; 9. The tiny hamlet of Verdigny at dusk. 

The Loire River extends itself for over 1000 kilometers and its myriad of valleys and tributaries makes for France's most diverse and multi-facted wine region.

The Loire begins in the Massif Central and flows north towards the city of Orléans before it sharply bends left and makes it way to the Atlantic ocean. It's between the Massif and Orléans where the fringe of Burgundy can be felt with its countless lieux-dits (named vineyards) and the occasional plots of Pinot Noir. But it is in Sancerre, the world's benchmark example of Sauvignon Blanc, that the wines of Le Centre (the central vineyards of France) really shine. In Sancerre, Sauvignon excels on the same Kimmeridgian soils that define Chablis. In Pouilly-Fumé, silex (flint) lends a hallmark pierre à fusil (gun flint) aroma to its wines. 

Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé are only two of the Central appellations with something to express. Menetou-Salon, Quincy and Reuilly provide plenty of Sauvignon and Pinot to ponder deeply despite their humble pricing. 

I recently wrote a few words about the Loire on our website. Click here and scroll down to read more about all the diversity and pleasure that the Loire has to offer. 

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We're eagerly anticipating the arrival of our first container of wines from France and Italy that will include wines from our two Jura producers: Domaine Pignier and David Geneletti. This is a fascinating region that has been surging in popularity here in the United States thanks to a handful of dedicated importers and more than a few enthusiastic consumers. 

To the uninitiated, the wines of the Jura can seem strange and almost of another era. The wines are sometimes knowingly and deliberately oxidized and many of its grape varieties are quite uncommon. Jura wines are some of the world's most long-lived and reward the patient collector with an extraordinary array of flavor and texture after years of cellarage.  They are also some of the world's greatest wines at the table. No piece of Comté cheese should ever be served without a nutty glass of Vin Jaune and no pâté en croute is complete without a savage Trousseau to accompany it. 

I recently wrote a few words about the Jura to accompany the Jura selections on our website. Click here and scroll down to learn about its unique grape varieties, unusual methods of production and the specific vocabulary surrounding the remarkable wines of the Jura. 

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Photos from a visit to Chablis in December 2008: 1. Bernard Raveneau; 2. Tasting at Domaine François Raveneau; 3. Tasting at Agnes et Didier Dauvissat; 4. Jesse on a cold winter day in Chablis; 5. Domaine Louis Michel et Fils; 6. Chablis in the snow. 

We just received word from the importer that the highly anticipated wines of Thomas Pico's Domaine Pattes Loup have finally arrived in San Francisco. We took a position on these wines after tasting them for the first time back in January and have been eagerly counting the days when we could taste them again and ship them to our customers throughout the United States. 

I recently wrote a few words about the special flavor of Chablis to accompany the Chablis selections on our website. Click here and scroll down to read more about why we believe Chablis produces some of the most unique and flavorful white wines on the planet. 

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Our Potrero Hill neighbors @autofuss have movie night once a month and you're missing out!

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The Anchor Brewing Company is just up the street and we recently toured their brewery. Anchor began in 1896 and has operated from Potrero Hill in a former coffee roasting plant since 1979. Their famous Anchor Steam beer is brewed in open vats using a thirty year old strain of lager yeasts. "Steam" seems to have been a nickname for beer brewed on the West Coast though the term today is a trademark of Anchor Brewing Co. The Anchor folks believe the name comes from cooling the wort on the roofs of buildings before the era of refrigeration. Whatever the case may be, Anchor Steam is delicious!

www.anchorbrewing.com
1705 Mariposa Street
San Francisco, CA 94107

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I'm not going to open that huge can of worms over sulfur levels and what's natural and what's not. Instead, I'll just say that at this tasting I found myself gravitating towards the producers that Savio deemed “more conventional” like Franck Balthazar in Cornas. 

Entire blogs are dedicated to defining natural wine and how much–or how little–sulfur belongs in them. That sort of ideology has never been a part of our selection process and we reject many of the zero to 10 grams of sulfur wines that come across our palate. 

That said, we have a great deal of enthusiasm for our Beaujolais selections where the producer has decided to work with zero or very little sulfur. A wine of ideas is of little use to us but a wine of terroir will always have our attention.  

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