Brunello Italian Wine Tasting NY 2014

BRUNELLO Di MONTALCINO

BRUNELLO TASTING NEW YORK Today

January 27, 2014

NEW YORK, NY

Benvenuto Brunello

"Going to Tasting and Brunello Seminar in an hour. Will report back later or tomorrow ..

Daniel Bellino-Zwicke

Brunello Tasting New York 2014

Precious Vines

of

Sangiovese Grosso 

aka Brunello

Montalcino

Near Sant Antimo

Dam, another year has come and gone .. It's hard to beleive another year has already gone by.

Seems just like yesterday the last Benvenuto Bruneelo Tasting at Gotham Hall in New York, happily tasting Montalcino's latest release of the 2008 vintage Brunello's along with Brunello Riserva 2007 and Rosso di Montalcino's of 2011 .. Some really wonderful Brunello last year .. i can remember loving the offerings of; Donatella Cinelli Columbini 2008, Col d'Orcia 2008, Barbi Resierva 2007, and Uccelliera 2008, and Silvio Nardi 2008 ..  

I attended a great Siminar on Brunello conducted by the great Kevin Zraly where we tasted some wonderful current vintage Brunello including the just mention offerings as well as

Il Poggione Riserva 1999 and Col d'Orcia Brunello 2001, both great vintages and now aged quite well.

The seminar conducted by Mr. Zraly was phenominal as usual and when I inquired if Kevin was going to do it again, I was dissapointed to hear he wasn't .. They got someone else whose name I do not recognize .. Hopefully the lady will conduct a fun, informative seminar, but after attending Zraly's last year, I doubt if  very many could match Kevin's wonderful performance. "Cie la Vie."

At the tasting last year, one of my suppliers asked if he the Count Francesco Maroni Cinzano by, as he wanted to give me a personal 1-on-1 tasting of his latest offerings. Of course I said yes, "Do you think I'm a Mad-Man?" Maybe? Well the Count came by the next day with some phenominal Brunello's, including; his 2008 Vintage, Rosso di Montalcino 2010, Col d'Orcia Brunello 2001, and the amazing Col d'Orcia Brunell "Col Vento Riserva" 2004 .. That wine is amazing and one of the best bottles of Brunello I tasted all year. And Poggio Al Vento 2004 was just being released in 2013, it was incrediable .. All the Counts wines are quite wonderful, and he also brought along a nice wine he makes at his property in Chile .. The wine "Erasmo" is a very fine Bordeaux Blend that I quite like, I put on my list, along with The Counts Brunello both 2005 and 2008 vintages which have been selling extremely well and our customers just love them ...

"DON'T TOUCH IT !!! DON'T TOUCH IT !!! " Cried Kevin Zraly, startling some, scarring others at last years Brunello Seminar he conducted at Benvento Brunello 2013 at Gotham Hall in New York ...

You can read more on Mr. Zraly and the 2013 Brunello tasting in my article "Brunello Tripel Header" at Ny-Foodie

JUST CLICK HERE ...

Fattoria di Barbi Table at NY Brunello Tasting 2013

BARBI BRUNELLO "One of My Favorite Brunello Houses"

Daniel Bellino-Zwicke & Count Francesco Maroni Cinzano

Drinking The Count's Famed Brunello

NEW YORK, NY

Poggio AL Vento

Brunello Di Montalcino

Riserva

2004

"one of the Best Brunello's I've ever had, and I've had some Great Ones;

Val d' Cava Madonna 1990, Angelo Sassetti 1990, Barbi Riserva 1995, Poggio Antico 1997

and many more ....

The FOLLOWING Is From The BRUNELLO Di MONTALCINO CONSORZIO Website

Brunello di Montalcino is a visibly limpid, brilliant wine, with a bright garnet colour. It has an intense perfume, persistent, ample and ethereal. One can recognize scents of undergrowth, aromatic wood, berries, light vanilla and jam. 
To the taste the wine has an elegant harmonious body, vigorous and racy, it is dry with a lengthy aromatic persistence.
 

Because of its characteristics, Brunello can be aged for a long time, improving as the years go by. It is not easy to determine exactly for how many years it improves. It depends on the vintage. It varies from a minimum of 10 years to around 30 years, but it can be kept for even longer. Naturally it must be kept in the right way: in a cool cellar, but above all with a constant temperature, in the dark, without noises and smells; the bottles should be laid horizontally.

The History of SPAGHETTI & MEATBALLS

THE GENESIS of MEATBALLS

Spaghetti & Meatballs

MEATBALLS  ...  Excerpted From Daniel Bellino-Zwicke's SUNDAY SAUCE

"Whne Italian-Americans Cook"

Many people will tell you that that Spaghetti and Meatballs or Veal Parmigiano are not Italian. Well Italians do eat Meatballs, but not with pasta.  The Meat-balls are served on their own  with Tomato Sauce or with Polenta and sauce, and even mashed potatoes. Yes Italians in Italy eat mashed potatoes.  It was our Italian immigrant ancestors who first put the two together, Spaghetti and Meatballs that is! Although I must say, that I feel that although it may not have been a known practice, that over time, there must have been quite a good number of Italians in Italy who over the years put maccheroni together with Meatballs on the same plate.  “It would be utterly impossible that of the Billions of meals cooked in Italy over the years, that somewhere in homes in Sicily, Campania, Puglia, Calabria, or even Tuscany for that matter,  that no Italian mothers or grandmas did not put  Meatballs and Pasta on the same plate. “Impossible I tell you!  The odds are way against it!”

    So, what I’m saying is that, although it was not documented, I’m sure that in some households in Italy,  over the years, there had to be families who cooked  Meatballs in Sauce (Gravy), dressed the pasta, Spaghetti, Rigatoni, Ziti with the Sauce, and threw a couple Meatballs on the same plate as well. I guarantee this happened. And if it did, that makes it Italian.

    Yes, the Italian immigrants at the turn of the 19th Century were primarily a poor lot.  Meat was a bit expensive, and any meal that might include it, might have to be stretched with much cheaper ingredients in order to feed the entire family. That cheaper ingredient was none other than, “Yes, you guessed it, “Pasta” or as most Italians in Italy call it “Maccheroni,” Spaghetti, Ziti, Rigatoni and such. I’m sure, some of these Italian ladies who came to America from Campania, Sicily, Calabria, Genoa, and Apulia, as a treat, would put one or two Meatballs on a plate with pasta, and on the same plate in order to have less work by washing less dishes, the “invention” of Spaghetti & Meatballs, the Genesis so to speak.

by Daniel Bellino Zwicke

SUNDAY SAUCE Is AVAILAIBLE on AMAZON.com .. CLICK HERE !

THE BELLINO FAMILY

1943

My Granfather Phillipo

My Mother LUCIA

My UNCLE TONY

and 

Mi Nonna JOSEPHINA

PATSY'S 56th STREET NEW YORK, NY

FRANK SINATRA'S Favorite Restaurant

And Thee # 1 BEST PLACE To GET MEATBALLS

In NEW YORK

BASTA !!!

WHAT WINE For SUNDAY SAUCE "GRAVY"

Wine for Sunday Sauce? What do you drink? Which wine pairs best with Sunday Sauce, thee Supreme Dish of Italian-America? Is it Chianti, most iconic of all Italian Wines? Perhaps Aglianico or Piedrossa from the region of Campania where the roots of Italian-American Sunday Sauce Gravy begin? Or a Sicilian Wine like Nero d’Avola or Norello Mascallese? If you trace the roots of Italian-American Sunday Sauce and the people who created it, Sicilians are among the top of the list. Now, I know since you came to this page that bottle of Carlo Rossi “Paisano” just had to catch your eye. And I’m sure most of you are asking the question, “Carlo Rossi Paisano, are You Kidding?” The answer. “No, Not Really.” Well I’m not saying it’s the best choice. OK so we have to match a good wine with that fabulous Sunday Sauce of yours. What to drink?

I’m here to tell you, it can be one or more of many wines, and don’t count a wine like Carlo Rossi Paisano out. “You’re Joking?” You say. No. Listen, this can be your wine, maybe not. I myself have drank some of the World’s Priciest, and so-called greatest wines in the World, “Trophy Wines,” like; Sassicaia, Gaja Barbaresco. La Tache, Chateau Petrus, Chateau Haute Brion, Petrus, Chateau Cheval Blanc, Chateau Latour, all the great Brunello and Barolo wines, great vintage Champagnes, you name it, “I’ve had it.” And with my knowledge of wine, I can tell you, a lot of it is hype, and Marketing BS, and sometimes not. And I’ll tell you this, do not be so much of a snob, a Wine Snob. You see that Carlo Rossi, with all the prestigious wines that I’ve consumed over the years, I’m not above drinking that. Carlo Rossi .. The wine has special meaning and affection for me. It’s one of  the two wines my uncles always bought for our Sunday Family Meals. Meals of Meatballs, Sunday Sauce “Gravy,” Ravioli, Veal Marsala, Chicken Cactitore. My Uncles Tony and Frank always had either Carlo Rossi paisano or Gallo Hearty Burgungy on hand. They were their wines, and they only had other wines if someone brought something like Bolla Valpolicella, Rufino Chianti or some other wine. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying Paisano or Gallo Hearty Burgundy are great wines, “No.” But they are not that bad. They are Italian-American Wines made by Italian-Americans and have social significance to Italian-Americans. These wines are part of our history, as are the wines from the great Robert Mondavi, The Mondavi Family, Francis Ford Coppola and other Italian Families in America.

So what am I saying? What wines to drink with the Sunday Sauce or any home-made Italian American Meal? Well, actually most of the time I do drink wines from Italy with my Sunday Sauce or whatever Italian food we’re making. The Carlo Rossi is just when we eat over Uncle Tony’s house with Uncle Frank and all the wonderful meals with Aunt Fran, Aunt Helen, Mommy, Cousin Tony, and my brothers and sister and the whole family. No, I’m not above drinking Carlo Rossi or Gallo if my Uncles are serving it. When we’re eating at home, we usually love to drink Chianti, most times, sometimes Barolo, Barbera, or Brunello. But most often it’s Chianti which I love and it goes quite well with just about anything we eat, especially Meatballs, Sausage, and Sunday Sauce. Chinati comes from Tuscany and is a medium bodied wine made mostly from Sangiovese (The Blood of Jobe), and with small percentages of other native Tuscan grapes like; Colorino, Malvasia Nero, Cannaiolo, or Ciegolo. 

One thing I must say is, that I usually don’t like wines like Big, concentrated Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah from California or Australia. To me, these are the last wines I would ever want to drink with Italian food. Reason. These wines are usually to rich, and because of that, they clash with the food instead of complementing them. the wines you want to drink should have good flavor, but be light to medium in body and weight. Not Bif, Fat, Rich, and concentrated. “No Bueno!”

TRAVAGLINI GATTINARA In NEW YORK

The special rare wine in question was il Sogno, which was a special project created by Cinzia's father Giancarlo Travaglini in 2004 ... Giancarlo wanted to make a dry table wine using the appassimento method of drying grapes before the fermentation process as with the famed wines of Amarone and the lesser known Sforvato of Lombardia. Giancarlo picked some of his best Nebbiolo Grapes and set them out to dry on matts. Unfortunately Giancarlo passed away in November of 20024 when the grapes had only been drying for 1 month. Cinzia and her winemaker husband continued the project.  They finished drying thr Nebbiolo grapes, fermented them and made the wine that tey called il Sogno "The Dream." 

Donnafugata Sicilian Wine

Jose Rallo

at

Tre Bicchieri Tasting

New York

with a bottle

of Tancredi

Donnafugata in Marsala

ITALY

Donnafugata Cellars

Marsala, Italy

MILLE UNA NOTTE

Antonio Rallo

Partner Winemaker Donnafugata

Daniel Bellino Zwicke

With His Friends Wines TERRABIANCA VENICA DONNAFUGATTA

BARBI BRUNELLO PLANETA

SUNDAY SAUCE

ITALIAN COOKBOOK of The YEAR

Donnafugatta's Renowned Dessert Wine

"BEN RYE" PASSITO di PANTELLERIA

The Beautiful Label 

of

Mille Una Notte

and All Donnafugata Labels

Shows The Great Attention to Detail

and Excellence

in Everything The Rallo Family Does

at DONNAFUGATTA

Making Some of The World's Tastiest and Greatest Wines

BRAVO !!!

TONY SOPRANOS GABAGOOL

Gabagools

TONY SOPRANOS GABAGOOL SANDWICH

 

 

 

1. Gabagool

Definition : "Gabagool" is slang for "capicola." It is not a mispronunciation, but is instead in Napolitan dialect, which is what the Sopranos and many Italian-Americans use. The rule in this dialect is to chop off ending vowels and to voice unvoiced consonants.Ricotta-"rigot"

2. Manicotti-"manigot ...  gabagool= Capicola Ham.  "My wife sends me here to shop because they got good gabagool."  3. Gabagool

The Sicilian pronunciation for the spicy deli ham "Capicola".  "Do you want provologne on your gobagool sandwich?" 4. Gabagool - The americanized version of the Italian word "Capicola" made popular by Tony Soprano and other ignorant 2nd & 3rd generation Italo-Americans who have forgotten how to speak italian properly. Capicola is a spicy deli meat similar to ham or salami.

Learn How to Make

a GABAGOOL SANDWICH

SUNDAY SAUCE / ITALIAN GRAVY

PASTA FAZOOL

and More ....

READ ABOUT TONY SOPRANOS GABAGOOL SANDWICH

in DANIEL BELLINO'S

SUNDAY SAUCE

WHEN-TALIAN-AMERICANS COOK

Available on AMAZON.com ... CLICK HERE !

.

.

AMERICA BEST PIZZA DiFara Brooklyn .......... NEW YORK

"Yes," Eating Pizza Made by The Maestro DOM DeMARCO

Is a Religious Experience !!!

   Much has been said of the now famed Pizzeria (DiFarra Pizza) on Avenue J in Brooklyn, New York the Capital of Thee Best Pizza in the whole United States of America, bar-none, even Manhattan. Brooklyn lays claim to the Top two Pizzerias in the country, the top of the list 1 and 2, number 1, The Best and number 2, the second best. Well no, I don't know if I should put it that way, as it sound s as one is better than the other, which is not ht e case, as they are both equally good, equally Great and equally the Best Pizza and the Best Pizzerias in the United States, though they are are little different than one another. The Pizza at both Totonno's on Neptune Avenue in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York  and Di Farra Pizza on Avenue J in Brooklyn are both otherworldly specimens  of some the Finest Pizza on other and the Undisputed Best Pizza in America.

   Wow, got off on a tangent about both Di Farra and Totonno's when I just intended to talk about Di Farra Pizza, Dom DeMarco the Maestro of Di Farra's and the Religious experience that it is to go there, watch Dominic masterfully make Pizza after glorious Pizza (without the help of anyone else), to watch in awe and anticipation and Salivation til you finally get yours (after about a hour or hour and a half wait), you hold it in your hand like a precious baby, and then to sink your teeth into it, savoring each wondrous bite after the other. "Yes," it is truly a religious experience, that is, if you are a great lover of this wonderful invention, created in Napoli, spread throughout the the Italian Peninsular and then across the Atlantic to America from Italian Immigrants where Gennaro Lombardi opened the First Pizzeria in America on Prince Street in New York City some 100 years ago or so.

    Back to Di Farra and Pizzaiolo Extraordinaire, Mr. Dominic DeMarco. It is Dominic that makes Di Farra what it is, it certainly isn't the Pizzeria itself which is ultra plain and even appalling to some. Mr. DeMarco's pizzas are just about as close to absolute perfection in the Pizza Making World, a world in which New York City excels and has only one rival in Naples, Italy and the whole of Italy itself. Mr. De Marco has the magic touch, with perfect dough, the perfect balance of ingredients, tomato and other ingredient ratio to cheese, and this include Mr. Demarcos judicious use of Olive Oil which is right-on and a little magic touch that whoever complains about it, just does not know there Pizza and Italian Food on a whole. We Italians love our olive oil. And those who complain are unaware that it is a condiment that adds the final last touch to many dishes before they are eaten. Dominic knows this and should not be discourage against his generous use of it by those who do not understand the proper essence of the Italian Table. So please, keep your traps shut, if you don't like it don't eat it, this countries finest examples of the Pizza Art.
     And on to the religious experience of Di Farra, Dom DeMarco and the mans artistry with Pizza. There is nothing quite like it in the entire Pizza World. There does not exist, to my knowledge any place in the world that has an elderly man making a hundred plus Pizzas a day in a place that has endless lines, day and night. Pizza that are so perfect, words can not describe  People line up for greatness and artistry, and for a couple of slices of the most marvelous pizza this side of Naples, and to watch this passionate little old man work his heart out, not getting, not allowing anyone else to make a pie at his beloved Pizzeria. The man is elderly. He's worked his whole life. He makes such a magical thing that people line up each and every day to see him and eat one of his many masterpieces. With business like this, he could hire to other Pizzaiolos to help him, doubling or tripling his business and and financial intake. He could hire two guys and make pizza aloing with them, or sit back and get three guys to do it. At his age, he's entitled to. But know, Dom DeMarco loves what he does, he loves his Pizza, each and every one that passes that counter and into thousands of appreciative hands. The man feels that no one else can make a Pizza the way he does and wants to serve to his customers. No one else who has his skills, his passion and love for the Pizza, thus he does it all himself. And this my friends is the reason that going to Di Farra's to watch Dominic the maestro in action, all by himself while hundreds of people line up every day, waiting an hour and a half to two hours just to get a Pizza (not just any old Pizza mind you). "It's a Religious Experience." Truly! A show and there is nothing like it in the World, Dom DeMarco, a man and his Pizza, America's Best, and something to rival that other World Pizza Capital, Napoli.


by Daniel Bellino Zwicke

SPAGHETTI & MEATBALLS

MEATBALLS alla SINATRA "RECIPE In SUNDAY SAUCE"

RECIPE In SUNDAY SAUCE .. Click HERE !!!!

MEATBALLS

    Spaghetti and Meatballs, what’s more Italian than that?  Well, a lot of things actually. There is a constant ongoing debate over whether “Spaghetti and Meatballs” is an authentic Italian dish or not. Of course spaghetti is Italian as you can get, and so are Meatballs. However Italians (in Italy) do not eat them together. Eating Spaghetti with Meatballs is an Italian-American invention and tradition, and a great one at that, as Lidia Bastianich and other have written. Italian-American is a great cuisine in itself. It is most truly authentic Italian with a few twist here and there, like eating Meatballs on the same plate with Spaghetti instead of two separate courses as they do in Italy. What’s wrong with that? Maybe the Italian-American mammas of way back (100 years ago, around 1905 or so) didn’t want to clean twice as many dishes so they combined the two courses into one. Just kidding, though it is not a bad idea.

    Let me tell you one thing, in case you might not have known. Meatballs, and yes they are Italian and eaten in Italy, meatballs are infinitely more popular in the United States than they are in the mother country of Italy. Americans eat millions more of them a year than their Italian brethren. The Neapolitans and Sicilians eat them the most in Italy and because of the fact that these are the areas where the greatest number of Italian immigrants to the U.S. came from, thus one of the reasons this dish became such a great favorite of Italian expatriates, their children, grandchildren, and millions of Americans, including people of other ethnic origins who happen to love the great cuisine of Italy and Italian-America. Italian is one of the World’s great cuisines. You don’t have to be Italian to love the food, the same as many Italian-Americans love to eat Chinese food, it’s tasty, so Mangia!!!

    Oh yes, you want to know what kind of meat goes into the Meatballs? Well the most common in Italian America are Meatballs made of ground Beef, Pork, and Veal. However, many make their meatballs solely with Beef, and in Italy and especially Tuscany, Veal Meatballs, “Polpettini” are quite popular. Whatever meat you choose, just make them tasty, and you’ll have people coming back for seconds, even third helpings.

    One more thing, Meatballs in Sauce (Gravy) are great but if you ever want a little change when making them? When making Meatballs for a Sunday Sauce or to serve with Spaghetti on their own, reserve a dozen or so meatballs that you don’t cook in sauce. Brown the Meatballs, then pop in the oven to finish cooking and serve on their own without tomato sauce gravy, and just a little bit of the juices the Meatballs cook in, with some chopped fresh parsley on top. They taste great this way. You can serve them as starter course (Antipasto), in a Sandwich, or as a main course with Mashed Potatoes, or a salad on the side or whatever you choose to serve them with, they’re “Great.” Try it some time!

Excerpted From SUNDAY SAUCE  "When Italian-Americans Cook"

   by Daniel Bellino-Zwicke

RECIPE FOR SPAGHETTI & MEATBALLS alla SINATRA in SUNDAY SAUCE 
by Daniel Bellino-Zwicke

AVAILABLE On AMAZON.com CLICK HERE !!!!

Great Vintage Barolo 2000 2001 1996

ALDO CONTERNO BAROLO CICALA 2001

One of The GREAT BAROLO VINTAGES EVER

at

DeGrezia

NEW YORK

THIS WINE Was AWESOME !!!

94 on a 100 Point Scale

Barolo Aldo Conterno "Cicala" 2001 ...  It's a classic Barolo from one of Barolo's finest producers, Aldo Conterno .. Cicala is a single -vineyard Barolo .. I'll take this oportunity for those who may not know, a single-vineyard wine is one in which all the fruit that goes into that particular wine comes from one sight-specific vineyard area .. These single vineyard vineyards are located on an estate in small plot that has the best growing conditions for wine within a larger area .. The sight is usually special because it gets the best sun light and is usually on a southern faceing vineyard, possibly on a hill and has good drainage and other terrain elements beneficial to maximum grap growing ...
  Back to the Aldo Conterno Barolo Cicala 2001 .. As we've already stated, Aldo Conterno is a great Barolo producer and this wine comes from a famous single-vineyard .. Now moving on to the vintage, 2001 in Barolo and Barbaresc was one of the greatest Barolo vintages ever, along with 2000, 1996, 1989, 1990 and others ..
   We opened a couple a few bottles at this party, and they were all in great condition, properly cellared for the whole of their lives. Decanted, the color and aroma were marvelous and no signs of any faults such as Bret, oxidation, be cooked or corked. Yes the bottles were in excellent conditon. The aromas were classic Barolo as was the taste, of which the wine had many marvels, including; Alcohol Soaked Cherries, Truffle, tar, and Licorice .. I loved the wine, one of the finest Barolo's I have ever tasted and I've tasted many running the Inoteca at Del Posto, Bar Cichetti and Barbetta Wine Director for 4 1/2 years were I tasted the likes of Ceretto Bricco Rocche Barolo 1990,  Renato Ratti Barolo Riserva 1990, Marcarini Barolo Brunat 1996, Bartolo Mascarello Barolo 1996 97 and 1990, Gaja Barolo "Sperss" 1990, Giacamo Conterno Monfortino 1978  1989 1990, and Cavolotto Barolo Bricco Boschis 1990 and 1996. Mascarello barolo "Monprivato" 1990 1989 & 1996 just to name a few of the many I have had over the years ... With all this said and done, I'll tell you this Conterno Barolo "Cicala" 2001 is the best Barolo I've had in the past 5 years or so, and I'd deffinately rank it way up there with all the great Barolo I've tasted over the years including many from the great 1989 1990 1996 1997 2000 and 2001 vintages .. I'd rate this Cicala 2001 about a 93 on a 100 point scale if I was forced to do so .. But my best way of describing this or any great wine is; that I Loved it, I couldn't get enough of it and wanted more, when all was gone. The wine was memorable and a joyous pleasure to drink. Bravo Ado!




Daniel Bellino Zwicke


photo Daniel Bellino-Zwicke

Provolone & Gabagool

Gabagools

TONY SOPRANOS GABAGOOL SANDWICH

1. Gabagool

This is an addition to the previous definition, which is half right. "Gabagool" is slang for "capicola." It is not a mispronunciation, but is instead in Napolitan dialect, which is what the Sopranos and many Italian-Americans use.

The rule in this dialect is to chop off ending vowels and to voice unvoiced consonants.

Ricotta-"rigot" 

Manicotti-"manigot&q uot;

2. gabagool= Capicola Ham.

"My wife sends me here to shop because they got good gabagool."

3. Gabagool 

The Sicilian pronunciation for the spicy deli ham "Capicola".
"Do you want provologne on your gobagool sandwich?"

4. Gabagool 

The americanized version of the Italian word "Capicola" made popular by Tony Soprano and other ignorant 2nd & 3rd generation Italo-Americans who have forgotten how to speak italian properly. Capicola is a spicy deli meat similar to ham or salami.