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Discovering the Wines of Colonnara

2/22/2015

"Wine makes all things possible." George R. R. Martin, the Mystery Knight

Once upon a time in a small hill town in Italy's Le Marche region, there lived 19 wine makers. The war that ravaged their homeland had ended, and they were trying to rebuild their lives and their wineries. And then, out of the darkness an idea came to light. The 19 small producers decided to join together to create a cooperative. Their cooperative, Cantina Sociale di Cupramontana, founded in the small hill town of Cupramontana in 1959, is today the Colonnara winery. During its 50 plus years of wine making history, Colonnara has grown to include nearly 200 producers spanning the length of the Marche region from the province of Pesaro/Urbino in the north to the southern province of Ascoli Piceno. Today, Colonnara, one of the regions largest and most respected wineries, makes well over 1 million bottles of wine per year and 25% of their production is sparkling wines.

A view of the beautiful hill town of Cupramontana in the province of Ancona, Le Marche, Italy

What ignited my desire to visit Colonnara on a clear, cold Thursday morning was my knowledge that they are a pioneer in the making of sparkling wines from the verdicchio grape. ( In a prior post I mentioned their Ubaldo Rosi sparkling wine made in the classic champagne method that has been recognized as the third best sparkling wine produced in Italy and the best south of the Po river. ) So, at 11:30 a.m. following our weekly Italian lesson, my husband, Jim, and I piled into our little Alpha Romeo Mito and headed off to Cupramontana with our friend, Cristina, whose husband Massimiliano is the winery President.

We arrived at the winery in Cupramontana, the capital of the Castelli dei Jesi DOC, around noon. There a complex of diverse buildings, including a very large red and white stripped silo, boast panoramic views to the sea. Cristina directed us to the cantina where we met Emiliano, the Export Director, who would be our tour guide. Our first stop on the tour was the warehouse. Here large quantities of wine were boxed and ready for distribution, but this was merely a diversion along the way to the cellars. A room sized elevator took us down under the warehouse to a naturally temperature controlled place. It's arched ceiling and mood lighting created an atmosphere of peace and harmony. In this tranquil room the wines relax until they are ready for consumption.

The Colonnara cellar where red, white and sparkling wines age peacefully

As we walked through the large cellar, Emiliano pointed out an antique piece of sparkling wine making equipment displayed along one wall and gave us a brief history lesson in the making of sparkling wines. Apparently 100 years ago a machine added carbon dioxide to the still wine inside the bottle to create the bubbles of a sparkling wine. Of course, back then wine bottles were not as well constructed as they are today and many bottles exploded during the process - thus the need for a shield around the bottle.

A 100 year old machine used to infuse wine with carbon dioxide to produce a sparkling effect

Back in the cantina, Jim and I along with Cristina and Massmiliano (who had joined us in the cellar) were ready to taste a few examples of Colonnara's sparkling wine. The selections would be a brut made by the charmat or bulk method in which the second fermentation takes place in the steel tanks and the Luigi Ghislieri, a wine made in the classic champagne method where the second fermentation takes place in the bottle. Both of these wines are made from 100% verdicchio grapes. Verdicchio, the wine produced in the Castelli dei Jesi DOC area, is a white wine made from an ancient grape variety of the same name whose lineage some claim can be traced back to Roman times. However, documented production in Le Marche is recorded back to the 1300s. While still relatively unknown in America, Verdicchio is recognized by wine critics as one of the best white wine varieties in Italy. Verdicchio wines are characterized by a balanced acidity with flavors of lemon and grapefruit and maybe even bitter almonds. But aging of the sparkling Verdicchio by the classic champagne method creates a more mellow pallet, and the wines generally exhibit flavors of honey and almonds and even bread crust. Verdicchio is a versatile grape whose rich acidity makes it particularly good for sparkling wine production. In Italy, the still wines made from the Verdicchio grape are extolled as the best wine for fish, and they are also an excellent accompaniment for white meat or other delicately flavored dishes.

The verdicchio grape so named because of the greenish color

So now, it was time for the part of this adventure that we were anxiously awaiting - tasting some of the Colonnara sparkling wines. Our first taste would be the Brut Verdicchio made by the charmat method (or martinotti as it is called in Italy). As Emiliano poured the very pale yellow liquid into the glasses, I watched the energetic bubbles float rapidly to the surface. I lifted the glass to my nose and inhaled the recognizable fresh and fruity scent of Verdicchio. In the mouth, the fruit flavor comes across, but the typical citrus notes are somewhat mellowed by a bit of peach or almond. I liked this wine. I could imagine this competing with Prosecco for me as an excellent aperitif. It is much lighter than champagne and very easy to drink. As Prosecco, it scores at the top on my gulpability scale.

Tasting the wines - Massmiliano, me, Cristina and Emiliano, our tour guide

Next, came the Luigi Ghislieri. A wine that Colonnara began to produce in 2010. It is one of their top sparkling wines and is dedicated to the Cooperative Chairman who in the 1970s restored the Cupramontana tradition of sparkling wine making. This wine, made in the traditional champagne method, is bottle aged for no less than 30 months. When we toured with Emiliano, he mentioned that one striking difference between wines made by the charmat method and the champagne method is in the resulting perlage (the bubbles). And now observing the brut and the Luigi Ghislieri back to back it is obvious that the bubbles in the Ghislieri are very much smaller. Rather than bursting from the glass as in the Brut, they float with a mature dignity to the top. The nose exudes warmer scents of honey and almond. And the taste is elegant and soft with little trace of the acidity so typical of verdicchio. This is a wine to be sipped slowly and savored, a more complex wine, a wine to think about. I think about serving it with a baked salmon filet, and I cringe when I am forced to pour some of it out into the bucket so I can taste a still white wine for everyday drinking.

Luigi Ghislieri, aged in the bottle for a minimum of 30 months

Colonnara Brut, a fresh sparkling aged in steel tanks

When the tasting was done and the purchases made, Jim and I headed back to the Alpha for the return trip home to Poggio San Marcello. But on the road, the Ghislieri haunted me, and the taste remained on my pallet. Now, I brooded as I considered waiting an entire week before I can share the Ghislieri with our 12 dinner guests next weekend. I guess I should have bought an extra bottle just for me.

Live and learn and enjoy some Italian sparkling wine.

You can find the Luigi Ghislieri sparkling wine for sale in the US on Amazon.com. Here is the link http://www.amazon.com/Colonnara-Cuvee-Ghislieri-Metodo-Classico/dp/B00GMLRRRK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424613800&sr=8-1&keywords=luigi+ghislieri.

For more information about the Colonnara winery and their other products, visit them on line at www.colonnara.it.

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Cooking with Prosecco

2/15/2015

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"I like to cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food." W.C. Fields

Just like WC Fields, I like to cook with wine. And, I put it in food quite often. In any recipe that calls for white wine, I will substitute Prosecco or another sparkling wine when it is available. Wine is a very versatile accompaniment to almost any recipe. It can be a substitute for fats or for liquid in in meat dishes, vegetables, sauces or even desserts. It is important to use a dry sparkling wine for sauce recipes and chicken or fish dishes. I find that a good brut Prosecco works quite well in either an Alfredo sauce or a tomato based sauce. When making a dessert recipe, using a sweeter sparkling wine is usually appropriate - unless as in one of the recipes below, a dry wine is specified.

The general rule is to use a white wine with chicken or fish and a red with beef, or lamb, but who follows the rules. Experiment with Prosecco, or another Italian sparkling wine such as a sparkling verdicchio or a sparkling gavi, in a variety of dishes. There is just one simple rule that I do believe in. If you wouldn't want to drink it, don't cook with it.

Baking simple Italian desserts is my second love, after drinking a great Italian sparkling wine. And so I look for opportunities to combine these two passions. Fortunately, many Italian dessert recipes use wine or a liqueur and a sparkling wine makes a good substitute. Just remember that in desserts of this type, it is important to choose a good wine because the flavor will be apparent. So, if you don't like the taste of the wine to drink, you will not like it in a cake or cookies.

Below are two very traditional Italian dessert recipes using sparkling wine. They are based on different versions of the ciambella. In Italy, the word ciambella means doughnut. And anything with a hole in the center is called a ciambella including doughnut shaped cookies or cakes which are big versions of the doughnut called ciambellone.

Ciambelle with Prosecco and Anise

Ingredients
4 cups of flour (use 00 flour for best results)
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons of dry white sparkling wine (Prosecco or another Brut)
1 teaspoon of anise seeds
2 teaspoons of baking powder

Equipment
Electric mixer - I used a kitchen aid with a balloon attachment
Oven preheated to 350 F or 180 C

Making the Ciambelle

Step 1: Mix together the flour, sugar and baking powder in a large mixing bowl.
Step 2: Slowly mix in the olive oil and sparkling wine. (I mixed them together in a measuring cup and poured them in a slow stream into the flour mixture. If the dough is too dry, add another tablespoon of the wine. However, this dough should be a little bit dry since the cookies are best if they are crisp and flakey.)
Step 3: Break off pieces of the dough and work with your hands until the dough is workable and not too dry. If it is not worked enough, it will fall apart as you try to roll out the ropes in Step 4.
Step 4: Roll the piece of dough into 12 to 14 inch ropes that are about 1/2 inch in diameter.
Step 5: Cut the rope in half and with each half form a circle overlapping the ends of the rope slightly.
Step 6: Place the ciambelle on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and sprinkle with sugar.
Step 6: Place the cookie sheet in the center of the oven and bake for approximately 15 to 20 minutes until the ciambelle are golden brown.
Step 7: Remove from the oven and cool on a rack.

Ciambellone with Prosecco

Ingredients
3 3/4 cups of flour (use a 00 flour or a cake flour for best results)
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of sugar
4 eggs plus one egg yolk
11/2 teaspoon vanilla or lemon flavoring
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
Zest of one lemon finely chopped
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup minus one teaspoon Prosecco (or another sparkling wine)

Equipment
Oven preheated to 350 degrees F
Electric mixer
Buttered and floured bunt cake pan

To Make the Ciambellone

Step 1: With an electric mixer combine the eggs and sugar until light in color and increased in volume.
Step 2: Gradually add the sparkling wine and the olive oil and continue to mix until well integrated.
Step 3: Add the lemon zest, flour, baking powder and flavoring and continue to mix on medium speed until all ingredients are just integrated; do not over mix.
Step 4: Pour the batter into the prepared bunt pan.
Step 5: Place the pan in the center of the oven and bake for approximately 35 minutes until it is golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean.
Step 6: Remove from oven and let cool prior to removing from the pan. Top with powdered sugar prior to serving.
Buon Appetito!

Look for more of my Italian dessert recipes at www.channelingnonna.com

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Prosecco - Liquid Poetry

2/8/2015

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A woman walks into a bar in Tuscany and asks for a glass of Prosecco. The waiter returns with a flute of sparkling wine. The woman watches the bubbles rise and she inspects the color. Maybe it is the light, she thinks, as she detects notes of gold rather than the clarity of Prosecco. Raising the glass to her nose, she inhales. She is suspicious. The classic scent of apples, pears, maybe citrus, maybe almond are not apparent. When she tastes the liquid, she is sure. "This is not Prosecco", she says. "Si, si. It is prosecco," insists the waiter. "Ah, but this is not Prosecco di Valdobbiadene", the woman replies looking very disappointed.

Well, I must admit that I have had this conversation and subsequent disappointment in many bars throughout Italy. Outside of the Veneto, when you ask for Prosecco, there is a 50/50 chance that you will be served a glass of a local sparkling wine made from a regional grape variety. The word, prosecco is often used to mean a sparkling wine.

The town of Valdobbiadene from the Zucchetto cantina

I think I first heard of Prosecco in reading Frances Mayes, Under the Tuscan Sun, where she often mentions drinking it. And, arriving in Italy on my first visit in 2000, it was the first drink I ordered in Venice. From that time forward, the Prosecco from Valdobbiadene has been my drink of choice.

Prosecco vineyards, Valdobbiadene, Italy

So, what is Prosecco? Our friend, Carlo Zucchetto, owner and winemaker at the Zucchetto winery in Valdobbiadene, will tell you it is liquid poetry. And I would have to agree. I first met Carlo over a decade ago when my husband, Jim, and I went to Valdobbiadene, a small town approximately one hour north of Venice, in search of a Prosecco to import to California. A serendipitous encounter in Hotel Villa Soligo, directed us to the Zucchetto cellars just outside of the Valdobbiadene town center. Zucchetto, a third generation family owned and operated winery, is one of the smaller producers in the area making about 60,000 bottles per year. Two of their Proseccos were the first wines we imported, and they remain one of my favorite Proseccos.

Carlo in the Cartizze Alta vineyard. He brought some Prosecco, of course.

Prosecco, the sparkling wine served everywhere in Venice, is the major ingredient in the famous Bellini cocktail first served at Harry's Bar. It is made by the charmat method in which the second fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks rather than in the bottle like champagne. This gives the resulting wine a young, fresh taste. Prosecco is generally meant to be consumed young - within a year or two.

My husband, Jim, and I with Carlo on one of our trips into the cellar to taste from the tanks.

Tasting Prosecco from the tanks.

When Jim and I first started importing Prosecco to California in 2004, the grape from which Prosecco was made was called Prosecco, and most of the Prosecco produced came from the Valdobbiadene and Conegliano DOC. But, within a few years, more and more sparkling wine labeled Prosecco was being produced further south in the province of Treviso, and even in the neighboring province of Fruili. To protect the wines produced in the original prosecco DOC area (Valdobbiadene and Conegliano), a DOCG classification was introduced in 2009, and prosecco from Treviso was classified as a DOC wine. At the same time, the name of the grape was changed to glera. Today, the glera grape is also being grown outside of Italy in Brazil, Romania, Argentina and Australia. In Italy, approximately 150 million bottles of Prosecco are produced each year, and more than half come from the Valdobbiadene/Conegliano DOCG area.

The glera grape used in making Prosecco

Like champagne, Prosecco comes in brut and extra dry varieties. In addition, there is Cartizze, the most prestigious cru in the DOCG area. Cartizze is made only from grapes grown on the Cartizze alta hills which cover about 260 acres of land in the heart of Valdobbiadene. The price of an acre of vineyard in the Cartizze hills is valued at between $500,000 and $1 million.

A view from the Cartizze Alta vineyard

Below are recommendations for a few of my favorite Proseccos now available in the US.

Zucchetto, of course. As we now live in Italy and no longer import wines to the US, Carlo has found a new importer in Chigazola Merchants. What distinguishes Carlo's proseccos from others is his obsession with reducing the sugar content which results in a dryer wine. Learn more about the Zucchetto winery at www.zucchetto.com.

Ruggieri Giustino B. Giustino B is a Superiore Prosecco produced by Ruggieri, one of the larger producers in Valdobbiadene. Giustino B is consistently a winner of accolades, including the prestigious 3 bicchieri award from Gambero Rosso four years in a row. www.ruggieri.it

Bisol, another Valdobbiadene are winery, produces not only the charmat method prosecco but also prosecco made in the classic champagne method. www.bisol.it

Ca Vittoria is a producer in Conegliano. In addition to the classic Brut, Extra Dry and Cartizze (Superiore), Ca Vittoria offers a very nice rose prosecco. www.cavittoria.com

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A Night to Remember with 3 Renown Sparkling Wines

2/2/2015

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When our friend Cristina mentioned a local tasting of three of the world's finest sparkling wines, my eyes lit up and my inner child was jumping up and down saying I want to go, can I go while simultaneously I worked to maintain a proper mask of decorum. Since I was so focused on trying to keep my cool, my husband, Jim, managed to ask the question first, "Can we go?" Cristina promised to call Giovanni Fabretti, a Delegate of the Federazione Italiana Sommelier, who was organizing the event to see if there was still space available. And so, that is how on the following Friday night, Jim and I found ourselves in the car with Cristina, her husband, Massmiliano, and our friend Silvia on our way to Cupramontana, a small hill town in the province of Ancona in Le Marche.

The tasting line up for the evening would feature two Italian sparkling wines: Ubaldo Rosi Riserva 2008, a local Marche wine from Massmiliano's winery, Colonnara, in Cupramontana and Guilio Ferrari Riserva del Fontadore 2002 from the Ferrari cellars in Trentino. The third selection was a French Champagne, Cristal 2004, a name that is synonymous with champagne excellence.

It was the end of the night and the bottles were empty but the taste lingered on

We arrived at the Palazzo Leoni, the home of the International Museum of Wine Labels, at 9:00 pm. and made our way to the Enoteca Comunale housed in the ancient wine cellars of the palazzo.

Entering the Enoteca Comunale, Cupramontana

A 19th century wine press on display in the Enoteca Comunale

In the tasting room, half a dozen small tables were prepared with three glasses at each place setting. We took our seats at a table joining the small coterie of wine enthusiasts anxiously awaiting the start of the event, and more precisely, the pouring of the wines. As we sat waiting for late comers, I looked longingly at the glasses full of anticipation.

A table prepared with three glasses, one for each of the wines to be tasted

Giovanni, the host for the evening, commenced his powerpoint presentation discussing the champagne making process and the story of each wine. When he began the story of Ubaldo Rosi, he introduced Massmiliano, who spoke about Ubaldo Rosi, named for a pioneer of sparkling wine making in Le Marche who recognized the potential of the verdicchio grape as a sparkling wine made in the classic champagne method. At last, fashionably late, the wines arrived, all three at the same time, so that we could do a comparative tasting.

Giovanni discussing the Cristal

Here are my thoughts about the wines. I must note at the outset, however, that if you are expecting Robert Parker, think again. For me, all of that point allocation methodology is like an accounting algorithm that sucks the joy out of the tasting experience. There are too many elements that affect one's enjoyment of a particular wine at a particular moment that can't be quantified including the story and the environment in addition to your nose, your pallet and your preferences. So, here is my gestalt on the wines presented on that Friday evening.

First, the Ubaldo Rosi was poured into the glasses followed by the Guilio Ferrari and finally the Cristal. Each wine had that beautiful golden straw color, although the Ferrari, which is aged in the bottle for 10 years, had an almost imperceptibly darker hue. The Ubaldo Rosi maintained a fresher nose with hints of fruitiness along with bread crust and almond. The Guilio Ferrari, on the other hand had a more aggressive nose with toasted hazelnuts, honey and a hint of liquor. Finally, the Cristal, which I was so excited to try since I had never tasted it, had the most aggressive nose with what my friend Silvia described as a scent of proscuitto. For me, the nose was overpowered by the scent of wood, as this wine is enjoys some aging in oak. Since I am not a fan of wines aged in oak, preferring the true taste of the fruit, this placed the Cristal in third place for me immediately.

Here I am discussing the nose with Massmiliano, President of Colonnara winery, Cupramontana

Okay, so the nose is important, but how about the taste. The Ubaldo Rosi, awarded 3 bicchieri from Gambero Rossi and identified as the third best sparkling wine in Italy and the best south of the Po river, was the youngest of the three wines with 60 months of aging on the lees. It also had the distinction of being made from 100% verdicchio grapes from the Castello di Jesi DOC rather than chardonnay and pinot. Verdicchio is a very ancient grape, going back to ancient Roman times, and is often cited as the best wine to accompany fish. The Ubaldo Rosi, maintained the qualities of the verdicchio grape with a blend of dryness and mineralness, but the bottle aging added depth and refinement with a finish of almonds.

The Guilio Ferrari was somewhat of an enigma to me. The wine, a consistent 3 bicchieri winner, is aged 10 years in the bottle and the final touch is the addition of "liqueur di expedition" which adds a dose of sweetness and the scent of liqueur to the nose. The contents of this addition are a closely guarded secret. This wine had balance and body with flavors of vanilla and honey and a hint of liqueur at the finish which made the flavor distinctive.

Finally, the Cristal, a wine that is aged for 6 years. What I personally liked best about the Cristal is the story of the Russian Tsar, Alexander II, for whom the wine was initially made. Fearing assassination attempts, the Tsar wanted the wine in a clear bottle where no bomb could be hidden, thus a clear crystal bottle with no dimple in the bottom was made. This is where the name Cristal originated. The taste, mineral and citrus but definitely aged in wood.

Of the three wines, I preferred the Ubaldo Rosi. Whether it is because it maintained the qualities of verdicchio which because I live in the Castelli di Jesi DOC is my everyday wine or because it maintained a more vivid bouquet and taste, I do not know. The Cristal, on the other hand, was my least favorite because I could not get past the wood aging influence on the nose and the taste. But that is okay with me as it once again confirmed my love of Italian sparkling wines.

Enjoying the champagne and oysters with friends, Cristina, Silvia, Massmiliano (unfortunately, my husband Jim is behind the camera)

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In Venice with my best friend, Luca

About Me

I am an American ex-pat who lived most of a decade in Le Marche, Italy. A former Italian wine importer, I am an Italian wine enthusiast. And sparkling wines are my passion. Back in California, I continue my quest to discover the wide variety of sparkling wines made in Italy and elsewhere.

Luca does Vinitaly - official canine representative, 2015

My book, Dog Days in Italy about my humans' 20 year love affair with Italy is available on Amazon. www.amazon.com/Dog-Days-Italy-Became-Expat/dp/B09JYP2M27

Discovering the Wines of Colonnara

"Wine makes all things possible." George R. R. Martin, the Mystery Knight

Cooking with Prosecco

"I like to cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food." W.C. Fields

Ciambelle with Prosecco and Anise

Ciambellone with Prosecco

Look for more of my Italian dessert recipes at www.channelingnonna.com

Prosecco - Liquid Poetry

A Night to Remember with 3 Renown Sparkling Wines

About Me

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