I've been writing a little less these days... but you know, when a great Love ends it sucks a lot, a lot of energy out of you... and while you're thinking if you'll end up like Bridget Jones being eaten by an Alsatian shepherd in her flat... or in my case by a Paco (2.5 kg Pomeranian)... you're not quite lucid enough to devote yourself to your life. Then, between tears, a glimmer of lucidity assails you (also helped by friends and dad) and you say OK, I've already lost too much, too much time and I MUST react. (and then Bridget meets Mark Darcy at 32, right? 😀 )
One thing has helped me a lot: I think that at 31 years old I am an independent woman who has managed to combine the 3 great loves of her life: wine, the web and writing, and make it a job that fills my life with fulfilment, a fulfilment that you cannot buy with any luxury item. And I think I am doing this job from the most beautiful place in the world: I have been dreaming of living in a house on a lake since I was 16 and I have succeeded.
So here I am, writing on the pages of my beloved wine blog... to tell you about the last part of my Vinitaly 2016! This year for me was the best Vinitaly ever: I had the chance to say goodbye to so many friends (including Carla, Mirko and Roberto from AIS Romagna... always a piece of my heart!) and whom I now mention and send a big hug to:
In the 'cover' photo with Michele and Annabelle of La Montina, my first great love of Franciacorta <3 I adore them and for me the winery is one of the most beautiful in Franciacorta... if not the most beautiful ever! Absolutely to visit... and ask for Alceo too 😉
Then Riccardo Fratus of La Riccafana who is here with his other winemaker Nicola Torazzi... the first toast of my Vinitaly with Laura and Andrea! How nice our trio reunited! Andrea has rightly observed that Riccardo's vintage wines are really, really promising! And I absolutely agree! And at the end of the day, I still have to tell you about the wonderful experience I had at Riccardo Fratus's making the Base and Satén cuts... the people on Facebook literally went crazy when I posted the first photos! It's a pity that the photo didn't include oenologist Nicola Bonazzi, who acts as salesman for both Riccardo and Alessia... he's a great guy (who put up with my delays with such patience!).
Then it was the turn of dear Alessia Berlusconi, The Countessand her delightful all-female staff (apart from the very talented oenologist Angelo Divittini, whom she shares with Riccardo Fratus!) Her La Rossa is absolutely a must try: it has nothing to envy much more 'noble' wines. I want to visit her soon also because I got her (thanks to Poor Andrea) a really wonderful pepper that comes from a remote corner of Japan... I will take the opportunity to visit her cellar on the famous "mammellone" 😀
And then to my TreRè customers, where Max and Morena made a really nice stand and some lovely notebooks to take notes right with the new labels on the cover! What's more, the Arlus albana has grown really big this year! If you happen to be in Romagna go and visit them: the agriturismo is really lovely and the rooms are very romantic, especially the pink room and the blue suite <3 Ah, visit the website morenatrere.com because I did it 😀
Now I'll tell you a little gem from Vinitaly... something that if they told it to me I wouldn't believe it! If you follow me, you know my passion for the Metodo Classico... and when Mr. Franco di Filippo of Moscato di Trani invited me to visit, I was delighted to go! Mr. Franco di Filippo is exceptional: a man truly from another era, with so much passion, willing to take away the merits of an exceptional product to give them to Providence! He accepted the challenge of creating a Metodo Classico from a strongly aromatic grape variety such as Muscat, and as if that were not enough, he even let it dry in the vineyard! The result is a sweet not sweet Dosage Zero perfect with oysters, raw prawns and blue cheeses. The oysters then that Mr Franco reserved for me were so exceptional that I made him leave me the number of his supplier in Milan! Only 2000 bottles a year for an Ecstasy in Harmony that really deserves to be shared, perhaps with the man you love on a pier on the lake of dreams... and lots of oysters of course! Thank you Franco for the wonderful experience... from the bottom of my heart! I hope I can visit you soon in your land, Puglia, which I haven't seen for so many years!
And finally, I can tell you that at Vinitaly I was awarded by Golosario for the best Twitter communication of the 2016 edition! At lunch I had the pleasure of meeting Giancarlo Aneri, founder with Indro Montanelli, Enzo Biagi and Giorgio Bocca of the 'is Journalism' award (received by Fiorello just a few days ago!) and owner of the Aneri winery. An exquisite person, and from what I have seen he shares with me the awareness of having a life project, of having set off knowing exactly where he wanted to arrive. That's exactly how it is for me, so I hope to be as good as him and get exactly where I want to be. I will certainly put in all the effort I can! By the way, I ate really well! The pistachio ice cream in particular was legendary... kudos to Chef Rudy Casalini of Locanda Le 4 Ciacole in Verona!
Now goodbye... I have the last details to finish on TasteVie, my latest wine-themed site that I am developing with Alessandro Marietta! By the way, last night we went with his mum and my parents to Giacomo and Sandro Pittelli at Ristorante Tentazioni in Pisogne and I must say that they outdid themselves! Everything was really extraordinary... and they have really grown! Sandro cooks better and better and Giacomo has improved even more as wine service (the room service was already top notch)... impossible not to give in to this temptation if you're in the area, meanwhile I can't wait to take Andrea there when he comes to visit for the 2 June weekend... and Fabrizio for his birthday!!! In the meantime, look at those little plates....
As wines Franciacorta Extra Brut Francesco I by Uberti and the Lagrain Rosé by St. Paul... which suited us perfectly! And the Lagrain Rosé St. Paul can be said to be the wine of the trio: we opened more than one evening with it at the Vineria Nuova in Ravenna!
See you soon,
Chiara
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