This title makes one think of the beginning of a joke... you know the one that was going around in the mid-1990s... - there was a Frenchman, a German and an Italian - seasoned with the most improbable clichés? Instead, this article is about a story of courage, different people, wine and dreams. Lorenzo farmstead and the wines of theUpper Sebino of the winemaker Daniel Pennacchioare the undisputed protagonists of an oenological and cultural revolution that is creeping into this beautiful land, where I have lived for almost two years.

I met Daniel at Sette Terre Wine Fest 2016 last September, and I have already spoken about its Marzemino in this article dedicated to that beautiful evening in Bergamo Alta. The first thing that struck me were his wines, which if I had to define them in one word I would say 'frank', understood as a pure and honest expression of the vines and places where they were born. In reality, it is impossible to define these wines with a single word, but I want to do so because I want it to transpire what exactly I think of Daniel's work, and of Daniel in general as a person... because even before being a good winemaker, he is a rare person, the kind whose word or handshake is still worth something, and whom you can look in the eye and know will always be loyal and close to you. In short, he is a frank person, exactly like his wine!

After we met, he invited me to his beautiful wine cellar in Volpino, overlooking my beloved Lake Iseo, with vineyards laid out in neat terraces overlooking the lake. The cellar, like the tasting room, is clean, tidy, neat and simple. That day, after a walk through the vineyards, we went up to taste what I thought at the time was the only wine I missed from his production, Cornelle.

Cornelle is a red wine made from Merlot and Marzemino grapes that matures in steel for 12 months before refining in the bottle for a further 5 months. As the label itself suggests, this red wine has done 0 months in barrique (I really liked the idea of the labels with the number representing the months in barrique and I will never get tired of saying that!). A beautiful ruby red colour, it is a very clean wine both on the nose and palate. Notes of plum, a slight spacing given by the Marzemino, some herbaceous hints and a palate that responds well to the expectations generated by the visual and olfactory examination. Fresh, with tannins that are still a little green, but overall it remains a fairly smooth and easy-drinking wine, making it absolutely perfect for an aperitif. Since it is a very easy-drinking wine, it is usually the one that everyone likes. In fact, I like it a lot myself 🙂 🙂

His multi-award-winning Foppello is the one I like best overall. This wine is made from pure Marzemino, a grape variety originating in the Bassano del Grappa area, which is well known for the excellent wines it gives in Trentino Alto Adige, already extolled at the time of Mozart's Don Giovanni. In Alto Sebino it has also settled very well, especially in the Volpino area where the strongly calcareous soil gives this vine a great minerality that enhances its strengths. Foppello's ability to 'endure' 18 months in barrique without exaggerating with woody scents and without losing anything in freshness, makes it a wine to be quietly forgotten a few years in the cellar with the curiosity of knowing what will happen next. On tasting, the plum blends well with the chestnut, the herbaceous note of dry hay and the spacing of black pepper and vanilla. Being a 'frank' wine as I said, in the mouth my expectations are met by a great nose-mouth correspondence.

Daniel's latest experiment is Lorenzo, 24 months in barrique for a wine made from a cuvée of Merlot and Marzemino with grapes dried in the fruttaia. It will be put on the market shortly, but in my opinion it is only towards the end of the year that it will begin to give its best. A beautiful garnet red, the ripe fruit blends with toasty and spicy notes. In the mouth it has a strong personality, a nice softness and an interesting savouriness that contrasts with its sweet aromas. I would definitely pair it with long cooked game. The name, like the name of his winery 'Cascina Lorenzo', is the tribute of a father in love with his son, to whom he wanted to dedicate his most important wine.

Finally, a little anecdote. As you know, I am doing the sparkling wine guide 500 bubbles in 500. Daniel produces a sparkling wine he named Emanuelle, in honour of his lovely mother Emanuela. It took me a month to taste it... and he kept telling me that it was a simple, unpretentious sparkling wine. Well, gentlemen, if only there were more sparkling wines like his, simple and unpretentious! In reality, Emanuelle is a classic method that shows great promise! I say promising because, in my opinion, if left a few more months on the lees it would acquire that extra edge that it does not yet have, but it is already an excellent product with an enviable quality-price ratio. The nose is tropical, biscuity and vanilla, with a citrus note of candied citron. In the mouth, it is fresh and immediate, savoury and crisp. It still lacks length on the finish, but it is elegant and clean. I am convinced that in a few years' time Daniel will be able to amaze me even with sparkling wine....

I saw this beautiful sunset from Daniel's terrace a couple of months ago... he's not bad at views either 😉

But... what about the recipe? No, I haven't forgotten 😉 Cornelle, Durno and Foppello, Cascina Lorenzo's three red wines, have different characteristics that lead them to be paired with very different dishes... but all three are perfect for my tagliatelle al ragù, try it to believe it! And so last Friday I invited both Daniel Pennacchio and Gabriele Scalici and Francesco Cannizzaro, the two bloggers of Appunti di Degustazione (which will change its name and appearance in a little while, but I haven't told you anything eh!) to eat tagliatelle al ragù at my place. Obviously Daniel brought the wine... and while I rolled out the pasta they had a nice tasting session! At the next table I had them with Cornelle, Francesco and Daniel had them with Durno, and Gabriele with Foppello. Guess what? They were delicious in every case 😀

My tagliatelle with meat sauce

What do you need?

• The kneading machine is not really essential but... it makes your life so much easier that making puff pastry at home can be an everyday act because it becomes really fast! I have this Kenwood which you can buy on offer on Amazon by clicking here. (I am overall very satisfied with this kneading machine, only I would advise you not to wash the leaf and hook in the dishwasher on pain of losing the colour of the tools... but it works just as well)!
• Matter, I bought it in polycarbonate from Silikomart on Amazon (here is the link)! purists actually use the wooden one, but partly for hygiene and partly for convenience (it is non-stick and the dough does not stick) I prefer this one!
• Manual pasta machine, there should be one in every Italian home! With this one, rolling out the dough and cutting the noodles is really a quick operation and there's no excuse not to do it! I have had my Marcato 'forklift' for years and years... and it works really well! (Here is the linkis often on offer).
• Crock pot for meat sauce! I've had the Artigiana Vasai piglet for a thousand thousand years and I couldn't make meat sauce anywhere else! The cooking process is completely different because the piglet retains heat very well, too much steam escapes from the nose... and 4 hours here is an extraordinary cure-all for my ragù! You can buy it at markets around Italy directly from the company's stand or you can find it on Amazon here.

Ingredients for 4 obese pigs

For the meat sauce (ingredients for 8 generous portions)

• 1 carrot, 1 onion, 1 celery stalk for sautéing
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 20 grams of butter
• 400 grams of sausage
• 400 grams of fine minced beef
• 1/2 tube of triple tomato paste
• 1 glass of red wine (I used Cornelle)
• 1 glass of fresh whole milk
• salt, nutmeg
• stock Q.B.

For the noodles (ingredients for 4 portions with a small encore)

• 4 medium eggs (I use the ones from Brescia in the yellow pack: delicious!)
• 200 grams of 00 flour
• 200 grams of durum wheat flour

Preparation:

For the meat sauce:

It doesn't take long to make tagliatelle with meat sauce, but the meat sauce has to simmer for at least 3 hours or it's no good! So I advise you to prepare it beforehand....

1. mince carrot, celery and onion and sauté in the oil and butter mix;
2. add the meat and let it brown;
3. add the glass of red wine and let it fade for a few minutes;
4. mix half a tube of tomato paste with half a glass of water then add it;
5. add 2 ladlefuls of stock and cook for about 15 minutes, then add the glass of milk, adjust the salt and leave to cook for at least 3 hours, stirring and adding a ladleful of stock from time to time;
6. grated plenty of nutmeg.

When it is ready you will see the fat on the surface perfectly separated from the meat on the bottom. When and if you portion it, be careful to put some of its fat in each tin.

For the noodles:

Let's take it for granted that you have already prepared the meat sauce... noodles can be made really quickly, especially if you have a kneading machine like this and the pasta machine.

1. Place the eggs, egg yolk and flour in the bowl of the mixer or in a large bowl and knead until the mixture is smooth;
2. form a ball and cover it with the bowl and let it rest for 10 minutes (maximum 1 hour) to make the dough more elastic, in the meantime put on the pan with water for the dough;
3. divide the dough with a rolling pin and roll it out until it is thin enough to pass through the pasta machine;
4. Pass the sheet from 0 to 5, flouring at each step;
5. cut the pastry into parts of just over a span with a pastry cutter;
6. Pass the puff pastry pieces through the noodle die and shake them a little with flour.

And then what?

Then boil the pasta until it rises to the surface and put it in a frying pan to sauté with a ladle of cooking water, the meat sauce, a piece of butter and lots of parmesan (or grana padano) cheese. Put it on the table and sow like there's no tomorrow! 😀

And the three bloggers? Well, one is obviously me... the other two in the photo with me and Daniel are Gabriele (on the right) and Francesco (next to him). Both AIS sommeliers, they are very good tasters... and Sicilians DOC! That's why I like them already, they remind me of Salem <3 Ah, read this in-depth study on Sicily and its wines if you like 😉

Lastly... with Daniel I have also built a beautiful working relationship, and last November I also did the website for his winery. We enjoyed working together so much that we certainly didn't end up here! When I wrote at the beginning of this article that Daniel Pennacchio is the protagonist of a wine-cultural revolution, I wasn't joking at all! Daniel has a beautiful culture in terms of wine... and hearing him talk about wine has the power to move me because of all the passion he puts into it. So we decided together to organise small wine-tasting lessons in his cellar. We had the first lesson this Thursday on the subject of tasting red wines, and I hope with my words to have enriched those who attended with some knowledge that will help them understand what they are drinking. The next lesson will instead talk about sparkling wines which, as you know, are my great passion 😉

But why do I call it an oeno-cultural revolution? I have noticed that in the Alto Sebino, and particularly in the entire Val Camonica area, people are used to drinking wine, but a true wine culture is not yet rooted. The concept of quality is something that is being sought after, and this leaves me to believe that there is ample room for manoeuvre for all those producers who, like Daniel, seek to produce quality wines without compromise. Daniel's willingness to create these introductory wine lessons for still inexperienced drinkers is therefore a wonderful project that should be supported. The informal format devoid of the trappings that so often discourage those who are not sommeliers or professionals in the sector makes guests feel truly at ease, and they are not embarrassed by their possible inexperience, quite the contrary. Besides, I love teaching as much as I love learning <3

Cheers ??

Chiara

PS And are you familiar with the wines of Cascina Lorenzo? Have you been to our lecture with tasting? Leave me your impressions in a comment here on the blog 🙂 🙂