Travelling this time of year to visit our winemaking friends/partners has become a great tradition. Smaller crowds and relaxed winemakers after the harvest hustle, make for a great time. Here’s a recap of mostly food and drink experiences.
First time in Spoleto, a sleepy old town that seems disconnected from the busy, mini-metropolis behind it. Our local friend said the the best places to eat are outside the city. Both places we ate, we were given VIP treatment due to his relationship with the owner.
First up was lunch at Il Capanno in Torrecola. This is a beautiful country place with a real alpine sense. The wine list is deep and interesting. The kitchen strength is supposedly the meats roasted in a wood oven. Unfortunately, between jet lag (we landed just a few hours prior) and all the comped dishes and pours the owner offered, we ran out of steam before the secondi. The highlight was salumi from Mangalica pigs. Here, as in many places in central Italy, the pasta is cooked a bit more than I prefer. My local friend says this is the region’s best restaurant.
A winemaker suggested we check out nearby Bevagna (a charming ancient town that only Italy can do…
and have lunch at La Barbatelle Enoteca e Osteria. This is a tiny place owned by a woman from Philadelphia by way of being a chef in Seattle. Despite preparing for 20+ people for a Thanksgiving dinner that night, she graciously chose dishes and wines for us. Very homespun and comforting.
Dinner was proceeded by a wine tasting session with my friend at a Spoleto pizzeria called La Tana del Ghiotto. We enjoyed some excellent snacks. I hear their pizza is very good and the wine selection is impressive.
Then on to Il Sovrano in Sant’Anatolio di Narco to continue our wine tasting and dinner, the highlight of which was a rare lock mushroom called Sanguinosi. They are complex and very fruity in flavor. We had them simply roasted and then atop pasta.
Toscana awaits…
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We arrived in Florence for the weekend and checked in to the Sina Villa de Medici. I like the slightly-off-the-beaten-path while still be in striking distance of central city and Oltrarno. We walked the city and then back to the holiday for a cocktail at the embedded Harry’s Wine Bar. My Negroni was the best I’ve had - balanced and smooth. Seems their proprietary gin is the real deal.
Then a walk to dinner at Antico Ristoro di Cambi, an institution recommended by the concierge when asked “who has a good wine list with back vintages?”
The place is a zoo inside and out. Every table, except ours had bistecca alla fiorentina (which looked pretty good but we had steak the night before). We opted for osso buco and fried rabbit & artichokes. Not my kind of place but the food was good and the servers try to be gracious even if they should be wearing roller skates.
As for the wine…it’s challenging. The list is sizeable but there are no vintages. I asked and our server said she thinks they have some back vintage Capanelle CCR but she’d have to check. She arrived with a 2012. I asked if it is 69€ as listed in general. She said, “sure!” It was very good but needed more air time.
Before heading to our room, we informed the concierge that we would need our car in the morning for the short drive west to a winery. We were told that the marathon was happening and it might not be posssible to get out. It was suggested we take the tram. An interesting experience and probably much easier than driving (since the winemaker was willing to meet us at the station).
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Our one full, free day in Florence…so of course, it rained. We stopped in at Palazzo Srozzi for an exhibition of Beato Angelico. Impressive in scope and restoration but this Renaissance art was way too redundant for my liking.
Strolling the city, a need for sustenance and lubrication took hold. We decided on Le Volpe e l’Uva, a cramped but collegial Enoteca that had been recommended by the winemaker we visited. It was excellent. A brash, older woman handles English speaking guests with pride and passion. Her wine suggestions were excellent as were the crostini and cheese. We sat next to and shared plates with a wine geek from Dublin and later chatted with a young American woman travelling to learn Italian. Lots of fun!
Later, we returned to Harry’s Bar. I asked the bartender for a Negroni variant. He said they were soon adding a chocolate one to the menu made from Venezuelan Rum, red Vermouth and a cocoa liqueur. Very nice but I prefer the original.
Dinner was in spitting distance of the hotel at a terrific newish place called Casa Ciabattini. They are known for their fresh pasta and this was some of the best we had in Tuscany (al dente, Grazie). It’s a humble, neighborhood place with gracious service and an impressive wine program of smaller producers, including our first Tuscan Tempranillo. Sorry, no other photos here.
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A morning stop at a winery on the west coast for tasting and lunch and we were off to Montepulciano (technically Montefollonico). Having travelled many miles this day, we were hoping for dinner in walking distance. But everything was closed. Osteria Acquachetta? Not on Tuesdays. We like Fiorella in Pienza but they didn’t answer many calls (this is the downside to offseason travel.
So we went to Montepulciano, which was a ghost town since their famous Christmas market was closed. Love this place anyway. We wandered over to Osteria del Conte, where despite the interior redesign, we realized we went to for lunch some years. A gracious place with good food. They had an interesting dish of cardoon with truffles. This is owned by Contucci so their wines dominate the list.
The next day, we visited our friend who owns a farm and winery on Lake Trasimeno. It’s in Umbria but only a half hour from Montepulciano (despite the deep morning fog). He recently added a restaurant on the property and treated us to a wonderful lunch while tasting his wines.
We returned just in time to meet the winemaking family we’ve known longer than anyone. Deep in their 13th century cellar in Montefollonico we tasted wines. Normally Vittorio brings some old bottles to a restaurant after but we needed to change places last minute and the replacement would not permit this. So, he opened this for us to enjoy as an aperitif. The cork was a crumbly mess.
Just beforbgoing to dinner, we went out on their back terrace overlooking the vineyards of Montepulciano to observe a phenomenon they call the White Sea. Remember the fog reference? Quite a sight. That same terrace usually has saffron growing in the warmer weather.
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This sounds so much better than anything anyone ever posts about their Thanksgiving meals!
Although of course it’s all about family…
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Well, we consider some of our Italian friends like family. And, there’s plenty of over eating and lots of great wine. So, not really so different. But I prefer Guinea fowl and cinghale to turkey any day.
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Remarkably, both winemakers I work with in Campania had to cancel our visit. The upside was lots less driving and more leisure time. Previously, we had only driven through Siena. Anxious to see more, we booked a night there.
We arrived before lunch and began exploring this lovely and urbane city. Lunch quickly beckoned and we made our way to the spot that finished a close second for our dinner plan.
The wine list at La Compagnia dei Vinattieri and it is indeed impressive. I had been looking for wines to try from Sanguineto. So, went with their Rosso di Montepulciano, which was lovely and perfect for a relaxing lunch. The food was enjoyable as well.
We walked most of the city in the afternoon. Then, on a recommendation from our hotel, we stopped at Trefilari Wine Bar, which had a nice BTG selection and a good vibe.
For dinner, we chose Salefino Vino e Cucina despite its somewhat remote location from our hotel. Glad we did! This proved to be one of the more adventurous (i.e., not cucina tipica) menus we encountered. Service was excellent, food very good to excellent, fine wine list and a nice space (though a bit drafty). Coincidentally, we frequently drank Vino Nobile (or similar) on this trip. Less coincidentally, I ate quite a bit of offal.
Next and final report will be from Rome…
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