But wine is different. Even the production from a single vineyard can vary in taste from year to year. Wine reflects the place where it’s grown; the French call it “terrior”. While we travel, shouldn’t we seek the things that are local and unique? Shouldn’t we be able to relive our experiences in a place by purchasing a bottle of its typical wine and drinking it with our rendering of the typical food of the place?
The best wine is produced in places that aren’t the most fertile. Many wines are produced from vineyards nearly devoid of soil. A plump grape is good to eat and refreshing, but the concentrated flavor of a stressed grape can make a sublime wine. Here is a rather monochromatic picture of vines in Provence near Menerbes.
Our sense of smell passes through one fewer synapse to be processed. The idea of bringing back a pleasant experience is enhanced by the immediacy of this “less filtered” sensation. Sniff it and you’re transported to another place, another time.
Consider that food travel is all the rage. Wine has long been thought of as food, grapes brought from the field and bottled. Wine regions like Italy’s Piemonte or France’s Hermitage offer some of the best food in their country. Fine wine attracts fine chefs.
Wine regions tend to be easy on the eye, especially in fall.
You really can combine a great lunch, the purchase of a local wine, and visit to a castle when you decide to do a bit of wine travel. It’s efficient.
Here is the famous Piemonte Castle of Grinzane Cavour. It’s surrounded by vineyards, and there are great views all around. Inside you’ll find the “Cavour” Regional Enoteca, the first to be set up in Piedmont in 1967. You’ll also find a restaurant and an Ethnographic Museum which includes “displays on truffles, rare articles relating to the local food and wine tradition, 17th and 19th-century kitchen settings, a distillery from the 1700’s, a cask-maker’s workshop, and rural life” according to the castle’s website. There is a small entrance fee for all this, but it’s worth it.
There are other castles to visit that have regional enotecas. Little Dozza in Emilia Romagna has a very impressive one. Mango in the Langhe is also interesting.
If you’re feeling a little tense, there’s no reason not to sip a small bit of wine. Even the Bible (1 Timothy 5:23) admits to wine’s curative properties when it advises to take a little wine to ease the stomach. The New International Version:
“Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.”
Ancient Romans conquered the world by the transport of wine for the troops. No longer did they need to drink dodgy water, and while their enemies were sick from the polluted streams they drank from, they were an easy prey.
The following illustrated dramatically the effect of, well, perhaps over-indulgence. The statues brighten up a space beside the chapel of the Saint Donato Brotherhood that is today Barbaresco’s regional enoteca, where you can purchase some of the fine wines of the region. See Wine Tasting in a Church: Barbaresco to get the full story.
Wine is primary for most of the populations that produce it. Let’s consider some of wine’s interesting effects discovered in studies, Like “Exposure to wine had a persistent antibacterial effect.” And it’s not the alcohol or acidity, it’s “organic compounds found in both red and white wines. — Wine Kills Germs That Cause Sore Throats and Dental Plaque, Says Awesome Study
So I’m going to turn things around here. Ancient Romans avoided the diseases inherent in drinking water from polluted streams. The pollution could be “natural” if it came from animal feces, but often rivers passing through human populated areas were polluted by sewage and industrial manufacturing like the production of leather, which uses toxic chemicals which are released into streams from the “tanner’s quarter” of medieval towns. The drinking of wine (and beer in northern Europe) could be seen as opening up essential services to an evolving population, with the harm mitigated by the switch in daily beverage. Wine saves the day.
Each region of Italy has its unique grapes. In fact, Italy is the country with the greatest diversity of grape varieties in the world. Here’s a list. By the way Bombino Bianco goes great with fish in Puglia, especially if you have it inside a fishing contraption called a Trabucco
Again, this regional diversity is unique in the world. In most industrial wine production areas, there is a concentration of just a few varieties, and a rejection of those which aren’t as popular. That’s how you make the big bucks in countries which think of wine as a luxury. When wine is an everyday event, you grow what you have nearby, and tasting becomes a wonderland of possibilities.
A few days ago we drank a bottle of a wine called “Pietra” made from one of Europe’s rarest grapes, Susumaniello. Tonight we’re tasting a French wine: Chateau De Fesles La Chapelle Chenin Anjou 2017.” These aren’t wines you can buy in most huge American bottle shops because of the need for huge quantities to stock all those stores.
How did I come across these wines then? Not by looking at shelves of bottles. I use a service called Last Bottle. They offer wines from all over the world which come to their Napa, California warehouse, announcing them one at a time via email. At this time of year during harvest season they offer a new wine each day, with free shipping if you buy 4-6 bottles or so. I got both the above wines from them. They offer interesting, vetted wines with flowing descriptions of the wine and the terroir. They are steeply discounted. You can explore their service and get 10 dollars off your first purchase by using this link if you wish.
If you have limited time, you might want to consult a regional expert and book a tour with them. For example, if you’re planning a trip to Umbria where Sagrantino tops the list of unique red regional wines, and wanted folks with great experience in taking you to visit the best producers, I’d recommend Mark and Giselle of Gusto Wine Tours, who can take you around in style.
Or you can do it the wandering way. Just find a wine road, hit a wintery, and enjoy the discovery. Or ask someone in your hotel, B&B, or restaurant. That’s how we found the interesting Madravite in Umbria.
We have an illustrated list of our favorite wineries in Italy and Martha has penned Sicily Wine Travel. Other wine articles are listed below.
The Slovenian city of Nova Gorica and Italy’s Gorizia, just across the border from each other, will be the 2025 European Capital of Culture. — ANSA, News in English
You may have heard of Gorizia if you’ve seen our map and travel guide to Friuli Venezia Giulia. Back in the Romanesque period the town was a very big deal; it was its very own country then.
But history and a world war changed all that. It passed to Austria in 1500 and became a highly regarded cultural center under Austrian rule. World War I put Gorizia in Italy. Then, a re-jiggering of borders after WWII sliced into the city to put its northern outskirts into what was then Yugoslavia. Thus the twinning of the cities in the naming of the 2025 Capital of Culture.
Transalpina Square divides Gorizia and the town of Nova Gorica in Slovenia. You can walk across it without going through a passport control.
So Gorizia will be spiffed up and given money to bolster its fine arts infrastructure, ensuring that if you visit you’ll be seeing the city at its best. The ravages of Covid should be over by then, we hope.
Gorizia Castle was built in the 9th century and rebuilt by the Fascists in the 1920s. It’s a great place from which to see the sunsets and panoramic views over the old town. The castle is surrounded by museums and art galleries, notably the Museum of the Great War of Gorizia and the Archaeological museum. You can buy a very reasonably priced combined ticket for Provincial Museums of Gorizia Borgo Castello (First World War Museum, Museum of Fashion and Clothing, Archeological Collection) and Palazzo Attems Petzenstein.
St Ignazio Church in the Piazza della Vittoria is the main religious building in Gorzia, built by the Jesuits between 1654 and 1747. and contains some ancient frescos as well as treasures of the patriarchate ofChurch of Santo Spirito in the Borgo Castello of Gorizia, built in 1398 by Michele and Giovanni Rabasta
Gorizia lies in a plain overlooked by the Collio hills, which are renowned for the production of outstanding wines. Try the Ribolla Gialla.
Wine isn’t the only thing fermented in Gorizia. Brovada is a “kraut” traditionally made with shredded turnips fermented with the left-overs from wine making. A peasant dish that goes with many of the regional specialty dishes.
The region produces a white asparagus called Asparagi di S. Andrea.
The local amaro or bitter for before or after a meal is called Pelinkovec.
You’ll find a good walking tour of the city’s attractions at Let’s Go Gorizia
Gorizia: How to Get There
Aquileia, a town which you should make every effort to visit during your time in the region.
Grado is an island on the lagoon between Venice and Trieste.
Trieste is a fabulous port city on Italy’s northeastern coast. Like many big towns of the region, it projects a quiet elegance.
]]>There it is in all its naked glory. A table set upon white gravel in front of a tractor that reminds you that good regional wine here in Italy is first and foremost an operation that depends upon families and farming. It’s not (often) an occupation dominated by rich men dabbling in international wines and million dollar tasting rooms while immigrant labor hastily slashes bunches of ripe grapes in the field.
There are over three thousand grape varieties in Italy. Some, like Petrignone, are ancient and nearly extinct. Head for Sbaffi winery, and you might be able to taste the results of the hard work required to bring it back to life as a spumante, a sparkling wine.
This too is Sbaffi:
So here we are, parked in front of this formidable bit of advertising. To the left of us is an ancient Alfa Romeo Giulia, shining in the waning sun as if it were screwed together just yesterday. Another classic car approaches and stops. Out jumps Francesco. The tie to traditions and frugality are set. The tasting is about to begin.
Soon we hear about the “new” sparkling wine, the Petrignone that will be released in a couple of weeks. It’s offered to us in front of a plate of salami and Pecorino (sheep) cheese. It’s all fabulous. The wine offers more flavors and sharp aromas than the voguish Prosecco everyone guzzles these days.
Francesco pours the Petrignone into a regular wine glass; a heavy stream whips around the soft contours of the glass and erupts in a frothy hissy-fit. “You never pour like this,” he says, dribbling wine toward a tipped glass, “pouring directly into the bottom of the glass releases the bubbles.”
I always feel a kind of licentious victory when the prissy and pretentious wine advocates have been driven out of the room.
So ok, these guys, Francesco and Lorenzo, didn’t just run out to the Safeway and grab a couple of salamis and some orange cheese product so we could munch on them while we drank the wine. The pecorino is made in this corner of Le Marche; it was young, but not too young. The salamis were also indicative of the territory’s culinary richness. Ciauscolo, the one on the left, uses lots of the “lesser” cuts of the pig, finely ground with some of the fat. When it’s room temperature it’s soft, you can almost spread it. The other looks like a Tuscan salami with the squares of fat and the peppercorns, but it, too, is pure Fabriano, the lean meat derived from the legs and shoulders of a race of pigs that come exclusively from the Marche and Umbria and are finished on acorns like the Belota of Spain and the Cinta Senese of Tuscany—incredible stuff that compliments each of the three spumante we sipped.
The second sparkling wine we taste, made mainly from Chardonnay grapes, is a complex stunner with aromas galore, as one might expect with Chardonnay. It’s a favorite among the four of us.
Like all the wines we tasted, it is made “using the Scacchi method.” Who’s Scacchi? Here’s where the whole idea of sparkling wine in Le marche gets interesting. Scacchi was a physician from nearby Fabriano, a town known for its paper production and an ancient pharmacy. Scacchi happens to have written a book in 1622. This book:
The book includes several medical prescriptions for drinks of the times. Chapter 21 describes sparkling or “nipping” wines and the techniques used to produce them—a full 50 years before Dom Pérignon saw his stars! According to the Sfaffi promotional materials:
From a philological interpretation of what Francesco Scacchi describes, we have come up with an original method of making spumante which we call the Scacchi Method in honour of the Fabriano doctor, a method that brings out the fragrance and intensity of the varietal aromas.
One of the ways in which the Scacchi method is exercised is adding wine must instead of sugar to make the old wines re-ferment.
But if you’ve followed along so far and noticed the devotion to local ingredients and customs, you might be induced to cry out, “what, pray tell, is Chardonnay, a French varietal, doing in Le Marche?”
Fast forward to the 1800s and the reign of Napoleon and the Kingdom of Italy. Le Marche, being a papal state was annexed by the kingdom after a peace agreement with the Vatican was signed. What followed was a very strong French influence on the region, including the introduction of French varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Syrah. Today, these varieties are all grown very successfully here, side by side with the native varieties, contributing to a healthy, vibrant and diverse wine scene. ~ A Glass of Bubbly
The third bubbly we tasted was a pink spumante made primarily with Sangiovese grapes, the Castellare Rosé. It went best with the meats, the bubbles mitigating the intensity of the lean and the fatty in the salami. This is the one you want for sitting out on the terrace with some bread and your favorite salted pig parts. And if you can manage to get your hands on some Fabriano salami, well then, the bliss you seek comes easily.
It’s not enough for the brothers Francesco and Lorenzo to make their 3000 bottles a year and sit out under the oaks until the next time the grapes needed human intervention.
Azienda Agricola Sbaffi is a family run business that has been passed down from generations with strong ties to the world of wine and music. It was started up by our winemaker ancestor Girolamo Sbaffi and then passed down to us through our father Angelo who was also a winemaker and violin player. The love for the harmony of music and agriculture has lead us to produce our spumante with passion and dedication. To interpret nature as a symphony or a sonata for violin does not allow for compromises and it represents for us not only a work method but rather a life philosophy.
And then there was an earthquake in 2016 that shook the land. So the brothers took the music to the piazze in the towns emptied by the tragedy. Bring your chairs! Hear an opera!
An antique truck was found, fixed and painted, and the itinerant opera company plied the streets from town to town, bringing the joy of music to the unfortunate victims of a restless earth.
Yes, there is always the need for reconstruction funds, we never forget that, but what of the human spirit? Sometimes it needs to be reinvigorated and imbued with the feeling of belonging, of laughing, of being together.
The purpose of “LiricoStruiamo” is not only to offer the populations of the mentioned places of entertainment evenings, but to spread and share a feeling of hope and rebirth through one of the highest expressions of art, the opera.
It’s in the music. It’s in the wine. It’s in the passion for producing both.
We have added Sbaffi to our 6 Italian Wineries Not to Miss
Podere Sbaffi on the Web
V.lo Castrica, 24
60044 Fabriano (AN) Tel/Fax 0732.4714
mobile 3286780221
Fabriano is a very interesting place to visit, especially if you’re into hand made paper and ancient pharmacies in a very attractive city. See the Paper and Watermark Museum of Fabriano and the the Antica Farmacia Mazzolini Giuseppucci.
Near Genga (another interesting village with castle, there are the famous Frasassi Caves to visit.
A favorite town of mine in Le Marche is Sassoferrato, where you can stay in a fabulous B&B atop an archaeological site and see the wonders inside many churches as well as a tiny prison for wayward priests.
Another place to stay is Il Gelso Agriturismo which is part of Consortium for the production of the Fabriano Salami.
Also see our Map of Le Marche.