Voglio del vino – Italian for I want wine!

I love Italian wines and look for any opportunity to taste them. Oh heck, I love any opportunity to drink wine! But really, I did want to learn more about them. In hopes of taking a wine/culinary trip to the Piedmont area of Italy later this year, I signed up for this class with the Texas Wine School.

The class called Wines of Italy – Level 1 was held at a really cool venue called Nos Caves Vin. This is a private wine club that has large wine storage unit for the proper storage of wine. One section of the building is cooled to perfection and operates like your personal cellar. It also has nice lounging areas for members to come get a bottle from their storage unit and enjoy at the premise. The facility has a large conference room used for classroom settings.

The class was taught by James King, an English guy who has a long list of wine credentials and has good wit about him, but sometimes mumbles during his presentation. As far as the presentation of the information, I found it to be somewhat dry and unentertaining. It was mostly text on a PowerPoint presentation with a map or so thrown on a slide. I personally think wine and learning about wine should be fun.

The class was 2 hours and featured all areas of Italy which was probably a little too much to cover in that length of time. We were given a one sheet of take-away notes that listed the areas and a little info on the history, grapes grown in the area and climate.

The most fun was the wine tasting itself and James really had some good ones for us to try. So, here is what we tasted and some of my tasting notes and possible pairings:

2009 Ruffino Orvieto Classico, Umbria – $10
Notes: very clean on the palate, citrus with hints of green apple.
Pair this with: Seafood like oysters or a light white fish, meats like chicken, ham, veal or light pastas.

2009 Allegrini Soave Classico, Veneto – $10
Notes: Dry on the palate, but light and crisp with hints of lemon, and somewhat tropical. This wine will last 4-5 years.
Pair this with: seafood dishes like crab, raw oysters, shrimp and smoked seafood. White meats like chicken and pork. Sauces that are citrus or vinaigrettes.

2007 Les Cretes Chardonnay Cuvee Frissoniere, Val D Aosta – $40
Notes: Very well balanced, light to medium chardonnay, no oak, has hints of baked apple, caramel, and hints of floral.
Pair this with: seafood dishes like lobster, sea bass or shrimp. White meats like chicken, turkey or pork and vegetables like avacado, spinach and squash. Sauces like basil, butter, cream, garlic or saffron.

2005 Villa Cafaggio Chianti Classico Riserva, Tuscany – $34
Notes: Has more acidity of the Sangovese, aged in French Oak with a medium to medium plus red. It had a beautiful ruby color with a long soft, light finish and hints of blackberry, tea leaves and red cherry.
Pair this with: Dishes that are acidic like pasta in tomato sauce, lasanga, meatballs or simple dishes like roast beef. The Riserva is also good with grilled beef meats too.

2004 Villa Sandi Marca Trevigiana “Corpore” (Cabernet Franc/Merlot) Veneto – $40
Notes: Aged in French oak, dusty with very strong tannins, herbaceous with hints of blackberry and dark cherry. This wine has a very dry – long finish.
Pair this with: beef, duck, squab; sauces like meat, mushroom or red wine; veggies like mushrooms or wild rice and soft cheeses like cow or goat cheese.

2003 Poderi Colla Barolo Bussina, Piedmont – $ 71
Notes: Garnet color on the rim of the pour, cherry and earthy hints. Very fruit forward and very balanced. Lighter than expected. This was yummy and danced on the tongue, but I love Barolos! These can age 10-15 years.
Pair this with: Full lamb, beef dishes and stews; Sauces that are rich or earthy mushrooms

2003 Poggio Antico Brunello di Montalcinco, Tuscany – $101
Notes: Fuller bodied wine with more tannins, hints of darker fruits, truffles (which I adore) and has a slight pepper taste. Long finish.
Pair this with: This one is in search of big flavors, game, red meat, flavorful hard cheeses and mushrooms. (If you have a meal with similar flavors, try a Rossa di Montalcinco, which is much less expensive, but is made from the Sangiovese grapes, but not aged as long.)

1999 Cosimo Taurino “Patriglione” (Negroamaro) Salento IGT Rosso, Puglia – $65
Notes: This 12-year-old wine had hints of dried fruit, honey, and was jammy but elegant on the mouth. It was much like a port type of wine.
Pair this with: Desserts like cheesecake, strawberry shortcake etc.

A Truffle Experience – When you have a truffle that costs as much as an airline ticket out of the Houston heat, you don’t want to waste a single shaving

I recently went shopping at Central Market and stood in front of a shelf in the produce section staring at a plastic container holding 3 little black truffles. Salivating, I was debating whether or not to buy them. It was unusual to see them this time of year since peak season is in the fall. And, well, there is the cost…$259 a pound. When they are in season, it can cost up to $400 or more a pound.

But I knew the same thing would happen again as it did last fall. If I didn’t buy them now and changed my mind later in the day, these little morsels would be gone. And they were probably purchased by one of the many wonderful chefs in Houston.
I love truffles and their aroma. This is not of the chocolate version either, although I adore chocolate truffles too. One of my bucket list things to do is to go to France or Italy for a culinary experience of hunting truffles and cooking them with a local chef.

Found around the roots of oak and hazelnut trees, pigs hunt them and now with trained dogs because the dogs, unlike the pigs won’t eat them once they find it. A truffle has a very unique taste. It really doesn’t taste like anything else. It is very aromatic and distinct. It tastes earthy, like the earthiness of mushrooms. And if I were going to compare the nuttiness to an actual nut, I would probably choose a walnut or hazelnut.

So here I was in possession of three small black truffles and my initial, thought was: OMG what do I do with them and how long will they last? The truth is, the truffle was a delicacy that I didn’t want to waste, because of its rarity, status and outrageous expense. The three little truffles cost about $20 and were packaged with some risotto rice.

I found the head of the produce department and asked him, “How do I take care of it?” I realized that I sounded as if I were taking a new pet home. “Do I store it in a paper bag like other mushrooms that I purchase? He told me the truffle didn’t need to be in darkness or a paper bag, but it did have to be kept cool and dry in the door of the fridge where it wouldn’t be too cold. The container had holes in it so it would get air.

I thought back to the first time I’d ever eaten truffles. It was at a quaint little restaurant in Rome, Italy. A very cute waiter, who I flirted with, stood beside me relentlessly shaving flakes of truffles into my bowl of pasta. It was a wonderful meal. I left the restaurant hours later, and after many glasses of wine,walking back to my hotel feeling like a fungus drunk. Or maybe it was the wine. All I know is that this Southern belle girl fell in love with truffles that weren’t of the chocolate variety. I began to understand the allure of truffles, and yet, I didn’t know how to adequately describe it if anyone asked.

OK, so I was eager to find what dishes to use these little black “gold” nuggets in. I search the Internet for the best recipes. Eggs and risotto seem to be the best dishes. However, I did shave some of it over some sautéed spinach with shallots, and it was delicious. Even the leftovers were.

I decided to invite a couple of friends over for risotto. Before they arrived, in my kitchen, I took my truffle and shaved off a few experimental curlicues, releasing an intense, intoxicating, nutty scent. Once you have smelled a truffle, you long to smell it again and again.

Later, when my friends arrived, it was time to part with one of my little truffles. It was hard to think of it. I shaved some fragments of blackness into the creamy arborio rice, and I knew I should have added a whole lot more, but I just couldn’t do it. It was one of the rare times that my very generous characteristic was stalled. It amazed me that such a luxury food–a symbol of excess and wealth–could bring on such feelings of stinginess.

We sat in blissful silence throughout dinner. None of us could bear to talk as we lifted our forks to our mouths, soaking in the fragrances of butter, onions and truffles.

The next morning, I opened the refrigerator and looked at the remaining truffles in its little container wondering what I what do with them. That evening, I grilled a filet mignon and then sautéed spinach with shallots and some truffle shavings. It was delicious.

I took the remaining small piece of truffle, chopped it into tiny bits and dropped them into a pan of scrambled eggs just before they were fully cooked. The eggs were the best I had ever had, punctuated every now and then with that intense, surprising flavor. I gave not a thought to cholesterol.

Now the little truffles were gone. Like all things in my life, I was a hedonist and enjoyed every delectable bite!