Land in Venice and a drive through the evening to Conegliano; Prosecco country. Great hospitality! At 11 p.m. they were waiting up for us and there was a chilled bottle of Prosecco plus prociutto, salami and cheese set by the fire in the old Locanda. And another on ice in the bedroom! Bit of a was
te, that second one. Have to be sharp in the morning!!!Lovely morning. Sun shines on the terrace, vineyards and mountains and, at breakfast we (Thomas our Italian Buyer, Al, a writer, and me) start on the fizzy stuff.....strictly for the camera you understand! Though I have to say if anyone wanted a breakfast wine then our new 'Fragolino' would fit. Not that, under Euro regs, legally, it is a wine, due to this local habit here of throwing a few strawberries as well as raisins into the vat.That makes it a 'beverage'. But it tastes like a wine; a really lovely one. Maybe like a Dolcetto or Freisa. Just with more strawberry! And it does go well with their breakfast. I imagine the local peasantry of old up in their sunny Alpine meadows watching the old cows, with a hunk of cheese, slice of ham and the fresh Fragolino cooling in the brook. Not a bad life. Offered a glass to the gardener, passing on his mower (closest I could get to a good peasant). He tasted thoroughly, expressed happy approval, but let his foot slip and eliminated a small rosebush. But that was him showing off to camera; NOT the Fragolino's fault!!
| We settled the deal, and it’s a very good one. The not-a-wine Fragolino will be shipped for July. Not a lot. So, if it appeals top you, and you wanted to put in an advanced order now, that would ensure you get some...just in case its over-popular. |
| Then on to the stunning Palladian 'Villa Sandi' to meet an equally stunning Signora. And have a look at her Prosecco. A rushed visit sadly. Wouldn't have minded a tour of one of Palladio's finest houses - one that I think I remember drawing for Art A-level, half-century or so ago. Wouldn't have minded more Prosecco with the Signora either. Anyway, on to near the Austrian and Slovenian borders north of Udine; deepest Friuli where they don't always speak Italian, but where they do make the most fabulous range of white wines in all Italy. (some good reds too but the whites are the ones I've really fallen in love with). Alessandro and his team at the little cooperative winery of Banear - our star winery here - are even more welcoming than usual. They just won this huge, important Trophy as this year's top white winery and so had laid on a celebratory fishy feast. All bottling had stopped and everybody turned their hand to grilling buckets of almost everything you get out of the sea hereabouts. |
Sitting, admiring the tumbling vineyards and the little Alps whilst wolfing down steaming mountains of cockles, mussels, cuttlefish, squid and I'm not sure exactly what fish. All just griddled with oil, parsley and garlic. And all washed down with 'our' newly gold-medalled 'Visionario' Friulian white. Its a cracking blend of six varieties … a speciality in the region and I can't figure out why we don't see more of them over here. I guess it's usually quite expensive (makes the deal on Visionario all the more special). Few do a better blending job than Alessandro. Touch of the mad genius about him. 'Visionario' means 'crazy man', I think. Either way, can't wait for our customers to taste this. It’s a full, dry style, just very different. You can't drink Chablis every day after all, and this makes a lovely change but does the same things. Aromas of flowers and fruits, (but subtle, not O.T.T.), it fills the mouth, long-lasting flavour, and a super-clean finish, with a tiny sting in the tail. A class act. Do get some. If it wins any more medals they'll put the price up.
Must stress this is one of only a handful of times in my life I've been fed like this at a winery. The plates just kept coming. Just brilliantly good timing, turning up today! Andrea was there. He's sort of Our Man in Italy, latest of a series over the years, starting with old Renato Trestini who was Andrea's mentor too. You can't do Italy without good guides. It is impossible for non-Italians to unravel the rules.
Some friends came up from Forli - Marco and Scipione - these are the guys who do our top-seller; Papavero a wine crafted at all their three wineries; Sicily, Romagna and Piemonte. This is more 'brave, 'New World', new-thinking that flouts all the Euro rules in single-minded pursuit of... 'what blend will most please customers'? They must have got it right; Pap-AAH-vero as I must apparently try to remember to call it is hugely popular (our most popular red ever Thomas reminds me). We drank it that night in Venice at a tiny Trattoria in a washing-hung square between San Marco and the Rialto and talked late about the boys' new passion for the vineyards of Sicily. They are doing a lot with organic vineyards that are also volcanic !! Sounded very exciting!
Next day flung open my shutters, said 'Buongiorno' to Victor Emmanuel and his horse slap in the middle of my view, before being lugged around to every celebrated viewpoint to pose with the lads for the photos which my designer lot increasingly ask for. Bit late in the day to become a supermodel - but there are worse jobs.
By the Rialto a bunch of burly men with tattoos approach. But worry not, they turn out to be avid customers; just off HMS Sutherland homeward-bound to Plymouth from a 9 month tour and keen to get at the Laithwaites cases and other delights awaiting them at home. I could kid myself, but it was the bottle of Papavero that drew their interest. Glasses of Papavero and photos all round; We give the matelots our magnum of 'the poppy wine' then dive in a boat and race across the lagoon, airport, home.
Short, but very sweet trip. Date made for the next; Up Etna, Sicily. The new Australia, they say! Has about the same vineyard acreage! Mmm!
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