Dolcetto Dogliani from Cascina Corte

After working for Slow Food for many years, Sandro Barosi of Cascina Corte decided to purchase a small, six hectare farm and winery in Dogliani, Piemonte.  Located about 30 minutes south of the esteemed village of Barolo, Dogliani is considered one of the most noteworthy areas for the cultivation of Dolcetto grapes.  In fact, the name “Dogliani” has come to imply the varietal, and winemakers are no longer required to put the name Dolcetto on the label.  Sandro Barosi’s Pirochetta, is a unique expression of the Dolcetto. He produced his first vintage in 2003.

In the beginning, Sandro experienced skin rashes and headaches working in the vineyards, ailments he attributed to the chemicals used as herbicides and pesticides. He quickly decided that organic was the only way to farm. He immediately began working “in bio” and applied for organic certification shortly thereafter. Sandro wanted to make it safe for himself to work and for his small children to play within the vines.

Sandro Barosi’s Pirochetta is a unique expression of Dolcetto, rich in flavor and in body. The grapes for this exceptional wine come from Sandro Barosi’s small, sixty year-old vineyard. Its soils are composed of a combination of calcareous-clay and blue schist. Sandro typically harvests this vineyard latest and chooses to do longer macerations (contact between grape skins and juice) to ensure a richly flavored wine. The wine rests in stainless steel for a minimum of eighteen months and another two months in bottle before release. This is a definite food wine! Pair it with meat dishes such as roasted pork, beef brisket or lamb as well as with mushroom risotto, polenta, or pasta. It benefits from decanting, so plan on opening it an hour before sitting down for dinner to fully experience its intoxicating bouquet of wild cherries, flowers, delicate spice, and earth.

Gemma Iannoni is the Wine Buyer and a cheesemonger at Formaggio Kitchen Cambridge.

One of our favorite fizzy reds, Lambrusco, hails from the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Emilia-Romagna is also the home of culinary heavy-hitters Prosciutto di Parma, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and balsamic vinegar. Lambrusco suffered for decades from a bad reputation after mass production of less than quality vino in the 1970s and 80s. But, during the past few years, we’ve seen Lambrusco sales jump as folks begin to import better quality, delicious wines made by careful and conscientious winemakers. Here are two examples we’ve been enjoying this season:

Venturini Baldini Lambrusco dell’Emilia
The organic grapes for this very popular Lambrusco are grown on hills overlooking fields of grazing cows whose milk will become Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses. We like it for its dry earthiness and its affinity for cured meats like culatello as well as Prosciutto di Parma. This is ultimate pizza wine.

Podere il Salento Lambrusco “L’Albone”
From their tiny parcel of 4 hectares just outside Modena, Gianpaolo Isabella and his brother-in-law Marcello make a handful of organic, traditional wines. The wines are fermented with wild yeasts, and the second fermentation for the Lambruscos take place in bottle. L’Albone is their version of a classic Lambrusco, made with two local grapes, salamino di santa croce and sobrara. It is darker and spicier than the Baldini Lambrusco, perfect alongside a crisp, meaty pizza or an antipasto platter with richer meats like cacciatorini or wild boar salami.

Julie Cappellano is the General Manager and wine buyer at Formaggio Kitchen South End, Boston.

The Rolling Hills of Beaujolais

If we had our way, every other wine article would feature Beaujolais. That’s why this post features three Beaujolais from three different cru villages, just in time for holiday sipping! All are made from organically grown Gamay grapes and pair well with a wide variety of cheeses and appetizers. We especially like to pair Beaujolais with Comté and our exclusive import Pyrénées brebis. Here are our top three picks:

Jean-Paul Thévenet’s Morgon was the first Cru Beaujolais I ever tasted and, to this day, it remains one of my all-time favorite wines. Thévenet is a 3rd generation producer in the town of Morgon and was a member of the “Gang of Four,” a group of natural winemakers including Jean Foillard, Guy Breton, and Marcel Lapierre. This slightly rustic Beaujolais is juicy raspberry-scented with a delicious stone-mineral finish. Julie, Wine Buyer – Formaggio Kitchen South End

We visited Julien Sunier’s lovely low-tech winery last October, and we were charmed by Julien’s quiet enthusiasm, and by his crazy kittens! His grapevines in Fleurie grow on pink granite soil and produce an elegant, flowery, dark-cherry rich Beaujolais with a perfectly balancing acidity. Julie, Wine Buyer – Formaggio Kitchen South End

Young star Damien Coquelet (he is only 26 years old!) makes this Beaujolais from a small parcel in Chiroubles – a cru known for its lighter, more delicate expression of Gamay. This wine is just that, with an inviting nose of bright cranberries, cherries, and little flowers, and a satisfying mouth full of fresh fruit balanced with loamy earth and minerality. Dont be fooled by its easy nature, however – Damien Coquelet and his wines are some to watch! Beneath the charming nose and easy first sips is a serious wine with finesse and true complexity. Jessica, Wine Buyer – Formaggio Kitchen Cambridge

Julie Cappellano is the General Manager and Wine Buyer at Formaggio Kitchen South End, Boston. Jessica Smith is a Wine Buyer and cheesemonger at Formaggio Kitchen Cambridge.

I Clivi in Corno di Rosazzo

This year, we decided to let each of our wine buyers choose their number one pick for a Thanksgiving wine. Here we have an Italian bubbly from Gemma, an off-dry German white from Julie, and a French red from Jessica. Happy sipping and have a safe and delicious holiday!

I Clivi Ribolla Spumante, NV – Friuli, Italy

The I Clivi Ribolla Spumante is a dry and elegant sparkling wine made by the Zanusso family with notes of Meyer lemon and faint floral and herbal undertones. The Ribolla grape (as seen in the above photo of the vineyards below the Zanusso’s home and wine cellar in Corno di Rosazzo, Italy), is a varietal with marked acidity, making for an excellent food wine. It’s a great, less pricey alternative to Champagne for a big Thanksgiving meal. Perfect for toasting or serving with appetizers, use this crisp, organic bubbly to properly kick off your holiday festivities. - Gemma, Formaggio Kitchen Cambridge

Clos Cibonne “Cuvée Spéciale” Tibouren Rouge 2012

From a tiny Domaine that sits just 800 meters inland from the coast of Provence, comes this lovely red wine made from a little indigenous varietal called Tibouren. The Roux family, who have been making wine here for the past 300 years, are responsible for championing the local wine traditions in this part of Provence with their super traditional cuvées, both rosé and red – made from this virtually unheard of varietal. The Roux’s location – just in from the coast – presents the perfect microclimate for growing temperamental Tibouren. Sea breezes come up into the sun-soaked vineyards, tempering any heat and helping the grapes to ripen properly. The Clos Cibonne “Cuvée Spéciale ” is fresh and bright with an aromatic nose of strawberries, raspberries and mountain herbs. It has an easy drinking body full of fruit and earth, and spiced mineral finish. It is wonderfully versatile with food and is light-bodied enough to sip all the way through a heavy Thanksgiving meal. - Jessica, Formaggio Kitchen Cambridge

Leitz “Dragonstone” Riesling 2012 – Rheingau, Germany

A high-acid, low-alcohol white wine with a hint of sweetness is the ideal match to the varied Thanksgiving table, where rich, buttery textures are combined with herbal flavors and sweet fruits, vegetables and sauces. Leitz’s Dragonstone Riesling (from the “Drachenstein” vineyard!) has a perfect balance of freshness and mouth-watering fruit – elegant and ever-so-slightly spicy. This wine has been a staff and customer favorite for years and my family never has a Thanksgiving dinner without it! - Julie, Formaggio Kitchen South End

Julie Cappellano is the General Manager and Wine Buyer at Formaggio Kitchen South End, Boston. Gemma Iannoni and Jessica Smith are cheesemongers and the Wine Buyers at Formaggio Kitchen Cambridge.

At the end of each year, staff members at all three of our shops – in Cambridge, the South End of Boston and in New York – fill out a staff survey. We reflect on what we have tasted over the course of the past year – moments where we were surprised (both pleasantly and unpleasantly), new and exciting food experiences, as well as the flavors we found ourselves returning to time and again. We pick our favorites and share memorable moments. Some tried-and-true items appear in our survey results year after year – other items are new and exciting finds from the current year – goodies in this instance that distinguished 2013 from all others. Here are our top ten picks culled from this year’s survey results!

- Top 10 of 2013 -

Cabot Clothbound Cheddar and Comté Grand Cru – It seems that these two cheeses recur annually at the top of our list. Cabot Clothbound Cheddar rang in as top pick among domestic cheeses while Comté Grand Cru held top spot for imported cheese (eking out one more vote than Cabot for top spot overall). Taking all votes for Comté together (i.e. all the different ages we import, not just the Grand Cru), Marcel Petite Comté blew everything else out of the water, as it has done every year this survey has been conducted. One staffer wrote, “Comté has become such a cornerstone of our cheese selection… it represent[s] the best of what we do.” Another wrote specifically of the Grand Cru: “undeniably triumphant cheese making. Legendary.” A third (and newer staff member) added, “this was my first year working at the store and my first chance to taste this cheese – it totally blew me away.” Of Cabot Clothbound, one staff member wrote that, “it is never not amazing!” A second person chimed in to simply say, “I can’t resist [it]!” And a third wrote with pride about how we ensure a consistently delicious flavor profile: “we are the only shop that goes directly to the Cellars at Jasper Hill to pick our wheels of Cabot Clothbound Cheddar. That’s pretty cool.” Amen to that.

Comté Grand Cru

Ardèche Jams – These organic, small-batch, handmade preserves are made by Sylvie and Pascal Raunicher at La Ferme de Mazairas in the small town of St. Sylvestre in the region of Ardèche, France. We have imported them for a number of years now and they routinely appear in our staff survey – but this year they surged to the top as a number of staffers had the pleasure of tasting them for the first time. The Raunicher’s tiny farm specializes in organic fruit, using unusual varieties – such as the Reine-Claude plum and Red Peach – varieties that exhibit a great deal of flavor. One staff member wrote in their survey, “Tim [our buyer] has raved about Ardèche jams for years – I sneaked a taste of the strawberry jam – a jar that was opened for a class – and it bowled me over – like strawberries x10 – it made me think of picking strawberries with my father and making jam with my mom. Amazing.” A second staffer summed matters up more succinctly: “the jams made by Ardèche ROCK MY WORLD.”

Julie’s Housemade Sausages – Our house charcutière, Julie, has won many awards and garnered press attention for her meaty delicacies. For us, however, that is only a confirmation of what we already knew – she’s a master of her craft. We thrill with delight when she brings out a new treat for us to try, or she’s experimenting with special, one-off batches for the Formaggio Food Community program. Past years have seen her pâtés and mousses top this list – her duck pastrami is another favorite, as are her pork rillettes and duck confit. This year, staffers mentioned all of the above but were especially vocal about Julie’s sausages. She keeps a rotating selection of fresh sausages in our deli case – but also stocks our freezer section with marvelous little 2-packs and 4-packs that are perfect to whip out of the freezer for a delicious and comforting last-minute winter dinner. You’ll find us sautéing and serving Julie’s chorizo with our tapas, packing her bratwurst into a bun with sauerkraut, using her boudin blanc for hors d’oeuvres, cooking her dogs and sausages on the grill, using loose breakfast sausage in sausage rolls and enjoying classics such as her Sweet Italian and Spicy Italian for dinner with some mashed potatoes. Of her Sweet Italian one staff member rhapsodized, they are, “hearty and well-prepared sausages that I love.” Another chose Julie’s andouille sausage as an all-time house favorite, writing that they’re, “the best I’ve had since visiting Louisiana – perhaps even better.” And of her fennel sausage, a third wrote that they are, “the best. Enough said. Texture. Flavor. Done.”

Julie’s Sausages

Alyssa’s Housemade Belgian Waffles – Alyssa is the marvelous Bakery Manager at our Cambridge shop. Last winter, she went on a quest to develop the perfect Belgian waffle recipe – and we think she succeeded. One staff member summed it up in their survey results: “Alyssa changed my opinion of waffles – she has truly developed the perfect recipe.”At first, Alyssa shared her waffles only with fellow staffers and, in response to demand, we begrudgingly conceded she could share them with the wider world as well. Sorry, but we’re still a little sore we can’t hoard them all to ourselves – we’re not usually gluttons but they’re that delicious! One staff member even confessed in their survey, “I’m not really a sweets-for-breakfast person, but [Alyssa’s waffles] are so addictive!” Another staff member attempted to explain why: “[her] waffles are extraordinary: yeasty with a nice chew and crunchy bits of caramelized sugar. You eat them way too fast and wish you’d savored them for the entire day.” Alyssa makes her waffles on occasional Sundays so keep your eyes peeled on our Cambridge Facebook and Twitter accounts for announcements of the next scheduled date! (Note: the next scheduled date is this Sunday, December 8th, 2013 – from 10am until Alyssa runs out of waffles!)

Alyssa’s Belgian Waffles

Biellese Salami – Established in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen in 1925, Salumeria Biellese pre-dated the current artisan renaissance by several decades. In fact, an argument could be made that they were among the original artisans of small-batch Italian-style salami in the Big Apple. The salumeria was started by two men from the northern Italian province of Biella (up near Switzerland) and they set out using the traditional skills and Old World recipes they had brought with them on the journey to the United States. Enthusiasm for Salumeria Biellese has always been robust but, this year, it was their large-format, coarse-style Finocchiona that pushed them to a top spot. One staff member wrote of this fennel-studded salami (with fennel pollen to boot!), “it is the best Biellese product ever.” Another wrote, “although I’m not a huge fennel fan, the balance between meat and spice is perfect, and the fennel pollen gives it an amazing, and unusual, depth of flavor.” Next time you are in – ask for a sample of the Finocchiona – or one of Biellese’s other marvelous salamis such as Rosette de Lyon (a lovely French style salami with red wine and cloves), Petit Jesu (a large format red wine and garlic salami) and Cinghale (a gamey, savory wild boar salami)!

EH Chocolatier Chocolates – A relative newcomer, EH Chocolatier shot to the top of our list immediately upon arrival. This year, enthusiasm only increased as staffers remarked on their phenomenal bonbons, their caramelized white chocolate bars with cocoa nibs, their seasonal peppermint bark and the Coconutty bars that they introduced this September (we’ve eaten so many of them between then and now, we could swear it has been longer!). Of the Coconutty bars, one staffer wrote, “[they] are brilliant – like anything EH does, so well balanced and positively addictive.” Of the white caramelized chocolate bars with cocoa nibs, another wrote, “[it] is unlike any other chocolate bar; not to mention it is my girlfriend’s favorite.” We carry a wide range of treats made by the two magicians behind EH Chocolatier – Elaine Hsieh and Catharine Sweeney – if you’re on the lookout for a present perfect for a chocolate lover (or a special treat for yourself!), look no further.

EH Chocolatier’s Coconutty Bars

M’hamsa Couscous – This couscous has been steadily gaining momentum over the past few years as more staffers found out about this amazing culinary secret on our shelves. Couscous is made from semolina and is a wonderful small, ball-shaped alternative to grains or pasta for dinner or lunch. As one staff member wrote, “it cooks perfectly every time! You can do so much with it! It even tastes great cold as a salad.” Different brands range in size and M’hamsa is probably at the larger end of the scale, maybe a couple of millimeters across in diameter (when cooked). M’hamsa couscous is ready in the blink of an eye – but also tastes phenomenally delicious – a rare combination that makes it a regular dinner choice for staffers. Choose from among three varieties – regular, whole wheat and regular with dried peppers – mix and match for a tasty, easy evening meal. As one staff member wrote in summary, “it’s awesome!”

Locally-Sourced and Organic California Produce (with a special shout out for Sparrow Arc Farm!) –  Wowsers! Did our Cambridge produce team hit it out of the park this year. We were bowled over by what they were doing – from the organic California produce that buyer Emily organized with Veritable Vegetable to be flown in every Wednesday (and now every Friday too!), to the amazing local farms we work with here in New England. There was a special shout out for Sparrow Arc Farm in Unity, ME – for their Fairytale eggplant, their Brussels sprouts (“I love tiny Brussels sprouts, and Sparrow Arc grows ‘em good.”) but above all for the amazing Shishito peppers that Matt and Louisa Linehan (the marvelous couple behind the farm) grew this year. Roasted, it is hard to beat Shishitos as a perfect snacking food! Staffers marveled too at the wonderful array of new fruits and vegetables that we enjoyed as a result of Team Produce’s work – from heirloom varietals, to fruits and vegetables on the Slow Food Ark of Taste, our tastebuds were dancing with joy and our senses reveled in the variety and richness of flavor! Of the Fairytale eggplant, one staffer wrote, “another new item in produce, the Fairytale eggplant were super tasty, not to mention gorgeous. While they were simple and delicious to cook at home, I loved it when [Chef] Eduardo roasted them whole for dinner, and I even had the pleasure of having them grilled with miso at Island Creek [Oyster Bar].” Of produce generally, one person penned the following, “it is always such a joy to check in with Emily [produce buyer] after we get our weekly delivery of produce from CA. There is usually something new, unique and delicious she has brought in that is worth tasting and telling all of our customers about.” Another staffer independently seconded those sentiments, writing, “I have been blown away by the amazing array of produce Emily brought in this year and the connections she has forged with farms and farmers that make it all possible. I have learnt a tremendous amount and tried so many new things – a real pleasure!” Keep an eye on our chalkboard out front to see what’s new and delicious in produce throughout the year – and, of course, always feel free to check in with our produce team (as we regularly do) to see what’s new, exciting and especially tasty at the moment!

Shishito Peppers – Sparrow Arc Farm

Tortilleria La Niña Tortilla Chips – These were a breakout item this year – popular with a large number of staffers who were snapping them up to use with salsa and guacamole. That is pretty impressive, particularly considering we only started carrying the chips in October! Made in nearby Everett, MA, La Niña makes their tortillas according to an Old World recipe, using filtered water, limestone, sea salt and 100% non-GMO white corn sourced from a family farm in Illinois. We certainly noticed a difference in taste and think you will too! One staff member wrote of these chips that, “it was the first time I had tasted tortilla chips that incredible outside of when I was living in California, or when I have visited my sister in Arizona. I honestly don’t think there are better tortilla chips anywhere in Boston – or on the East Coast from what I’ve tasted. And they’re made in Everett. Local, small-scale producer – you can’t beat that! And, I love sharing them with customers.” Another staffer added simply, “they’re super delicate and deliciously salty. Love them.”

Tortilleria La Niña Tortilla Chips

Dram Apothecary Bitters – These bitters are another new item to the survey results. While we have always enjoyed a nice cocktail, the development of our “cocktail shelf” has seen staffers be more experimental, trying new drinks and playing around with flavors. These bitters played a key role in that experimentation. Dram bitters come to us from Silver Plume, Colorado (Silver Plume – seems perfect for a bitters company somehow!). Shae Whitney, the alchemist behind Dram Apothecary, grew up in Colorado and, from an early age, fell in love with her state’s native plant life. Flash forward to adulthood when she combined that passion with years of experience as a bartender to create the recipes that are at Dram’s core. All of Shae’s bitters are handmade in small batches with Colorado herbs and organically grown fruits, barks and berries. They provide an elegant, fragrant, and well balanced key-note in cocktails – but can also be used in combination with soda water, tea or juices. As one staff member wrote, “[Dram] ingredients are foraged from the wild. They’re good for you and, let’s be honest, they make a darn good cocktail. And Shae is awesome!”

- Honorable Mentions -

I Clivi Wines – One staff member wrote of I Clivi’s Galea Rosso ’05, “no wonder…Gemma [our wine buyer] is pumped about I Clivi wines. Every wine that I try blows me away.” Of I Clivi’s Ribolla Gialla another staffer wrote, “It’s. A. Necessity.” I Clivi wines come to us from the Zanusso family’s small vineyards in Friuli, Italy. They epitomize the kind of winemaker we like to work with – organic, with low yields, little manipulation and a desire to express the terroir of a given region. Most of all, however, we want a wine that tastes amazing and I Clivi ticks all of the boxes!

I Clivi Ribolla Spumante

Robiola Enrico – One staff member wrote in their survey: “robiolas in general are arguably my favorite style of cheese. More than this, the [Robiola Enrico] is a cheese I feel I have a “relationship” with. Each batch we receive seems to be different from the last, and even when we get a batch I’m slightly less bowled over by, I still crave exploring this cheese. The product makes me feel connected to the producer and all his trials and triumphs in all aspects of the cheese-making process. This ‘connectivity’ is what gets me excited about what we do at Formaggio Kitchen.” Robiola Enrico comes to us from a tiny producer in Italy – perhaps one of the smallest cheesemakers we work with. Enrico’s cheeses are a labor of love and passion and it shows. As wine is often said to demonstrate terroir or the expression of a region, we find that Robiola Enrico (in addition to being flavorsome, creamy and delicious), shows the same kind of marvelous expression of place and of Italy’s rich culinary heritage.

Salty Road Taffy – “Best salt water taffy ever. Real flavors, cute packaging, great chew.” That about sums this one up! A new product to our shelves in 2013, it converted some of us from being taffy detractors to taffy enthusiasts. Available in a range of flavors from classic vanilla, to peanut butter and packaged in beautiful, cheery little boxes, you’ll think you’re a child in the 1890′s when candies were handmade with all-natural ingredients and you unrolled every delicious morsel from its own little paper wrapper. Taste that glorious salty crunch and we don’t think you’ll be able to resist a second piece!

Salty Road – Salt Water Taffy

Xocolates Aynouse 70% Olive Oil Bar – Xocolates Aynouse is an amazing new chocolate we just began importing from Spain. One staffer wrote, “I think this product wins for being one of the most original we have on our chocolate shelves. I really fell in love with the bite of it, how it’s deconstructed composition allows the sugar cane, olive oil and chocolate to amalgamate while they melt in your mouth. The packaging is also really eye-catching. I’m sure their non-oil-based bars would make great hot chocolate, too.” A little bit about Xocolates Aynouse: Ihsan, owner of Formaggio Kitchen, was introduced to chocolate maker Francisco Javier Rodriguez Perez (aka Xavi) on a recent trip to Spain. Now based in the town of Agramunt (about 75 miles west of Barcelona), Xavi spent many years working for prestigious Spanish chocolatiers. Eventually, he decided to branch out on his own, implementing techniques and philosophies he felt strongly about. His chocolate is made using centuries old Spanish methods (which are based on the even more ancient processes learned by the Spanish in the course of colonizing South America). All of Xavi’s chocolate is stone-ground using a blend of three origins of cacao beans (Africa, Venezuela and Ecuador) with cocoa butter and virgin cane sugar from the island of Réunion. This particular bar – the Xocolata Oli d’Oliva – is 70% and contains a touch of extra virgin olive oil. The final product is a wonderful sensory experience – it has a rough, almost gritty texture due to the stone-grinding but simultaneously melts like butter (or cocoa butter!) in your mouth. Flavor-wise, it is like having double chocolate brownies, a molten chocolate cake, a piece of Devil’s food cake and fudge all packed into one delicious bite – and all that with extraordinary length of flavor and a deep, complex, earthy richness. One first taste, we found ourselves looking at the chocolate thinking, “how can this be possible?”

Xocolates Aynouse – Xocolata Oli d’Oliva

Organic and Biodynamic Wines – Not only do staff members at Formaggio Kitchen stores love their wine, they’re especially proud of the job that our wine buyers have been doing – both in Cambridge and in the South End. As one South End staffer wrote of wine buyer Julie’s carefully-curated shelves, “I love that I can pull almost any bottle off of our shelves and recommend it wholeheartedly to customers for more than just its flavor profile.” Similarly a Cambridge staff member wrote, “thank you Gemma for introducing me to some of the best wines I have ever tasted, and for cultivating an interest and passion for unadulterated, natural wines from small producers. You have been such an inspiring force in changing the way people think not only about wine, but also about sustainable agriculture as a whole and its ecological importance. Thank you for always pursuing the challenge. This year, the wine department has really shined, and it was Gemma and Jess’ hard work that made it possible. Well done ladies!!!” We second that congratulations (as we plan which bottle we’re going to sample tonight)!

Straus Family Creamery Yogurt – Straus Family Creamery was founded in 1941 by Bill and Ellen Straus. Today, their son Albert carries on the family legacy and the business continues to be both family-owned and run. In 1994, the dairy was certified organic. The Straus family have proven to be trailblazers in this regard – they were, the first certified organic dairy west of the Mississippi and the first 100% certified organic creamery in the US. Roughly 75 employees at the creamery handle an average of 10,000 gallons of milk per day. The milk is sourced from the Straus dairy and four other organic, family farms in coastal Marin and Sonoma Counties. Many large, stainless steel vats are used to make their European-style yogurt. In terms of process, this means that they heat and culture the yogurt in a slow, vat-set process with no thickeners or stabilizers. The creamery team says that, “unlike other yogurts, which are cooked inside their plastic cups, we incubate our yogurt in stainless-steel vats with four active, live cultures, then pour the cooled yogurt into the pint or quart recyclable cups.” We suspect it is the length of time that the yogurt is allowed to culture – combined with the quality of the milk – that makes it such a rich and delicious flavor experience! One staff member wrote that Straus’ yogurt is, “the only yogurt I’ve ever felt like I might never be able to stop eating.” Many of us are of a similar mind. Flown in every other week with our produce from California, this European-style, yogurt is almost like a more liquid crème fraiche and this past summer found us pouring it over all of the gorgeous fresh fruit and berries our produce team was sourcing – winter now finds us mixing in Ardèche jam or using it for baking!

To see our 2012 results, please click here.

Château des Rontets Vineyard

It was truly a pleasure to visit Claire and Fabio at Château des Rontets last October. The couple met as architects in Milan, Italy, and eventually relocated to France to take charge of Claire’s family estate in the town of Fuissé, Burgundy. Fabio and Claire don’t subscribe fully to all of the intricacies of the biodynamic philosophy, but they have adopted some biodynamic techniques such as following a lunar calendar for harvesting and other cellar jobs. All of the estate’s grapes are grown organically and carefully hand harvested.

Château des Rontets Pouilly-Fuissé “Clos Varambon”

The impressive 18th century Rontets château is surrounded by an old vineyard of Chardonnay grapes. This walled vineyard, or “clos,” is the highest elevation vineyard in the Pouilly-Fuissé appellation. This is where the grapes are grown for the Château Rontets “Clos Varambon” Pouilly-Fuissé.

The Clos Varambon possesses a richness that’s not heavy or cloying. Silky-smooth in texture, this is truly an elegant wine. Bright appley fruit makes your mouth water, and a mineral complexity is balanced by a just-right acidity. A slightly salty and peppery finish makes this wine a perfect complement to cheese, white meats or seafood.

Château des Rontets Saint-Amour “Côte de Besset” 2012

On my trip (L-R): Claire and Fabio with Ihsan and Valerie

This rare Saint-Amour is tough for us to get our hands on – but a bit came in just for the holiday season. A lovely, elegant Gamay, this Saint-Amour is made from grapes in a single vineyard just over the border into Beaujolais.

Fresh cherry fruit with a background of earth and mineral finish, this is a perfect food wine for holiday parties.

Julie Cappellano is the General Manager and Wine Buyer at Formaggio Kitchen South End, Boston.

The holiday season has arrived! We all look forward to these long nights around the table, sitting with friends and savoring dishes to keep us warm. Braised meats, slow cooked beans, root vegetables, rich desserts: all of them cry out for wines that can stand up to the plate. Here are a few treats from our shelves that we look forward to savoring all year-long – wines we save for special occasions, just like this month’s holiday gatherings. Here we present a show-stopper right bank Bordeaux for your holiday meats, as well as two after-dinner wines: the first, a Barolo Chinato to sip with dark chocolate, and the second, a rich red Banyuls from southern France. Enjoy!

Château La Grave Canon-Fronsac “La Fleur de Cailleau” 2008

Paul Barre makes this ultra-traditional Bordeaux at Château La Grave in the town of Fronsac on the northern bank of the Dordogne river. This cuvée is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. 

We love Barre’s rich, dark Bordeaux for its balance of fruit, tannin and earth. It’s perfect with roasted or braised beef or lamb on a cold winter’s night.

Cappellano Barolo Chinato

In 1895, pharmacist Dottore Giuseppe Cappellano invented Barolo Chinato when he steeped a secret blend of china bark, spices and herbs in a fortified Barolo wine. Happy Piemontese have been sipping this mysterious elixir after meals ever since. We can pick out notes of licorice, cinnamon, cherry, hazelnut, earth and clove. Cappellano Barolo Chinato settles the stomach, tantalizes the taste buds, and pairs perfectly with dark, dark chocolate. We only receive a tiny bit each year and when it’s gone it’s gone, so call ahead if you’re looking for a bottle!

Domaine du Traginer Banyuls “Rimage Mise Tardive” 2009

Jean-François Deu is the winemaker at Domaine du Traginer, where he farms according to biodynamic principles and plows with his mule Nanu. Valerie and Ihsan paid him a visit a few years back and he insisted they stay for dinner while his wife cooked a ridiculously huge cabbage. Banyuls is a rich, fortified dessert wine, and this beauty is made with late harvest Grenache, Grenache Gris and Carignane grapes. These extra-ripe grapes produce a rich, heady wine with notes of stewed fruits and warm baking spices that pairs wonderfully with cheeses, nuts and dried fruit after dinner.

Julie Cappellano is the General Manager and Wine Buyer at Formaggio Kitchen South End, Boston.

“Sangre y Trabajadero” Oloroso Sherry – Bodega Gutierrez Colosia

Every year, when January’s winds hit, and the temperatures settle down to numbers that are far too low for my liking, my thoughts wander to exotic places. I see sun-drenched vistas in my mind’s eye, I watch spaghetti Westerns to warm up, and I hibernate with something inspiring to sip: like a delightful Oloroso Sherry from the windy, sun-soaked southern coast of Spain.

Sherry, both the region and the wine, takes its name from the Arabic word “sherish” – from which the name of the town “Jerez” is derived. The towns of Sherry, namely Jerez de la Frontera, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, and El Puerto de Santa María, sit on the Atlantic-facing side of a large, protected bay on the southernmost tip of Spain, where the ocean breeze works to moderate the dry, hot winds that blow down from the Meseta Central. An incredibly deep root structure in the chalk-laden soil which allows the vines to tap into moisture from deep underground springs (ah, chalk! a fantastic soil type and worthy of a conversation all its own), means the grapes achieve optimal ripeness from such hot days, while retaining high levels of acidity as the temperature drops at night. These towns, with their perfect position at the entry to the Mediterranean, have long been important shipping ports, and particularly for the shipping of wine – since the times of the Phoenicians. Logically, Sherry makers set up their facilities, known as bodegas, in these port towns, where they could age, store, bottle, and then ship the wines with ease.

Palomino Grapes (photo credit: Pamela Heywood)

Palomino, a hearty but otherwise unremarkable grape, is used for the majority of Sherry production (Pedro Ximénez and Muscatel are utilized for a small percentage of sweet style Sherries). The grapes are first made into a dry wine that begins its transformation into Sherry when it enters the top of the solera, a unique system by which a series of old barrels are used to age wines by fractional blending. Young wines enter the solera on the top-level, and as older wine is poured off and bottled from the bottom level, the young wine systematically works its way downward, or through the solera, for further ageing. A small amount of the older wine remains in each tier of the system as they are topped off into each level. This fractional blending was one of the original boons of this aging system, because it eliminates vintage to vintage variation. (There are some rare instances when Sherries are bottled as single vintages, but only in specific, and much less common circumstances.)

After the wine has been vinified, and before it begins its journey through the system, the winemaker will first judge the wines to determine their quality, and so, which path they will take. The most delicate, aromatic, and balanced of the wines will be categorized as Finos. These wines are fortified to 14% and start off in the top set of barrels – the “nurseries” as they are called. It is in these barrels that the magic of Sherry takes place. Perhaps it is something carried in on the cooling Atlantic breezes – or maybe it comes in on the backs of the grapes themselves, but in the barrels a unique yeast, called “flor” ( flower) will proliferate on the top of the wines, thus sealing and protecting them from the air. This living yeast is the secret of Fino Sherries. The Finos are the most delicate of Sherries: they are saline and fresh and should be served chilled like any other white wine. Within the category of “Fino” there are also the delightful Manzanilla Sherries from the town of Sanlucar de Barrameda, and the more robust, age-worthy Amontillados that tend to spend the most time moving through the solera. (For more information on Amontillados, please  read Julie’s post about El Maestro Sierra Amontillado and its unique story here).

Now, taking one step back to the point at which the winemaker is placing his new, young, completely fermented wine into barrel. The wines that are not deemed Fino level will instead be made into Oloroso Sherries. Oloroso Sherries start off by being fortified to a higher level than the Finos – to 18% – and that increased alcohol level will prevent the growth of flor once in barrel. Instead, with the protection of fortification and gradual influx of oxygen from longer periods in the barrels of the solera, Olorosos will develop oxidative aromas and flavors, becoming darker and nuttier in style, and can age very well.

Here is a helpful diagram:

Sherry Solera System (credit: The Wining Woman blog)

The true value of a Solera is its age. As I am sure you can understand, the precise age of a wine aged this way cannot be truly measured – much as with balsamico tradizionale or genuine balsamic vinegar. Instead, you must factor the time that each portion of wine spends in each level of the system, and take into account the percentage that is left behind at every interval as the wine moves down to top off the lower, older set of barrels. In other words, the amount of wine that is taken out each year is only a small fraction compared to the amount of wine that enters the top of the system. Some soleras, like those used to make Fino Sherries, move more quickly, and wine can be pulled off faster, but in the case of slower soleras, the fraction drawn from the oldest barrels each year is typically only 5-10% of the contents.

By now you might be ready to dive into a bottle of Oloroso (I know I am)! Right now, I would recommend a bottle from the Bodega of Gutierrez Colosia. This particular bodega is located in the town of El Puerto de Santa María (what a romantic name!), right at the mouth of the Bay of Cádiz, where it has been in operation since 1838. Their Oloroso is named for a local cooper who produced barrels and aged his own Oloroso. He would share his Sherry with his butcher neighbors, thus gaining the name “Sangre y Trabajadero” – “Blood and the Worker.” It spends about 12 years in the solera system. It is deeply amber-colored with slightly sweet, nutty notes on the nose, yet full and dry on the palate, with a subtle saline tang that gives a nod to the nearby sea. This is Sherry that is rich enough to enjoy with protein-centered tapas, like a bacon wrapped date or a thin slice of duck breast. I like to enjoy it after dinner with the classic Spanish trio of sheep milk cheese, Marcona almonds, and dulce de membrillo.

Related reading: click here to read about Tim’s culinary expedition through the Extremadura region of southwestern Spain.

Jessica Smith is the Wine Buyer and a cheesemonger at Formaggio Kitchen Cambridge.

Last fall, I had the opportunity to visit the winery of Jean David in the town of Seguret in the southern Rhône valley. Seguret is a walled medieval town perched on the edge of the Dentelles de Montmirail mountains, equidistant between the towns of Rasteau to the northwest and Gigondas to the south. We were there in October and the weather was great! We had come directly from cool, rainy Burgundy where everyone was clad in thick sweaters, and when we arrived in the Rhône, we saw people everywhere walking around in flip-flops and t-shirts.

Jean David and his wife run their small winery together with just a bit of help harvesting in the fall. They farm around 17 hectares of vineyards where they grow red grapes – Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, Mourvèdre, Carignan and Counoise – and white grapes – Roussanne, Bourboulenc and Clairette. Jean also has a little Tempranillo in his vineyard that his father planted. When asked about the proportions of grapes in the vineyard, Jean replied: “sometimes I say to myself, ‘Jean… you should plant more Syrah…but then…’” and he shrugged and smiled.

All of the David’s vineyards have been certified organic since 1987, but even before certification they never used pesticides or herbicides. As we walked through the vines, we could see all kinds of native plants and grasses growing in the dusty, rocky soil.

The David homestead is a rambling old stone house perched on a steep hillside. The house is surrounded by forest, a huge vegetable garden, olive trees and grapevines. We tasted with Jean on his terrace overlooking the valley. Jean proved to be the ultimate chill winemaker, lounging back in his chair and rolling cigarettes while his adorable little grandson played around his feet. He and Martine were equally relaxed at dinner, where Martine served up a simple meal of carrot and raisin salad, grilled sausages, and tomatoes Provençal.

We keep Jean’s perfectly delicious Côtes-du-Rhône in stock whenever it’s available. A blend of mostly Grenache plus Cinsault, Carignan, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Counoise, this purple-tinted red has lovely notes of cherries and blackberries and just the right balance of fruit, acidity and tannin. It’s a lovely everyday wine and a great value. We love this wine with a bit of extra-aged goat cheese like Pouligny St. Pierre.

While we’re waiting for the Côtes-du-Rhône to come back in stock, we currently have Jean’s Seguret Village on the shelf. This cuvée is a blend of the same grapes but in different percentages (less Grenache, more Carignan). The label features a shovel because Jean’s wife Martine collects shovels, they’re all over the yard at their house! This cuvée is richer, darker and earthier than his basic Côtes-du-Rhône. The Seguret is better suited for big meals like meaty stews or roasts.

Martine and Jean David with one of Martine’s shovels

In the fall of 2006, we introduced Jean David’s boxed wine to the Boston market for the first time as a Formaggio Kitchen exclusive. It took a lot of sampling and explaining to convince wary wine lovers that this unassuming box actually contained delicious, handmade, organic wine! Eight years later, Jean David’s 5-liter box is one of our bestselling red wines. The box wine is a Vin de Pays blend of pretty much all of his red grapes, including the Tempranillo, and is easy drinking and versatile. Last spring, for the first time, we had Jean’s rosé in a box. Our 50 boxes sold out fast — don’t worry though, we’re getting lots more this time! Look for our announcement of its arrival in late March/early April. Until then, warm up with Jean and Martine’s delicious reds!

Julie Cappellano is the General Manager and Wine Buyer at Formaggio Kitchen South End, Boston.

A half-bottle of Champagne is the perfect size for starting off an evening of romantic dining for two. The bubbles refresh and perk up your palate, but you still have room to share a full bottle of wine with dinner. Likewise, a half bottle of bubbly can give you just the right amount of buzzy cheer if you’re serving it with a bit of cheese in lieu of a large meal. Here are three of our favorite Champagne halves paired with three Valentine’s Day moods.

Laherte Fréres Grand Brut Ultradition

Laherte Fréres is registered as a négociant-manipulant because they buy grapes, but the cool thing is that all the grapes they buy are purchased from other family members. Their Ultradition is their non-vintage cuveé, and it’s predominantly made up of Pinot Meunier. Clean and crisp with notes of pears and a little toasty nuttiness, this is a good choice for wooing someone you’d like to know better.

Chartogne-Taillet Cuvée Sainte-Anne

Chartogne-Taillet is run by the energetic (and handsome) Alexandre Chartogne. He farms according to biodynamic principles and plows with a horse-drawn plow. His Cuvée Sainte-Anne is made up of 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir. Dry and minerally but with a honeyed richness – sip this with your life partner as you contemplate the mysteries and intricacies of existence.

Jean Vesselle Brut Réserve

The Vesselle family has been making Champagne in the village of Bouzy for over 300 years. Their Brut Réserve is made from 80% Pinot Noir, which gives the wine a lovely red fruit character. This Champagne is the best choice for igniting an evening of fiery passion!

Julie Cappellano is the General Manager and Wine Buyer at Formaggio Kitchen South End, Boston.

Each winter, I chuckle when I hear myself describing 30 degree weather as “balmy,” while simultaneously shaking my head at the arctic outcrops of snow outside. With all the white snow setting everything in frigid, monochromatic contrast, I find myself craving shades of yellow and orange, and the warm spectrum of flavors that go along with them. A delicate, understated Savoie white from Gilles Berlioz, made of 100% Jacquère, is the perfect complement to one of my favorite aged Sardinian goat milk cheeses, Pantaleo. Coupled with some thin slices of exuberantly tart kumquats, I get all of the sunshine and fresh aromas I need to make it through the deep-freeze of winter.

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Gilles Berlioz is a landscape gardener-cum-winemaker, who first inherited 2 hectares of vines nearly 20 years ago from a family member. His interest in winemaking and improving the overall health of the land lead him to farm organically. He now has 3.5 hectares of vines in the mountainous Savoie appellation of Chignin, south of the town of Chambéry – which is famous for its white vermouths (Julie, wine buyer at our South End location, talks about these in her blog post on Dolin). Mostly, however, the Savoie is a region widely considered to be capable of producing “Piquette” wines (French slang for bad wine); wines that are only good for making fondue. Berlioz’s whites are concentrated, complex and quietly expressive of their region, far too good for just cooking fondue! Gilles is meticulous in the vineyard. He does all of the ploughing, weeding between the vines, and pruning completely on his own, and his approach in the cellar is natural and non-interventionist. His winemaking philosophy also includes long, slow fermentations, neutral aging in fiberglass vats, and bottling in early summer (according to the lunar calendar) so that he can avoid filtration. Most of his vines are quite old, and yield an incredibly tiny amount of fruit. (His yields are around 30 hectoliters per hectare, while the norm in the Savoie is 70 hectoliters per hectare.) This bottle, cheekily named “La Piquette,” is made of one of the region’s main white grape varietals: Jacquère. It is pale yellow in color and light on the nose, with subtle notes of herbs and honeyed fruit. On the palate it is balanced between clean acidity and loads of minerals, a direct expression of the limestone-heavy soils of the steeply-angled vineyards.

Pantaleo

I particularly enjoy this white alongside Pantaleo, because I find La Piquette’s delicate brightness so pleasant next to the strong scent of orange blossoms I love in this cheese. Pantaleo is a firm goat milk cheese from the western coast of Sardinia, aged for about 4-6 months. On its own, the cheese is dry in texture, nicely salted, and full of those warm citrus notes I crave. When paired with a sip of Jacquère, the richness of its fat lingers perfectly on your palate after the mineral finish of the wine. I like a bite-sized pop of kumquat at the end to contrast the saltiness of the cheese and cleanse my palate in time for another whiff of Jacquère. Sip, nibble, savor, repeat… and, before you know it, all the aromas will have whisked the memory of snow away!

Jessica Smith is the Wine Buyer and a cheesemonger at Formaggio Kitchen Cambridge.

Patricia Domergue is the leading lady behind the delightful wines of Clos Centeilles, a 14 hectare estate located in the La Livinière cru of Minervois. Minervois is an appellation in the westernmost part of the Languedoc in southern France. Before purchasing this property in 1990, Patricia studied oenology and worked in the Bordeaux region, but she was ultimately drawn to the Languedoc for its rich viticultural history and unique terroir.

Patricia is the acting President of the Union for the La Livinière cru, and is dedicated to growing heirloom red and white varietals, many of which are specific to the Languedoc (and some, like Picpoul Noir and Araignan Blanc, practically extinct!). While not certified organic, her approach is very traditional and all of the work in the vineyards is done by hand – from trimming and plowing with a horse-drawn plow, to hand-picking the harvest.

Clos Centeilles’ Côtes du Brian Blanc is a white wine made from 4 antique varietals – Araignan Blanc, Riveirenc Blanc and Gris, and Carignan Gris – from vines that Patricia rescued from a local nursery, planted, and fostered. In Patricia’s words, these grapes were, “meant to meet each other.” The Araignan Blanc delivers fleshy aromas, the Riveirenc Blanc and Gris provide balance, and the Carignan Gris balances with good acidity. She is right! This is an expressive southern French white – one that is pale gold in color with a nose of fresh apricot, wild fennel and herbs. On the palate it is fresh and clean with pretty Bosc pear and bitter almond notes, and a satisfying saline finish. I find this white perfect to savor with a chunk of Brebis Pardou, a sheep milk cheese from the Pyrénées, and a sliver of quince paste.

Jessica Smith is the Wine Buyer and a cheesemonger at Formaggio Kitchen Cambridge.

Ekiola Sheep in the Pyrénées Mountains

A trip through the French Basque country is one of distinct sights, scents, and flavors. Rolling hills of green pastures are punctuated by craggy mountain peaks and deep valleys, and sheep are everywhere! When Ihsan, Valerie and I traveled through the area in the fall, we tasted a huge array of sheep milk cheeses and an assortment of intense but beautiful wines. Here, we’re featuring a few of our favorite tastes: Ardi Gasnas from Fromagerie Pardou and Ekiola, and a killer red wine from Domaine Ilarria of Irouléguy. Ardi Gasna (or gazna) is Basque for “sheep cheese,” and these smooth, rich sheep cheeses are a specialty in the Pyrénées mountains.

Fromagerie Pardou is an affineur, meaning that they don’t make cheese, they age it. Pardou acquires cheeses from a number of little farms in their area operating on the “dîme” – or tithe – system in which they get to keep a percentage of the cheese. No money changes hands, just cheese! The cheeses arrive very young and are babied to maturity by the Pardou staff. The Pardou aging cave was built by closing off the two ends of a defunct train tunnel. The inside of this man-made cave consistently has the perfect temperature and humidity for aging cheese.

Valerie and Ihsan at the Entrance to Fromagerie Pardou

Ekiola is unique in that it’s the only fermier cheese we bring in from the Pyrénées. Fermier is French for “farm,” meaning that all the cheese from Ekiola is made on one farm with milk from the family’s own sheep. Ekiola is a tiny operation as you can see from the size of their cheesemaking facility! The family takes the sheep to graze in high mountain pastures during the summer months, and family members take turns staying in the mountain hut with the sheep. “Ekiola” is actually the Basque word for the mountain hut.

The Entire Cheesemaking Facility at Ekiola

All of the cheeses we import from this area pair naturally well with the local cherry jam. Arraya’s jam is made with local tart red cherries, not the black cherries that are more well-known. This sweet-tart jam is a lovely contrast to a rich, creamy Ardi Gasna.

Irouléguy Wine, Brebis and Arraya Tart Cherry Jam

Domaine Ilarria is a biodynamic winery in the Irouléguy A.O.C., about an hour and a half drive from Fromagerie Pardou. Most of the wine made in Irouléguy is made by the local co-op, Domaine Ilarria is one of the few independent wineries. Grapes grow here on steep slopes that have reddish soil from a high iron content. Ilarria’s red is a blend of peppery Cabernet Franc, rich Cabernet Sauvignon, and dark-skinned Tannat. This is a serious, savory wine with some cassis fruit but stiff tannins that make it very dry. Adding a smear of Arraya cherry jam to your cheese as you taste the three together brings out a bit of a bright cherry note in the wine. Bon appétit!

Julie Cappellano is the General Manager and Wine Buyer at Formaggio Kitchen South End, Boston.

It’s springtime, and you can just begin to smell it in the air as the damp ground warms up and the bulbs start pushing through. In the cheese world, there is similar rejoicing, because kidding season (when goats have their babies!) has just passed and the best of springtime chèvres are appearing in the cheese case. Paired with a mineral-driven white, these little goat cheeses make a perfect afternoon snack or appetizer to welcome in spring!

My favorite of all of the confection-like shapes in our goat case is the Valençay Affiné. This handsome, grey, truncated pyramid hails from the commune of Valençay, in the eastern part of France’s Loire valley. Valençay has a delicious, thick, ash-ripened rind over its creamy paste, and to top it all off, this cheese has quite a history! Legend has it that Napoleon, after a disappointing campaign in Egypt, took out his sword and whacked the top point of the pyramid off his cheese one evening, to make its shape less mocking.

The flavors are still there, even if the top point is not. The delicate ash coating underneath the rind slightly de-acidifies the cheese, setting up the minerally, chalky undertones in perfect contrast and highlighting a salty-earthy quality that the best chèvres often exhibit. That’s why I like the cheese so much with this standout bottle of Muscadet from Domaine de la Pépière, located at the opposite end of the Loire Valley.

Valençay Affiné

This special cuvée of Muscadet from white wine superstar Marc Olivier is actually named for the town it’s from in the heart of Muscadet country, and for the soil it is grown on: “granite de  Château-Thébaud.” In a region overrun with mass-produced whites that are one-dimensional guzzlers, Marc Olivier is one of a handful of growers determined to showcase the pedigree of their local white grape: Melon de Bourgogne. This particular cuvée comes from a small hectare parcel of granite-rich soil. You can smell and feel all of that clean, stony minerality straight through the finish of this wine, which carries quite a bit of texture due to its extended time left sitting on the lees. Paired with a nibble of salty, creamy Valençay, its quiet apple orchard fruit notes open up beautifully, and its minerally finish clears the way for another tasty bite. Happy spring!

Jessica Smith is the Wine Buyer and a cheesemonger at Formaggio Kitchen Cambridge.

For the past few years, Gobelsburger Cistercian Rosé has been one of our bestselling, most loved rosés, and a consistent favorite at staff tastings. This past weekend, my neighbors and I shared our first bottle of the new 2013 vintage at the end of a long, humid day. The cramped apartment was hot and the kids were sticky and grumpy, but as soon as we tasted that cool, crisp wine we all sighed and relaxed into our seats. It didn’t hurt that on the first pour there was a bright little bit of effervescence to perk up tired taste buds!

Gobelsburger Vineyards

A blend of Zweigelt, Saint Laurent and Pinot Noir grapes, Gobelsburger Cistercian Rosé has a mouthwatering tang that offsets a subtle, dry, strawberry note that makes you want to take another sip. This is an excellent rosé on its own, as it has a perfect balance of acidity and fruit. We also love the way Gobelsburger Rosé pairs with fresh goat cheeses, seafood (especially fried seafood), BBQ, or pretty much anything you eat outdoors in the summer. Best keep a second bottle on hand in the fridge – this baby disappears fast!

The Gobelsburger Estate

We have winemaker Michael Moosbrugger to thank for this springtime treat, as well as the Cistercian monks of Gobelsburg who have been making wine from these vineyards since 1171. Gobelsburg is located about a 45 minute drive from Vienna in Austria; there, Michael continues the monastery’s long tradition of winemaking without the use of pesticides and herbicides. So, a big thanks to Michael, and here’s to a deliciously warm summer filled with wonderful pink wine!

Julie Cappellano is the General Manager and Wine Buyer at Formaggio Kitchen South End, Boston.

Reuilly is a wine growing appellation in the eastern Loire Valley, not far from Sancerre. The three main grapes grown there are Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, and a tiny amount of Pinot Gris (also known as Pinot Grigio). Pinot Gris is a sub-clone of Pinot Noir that has a very pale, blueish-grey skin. Much of the soil in Reuilly consists of Kimmeridgian marl, a type of limestone perfect for the production of aromatic, delicate wines.

Domaine de Reuilly is a 17 hectare organic estate in the heart of this commune. Denis Jamain’s grandfather first planted vines here in 1935, when he also purchased a small parcel in the local forest. Denis has been managing the estate since 1990 and has the luck of being able to select oak trees from his grandfather’s forest to be made into barrels for aging his own wines!

Denis’ rosé is made from 100% Pinot Gris. It is pale and undeniably tasty. The juice for this wine doesn’t get much more than 3 hours of contact with its already light-colored grape skins, so the barely pink color is no surprise. What I love most about this rosé is its light and silky texture, a result of the soil where the grapes grow. It is aromatic and the pedigree of its soil shines through on the palate. In terms of flavor, Jamain’s Reuilly rosé is dense with minerals and offers pristine acidity all the way through.

Try this rosé on its own, without any food to get in the way of the delicate nuances. This way you can really savor the wine’s texture and minerality, and its lovely, feminine nose. If you’re hungry for a little cheese, try a fresh, rindless Loire Valley goat milk cheese like Valençay. After all, isn’t simplicity and enjoyment what rosé wine is all about? If you don’t enjoy this marvelous rosé, I’ll give you my left arm, and I’m a leftie so that’s really saying something!

Jessica Smith is the Wine Buyer and a cheesemonger at Formaggio Kitchen Cambridge.

In celebration of Independence Day weekend, we’re featuring one delicious American wine. The Farmers Jane project is run by friends and wine lovers Angela and Faith in southern California. This tasty white is made from grapes purchased from a Santa Ynez valley vineyard belonging to the Native American Chamush tribe. In this vineyard Grenache Blanc, Marsanne and Roussane grow together, and the grapes are harvested, pressed and fermented all together at the same time, old-school style.

Ten months of aging in large barrels adds a touch of richness, but this wine is surprisingly fresh and bright for a California white. A tropical note makes this a great BBQ wine, or try it with fresh goat cheeses! Whatever you serve this Farmers Jane white with, make sure you’re outdoors with your shoes off when you drink it. Cheers and have a safe and happy holiday weekend! Farmers Jane Field White is currently available at our South End location.

Julie Cappellano is the General Manager and Wine Buyer at Formaggio Kitchen South End, Boston.

Porcupine’s eye view of the Mottura Vineyard

This past April the Formaggio Wine Team took a pleasant trip to visit Sergio Mottura’s estate on our way to VinItaly 2014. We flew into Rome’s Fiumicino airport early in the morning and drove north-east towards Umbria. We eventually split off from the crazy A1 autostrada onto small, one-lane roads. Just along the northern border of Lazio we reached the medieval hamlet of Civitella d’Agliano, and the home, hotel and cantina of the Mottura family.

The Mottura family’s history here dates back several generations. When we arrived at the Mottura’s hotel, La Tana dell’istriche, Sergio and his son Giuseppe immediately led us to their underground tasting room, where we sipped their lovely sparkling wine and filled up on warm focaccia fresh from the oven. We settled into our rooms and lunched on huge porchetta sandwiches with big glasses of Sergio’s red Civitella Rosso. Yum.

After lunch, Sergio whisked us away in his car to tour the local countryside and visit the vineyards around his house. Although most of the Orvieto D.O.C. is in the region of Umbria, the part of the D.O.C. where Sergio’s property lies is just over the border in Lazio. The family holds approximately 130 hectares in total, all farmed carefully and organically. Sergio took time out to show us the plants growing between his vines and point out different types of flowers and weeds that help keep the soils healthy.

Before the property was converted to organic viticulture in the 1960s, the local “istrice” or porcupines stayed away. As the land became cleaner, the porcupines became more frequent visitors, running around under the vines and eating the grapes that fell to the ground. Now, Sergio puts the little porcupine on all of his wine labels to celebrate the cleanliness of his organic farm. Today the Mottura’s property is rife with the little creatures; Sergio even had to build a serious fence to protect his vegetable garden!

Tasting Mottura Wines with Sergio Mottura’s son, Giuseppe

The tufo caves under the hotel in which the Motturas’ best wines are aged are incredibly deep, and perfectly cool. Tufo is a type of rock created from volcanic ash, and it’s common in the Umbria/Lazio area. To reach the caves, we descended to the basement of the hotel, and then down two more levels until it seemed we were miles below the surface. The cave ceilings and walls were draped with cobwebs and fluffy white moldy strings, making for a creepy and fascinating setting.

My favorite part of our visit was the multi-course homemade dinner we had with the family. All of the wines made a showing, each at a different part of the meal, and we ate lovely local dishes like homemade farro pasta (made with the family’s own fresh eggs!), shaved fresh artichokes, and rich red wine braised chicken, falling off the bone. Giuseppe Mottura recommends his white wines with classic Lazio dishes like Spaghetti alla Carbonara, Bucatini all’Amatriciana and Cacio e Pepe. A distinct saltiness in the wines melds with lovely salty Roman cheese like Pecorino Romano.

Orvieto has long been Umbria’s most famous and most exported wine.  One of just a few D.O.C. wines in the region, Orvieto was once known for its rich honey flavor and off-dry style. Historically, Orvieto was made from blends of Grechetto and Malvasia, long aged in prehistoric cellars cut from volcanic rock. Sergio’s entry-level white is a pretty little Orvieto made from a blend of local grapes including 25% Grechetto (Sergio’s favorite white grape). It is fermented in stainless steel so there are no woody aromas or flavors – just pure, fresh, juicy wine. Not heavy, this refreshing wine has green fruit and a slight grassy note, as well as a pleasantly bitter aftertaste like bitter almonds. This everyday, light-bodied white is quenching and works wonderfully as an aperitivo. Sip on its own or paired with younger sheep’s milk cheeses like the pecorinos from Pienza. This Orvieto’s salinity pairs especially well with seafood and bitter greens.

Sergio and Giuseppe believe that Grechetto is their most important white grape; the one with the most character and with the most potential for aging. The name Grechetto comes from the grape’s origins in Greece. Over the years Sergio has identified and isolated specific clones in his vineyards that he believes produce the most complex and characteristic wines. Grechetto can potentially add richness and a slight nutty note to wines it’s blended into, and when vinified on its own it makes for a lovely, complex, medium-bodied white. The Poggio della Costa Grechetto is grown in a 7 hectare plot of clay soil atop a small hill (or “poggio”). After a soft pressing and slow fermentation, the wine is aged throughout the winter and spring on its lees. You’ll notice that this wine is richer in body and darker in color than the Orvieto. Look for juicier fruit notes like peach and pineapple and a warm, somewhat stony finish. Despite a fruity tone, this wine remains dry and well-balanced. Mottura’s Poggio della Costa Grechetto is especially good with salty and savory foods like roasted pork and aged pecorino cheese. Try with a big plate of homemade spaghetti alla carbonara!

Although the Motturas certainly love their Grechetto, the Orvieto region’s temperate climate and volcanic soil provide excellent conditions for a range of red varieties as well.  Sergio grows Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, producing a variety of wines aged in both oak and stainless steel.  Although he uses so-called international grapes, Sergio manages to escape the tendencies of imitation and makes wines that are distinctly fresh and not too heavy.  He grows his Merlot and Montepulciano in a 6 hectare hillside or “Civitella Rosso” vineyard, which benefits significantly from veins of gravel that break up the mix of tufo and clay.  The grapes are fermented and aged for 6 months in stainless steel tanks to preserve the purity and freshness of the fruit characteristics. This is not your average soft and fruity Merlot – the Montepulciano gives it a little kick and a bit of a woodsy undertone. Pretty cherry and blackberry fruit does show here, as well as a hint of spice, making for a lovely spring or fall red to pair with pork and duck!

The Mottura Family

If you’re ever planning a trip to the Lazio/Umbria area please let us know so we can give you information and directions to Civitella d’Agliano so you can visit the Mottura family too. They love visitors from the states and encouraged us to encourage YOU to go visit them!

Julie Cappellano is the General Manager and Wine Buyer at Formaggio Kitchen South End, Boston.

The Sintra coastline

Like everything born of Sintra, the Arenae Colares Malvasia is of and from the sea.

I had the good fortune to spend several weeks last summer exploring Lisbon and its surrounding environs, including an unforgettable day in Sintra, guided by two friends of mine who grew up there.

Sintra, the westernmost point in Europe, is a community of fairytale castles and tiny villages perched on mountains cascading into the ocean. These mountains are loosely connected by lengths of sand stolen from the sea – beaches with signs urging swimmers and surfers to be wary, lest she unexpectedly comes to take her sands back from under their feet. Most of these beaches – or at least the best of them – are “praias escondidas,” “hidden beaches,” with entrances by way of mountain passages known only to locals. Speaking over waves breaking with the voices of sirens, my friends explained that the cautionary signs remind those who have lived here in mutual respect with the ocean for generations to still take care, for she can be a fairweather and fickle friend.

Colares is the smallest D.O.C. (Denominação de Origem Controlada) in Portugal, just footsteps from the Atlantic, with vineyards protected from the harsh ocean winds by sandy dunes. Most famously, its sandy soils proved inhospitable to the phylloxera louse, meaning that some of the oldest vine stock in Europe still calls Colares home. The characteristics of the soil that held off the phylloxera, however, are not much more welcoming to the vines themselves. From what I could learn through a bit of research, farmers have for centuries tapped into a nutrient-rich layer of clay soil, well below the initial layers of sand. There they plant the vines, coaxing them to grow and thrive, propping them up enough to keep the grapes from burning on the hot ground, but still low enough to protect them from the wind. Nestled behind stone walls and fences, they allow the sand to fill back in over years, once the roots have taken hold.

A coastal vineyard in Colares
(© Andrew Bishop, owner of Oz Wine Co)

You can immediately taste the sun drenched, weather beaten, hard-won fruits of these labors in the depth and dry complexity of Arenae’s Malvasia. It opens with sherry and salinity on the nose. At first touch on the tongue, it carries the salt of the breeze off the ocean along with a warm, rounded tartness – like biting into an apple on the beach so that its juices mix with the flavors of sand and seaweed in the air. A slight oxidation seems to draw out olive oil green and bitter orange notes and pulls all of the flavors together. At first the finish is reminiscent of a fino sherry, then it gently fades into the taste of ocean sprays in the cooling air at sunset with sand between your toes.

The red wines of the Colares region have been compared to French Bordeaux wines; this Malvasia rivals the intricacy of a high-end Jura Chardonnay – without much “funkiness” (though perhaps with a little bacalhau somewhere on the finish). While Arenae’s Malvasia could easily be drunk on its own, Portuguese wines are created to be enjoyed with simple, fresh, and subtly spiced food. This wine would pair beautifully with fresh-caught seafood, steamed green vegetables drizzled with a little olive oil, salads made with ripe tomatoes, and summer fruits.

After hundreds of years of snatching life from the sand and the sea in order to produce limited quantities of this and other stunning Colares wines, the hectares of vineyards have begun to shrink annually. Today traditional farming families are succumbing to the pressures of developers and the expansion of resorts into this beautiful region. Knowing this, and knowing the small quantity of this already rare wine that has ever made it out of Portugal at all, I find myself becoming a little covetous… We currently have, between our South End and Cambridge shops, 8 bottles of the 2008 Arenae’s Colares Malvasia. Give us a call or send an email to julie@formaggiosouthend.com if you’d like us to set one aside for you!

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Sources:

David Lincoln Ross’ “The World’s Most Endangered Wine Region: Portugal’s Colares Appellation“

Arnold Waldstein’s “Arenae Colares Malvasia…As rare, as interesting, as satisfying as wine can be“

“Feet Buried in the Sand” from Keith Levenberg’s Cellar-Book

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Marianne Staniunas is a cheesemonger at Formaggio Kitchen South End, Boston.

Dom Diogo Padeiro from Quinta da Raza

Even though it’s designated as a “Vinho Verde”, the Dom Diogo Padeiro from Quinta da Raza is not green or even white – it’s pink!

The Minho province is home to the crisp, dry white Vinho Verde we love to sip in the summertime, but folks there also make pink and red wines from local grapes. Most Vinho Verde rosé is mass-produced, simple and refreshing but not all that interesting. Quinta da Raza is a small winery run by Jose Diogo Teixeria and his wife Mafalda. The winery has been in Jose’s family since the 1800s. The climate and soil in this area are unique in the Vinho Verde, as the soils are rich with granite and schist, and there is less rainfall and more sun than in other Vinho Verde sub-zones. Jose farms organically, growing his grapes for quality, and his wines are more complex than most Vinho Verdes. They are also also more expensive than most, but at $11.95 a bottle for the rosé and $9.95 for the white that’s not really saying much. There are two grapes commonly used in in Vinho Verde rosé but Jose uses just one: Padeiro. Padeiro is an early-ripening grape with a wonderful aroma of ripe, red cherries.

Like his white Vinho Verde, this rosé has a perky little effervescence. From the dark color you can tell that there’s a good amount of body to this wine. It’s not sweet, but it has a ripe fruitiness reminiscent of cherries, plums and berries. Despite a rich body the abundant acidity and fizz make for a clean, refreshing finish.

Sip this tasty rose on the last warm days of summer, preferably outdoors in the sunshine! It’s fine as an aperitif on its own, but makes a great food wine as well. The combination of fruit and acidity here makes the Jose’s rosé a great companion to classic American cook-out foods like grilled burgers and dogs, creamy potato salad and coleslaw.

Julie Cappellano is the General Manager and Wine Buyer at Formaggio Kitchen South End, Boston.