After our trip to see the vineyards Bruno insists we stay for lunch with his family. We arrive back to the main building and enter into the dining room which is essentially one large room with a small kitchen in one corner. At the stove is Paola, Bruno's sister who is also the CFO or as Bruno whispers makes sure he doesn't waste too much money on his wine experiments. She greets us as she prepares pasta in their makeshift kitchen. The stove, sink and cabinets are all open to the rest of the large room. A long wooden table sits on the opposite end of the cavernous room and we all help get the plates and glasses onto the table. Lunch will be a simple family affair but experience tells me that it will all be delicious. Paola is joined by her husband Giovanni, who is the estate caretaker. Bruno told us earlier that Giovanni is meticulous in his care of the vineyards and though a serious job his demeanor is total free spirit Campanian the entire time.
My family and I are used to family celebrations and entertaining ourselves so we all jump in to help carry the food out for Paola. This also gives me a quick peek into today's lunch. One large platter is filled with bocconcini, the local specialty of individual size portions of bufala mozzarella. Other platters are filled with different local salumi like, proscuitto, cappocola, and suppresatta. There are olives, fruit, and fresh bread also in bowls and baskets and for someone who a short time ago was eating airline food this seems like nirvana. Of course there is wine on the table to and this is what I am anxious to try most. Bruno starts off with his Selim, the white sparkler named after Miles Davis [Miles spelled backwords]. Bruno explains that this is a white wine from aglianico grapes which I know means that these red skinned grapes have no contact with the juice which makes the wine white in color. It is cool and refreshing on this hot August afternoon but also full bodied and creamy with all the citrus notes on the nose and palate that you would expect. It is also a revelation that such a deep dark red still wine can be the same grape as this white sparkler. It goes great with our antipasti and I try to savor my glass slowly but given the heat this is a challenge.
Throughout lunch we discuss many topics from life in New York to future aspirations. Bruno says that his goal in the future would be to have a different type of vineyard . His vineyards would look not like the pristine and orderly row of vines that we are so familiar with but instead would be part of a true farm. His vineyards would have animals, fruits, vegetables and trees all mixed together and the vines would be just a parcel of the entire plot. He makes it sound correct and convincing but not one so practical, I wish him luck. As he speaks we try different vintages of his famous Naima wine. we start with the 2005 and like many aglianicos it has those strong tannins but this has juicy fruit too beisdes the characteristic black tar and spice notes. It is exceptional but when Bruno uncorks the 2004 I see why Bruno takes such pleasure in his work. This wine is smooth with just a touch of that dry finish and speaking of finishes this one lasts on and on. Naima 2004 is a delicious wine that screams for food, maybe not my first choice on this hot August afternoon, but having it here in this room with these people and this food makes all the sense in the world.
Paola interrupts things as she brings out the pasta that smelled so wonderful. I see that it will be rigatoni with a salsa of sauteed fresh local eggplant, tomatoes, garlic [but oh so subtle] and the most aromatic basil tossed in. I have had this dish before and I am surprised that cheese is not served alongside it but when I taste the freshness of the ingredients I realize that it is perfect as is and needs no further adornment. We pass the bowl around and it is wonderful and when they ask if I'd like seconds I behave as the good guest should and reply yes. After the pasta, as always, salad is served last and this one comprises delicious seasonal tomatoes, the best I've had in a couple of years mixed with onions and celery. It is refreshing and cool. Once again, I clean my plate. For dessert fresh fruit is served. The figs look like they spent some time with A Rod and Bonds visiting BALCO Labs, but are fragrant and so sweet that you assume it had to be dusted with sugar. Lunch is finito!
Our hosts are looking tired and Donald is giving me the evil eye so I know it's time to move on to Sacco. My first day in Italy has been fun and educational though jet lag and lack of sleep is catching up, I am sad to leave Bruno and his family as they have made me feel so welcome. The wines are also started to talk to me by this time and I can hear the word siesta over and over. We say grazie and arriverderci to all and we promise to meet again in NY as well as an open invitation in the future to return here.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
Bruno and His Wines
With my wife driving a rental, the three of us continue to make our way inland, out of Paestum due east, uphill and somehow find our way to De Conciliis's. Bruno is waiting for us and his English is exceptional and his greeting is warm and sincere. Bruno's smile is infectious and I think even Donald might be comfortable hanging around with the grownups today. Immediately, Bruno lights up a long pencil thin cigarette which is something that, this being Italy, will be replayed all day. We talk briefly about the wine business, my flight from America and when my wife explains she is from the Cilento and from the tiny town of Sacco, Bruno smiles and ushers us inside to his office to show us 'something'? Inside his office, displaying minimalism at its height of fashion, is a black and white photo of the sorgento, a natural mountain spring river that originates in Sacco. From that moment on, I am no longer another wine guy visiting the area looking for a cheap drink, but instead his paesano stopping by to say hello. Bruno says the sorgento and its stark natural beauty is inspiring and later, after being with Bruno all day I realize that Bruno is inspired by nature. Bruno's only other decoration is a map of Burgundy with all the different vineyard sites detailed. Curious, I ask why the map of Burgundy in the deep south of Italy? Bruno easily replies because this is, his dream for HIS zone, not for today or tomorrow but for the future, "we're the 1st real generation of winemakers and it's our job to lead but this is not for me, or my children, but hopefully the 3rd generation to add to and to make into something special".
We all head off to his cantina to taste some wines and though he offers a coffee, and I could use the jolt, I decline and get ready for some tasting of wine from the Cilento. The De Conciliis property extends in many directions and his vineyards are parceled across the area. The main area we're in is not beautiful or stylistically decorated but instead more farm than California Italian. This is my first stop on my trip but not the first time I've seen this, as many of these small wineries put their money back into their most important product their wines. Tourism this far south is for Bruno's children to contemplate, his job is to make great wine, find out which grapes grow best for each particular site and how to do it without upsetting nature.
At the barrels, Bruno offers me tastes from an assortment of wines, whites and reds galore. He doesn't sell all of these, many are experiments as he is constantly working on the right blends. The whites, like his Fiano, have a vibrancy and roundness that screams southern Italian. I don't taste the lemons so much in these which is a revelation, but instead get more of the earth and creaminess in each. His reds, mostly aglianico, but some Primitivo thrown in are young and a little fierce like aglianico's can be but with more fruit on them than others I have grown accustomed to from further north in Campania. The Primitivo, a genetic cousin to our zinfandel, seems to work very well here, and to my simple mind, makes for a natural complement. Bruno is generous with his pours and we taste many wines, some ready for bottling some never to be, all interesting. We talk about his winemaking philosophy and he is expressive and honest. He doesn't consider himself a magician able to coax something out of the air but explains that every vintage is different and it's his job to to help lead the grapes along to where 'they want to go and should be, nature always dictates'. He believes in natural fermenting and uses no temperature controls during the fermenting process. I ask about the media and the critics, and Bruno without flinching responds,"I don't make wine for the critics, if I let them dictate my style I will lose my expression". Much of what I had read about Bruno centered on his love for music, jazz in particular and today we can hear the music in the cellar playing softly, helping the wine to age gracefully, I assume. Naima, Bruno's signature red, is named after a John Coltrane song and Selim[ a sparkling white] is his salutation to Miles Davis, as it's Miles spelled in reverse. Across the spectrum the wines are all delicious and honest expressions of the area and I wonder if someday many years from now, will this be the birthplace of a new Burgundy.
After our cellar visit, Bruno asks if we would like to see his vineyard sites and I am excited to oblige. We take a short ride in his car and travel further uphill to visit his prize parcels where much of his aglianico is planted. We talk along the way about his transformation. De Conciliis was a student in Bologna's art, music and drama school and then moved on like me to finance where he worked for American Express. Like me, that experience, going to dinner at top restaurants, drinking fabulous wines, opened his eyes to what great wines can taste like. Also, that experience made him aware that corporate life was not for him. He returned home to the Cilento and coaxed his father into turning the family chicken farm into a wine estate. Heck, if they can go from chicken farming to wine making, I think I might have a shot at this food and wine transformation myself!
We make ourselves to his vineyards and the panorama is spectacular. Depending on the angle you can see the blue waters of the Mediterranean in the distance, which beside looking great provides the needed night time cool breezes for the vines. All of the vines are planted on slopes and Bruno explains everything is currently organic with one plot being totally biodynamic for his high end Zero, a 100% Aglianico, at the moment. The plan is to make everything biodynamic in the near future and when I ask about it , Bruno replies, "its for the next generation, let's leave them something good to work with". We look closely at the vines and Bruno casually picks off a snail from a leaf and tosses it to the side, replying that the snail needs to eat too. The soils down here in southern Campania tend to be a mix of schist, clay and sand which is much different from the volcanic soils in the northern end. The heat down here as well as these hard soils give the wines a lesser tannic bent and provide more ripe fruit to the wines. Bruno is giving us the full tour and when I see my 10 year old with glazed eyes I tell Bruno thank you but I think my troupe has had enough and we agree that I will return at another time to see it all. Bruno is also a family man, having 2 daughters himself, so he understands and jokes with Donald as we head back to the main house where he insists we must stay to have lunch after my long trip, with his family. We hop back in his car and head downhill to oblige this gentle and generous man that I met such a short time ago yet feel that we have known each other lifetimes. It's also been a while since my last trip and I miss Campania knowing a simple family meal is always special.
We all head off to his cantina to taste some wines and though he offers a coffee, and I could use the jolt, I decline and get ready for some tasting of wine from the Cilento. The De Conciliis property extends in many directions and his vineyards are parceled across the area. The main area we're in is not beautiful or stylistically decorated but instead more farm than California Italian. This is my first stop on my trip but not the first time I've seen this, as many of these small wineries put their money back into their most important product their wines. Tourism this far south is for Bruno's children to contemplate, his job is to make great wine, find out which grapes grow best for each particular site and how to do it without upsetting nature.
At the barrels, Bruno offers me tastes from an assortment of wines, whites and reds galore. He doesn't sell all of these, many are experiments as he is constantly working on the right blends. The whites, like his Fiano, have a vibrancy and roundness that screams southern Italian. I don't taste the lemons so much in these which is a revelation, but instead get more of the earth and creaminess in each. His reds, mostly aglianico, but some Primitivo thrown in are young and a little fierce like aglianico's can be but with more fruit on them than others I have grown accustomed to from further north in Campania. The Primitivo, a genetic cousin to our zinfandel, seems to work very well here, and to my simple mind, makes for a natural complement. Bruno is generous with his pours and we taste many wines, some ready for bottling some never to be, all interesting. We talk about his winemaking philosophy and he is expressive and honest. He doesn't consider himself a magician able to coax something out of the air but explains that every vintage is different and it's his job to to help lead the grapes along to where 'they want to go and should be, nature always dictates'. He believes in natural fermenting and uses no temperature controls during the fermenting process. I ask about the media and the critics, and Bruno without flinching responds,"I don't make wine for the critics, if I let them dictate my style I will lose my expression". Much of what I had read about Bruno centered on his love for music, jazz in particular and today we can hear the music in the cellar playing softly, helping the wine to age gracefully, I assume. Naima, Bruno's signature red, is named after a John Coltrane song and Selim[ a sparkling white] is his salutation to Miles Davis, as it's Miles spelled in reverse. Across the spectrum the wines are all delicious and honest expressions of the area and I wonder if someday many years from now, will this be the birthplace of a new Burgundy.
After our cellar visit, Bruno asks if we would like to see his vineyard sites and I am excited to oblige. We take a short ride in his car and travel further uphill to visit his prize parcels where much of his aglianico is planted. We talk along the way about his transformation. De Conciliis was a student in Bologna's art, music and drama school and then moved on like me to finance where he worked for American Express. Like me, that experience, going to dinner at top restaurants, drinking fabulous wines, opened his eyes to what great wines can taste like. Also, that experience made him aware that corporate life was not for him. He returned home to the Cilento and coaxed his father into turning the family chicken farm into a wine estate. Heck, if they can go from chicken farming to wine making, I think I might have a shot at this food and wine transformation myself!
We make ourselves to his vineyards and the panorama is spectacular. Depending on the angle you can see the blue waters of the Mediterranean in the distance, which beside looking great provides the needed night time cool breezes for the vines. All of the vines are planted on slopes and Bruno explains everything is currently organic with one plot being totally biodynamic for his high end Zero, a 100% Aglianico, at the moment. The plan is to make everything biodynamic in the near future and when I ask about it , Bruno replies, "its for the next generation, let's leave them something good to work with". We look closely at the vines and Bruno casually picks off a snail from a leaf and tosses it to the side, replying that the snail needs to eat too. The soils down here in southern Campania tend to be a mix of schist, clay and sand which is much different from the volcanic soils in the northern end. The heat down here as well as these hard soils give the wines a lesser tannic bent and provide more ripe fruit to the wines. Bruno is giving us the full tour and when I see my 10 year old with glazed eyes I tell Bruno thank you but I think my troupe has had enough and we agree that I will return at another time to see it all. Bruno is also a family man, having 2 daughters himself, so he understands and jokes with Donald as we head back to the main house where he insists we must stay to have lunch after my long trip, with his family. We hop back in his car and head downhill to oblige this gentle and generous man that I met such a short time ago yet feel that we have known each other lifetimes. It's also been a while since my last trip and I miss Campania knowing a simple family meal is always special.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
In the Beginning...[End, Middle??]
It's early August 2009, and my Eurofly jet has just touched down in the chaotic frenzy called Naples, Italy. The passengers, an overwhelming majority of Neopolitans, let out a collective cheer for the pilot, the plane and La Madonna as we touched the runway. For me, this is another new beginning, as my transformation from a 25 year career as a commodities trader moves forward, once again, to my passions of Italian wine, food and life in general. As of today, I am on a working vacation for my six month old job at New York's legendary wine emporium, Zachys, where I am an Italian wine consultant. How I got here and whence I came is for another time; today, my focus is on where I am. Life is good, not so wealthy as before but more rich in many other ways.
Today I visit Bruno De Conciliis and his azienda, just inland from Agropoli and other Italian coastal towns below the Amalfi zone. This area is known for it's beautifully preserved Greek temple, near the town of Paestum. I actually visited the area once before in the mid 90's and was amazed how this temple has withstood the test of time [the trick was this was an area that was a Malaria hot zone and remained untouched until the Italian government figured that it might be a good idea to drain the marshes and get rid of the mosquitoes]. It's August, the Continent is heading south la vacanza, it's before 8am and I've been awake for over 24 hours, yet Il Sole is ready and waiting for me. This part of Italy is probably more famous for its bufala mozzarella. As I sit while my brother-in-law, Antonio, drives, I grit my teeth as I become adjusted once again to driving in Italy. We pass numerous caseifici with their signs hawking their tangy white delicacy. Antonio and I do pretty well discussing many things even though my Italian has remained pretty constant, at a guttural, poor level for over 30 years.
Antonio and I are going to meet up with my Italian translators, as he is only the first driver for this leg of my trip. My translators are waiting looking tan and very excited to see their husband and father arriving from New York. Luckily for me for many reasons, my wife Lorella, was born in this area of Campania called Il Cilento and besides helping me express my interests on this trip it will also open many doors. My 11 year old son, Donald is riding shotgun, and though he and I know that visiting a winery for his Dad's business is not in his everyday top 10, being with him after a month away just might be worth it. We switch cars, Antonio goes off to work, hawking granita at the beach as his post retirement gig, and I go off to mine, to visit the cult Southern Italian winemaker, Bruno De Conciliis.
Today I visit Bruno De Conciliis and his azienda, just inland from Agropoli and other Italian coastal towns below the Amalfi zone. This area is known for it's beautifully preserved Greek temple, near the town of Paestum. I actually visited the area once before in the mid 90's and was amazed how this temple has withstood the test of time [the trick was this was an area that was a Malaria hot zone and remained untouched until the Italian government figured that it might be a good idea to drain the marshes and get rid of the mosquitoes]. It's August, the Continent is heading south la vacanza, it's before 8am and I've been awake for over 24 hours, yet Il Sole is ready and waiting for me. This part of Italy is probably more famous for its bufala mozzarella. As I sit while my brother-in-law, Antonio, drives, I grit my teeth as I become adjusted once again to driving in Italy. We pass numerous caseifici with their signs hawking their tangy white delicacy. Antonio and I do pretty well discussing many things even though my Italian has remained pretty constant, at a guttural, poor level for over 30 years.
Antonio and I are going to meet up with my Italian translators, as he is only the first driver for this leg of my trip. My translators are waiting looking tan and very excited to see their husband and father arriving from New York. Luckily for me for many reasons, my wife Lorella, was born in this area of Campania called Il Cilento and besides helping me express my interests on this trip it will also open many doors. My 11 year old son, Donald is riding shotgun, and though he and I know that visiting a winery for his Dad's business is not in his everyday top 10, being with him after a month away just might be worth it. We switch cars, Antonio goes off to work, hawking granita at the beach as his post retirement gig, and I go off to mine, to visit the cult Southern Italian winemaker, Bruno De Conciliis.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
