[wine] Eclectic Grapes at Lee/Melisa

Here's an update and another obscure Italian varietal. I haven't heard from many so my list is a guess. Lee Short/Melissa Kocher 740 Mississippi River Boulevard South Apartment 21-D St. Paul, MN 55116 651-698-3022 Directions. I 94 to Snelling (S) to Ford Parkway (East) to River Rd (N) to 740. I 94 to Hwy 55 to 46th St. Left, across river, curl around onto East River Rd, N. to 740. 494 to Hwy 5 to Edgecombe/Fairview OR Cleveland OR East River Rd. Lots of other options. Greetings, We have (and we had) a standing invitation to do eclectic grapes and food to match at Lee and Melisa's place. Thursday at 6:30 (Bob's calling Dave T to check on the status of the great Chinese adventure.) Many of you have been there. I'll plan on tracking down an address by Thursday. It's the highrise apt building just north of Ford Parkway on East River Road. Lee Short. 14th floor? Focus is on lesser known grapes and food to match. Please coordinate the food w/ Lee/Melisa blackcat(a)pro-ns.net Lee/Melisa Bob Cheese?? Betsy Dave Ruth Jim Breads (Honey Wheat, Whole Wheat, Potato) ----- Forwarded message from The 30 Second Wine Advisor <wine(a)wineloverspage.com> ----- Authentication-Results: smtp-relay.enet.umn.edu from=wine(a)wineloverspage.com; sender-id=neutral; spf=neutral Date: Wed, 31 Aug 2005 14:01:55 -0400 (EDT) To: jellings(a)me.umn.edu Subject: 30SecWineAdvisor: Campi Flegrei Falanghina From: The 30 Second Wine Advisor <wine(a)wineloverspage.com> X-Sender: <wine(a)wineloverspage.com> X-Greylist: IP, sender and recipient auto-whitelisted, not delayed by milter-greylist-1.6 (smtp-relay.enet.umn.edu [128.101.142.227]); Wed, 31 Aug 2005 13:02:03 -0500 (CDT) X-Spam-Score: 0 () X-Scanned-By: MIMEDefang 2.51 on 128.101.142.227 THE 30 SECOND WINE ADVISOR, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2005 ________________________________________________________________________ TODAY'S SPONSOR: * CALIFORNIA WINE CLUB Prices "Falling" During the Club's Autumn Sale! http://www.cawineclub.com?Partner_ID=winelovers ________________________________________________________________________ IN THIS ISSUE * CAMPI FLEGREI FALANGHINA A new arrival prompts a revisit to this favorite Southern Italian white variety. * TERRA DI LAVORO 2003 "VILLA CARAFA" CAMPI FLEGREI FALANGHINA ($14) Full-bodied but crisply acidic, a fine example of this appealing grape from the Neapolitan Amalfi Coast. * ADMINISTRIVIA Change E-mail address, frequency, format or unsubscribe. ________________________________________________________________________ CAMPI FLEGREI FALANGHINA Here's a favorite Southern Italian grape from a region so obscure that a number of wine-merchant Websites appear to confuse the place name with the producer's name. Let's parse this pretty but somewhat confusing label that adorns a stellar white from the scenic Amalfi Coast, where the stony volcanic soil of Vesuvius and its neighbors tumbles down to the deep blue sea. Taking the attractive label from the top: * FALANGHINA is the grape variety, one that's steeped in history, dating back at least 2,000 years to the Roman Empire. As noted when we last examined Falanghina in the April 6, 2005 Wine Advisor, folks in the region declare that this was the grape used to make Falernum, one of the most highly regarded wines of the Caesars' times. Could be, although it's worth noting that fanciers of the excellent regional grapes Greco di Tufo and Fiano di Avellino make similar claims. * CAMPI FLEGREI is the region (a "D.O.C." appellation under Italian wine law, "Phlegraean Fields" in English), lying along a stretch of the Amalfi Coast that extends along the Gulf of Naples from the sprawling edge of the city westward. It's one of three regions in Campania where Falanghina is made, the others being Sonnio and the island Procida in the Gulf. * VILLA CARAFA is the producer, a family-run operation near the village of Caserta in Campania. * The vintage, 2003, and the bottler and shipper, Cantine TERRA DI LAVORO ("Land of Work," an ancient nickname for the region), are provided only on the back label, along with the importer, the alcoholic content (13 percent) and, in the U.S., the mandatory Surgeon General's warning. It's a lot of information for a bottle of wine, but worth learning. The white grapes of Southern Italy are only recently gaining international attention - Jancis Robinson's grape books give Falanghina the shortest of shrift, and Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book doesn't even give it a separate listing. But they're coming on fast, and if you like rich, structured, food-friendly whites, you'll follow my lead in snapping up any Falanghina you see. ________________________________________________________________________ TALK ABOUT WINE ONLINE If you'd like to ask a question or comment on today's topic (or any other wine-related subject), you'll find a round-table online discussion in our interactive Wine Lovers' Discussion Group, where you're always welcome to join in the conversations about wine. http://www.myspeakerscorner.com/forum/index.phtml?fn=1&tid=65748&mi… If you prefer to comment privately, feel free to send me E-mail at wine(a)wineloverspage.com. I'll respond personally to the extent that time and volume permit. ________________________________________________________________________ PRINT OUT TODAY'S ARTICLE Here's a simply formatted copy of today's Wine Advisor, designed to be printed out for your scrapbook or file or downloaded to your PDA or other wireless device. http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/print050831.html ________________________________________________________________________ TERRA DI LAVORO 2003 "VILLA CARAFA" CAMPI FLEGREI FALANGHINA ($14) This clear, straw-color wine shows pretty glints of gold. Its appetizing aroma and flavor profiles are typical Falanghina, floral white fruit with complex hints of almonds and wool, full body held up well by structural acidity, all over a "stony" minerality that - perhaps mostly by the power of suggestion - evokes the volcanic soil of the scenic Amalfi Coast. Well balanced and clean, there's a shot of snappy acidity in the long finish. U.S. importer: North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, Calif. (July 15, 2005) FOOD MATCH: Fine with seafood or "white meats," it was brilliant with an Italian-style dish crafted to match: Veal flank steak pounded thin and rolled around an aromatic filling of mushrooms and rich Italian tuna. VALUE: More than justifies its price point in the middle teens. WHEN TO DRINK: Meant for immediate enjoyment, it's drinking beautifully now, but its richness and acidic balance hint that it wouldn't suffer from a few years of careful cellaring. PRONUNCIATION: Falanghina = "FA-lan-GHEE-nah," with a hard "g" as in "geek." WEB LINK: The importer has an article about Terra di Lavoro in its November 2004 newsletter, which is archived online: http://www.northberkeleyimports.com/new_offerings/nov2004W.htm#carafa FIND THIS WINE ONLINE: North Berkeley's wines are available at fine wine stores in many parts of the U.S. and through online sales where the law permits. For information click the "Contact Us" link on the importer's Website, http://www.northberkeleyimports.com/ You'll also find vendor listings for Villa Carafa Falanghina at Wine- Searcher.com: http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/Carafa%2bFalanghina/-/-/USD/A?referring_s… ________________________________________________________________________ SUBSCRIBE: * WineLoversPage.com RSS Feed (free) http://www.wineloverspage.com/rss/ * 30 Second Wine Advisor, daily or weekly (free) http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor/index.shtml * Wine Advisor FoodLetter, Thursdays (free) http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor/foodletter.shtml * Wine Advisor Premium Edition, alternate Tuesdays ($24/year) http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor/premium.phtml ARCHIVES: For all past editions: http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/thelist.shtml CONTACT US E-mail: wine(a)wineloverspage.com SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: For information, E-mail wine(a)wineloverspage.com ________________________________________________________________________ ADMINISTRIVIA To subscribe or unsubscribe from The 30 Second Wine Advisor, change your E-mail address, switch from weekly to daily distribution, or for any other administrative matters, click to http://www.wineloverspage.com/admin.php?id=20970&cs=7d1109b668af1f87d36… We welcome feedback, suggestions, and ideas for future columns. We do not use this list for any other purpose and will never give or sell your name or E-mail to anyone. All the wine-tasting reports posted here are consumer-oriented. In order to maintain objectivity and avoid conflicts of interest, I purchase all the wines I rate at my own expense in retail stores and accept no samples, gifts or other gratuities from the wine industry. Wednesday, August 31, 2005 Copyright 2005 by Robin Garr. All rights reserved. ----- End forwarded message ----- -- ------------------------------ * * Dr. James Lee Ellingson, Adjunct Professor jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, tel: 651/645-0753 fax 651 XXX XXXX * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *