So da dove vieni, So dove siamo

I asked two of my wine students, Sarah Freeman and Michael Spagnoli, to create a video on wine culture in Rome. They exceeded my expectations. Bravi!

A Lovely Dolcetto

     Last night I enjoyed this lovely 2005 Dolcetto di Dogliano from San Fereolo.  It was lively, rich, complex, fruity, and floral with ethereal notes.  The acidity made my mouth smile and it paired well with my aromatic pasta dish.

      Though I am not one to share tasting notes-nor do I enjoy reading them for that matter- I felt compelled to share my experience because I think these are the finest Dolcettos that exist.  San Fereolo is run by Nicoletta Bocca who is featured in the film, Senza Trucco.  The 2005 is particularly expressive and if you can get your hands on it, I highly recommend that you do.  Her wines are low intervention, made with passion and time, sustainable, low-impact and respect the land.  In this way, without the use of chemical intervention in the vineyard or in the cellar, the wines are pure and expressive.  They express the terroir because they are the perfect formula.  The soil, the grapes, the land and the woman all combined to make this amazing wine that changes with every sip.

A World Away

By Lauren Sauer 

When Sarah told me that I’d be going on a winery visit with her and her doting students, I admittedly didn’t know quite what to expect. Not having been a weathered wine enthusiast, I can’t say I’ve been on too many of these to anticipate any comparisons. I found myself climbing on a bus with a bunch of rowdy college students, aiming for a small winery called Pallavicini just 30 minutes out of Rome. I must admit that I wasn’t previously aware that Rome and its nearby towns had a lot of wineries, but just the winding bus ride to our destination proved how wrong I really was; the rolling hills were completely lined with grape crops, still dormant from the winter. According to our lovely guide Ettore, the volcanic soil in the hills provides the necessary nutrients for the grapes to thrive, and also gives a unique taste to the wines produced in the area.

Finally reaching the winery, we explored the exterior, learning about the process and equipment used to make the wine. While the process remains fairly consistent, it has been changed considerably over the years as technology has replaced much of the human labor. While some ancient grape presses still remained for viewing, most of the process has been integrated in the interest of efficiency. Because, tradition aside, Italians require incredible amounts of wine, which in turn requires efficient production to meet these needs. I cannot begin to imagine the panic that would break out here if there were ever to be a shortage of wine, which a subject of national pride that rivals only Italian coffee and Silvio Berlusconi himself. After viewing the machines, we moved on to the grapevines, which were still brown and bare. Given a month, they were sure to be in spring bloom, but on this blustery March day they seemed a bit stark and dismal. I was fascinated to learn of just how much land the Pallavicini winery encompassed – even hills rolling far into the distance fell under their domain. Eventually once harvest time comes around, seasonal workers are hired to pick the grapes, which I can only imagine is a daunting task in itself. As an individual who struggles to pick tomatoes in her mother’s vegetable garden, I can’t say I would be cut out for such a task.

Moving on down to the cellars where the wine is kept to ferment in large oak barrels, it was quite incredible to find that we were actually standing in an ancient Roman aqueduct. Can’t say that I ever planned on doing that sort of thing, but it really was quite inconceivable. The water that ever-so-constantly runs in fountains all around Rome was once brought in by these aqueducts from sources miles outside of the city. We learned later that the minerals in the rock walls of the aqueducts give a unique taste to the wine, in addition to the volcanic soil. It was really quite damp and dingy down there, but just seeing these immense barrels where the wine is kept was a humbling experience, to say the least. The whole process of fermenting the wine and adding the various herbicides and sulfates was pretty much over my head, but I did absorb enough to know that I could never do it myself. My dreams of opening a vineyard in Napa after seeing Parent Trap were quickly crushed after finding out just how much work goes into the production process.

I must say that the highlight of the visit was the tasting, as was likely true for every deprived college student on the tour. I cannot remember the last time I was able to drink a nice glass of wine; unfortunately I’ve often been reduced to buying the cheapest possible bottle while residing in Rome. It was just a life-changing experience, remembering how wine is supposed to taste. I was actually able to describe the wines as tasting “leathery”, or “citrusy”, and do things like smell the aromas and check the legs. I can’t remember the last time I felt so sophisticated. Admittedly, I cozied up next to the tray of bread and olive oil while the students and wine pros went about their business, but I walked away with a fairly solid knowledge of suitable wine-tasting etiquette:

·        There is a proper way to remove a cork. Key rules: no squeaky cork, no holding between knees, no cork pop.

·        Always hold the glass by the stem, as to not affect the temperature.

·        Swirl, sniff, then drink.

·        Purple teeth from red wine are perfectly acceptable. ;)

·        Contrary to popular belief/human nature, you in fact do not have to finish the entire glass of wine. Who knew?

While I’m fairly certain that I missed some fundamental elements in that little list, just think of it as wine tasting for dummies, coming from the ultimate wine dummy. But every wine we tasted had a vastly unique flavor, especially the desert wine that the owner graciously gave us. The Pallavicini winery was beautiful with its rolling hills and ancient structures, and so wonderfully convenient coming from Rome. Coming to such a close winery makes it more difficult to understand why people insist on traveling all the way to Tuscany for generally the same experience. This remarkable Lazio winery makes wonderful wines and olive oils, and just sitting within reach of the city it is well worth the visit.

The Blind Pig for Craft Beer in Rome

   Please enjoy this guest post from Antiqua Tours intern, Lauren Sauer.  

Craft Beer in Rome

My first impressions walking into the Blind Pig were not really what I was expecting. Having hunted down several of pubs in search of a good pub food and cheap pint around Rome’s city center, I had not yet been met with much success. But the Prohibition-themed Blind Pig-cleverly named after 1920s speakeasies-offered a relaxed and refreshing atmosphere unique from any other establishment I’ve experienced in Rome. The decoration is casual, the tables and bar appearing to be old liquor crates, the walls lined with hundreds of different beer bottles, and even a cute little noose hanging from the ceiling. Okay so the last one initially called for a second glance, but it really started to grow on me after a while.

     Having done a bit of research beforehand, I came expecting some decent and well-priced craft beer on tap, which is precisely what I got. The menu focuses mostly on craft beer, and a pint runs for €5

     The food, bread, and vegetables are all bought fresh daily from the market, and their beer collection (both on tap and bottles) comes from small producers all over Europe and the US. While tables were hard to come by at rush hour, the food and beer made it worthwhile, and the inviting atmosphere was one to remember. Every Monday night starting at 7:30, the Blind Pig hosts an aperitivo where for only €5 you can get a pint and mixed vegetarian plate.

     Overall, the Blind Pig is a great place to go for a tasty food and a pint or two of craft beer at a good price. Located at Via Gino Capponi 45, it’s a five-minute walk from the Furio Camillo Metro stop, and is open Monday through Saturday from 6pm-2am and Sundays from 7pm until 2am.

Hunger in a World of Plenty

Today, food bloggers all over the United States are blogging about hunger with the release of the new documentary, A Place at The Table.  What can we all do as individuals?  This is issue is bigger than individuals and yet we each wield tremendous power.  Today, along with The Rome Digest, I am donating this space to this issue.

There is enough food in this world, but it is not getting to the people that need it.  We know that hunger exists not just because of poverty because of politics. We need to put pressure on world governments and we need to take a stand.  Hunger will not be solved by hand-outs from charitable organization but through a paradigm shift in how we think as a society.  We have allowed greed control food, and those people seek to destroy the very fabric of human existence.  Everyone has the right to have access to food that is healthy and nutritious. 

There are a few things we can do as individuals.  One important step is to support small and local growers so they we ensure a steady supply of healthy local food at decent prices is available to all people, and not just those that can afford to shop at Whole Foods.  Eating a less wasteful whole food plants based diet is also important.  Animal agriculture is the most wasteful industry that exists, and it takes a lot of energy and water for animals to convert plants into foods.  For all the grain that is wasted on producing a steak, it can be used to feed people.  For all the land that is used to raise animals for human consumption, the land can be cultivated more efficiently, so more people have access to locally grown food.

Here in Italy, people are still clinging to traditions.  Though Italians are in a financial crisis as well, and more and more discount grocery stores are popping up so people can feed their children, there is also a consciousness regarding where food comes from and who controls access to it.  Real farmers markets are popping up in towns that formally never had them.  Produce is local, healthy and the money goes directly to the farmers.  One very important way to combat hunger is to support local food producers.  If they can make a living wage in your local area, they can ensure that food comes directly to the community and not through a middle man like a huge supermarket where only the top executives make a profit.  By supporting local growers, we bring diversity into our communities and we can help those who might not have access to transportation or those that can’t afford fancy supermarkets get the nutritious food they should have a right to. 

Food is not a privilege, and yet, throughout the world, it seems whole, natural foods are available to the privileged while the poor have to survive on overly processed non-food.  People may not realize that the problem of obesity is a problem related to hunger.  A huge majority of those who are obese in the United States are poor.  They have access to unhealthy processed food that has little to no nutritional value.  What happens on a physiological level is that as the body consumes empty calories it does not receive proper nutrition, which makes the body have the sensation of hunger which in turn makes people eat high fat, high sodium and high sugar foods that don’t actually feed the body.  It is a cycle that can end, not only with proper nutrition but access to food education.  We as individuals need to demand that this problem is solved in our lifetimes, that huge corporations do not control our food supply and they every human being has access to healthy food. 

Some interesting statistics:

·             The FAO report by the United Nations in 2006 stated unequivocally that factory farming of animals for meat production has a bigger impact on global warming than all the plains, trains, buses, and cars on the planet combined.

·             Raising animals for meat consumes massive quantities of water. According to the article “How Our Food Choices can Help Save the Environment,” by Steve Boyan, PhD (www.earthsave.org), eliminating just one pound of beef from one’s diet can save as much water as could be saved by forgoing showers entirely for six months!

·             Runoff from factory farms containing chemicals and animal waste—one of the greatest threats to water quality today—has polluted more than 173,000 miles of rivers and streams in the U.S. (Environmental Protection Agency).

·             Meat production is an expensive and inefficient use of food resources. According to John Robbins in Diet for a New America, the grain required to feed livestock in America for one day is enough to provide every person on earth with two loaves of bread.

·             Increased poverty has meant increased malnutrition. On the African continent, nearly one in every four human beings is malnourished. In Latin America, nearly one out of every eight people goes to bed hungry each night. In Asia and the Pacific, 28 percent of the people border on starvation, experiencing the gnawing pain of perpetual hunger. In the Near East, one in ten people are underfed.

·             Of all the agricultural land in the U.S., nearly 80 percent is used in some way to raise animals—that’s roughly half of the total land mass of the U.S.10 More than 260 million acres of U.S. forest have been cleared to create cropland to grow grain to feed farmed animals. Furthermore, to service the growing demand of animal agriculture, over 35% of all grain production in the world is fed to livestock and not humans.

So yes, indeed, your food choices not only affect you, but everyone.  We need a paradigm shift, and it starts with you. 

As Michael Pollan says, “Eat Food, Not too Much, Mostly Plants”

Some things you can do, now:

1. Eat Organic
2. Buy local
3. Eat Plant Based
4. Support food distribution groups that are run by locals that provide education programs-Food Not Bombs is a great group and non religious.
5. Get involved with local groups that will address this issue politically
6. Start local
7. Support local farmers
8. Eat whole foods
9. Demand the right to have urban gardens
10. Plant vegetables-on your balcony, on your windowsill, wherever you have space
11. Share
12. Pay it Forward
13. Get involved! 
14. Learn about local urban and country foraging, food is available for everyone, for free
15. Sign the petitions below

Some groups to consider: 

VEGFAM: http://www.vegfamcharity.org.uk/

Get involved in your local Food Not Bombs chapter http://www.foodnotbombs.net/

Consider supporting Sustainable Harvest International http://www.sustainableharvest.org/

Food for Life Global-  http://www.ffl.org/about/

The Rome Digest has donated blog space to this issue today.  

Watch the film, check out the website and see what you can do next! 

Foraging Excursion from Rome

Foraging Excursion and Lunch Sunday, May 26th

Foraging in The Roman countryside in the spring is an age old tradition that has been preserved by locals for centuries.  In this limited participation excursion we will leave Rome bright and early to meet our host and foraging partners in the deep countryside of the Castelli Romani.  Our farmer guide has been foraging in the vineyards and field of Lazio since childhood and will teach us everything we need to know about edible greens in Lazio such as the various types of ciccoria, puntarelle and wild asparagus.  We will meet our host at her small farm house in Lanuvio.  After working up an appetite, we will visit our host’s garden to pick seasonal vegetables and herbs and then go to her rustic farmhouse kitchen and learn to prepare everything we have picked in the morning.  After lunch is prepared you can relax and enjoy your meal with a wonderful home made natural wine which will be served in the middle of a vineyard and surrounded by vines and olive groves.  

Foraging though an olive grove

Ciccoria!

Lunch in a rustic setting

Try local wine

• Full Day Excursion from Rome
• Countryside and rustic experience
• Learn about edible greens of Lazio
• Lunch in a vineyard
• Learn to prepare these local goods in a rustic farmhouse
• Meet local people from the Castelli Romani
• Basic cooking lesson
• Abundance of wine
• Limited participation
• Pasta made from farro

This event is limited to 8 participants and will cost €115 which will cover cost of transportation and our host as well as lunch and wine.  We will make a donation to a local charity.  Please email info@antiquatours.com to participate and for more information.  

Listen to my radio interview about Edible Greens on the How to Tour Italy show:

Listen to internet radio with How to Tour Italy on Blog Talk Radio

Castelli Romani Excursion from Rome

Town and lake of Nemi

Sunday April 28th

9:00 to 18:00

We are happy to invite you to join a wonderful excursion tour from Rome full of natural beauty, charm, great wine and astonishing history.  Our Castelli Romani wine tour from Rome to Frascati is the perfect get away from the hustle and bustle of the city center.  Only a short distance from Rome, the hill towns, known as the Castelli Romani offer fresh air, beautiful views, excellent food, and interesting history.  This 8 hour tour includes a visit to a fantastic winery in Frascati, a visit to one of the hilltop towns, such as Genzano di Roma, or Nemi, the chance to taste some of the local artisanal foods, and the opportunity to visit some of the most breathtaking scenery near Rome.

The Castelli Romani, or Roman Castles, is a group of towns just outside Rome to the south in the hills that surround two incredible volcanic crater lakes, Lago di Nemi and Lago di Albano.  It is no wonder the pope retreats to this paradise every summer!

The Castelli Romani is renowned worldwide for its food and wine culture as well as its stunning natural surroundings.  There are palaces dating back to the 14^th century and ruins from pre-Roman to Roman times.  The area has many local myths and secrets to reveal including the mystery of the Lake of Nemi, the temple of Diana and the truth about Caligula’s ships.

It all makes for a perfect day trip from Rome.  In this day tour from Rome we will visit a winery in Frascati fr wine tasting, winery visit and lunch and visit one of the lovely hillside towns for an informative walk and to taste some of the local foods and wine.

Vineyards in Frascati

View of Nemi from Genzano di Roma

Wine Cellar

Wine Tasting in Castelli Romani

Strawberry Cakes in Nemi-A lot of people in Nemi copy these, but only ONE place does them right!

Homemade Pasta

·                            Private wine tasting at a beautiful estate in Frascati

·                            Winey and vineyard visit

·                            Lunch at a local vineyard

·                            Full day tour

·                            Olive Oil tasting

·                            Visiting at least 2 of the small hilltop towns in the Castelli Romani

·                            Visit the Museum of the Roman Ships at Nemi

·                            Pictureesque town of Nemi for  free time and strawberry cakes

·                            Delicious local treats from the stunning hilltop town of Nemi

·                            The Lake of Albano and the lake of Nemi

·                            Excursion from Rome

€95 all inclusive-

Please wear comfortable shoes and clothes.  All diets can be accommodated, please give us notice if you require this (celiac, vegan, vegetarian)  

• Meeting point information will be sent upon receipt of payment.  Cancelation with €5 service fee up to ONE WEEK (21 April, 2013) in advance. 75% fee return within 48 hours of cancelation.  No cancellation within 48 hours of tour.  Tour subject to change based on availability of services.  Tour will be cancelled with less than 12 participants with 2 weeks notice.