An Afternoon at PaneBianco

 

My nephew Sal is a rapper formerly known as Strong; and like me, food has always been a major pimp player in his life. This month, Sal will be opening his very first restaurant (The 808 Bistro) in Scahhhhsdale…and of course, Uncle John is someone he will go to for a little help and advice.

PaneBianco, one of his Italian wine purveyors had a very intimate tasting of their portfolio in NYC today and my nephew was gracious enough to invite me to help him taste through and select some wines for his opening. I in turn, invited the man eye often go to for help and advice; the man who taught me just about everything I know about wine…a man I affectionately refer to as Poppa Doc. Poppa Doc works for Zachy’s and always manages to be the most respected person at any table, especially when discussing wine.

Tagging along with us was a childhood friend from Da Bronx, someone I had not seen in about 15 years who is now a morning radio celebrity in Philly; a former model and actor who goes by the name of Justice. http://www.morningsdonthavetosuck.com/

So there we were; Poppa Doc, Gio, Strong & Justice, four follicly-challenged friends with names that echoed a hip-hop crew, sitting around a farmhouse table in a 5^th floor office in the garment district.

Babbo’s wine director, Henry Davar was also present which made for quite the cartoon scene of five bald men sitting round a table tasting wines while several hair-borne salesmen hovered and poured under the gracious guidance of the stout Sicilian-born owner Livio Panebianco.

Anywayzzz…here are some of the highlights:

White

     

• Dorigo, Ribolla Gialla 2008 (Friuli)– tasted of bubble gum and sage
• Luigi Maffini “Kratos” Fiano 2008 (Campania) – same grape as Fiano di Avellino but tasting quite different because of location. This wine had a lot more acidity & minerality because of the marl. Marl being the soil in which the wine is grown, a lime-rich mud stone. I also found this wine to be quite tropical for an Italian white.
• Marisa Cuomo, Furore Bianco 2008 (Campania) – A showstopper! This is a winemaker I will surely be following, she’s a super talent. The wine is made from 60% Falanghina and 40% Biancolella, it is earthy, woodsy and herbaceous on the nose but finishes with white flowers and honeysuckle.
• Andrea Felici, Verdicchio 2008 (Le Marche)
• Fondo Antico, Grillo Parlante 2008 (Sicly) – Made from 100% Grillo grape, Grillo is what they use to make Marsala. This wine tasted of honey and graham crackers and was one of my favorite wines of the day. “Grillo” is Italian for “cricket”…Grillo Parlante means Talking Cricket, reminiscent of Jiminy Cricket from Pincocchio.
• Ferruccio Deianna, “Donikalia”, Vermentino 2008 (Sardegna) – I am often able to determine the quality of a wine just by the label, good wines usually have labels which exude character. This wine though, had an ugly and cheap looking label…I was expecting the worst but it turned out to be a sweet surprise. The wine started with a saline nose but quickly evolved into almonds and underbrush with a lot of oil on the palate, pretty viscous for an Italian white.

 

Red

• Alessandro di Camporeale Nero d’Avola 2008 (Sicily) – These grapes are grown at 1,300 feet. A very traditional style with less spice and less heat one might expect from this varietal.

              

       

This is when the wines started to get really interesting…

• Fia Nobile, Cerasuolo di Vittoria 2007 (Sicily) – The wine is made from 70% Nero d’Avola and 30% Frappato. It was a very old school wine with Brettanomyces in the nose and a five-spice / cinnamon finish. This winery has some great values and I recommend ordering any of their wines when dining Italian.
• Fia Nobile, Frappato 2007 – A lively, fun wine with a pretty floral aroma. This is my choice and alternative for Rosé with a summer picnic and lots of charcuterie and salumi.
• Tenute Rubino, Negroamaro 2007 (Puglia) – The glass fills the nose with violets, violet candies to be more specific. Some might think this wine a bit soapy but they say the same thing about cilantro and we all dig cilantro. Don’t we?
• Bucciarelli, Chianti Reserva 2005 – This was the Wine of the Day! Go out and buy a case asap!! Retail price should be about $28. The guys who make this wine are true farmers and they don’t care about making money…they only care about making great wine. Beautiful aroma of coconut, the wine is soft and elegant on the tongue but showing plenty of bright cherry fruit with a hint of sweet vanilla on the finish.
• Marisa Cuomo, Furore Rosso 2007 (Campania) – As I said…I love her wines. This is a husband and wife team who have a gorgeous property on the Amalfi Coast. I will buy any wine they make. This wine is 70% Pied di Rosso and 30% Aglianico.
• Cennatoio “Etrurian”, Sangiovese 2001 (Tuscany) – Made from 100% Sangiovese Grosso which is basically the Brunello grape being grown in the area of Chianti. Ruby in color with striking herb and dried fruit accents finishing with cocoa, leather and licorice.
• Loredan Gasparini “Capo di Stato”, 2004 (Veneto) – This is a Bordeaux blend (Cabernet, Melot, Cabernet Franc & Malbec) from 50 year old vines. An elegant and complex wine with aromas of dark fruit and rose petals, a bit like rose-scented face powder puff. A big chewy wine & ripe tannins but well balanced.
• Azienda Agricola Fiore, “Dedalo”, Ciliegolo 2004 (Sicily) – A very funky, fun wine; perfect for ending the day with. This is a wine for those with a more adventurous palate. Lots of forest floor in this wine or what Italians would refer to as “sotto bosco”. I guarantee you that you have never tasted anything like it and priced quite affordably at about $25 retail.

 

       

       

 

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