APR. MAG. 2013
VIII
– to put the wine on a pedestal and the
size of the glass brings it back to what
it is. It’s not a fetish but an agricultural
product that should please the palate
and excite. In this sense it is our work,
namely to create a banquet and be
able to meet the needs of all without
departing from our principles. “”We are
facing - explains Marco Pozzali, owner of
Bollicine Bistrot, in Parma - a contraction
in consumption of wine. Customers
have less money in their pockets and are
basically afraid of the breathalyzer.
For this reason the wine by the glass
meets the favor of many: we offer 20
bottles with a weekly rotation and this
formula appeals to those who want to
experiment. One week we had German
Rieslings for sale at € 4 a cup, which
went very well, but I am convinced
that many fewer customers would get
close to a whole bottle. “According to
Pozzali the offer of wine by the glass can
become the keystone on which to build
the image of the restaurant. “You have
be aware that you will give up on heavy
mark-ups in favor of a higher frequency
of purchase. The curious customer loves
the wine by the glass because it allows
him to try in rotation wines from smaller
producers and less known by the general
public.
AT PAGE 44
Chianti, 300 years and
it doesn’t feel like
A historical name that leaves
behind an intense period of change
and it is now worth rediscovering.
Wines are soft and fruity, also
served as aperitifs
By Nicholas Regazzoni
Some wines may become victims of their
own success. It ‘happened to Chianti, that
in our country represents, for more than
three centuries the name of the best red
table wine, even though in recent years
it has suffered a growing phenomenon
of trivialization. In the consumers’eyes,
in other words, the various Chianti
available on the market have gradually
lost their distinctiveness, and began to be
evaluated and chosen more on the basis
of price alone.
Today the situation is changing. Chianti,
first of all, has now gained its most
precise identity against the Chianti
Classico, name that refers to a smaller
area of production. Also, many Chianti’s
producers started to work on quality,
investing in new methods of cultivation
and “winefication” of the grapes and
using modern technology in the cellar
(temperature control, post-fermentation
maceration on the skins, frequent
remaking, etc) With the aim of creating
more intense and fruity wines, some
manufacturers have also started to revive
the old method of “government use
Tuscan”, which has a double fermentation
of wine with the addition of previous
dried grapes.
A challenge, launched by Chianti, which
passed by a number of recent revisions
to the specification of production,
which are able to enhance the basic
grape Sangiovese, but at the same time
granted to a certain extent the use of
international varieties. In short, in the
catering channel, many Chianti now
have all the requirements to meet the
favors of a large segment of consumers,
including young people, in search of
pleasant wines, and easily combined
with an attractive price / performance
ratio. To underline this sea route change,
some interesting packaging innovations,
that make the bottles more aesthetically
pleasing objects for the table, appeared
on the market.
Cecchi
Chianti DOCG
A label on tradition, characterized by
a classic setting, not austere, with a
balanced harmony of aromas and flavors.
A versatile Chianti that must be drunk
young, with a reassuringly consistent
quality from year to year.
Pairings
Meats, white meats (chicken stew) and
grilled meat
Ruffino
Chianti Superiore DOCG
Intense and full-bodied, this Chianti has
yet elegant tannins, well integrated into
the fruity body. It’s a wine with a long
finish, with good alcohol content. The
bottle is a modern interpretation of the
historic Tuscan fiasco.
Pairings
Roasts and mature not spicy cheese, tasty
pasta dishes
Melini
Chianti DOCG Government
It’s a wine with a good character, from
the eclectic personality, highlighted by an
original bottle that resembles the shape
of the Tuscan fiasco. It gets “wineified”
using an ancient method that, thanks to
the addition of the Sangiovese grapes
slightly wilted, gets the wine fermented.
Pairings
Tasty soups, fish stew, grilled meats, real
boiled beef
Cantine Leonardo da Vinci
Chianti DOCG
It’s a bottle characterized by an excellent
price/quality ratio, produced by a winery
that for many years has made innovation
one of its strengths. It’s a pleasure in the
name of Chianti, with hints of cherry and
soft tannins.
Pairings
Soups, fish stews and roasts
AT PAGE 46
Beer for dinner? Not
the usual one though
A phenomenon that is constantly
growing in which special beers are
the protagonists on the tables of
the best restaurants coupled with
our Mediterranean cuisine.
Le Baladin
Birra Nazionale
The first beer 100% Italian, totally made
with raw materials, where water, malt,
hops and yeast come together to get a
harmonious and original flavor.
Pairings:
It’s a beer that today represents a turning
point in the production of Italian craft
beer. It is excellent as an aperitif and it
goes well with any dish.
Menabrea
3.5 ° Top restaurant
Produced by following an ancient recipe
made of rice, this beer is a light beer of
low fermentation, golden in color, with
a slightly bitter taste, which is associated
with an aroma of malt.
Pairings:
For the low alcohol content (3.5°) it can
be combined with traditional Italian
pasta dishes, fish and white meats. You
should consume it at a temperature
around 6/8 ° C.
Moretti
Birra Moretti GraN cru
It is a special beer of high fermentation,
re-fermented in the bottle, amber color,
produced according to high quality
standards.
Pairings
It is an alternative to the finest wines,
it is a perfect beer to enjoy in the
restaurant with traditional Italian dishes:
first big dishes not too spicy, white meat,
roasts, game and cheeses.
Braufactum
Colony
This Kölsch of high fermentation,
brewed “in style Rhenish” offers
delightful aromas of hops in line with
the tradition of reference, due to the
hopping cold and a balanced bitter.
Pairings
Perfect for oriental dishes, such as
couscous or poultry. Perfect also with
fish: baked sea bream, squid, sea bass
and salmon rolls with balsamic vinegar
from Modena or savory pies like quiche
lorraine.
magazine
