Just returned from our best meal yet in Italy and probably one of our best meals ever (well, at least in the top ten) at a restaurant called Cibreo in Florence.
Frommers describes it as: "There's no pasta and no grilled meat -- can this be Tuscany? Rest assured that while Benedetta Vitale and Fabio Picchi's culinary creations are a bit out of the ordinary, most are based on antique recipes...where the elegance is in the substance of the food and the service, not in surface appearances. Waiters pull up a chair to explain the list of daily specials...[and] all the food is spectacular."
For our dinner, we had polenta, pumpkin soup and ricotta and potato flan with ragu to start...then chicken and ricotta meatballs and beef stew for our main course...followed by three different chocolate desserts, one of which the waiter brought simply because he thought it was better than the two we ordered...and he was right. Unbelievable meal - truly a foodie's delight.
To go along with such a great meal, I picked a wine with the sommelier that I wanted to pair well with the beef stew and he suggested the Fattoria Poggippano Rosso Di Sera Toscana 2004, a blend of 90% Sangiovese and 10% Colorino. Huh? Colorino? Sound like a 1950's food dye? Well, not far off. Wikipedia describes it as follows:
Colorino is a red Italian wine grape planted primarily in Tuscany. The grape is known for its deep dark coloring and is used primarily as a coloring agent in red blends. In the history of Chianti it played a minor role, mostly for its affinity and use to the governo winemaking technique. Like Canaiolo, Colorino did not rot easily while going through the partial drying process to later be added to the fermenting grape must. However the grape did not provide the same level of fruit and softening effect that Canaiolo did and fell out of favor. In the late 1980s, there was a surge of interest in the variety among Tuscan winemakers who saw in this local grape variety similarity to the role Petite Verdot plays in Bordeaux blends. Colorino was planted and used to add darker colors and structure from phenolic compounds in the grape's thick skin without the overpowering aromatics that Cabernet Sauvignon could add. This enthusiasm was short lived and by the turn of the 21st century Colorino returned once again to a minor role in Tuscan wines.
Always nice to learn about a new varietal, but not sure how much influence it actually had in the blend. The wine was incredibly dark, which would go along with Colorino's ability to act as a coloring agent, and my suspicion is that it helped round out and balance the Sangiovese, but not sure. I definitely need to research this a bit more. Regardless, this was a beautiful Tuscan wine. As I mentioned, I ordered it to pair with the beef stew, but it was a great wine from first sip, well before the main course. Extremely well balanced, with dark berries, coffee and hint of maple syrup and rich spice, this wine is the best I've tasted yet in Italy.
And here's the most interesting part (at least for me)...If I let my wine sit for a few minutes, it became better balanced, gentler and more silky. Once I swirled it, it became hot, tannic and angry. Now, this can happen with most wines, but the transformation was much more pronounced on this wine than I've seen in others. It's as if all th wine wanted to do was sit back and unfold, no pressure, no worries. The second I asked it to do something it didn't want, it let me know and became a different and lesser wine. It really did feel pissed off when riled up. A true lesson in letting wine develop as it needs to, no matter what you think is right for it.
Wine Spectator had this to say about it: Loads of blackberry and cedar, with hints of coffee. Big, full-bodied and rich, yet silky and wonderfully textured. Loads going on. Gorgeous. 91.
What you should do: BUY IT! And invite me over. Doesn't seem real easy to find in the US, but there are many mentions of it on the internet and it's definitely worth seeking out. This is a great wine to have in your cellar.
My rating: 92. I'm going to one-up Wine Spectator - I really liked this wine.
Gadget
Thanks for these dispatches from Italy. I've been enjoying them.
I spent 1/3 of my 20s in Italy. Sadly my palate wasn't in a place where it is now. That being said, I remember enjoying the wines immensely and it is really what started my love of pairing simple good wine with simple good food. I have always appreciated the Italian approach to wine--good fruit balanced by solid acidity making it very food friendly--and outside of Northern California it's the wine I know best. Lately my wife and I have been taking a "wine tour" through the various regions of Italy from our dining room in Lafayette. Our last stop was a great Arneis from Piemonte. I love bone dry tart Italian whites. Being we had twin daughters a year ago, that's the closest we are getting to Piemonte anytime soon.
Enjoy your trip!
good point - the italian wines have such great acidity and are completely different wines, at least in my opinion, when paired with food or drunk alone. and, when you pair it with food as good as the food at cibreo, it's on a whole different level.
i just had an amazing italian wine that i picked up at a wine shop in volterra - the Poggio Mandorlo 2006 Ombre Rosso di Toscana. really nice balance and incredible flavors - should have my post out in the next few days. have you had it?
Nope, haven't tried it. Actually, I haven't had the opportunity to try many of the '06s from Toscana. I noticed the '06 vintage got a superlative write up in this month's WS. I'm looking forward to diving in!