Craig Camp

Very nice. Thanks, I've got to make that for lunch today!

True: Rich, aristocratic and dedicated to destoying the nature of Chianti Classico with cabernet sauvignon, merlot and barriques.

I will add my lack of enthusiasm for the Schramsberg sparklers, as Brad notes they are a bit sweet and I always find this off-putting musty note.

Last I heard Turley Zins required a fork and knife, not a glass. ...if they keep pushing up the dry extract of wines this could be true one day.

Where is Iron Horse in your line-up. I like all their sparkling wines, but am a big fan of the Blanc de blancs.

Alex Gambal, shipper of some outstanding terroir driven Burgundy estates, has taken the dramtic step of putting out some fine Burgundy wines with Stevlin closures. Is Stevlin catching on? It seems each week there is a new convert. However this time it is small production wines and they're from Burgundy. There seem to be a trend starting here...or maybe it's just a fashion?

Anthony Terlato has worked in every aspect of the wine industry, from retailer and distributor to importer and vintner. For his pursuit of quality, and for helping change the way the world drinks wine, Terlato will be honored with Wine Spectator's Distinguished Service Award for 2004.

Beware of wineries looking for babes and consulting enologists. Reminds me of Vinitaly. Has anyone tasted these "wines".

It is instructive to note that the reference to one vintage is California and the other to Bordeaux. ...I wish they tasted a bit more "Italian".

Over a career spanning 46 years, Peynaud wrote nearly 300 scientific articles as well as books on tasting and oenology. He played a key role in influencing winemaking practices in Bordeaux for several decades.

2001 Librandi Cirò Rosso Classico (87) Bright scarlet/garnet. Spiced ripe wild strawberries and tart plums - the slightest hint of rhubarb. Explosively fruity. Bitter sweet tart plums with wild cherries and raspberries finishing with a cranberry touch. Long clean with zesty acidity. Really fun and up-front with both bright fruit and the warm, ripe flavors of southern Italy. Great value. ...for more information.

2001 Riecine Chianti Classico Riserva (94) This is an exceptional sangiovese (100%), which is just what you would expect from Riecine and winemaker Sean O' Callaghan. It is a brilliant ruby and just translucent. Extremely layered and complex in the nose with intense ripe, baked cherry, mint, bitter chocolate, spices and a warm earthiness. Those characteristics expand powerfully on the palate. This is a very concentrated wine, yet it retains its elegance and balance. The finish is extremely long with waves of dark cherry, vanilla, tobacco and significant, yet roundly structured tannins. I would let this wine reach its tenth birthday to show all its glory, but it is, in fact, already delicious. ($45) ...for more information.

The celebrity chef concept is in full-swing in Italy. GianFranco Vissani gets media exposure here that even Emeril would be jealous of - imagine a 20 minute spot on the Today Show -every day- surrounded by the models of the moment. Followed by his own spots every Saturday morning. ... good thing Umbria is not far from Rome.

Well, gateaux is certainly the correct term, but most Neapolitans call it (and write it) gatto' di patate. It is a dialectal expression but it isn't wrong, and if you used the French expression in Naples people would probably think you're being pretentious . Ha! Love those dialects. Here in Lombardia and in Piemonte where the dialects have a strong French twinge I think they would think you were serving them a pet for dinner if you called it gatto di patate.

Pontallier said he was well aware of the pros and cons of natural cork, and wanted to find out as much as possible about screwcaps before committing himself. Frustrating as it is to open a spoiled bottle, he said we should be careful of knee-jerk reactions.

That would be gateaux not "gatto" - they often use the French term in Italy. for example...

Thanks Ore! Ore is posting his experiences here at my invitation and (to pat myself on the back) I see I had a very good idea.

Elsewhere in the wine world, there have been a number of tests of GM products designed to improve both viticulture and winemaking. In Germany and the USA, there has been research into producing GM vines resistant to fungal diseases such as downy mildew and powdery mildew (oidium). South African researchers are meanwhile working on GM yeasts for winemaking.

If they were selling a wine that included other grape types as primitivo they were pulling your chain - or sad to say don't know any better. To be labeled "Primitivo" the wine must be 100% (well damn close) primitivo and it must come from Puglia who has the only IGT and DOC for this variety. It can not be blended and legally called "Primitivo". Although it does show up in wines from other southern regions it will not be labled under the varietal name primitivo. For the background on the varietal and zinfandel check out one of my recent newsletters: By clicking here.

Click below for Raccolta: Ruché is a bit of a mystery vine. Local wisdom says it is an ancient variety probably indigenous to the Monferrato hills. Even the origin of the name is unclear with some claiming it came from the name of a local monastery while another source points to a resistance to a particular vine disease. Whatever the case, little documentary evidence exists and the history of ruché is more folklore than fact.

You are obviously heavily involved in the Italian wine business with extensive Italian wine lists at your restaurants, as a partner in The Italian Wine Merchant and with a business partner, Joe Bastianich, who owns the winery of the same name in Collio. As part of all of your ventures you devote significant space to lesser known Italian varietals and place names. How successful have you been inducing your American customers to experiment with these wines, which are essentially unknown to them?

Click below for Raccolta: The big and bold flavors of primitivo may grab all the headlines, but Puglia's most complex wines come from negroamaro. This is a vine that in the right vineyards and with the right winemaker can approach nebbiolo in complexity.

I never put salt in pasta water. Why in the world not? Your radical behavior is confusing 59 million Italians.

"There's nothing like it in Italy," said Enzo Ercolino, 48, who founded Feudi di San Gregorio in the 1980s. "You would have to travel to Napa Valley, or maybe Champagne, to find something similar."

I don't know this producer, but Montlouis is identical to Vouvray in character. While Montlouis does not reach the heights of the very best wines of Vouvray, many very good wines are produced that are often better than many wines with the more famous Vouvray name. This producer does not even show up on a Google search, which is not a surprise as there are many small estate wines.