Craig Camp

Niente - but that is the point. I like salad with pizza. I think this is because it gives me the illusion of eating healthier. In Italy there are many 'pizza' type things with greens on top but they are usually cooked greens. There are also pizze with raw greens on the top, but that's OK - you just don't order the salad on the side. If you dig a little bit there are always logical reasons behind all the Italian rules - much like red wine with meat and white wine with fish. Yes there are exceptions but in in general the rule is true.

Certainly crushing the seeds releases the most tannins, but heat also breaks down the seeds releasing tannin. In winemaking you don't have to break the seed to add tannin to the wine. Also if you are making larger quantities and freezing or canning the tomatoes tannins continue to be leached out of the seeds. We make all sort of extra steps as cooks to make food better - why not this one?

It means you have a stronger stomach than I do.

Theoretically they should be potentially better as the vines are much older now. I am not aware of a major change in winemaking technique so the potential should be there to create a better wine than in the early 80's. The variable of vintage is of course a big one. Perhaps Claude has a broader experience of current vintages than I do and could comment.

1982 Calera Jensen Bright translucent scarlet with just a hint of brick at the edge. Rich expansive earthy nose full with leather and floral aromas held up by a bright spicy bitter cherry fruit. Mouth-filling, silky layers of spices (cinnamon an plums) and bittersweet fruit lead to a long graceful finish still showing a hint of tannin. Fully mature but in very good condition. An extremely impressive wine. Bravo Josh Jensen.

Mastroberadino is around but the wines just are not what they used to be. Taurasi Radici is their best wine. Cantina del Taburna makes some dramatic if sometimes expensive wines. Bue Apis is at the top of their portfolio but the Coda di Volpe is less expensive and delicious. The Bue Apis is aglianico at its most concentrated. Their Aglianico del Taburno is a good example of the grape at a lower price. The hyper-collectible Montevetrano is around if you want to drop over $100 a bottle. A blend of cabernet, merlot and aglianico is a dramatic wine worth drinking anytime you can get someone else to pick up the tab. Fuedo di San Gregorio is widely available and makes wine in a very modern style. I prefer these to Mastroberadino. They also do a good job with their whites - Fiano and Greco. For reds everyone seems to love the powerful Serpico and Patrimo but they are over the top for me and also very expensive. Look for their Taurasi. For a nice older style wine look for the Lacryma Cristi del Vesuvio Rosso by de Angelis which is imported by Marc de Grazia and is under $15.00. Villa Matilde makes an excellent aglianico called Vigna Camarato. Salvatore Molettieri makes an excellent Taurasi, Vigna Cinque Querce - imported by Vin Divino. I like very much the wines of Ag. Az. Paternoster who makes outstanding aglianico - both Riserva Don Anselmo and Vigneto Villa Rotondo are great wines.

That Terre Brune is fantastic. They used to use those wines to 'improve' Tuscan wines. I bet they 'improved' them a lot!

I love the wines of Chateau Gillette. I have a 1953 Creme de Tete waiting for my 50th (if your math is good you realize this could be any second) which was given to me as a gift when I visited the Chateau in 1986. All of our wives think we are silly.

The Vino Italiano book is an excellent introduction to Italian wine. Many are surprised when they discover the delicious red wines of Friuli, Trentino and Alto Adige as these regions are thought of as white wine regions in export markets. As good as Trentino cabernet can be I would suggest trying a teroldego and from Alto Adige a lagrein. In Friuli look for refosco and schioppettino. All of these varietals have the penitential to produce rich complex reds in the hands of a dedicated winemaker. If money is no object try a rare pignolo. I will second and third mogsob's recommendation to look south. Try nero d'avola from Sicilia, negroamaro from Puglia and aglianico from Campania. All have great potential.

I go along with Steve's approach - at some point it just isn't tiramisu anymore. There is a conflict with the Italian K.I.S.S. concept and the American desire to add something.

Tomato seeds are usually removed from fresh tomatoes for several reasons: 1. They add bitterness to the sauce - this is the main reason 2. Appearance - the sauce looks better without them 3. Removing the seed sack reduces the acidity 4. The process of seeding removes water and makes the sauce less watery If you don't like the work just get a food mill. Nothing could be easier.

It the argument that Bordeaux is more 'industrial' while Burgundy is an artisan product?

Does anyone know of a case where someone actually got sick from the tiramisu? It Italy the eggs at the grocery store are not even refrigerated - just on the shelf like the canned goods. I have never heard one story from anyone in Italy about someone getting ill from tiramisu. On the other had I was almost killed (for 24 hours anyway) by some home-made mayonnaise in Barcelona last year.

You are obviously a gentleman of great intelligence and a discerning palate.

Grape hijack 'syndicate work'

Why Aren't South African Wines Better?

For general updates on legal actions in various states visit: Free the Grapes!

Post your notes if you can. Sounds like an interesting tasting.

Are they using grapes from these top vineyards sites because of a quality selection or because there is not enough demand for the most expensive bottlings?

Legalizing Web Wine Sales Gaining Momentum

Europeans spit chips over oak in our wine By Kirsty Needham, Consumer Writer April 21 2003 It has been cast as a battle between old world and new. With Australian wine exports soaring, local winemakers say they are being targeted by rivals in France, Italy and Spain seeking to put a cork in the rising cheer of antipodean plonk with young European consumers. The vignerons of Europe want to ban inexpensive Australian table wine by taking exception to the Australian practice of using oak chips, rather than pricey oak barrels, to flavour. The traditionalists also want more rigid definitions of labelling terms such as classic, vintage, reserve, hand-picked and traminer that could exclude Australian wine. European Union trade negotiations to update a 1994 wine and spirits agreement with Australia have been cancelled. "I think Europe is reacting to the success of Australian wine. They see the traditional winemaking techniques as a part of their culture," said Sam Tolley, general manager of the Australian Wine & Brandy Corporation. "All we are saying is don't make it a market access barrier if we choose to use new methods." Australian wine exports are tipped to hit $2.5 billion this year, with around half sold to Europe. Britain is the biggest market, but Germany, Scandinavia and France are also growing. Mr Tolley said placing oak chips in the vat, rather than aging in a barrel, had been accepted by the standards body, the Office of International Vine and Wine. "We are enormous users of oak barrels in Australia, but where the product is high-volume wine produced with financial constraint, chips are used and it is just a different way," Mr Tolley said. Alan Pollnitz, a chemist with the Australian Wine Research Institute, said he planned to publish in scientific and wine journals a study showing chips can "pretty much" be used as a substitute for barrels. French oak barrels, costing up to $1000, were "the second-most expensive thing that people pay for in wine making, yet so little research has been done". "We seem to be targeted somewhat at the moment," said Mr Tolley. "But we think it would be difficult to outlaw because they are letting it in from other countries." A member of the Federal Government's EU delegation played down the "pause" in talks, which would allow each side to reconsider its stance on labelling terms. New talks have not been scheduled. From www.smu.com.au

No $40 is good for a Barolo with reputation, but there are a lot of deals out there now because the market is soft.

I agree with Robin. It sounds like you can find better pricing than that elsewhere. I also agree with his aging comments - I just don't trust the 97 vintage.

Most people used canned tomatoes because it is so hard to find tomatoes with the wonderful flavor you would want in a sauce. If you want to develop a case of tomato envy visit southern Italy and see what they have to work with. No wonder they have so many tomato recipes. The rest of us are relegated to growing our own, shelling out big bucks for heirloom and other tomatoes that actually have taste - or sticking with canned tomatoes. As weinoo noted you just need to peel and skin them and run them trough a food mill and you are ready to start cooking your sauce. Good luck finding tomatoes worthy of your efforts. Denver in April does not sound like the best place to find perfect tomatoes. I would stick to the wonderful tomatoes they put in the can in Napoli after they have soaked up all that nice sun. Look for San Marzano tomatoes and wait until late summer for the fresh tomatoes.

When Barolo is used on a label it must be DOCG. There is no DOC Barolo anymore. If a nebbiolo from Barolo does not meet DOCG regulations it becomes DOC Langhe Rosso. Nebbiolo d'Alba is a distinct DOC and is not declassified Barolo.