Taste Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera and more this Friday as Vino pours six world-class wines from Piedmontese producer Castello di Verduno!

Owned by husband and wife Franco Bianco and Gabriella Burlotto, this lush estate (which includes a hotel, restaurant and agriturismo) is fortunate to possess some of Piedmont’s best growing sites. Famed for their Barolo and Barbaresco wines (the family has holdings in the historic Rabajà and Massara crus), winemaker Mario Andrion also produces a young and fragrant Barbera d’Alba.

Lesser-known is the rare Pelaverga, a variety indigenous to the area around Verduno near Alba. This year, in addition to the popular red Basadone, Vino has added Bellis Perennis to its selection, a Pelaverga vinified white!

Try six of our favorite wines from one of Piedmont’s finest wineries this Friday evening. And remember, the following wines are available at a whopping 20% off for ONE DAY ONLY: Friday, November 13!

Pelaverga Bellis Perennis NV

Verduno Pelaverga Basadone 2007

Barbera d’Alba 2007

Barbaresco 2005

Barbaresco Rabajà 2003

Barolo Massara 2003

Castello di Verduno Tasting
Friday, November 13
5:30-7:30pm
FREE

For more information call 212-725-6516 or email contact@vinosite.com.

Famed the world over for its use in two of Italy’s most celebrated wines, Barolo and Barbaresco, young Nebbiolo is naturally high in tannins and thus at its best offers a remarkable potential for aging. Yet many forget that the variety actually goes far beyond these highly revered DOCGs, featuring in wines from some of Piedmont’s lesser-known winemaking zones, including Ghemme and Carema in the northern hills of the region. Though most closely associated with Piedmont, Nebbiolo is also cultivated in Lombardy where it’s known as Chiavennasca, and is the predominant variety in Valtellina.

A man who has worked the vines with his bare hands under Piedmont’s baking sun, few people know Nebbiolo like Jim Hutchinson, DWS (below: front row, far right). Join Jim tomorrow evening as as he guides you through this impressive exclusive tasting of some of his favorite expressions of this much-admired and unexpectedly diverse variety. Sign up now!

NEBBIOLO
with Jim Hutchinson, DWS
Wednesday, November 11
6:30-8:30pm
$65

For more information and reservations call 212-725-6516 or email register@vinosite.com.

Nicola Marzovilla presents “Massoferrato”, Monday, November 16

Join Nicola Marzovilla for a very special dinner celebrating all the rustic charm of Tuscany, as the I Trulli owner proudly presents Massoferrato, the first wine made from grapes grown on his Tuscan estate!

Marzovilla and his family purchased the property (above) in Impruneta in the Colli Fiorentini, south of Florence, fifteen years ago, with a view to trying their hand at winemaking. Nicola planted seven acres of Sangiovese (below) — the classic Tuscan variety — which in 2008 produced fruit for the very first vintage of Massoferrato. The wine, classified Rosso Toscano IGT, was fermented in stainless steel before spending time in custom-made 20 hectoliter barrels of Slavonian oak.

A wine this special deserves a menu to match, and for this unique occasion Chef Patti Jackson will prepare typically Tuscan dishes including chestnut gnocchi and whole roasted wild boar. Check out Patti’s full menu here!

Italian-born Marzovilla (above, bottling his wine last summer) is already renowned for his wine expertise and devoted attention to I Trulli’s groundbreaking wine program, he also owns Vino Italian Wine and Spirits, New York’s top-rated all-Italian wine store. Now join him as he celebrates his latest exciting wine venture!

Nicola Marzovilla presents MASSOFERRATO
Monday, November 16
7:30pm
$85 plus tax and gratuity

For more information and reservations please contact 212-481-7372 or reservations@itrulli.com.

FREE D’Angelo Tasting
Friday, November 6
5:30-7:30pm

For more information call 212-725-6516 or email contact@vinosite.com.

By far our most popular class, Italian Wine 101 is offered twice this term, giving Vino’s most curious customers an extra chance to enjoy an introduction to some of Italy’s greatest grape varieties and wines.

Vino’s own William “Lucky” Lee will review Italy’s magnificent yet sometimes intimidating mosaic of local varieties and wine appellations, the two aspects which continue more often than not to boggle the minds of Italian wine novices. William will also explain the fascinating process of wine-making from grape to bottle, give pointers on storing, serving and ordering wine, and discuss wine’s important role in Italian daily life.

Featuring a carefully compiled tasting representing the supreme quality and vast diversity of Italian wine, this lively and entertaining seminar is ideal for those new to Vino and for experience enthusiasts alike. Sign up today!

ITALIAN WINE 101
with William Lee
Wednesday, November 4
6:30-8:30pm
$45

For more information and reservations call 212-725-6516 or email register@vinosite.com.

This Halloween weekend treat yourself to Aglianico Naif at 20% off!

World class Aglianico at under $11? It may seem like an unreal deal, but it’s no trick. This Halloween weekend why not treat yourself to Aglianico Naif 2006 by Campania winery La Molara? Since La Molara’s wines arrived at Vino, the Naif Aglianico has stood out as a customer favorite. Offering tremendous drinkability at a remarkable price, the wine is a classic expression of the Aglianico grape, arguably Southern Italy’s greatest variety, and one which continues to gain attention in the United States.

Vino recently hosted La Molara’s Riccardo Morelli, who revealed to us that the Naif is in part inspired by Pilar Sala, an Argentine artist specializing in a form of faux-naive folk art called “arte naif”. When La Molara expressed interest in her work, Sala was more than happy to allow the winery to feature her painting “Bordando la luna” (“Embroidering the moon”) on Naif’s distinctive label.

Aglianico Naif 2006 La Molara
was $13, now $10.40

BUY NOW AND GET FREE SHIPPING!

For more information call 212-725-6516 or email contact@vinosite.com.

Alex Witchel combines four favorites from Vino with the flavors of the Far East

Italy and China have long since shared a common passion for eating well; today many young Chinese are excited about aspects of modern Italian culture, including fashion, football, and of course food and wine.

New Yorkers don’t have to travel half-way around the world to taste great Chinese food, yet are easily flummoxed when it comes to choosing a wine to pair with their pork dumplings or Peking duck. Though I drank only Tsingtao or Yanjing beer (or failing that, Coca-Cola) with food on a trip to Beijing earlier this year, I’ve often considered the sharp bubbles of Lini’s Lambrusco a perfect partner for all manner of classic dishes from the Far-East. Indeed, the cuisine of China and Emilia-Romagna are not so far apart: both are reliant on fresh vegetables, rich, meaty flavors, and of course, noodles.

Delicious meat, fish and vegetable dishes are more often paired with beer in Beijing, like at this restaurant in Bei Hai park. But what about Lambrusco?

In “What Marco Polo Knew” (published in today’s New York Times), acclaimed writer and critic Alex Witchel takes the idea one step further, and discovers — at the suggestion of Beijing Times reader and Gary Price — that the pairing of Italian wine and Chinese cuisine is not so unlikely. In her Feed Me column, Witchel admits to having “neither the patience nor the back for schlepping” to Flushing, but she did make it down to East 27th Street where she picked up four of our favorite wines from Vino, which were then taken home and paired with dishes from Shun Lee West, Wu Liang Ye and Szechuan Gourmet, three of Manhattan’s top Chinese restaurants. So how did these Italian bottles rate with Chinese take-out?

Typical Beijing dumplings known as “jaozi” and “baozi” served at a popular student eatery near the university.

Here are some of Alex’s tasting comments:

Lambrusco Scuro NV Lini and fried pork dumplings: “A fizzy purple… a light, bright match but not quite special enough to repeat.”

Rosso di Montalcino 2005 Cerbaia and filet mignon with black peppercorn sauce: “Lovely… [but] looking for love in all the wrong places.”

Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso 2005 Le Ragose and Peking duck: “Transcendent… we all swore never to have one without the other again.”

Inzolia 2008 ERA and tofu with chili-minced pork: “Stood up to it like David to Goliath, unexpectedly heroic.”

Read the full article here.

Italian ragazzi have their cornetto and macchiato, but for young people in Beijing, a scorpion on a stick makes for a tasty mid-morning snack.

All photography by James Taylor, Beijing, April 2009.

Taste wine by Conti Sertoli Salis and save 20%!

Vino’s free tastings continue this Friday as we pour some of our favorite wines by Conti Sertoli Salis. The sub-alpine valley known as Valtellina has long drawn interest from wine drinkers; Leonardo da Vinci even spoke of its winemaking potential in his Codice Atlantico. Today, the Valtellina Superiore DOCG produces some of Lombardy’s most prestigious wines.

Located in the town of Tirano in the province of Sondrio, not far from the Swiss border, Conti Sertoli Salis is a noble family which has been bottling wine since 1869. Much of their wine is still vinified and aged in cellars beneath the Palazzo Salis, the family’s 17th century palace and one of Tirano’s most popular tourist attractions. Conti Sertoli Salis’ Nebbiolo-based wines are some of the best representations of Valtellina we’ve had the pleasure to taste.

Try them for yourself on Friday afternoon and save an incredible 20% on all of Conti Sertoli Salis’ wines!

CONTI SERTOLI SALIS TASTING
Friday, October 30
5:30-7:30pm

For more information call 212-725-6516 or email contact@vinosite.com.

Much like the country’s wine, cheese is produced in every region of Italy, and for Italians invariably plays an integral part in their daily diet. While it is an essential ingredient in many regional dishes, it is also common in Italy to enjoy cheese by itself, or at the very most, paired with a glass of local wine.

Vino’s Jim Hutchinson has devoted the best part of his life to the study of Italian food and wine; join him on Wednesday for a tasting of six diverse formaggi from six of Italy’s greatest cheese-producing regions. Each cheese will be paired with a special wine selected by Jim’s expert hand.

WINE & CHEESE
with Jim Hutchinson, DWS
Wednesday, October 28
6:30-8:30pm
$65

For more information and reservations call 212-725-6516 or email register@vinosite.com.

Super Tuscan sale of the century

Vino is rolling back the clock this weekend to bring you a some hard rock. No, you have not just stumbled upon FM radio — just check out the deal on Pietraforte, Carobbio’s truly super Tuscan. Made from 100% Cabernet, the wine represents awesome value.

The small, family-owned Carobbio estate is located in the town of Panzano, the highest point in the Chianti Classico appellation. This considerable altitude means cooler evening temperatures, essential in creating wines with longer aging potential. Pietraforte (meaning “hard rock”) is arguably Carobbio’s most collectible wine and will continue to age gracefully in bottle for another few years. Take home a wine for the ages at a twentieth-century price.

Pietraforte 1999 Carobbio
was $44, now $35

BUY NOW AND GET FREE SHIPPING!

For more information call 212-725-6516 or email contact@vinosite.com.