In two weeks we’ll finally be back in Italy. We couldn’t be more excited to share the experience with our clients, traveling through Veneto, Piedmont and Tuscany this spring! We never stopped dreaming of getting back to Italy, like many of you. The travel industry has been especially hard hit during the pandemic but we’ve come out the other side. We have passports in hand and global entry renewed. We’ve reconnected with all our favorite guides, restaurants and colleagues and can’t wait to see how Italy is shined up and ready to go! For sure there will be lots of tourists, but our tours always take us off the beaten path to places not overwhelmed.
Our first stop this spring is the Veneto for our inaugural tour of this region. The Veneto (Veh'-neh-toh) is in the northeast part of Italy, its capital is Venice and it produces more wine by volume than anywhere else in Italy. We’ll be spending time in Verona and on Lake Garda, drinking Valpolicella and Amarone, as well as driving the winding prosecco road in search of our favorite bubbly wine. We're taking a very small group to trail blaze the tour and will be offering it Spring 2023. So stay tuned about that one.
Then it'll be on to Piedmont in the northwestern part of Italy where we haven't been in almost 3 years. We have missed its beauty so much….the chocolate, the hazelnuts, the Barolo wines….Then onward to Tuscany where we'll be in the Chianti Classico region...oh, we can't wait!! Check out some info below on traveling now to Italy and our latest dates and availability for the tours. Follow along with us on Facebook or Instagram or At The Italian Table.
Spring is a time of celebration: Mother’s Day, weddings, graduations, pool openings, Triple Crown races. This month we're spotlighting some of the dessert wines of Italy that elevate any dinner party. Enjoyed with dessert, many Italian dessert wines are slightly sweet, not cloyingly heavy, and go beautifully with fruity desserts like our Tuscan Olive Oil Orange cake. Below is a recipe that we got from the kitchen at Dario Cecchini’s restaurant in Panzano that goes perfectly with one of our featured dessert wines below. It is springy and fresh and the perfect end to any spring celebration.
Buon appetito e cin-cin!
Gina and Mary
|
|
Dessert wines of Italy
Serving a dessert wine at the end of a special dinner is an elegant and charming way to mark a memorable occasion. Plus, it gives you a chance to use those beautiful little glasses that your grandmother passed down that are too small for regular wine! Many of the dessert wines from Italy have long histories because ancient wines tended to be sweeter overall.
One of our favorites is Moscadello di Montalcino DOC from Tuscany. An ancient wine tradition from Montalcino, this sweet wine was recently revived using a minimum of 85% Moscato Bianco, the grape from Piedmont used in Asti and Moscato d’Asti dessert wines. Moscadello can be still or slightly fizzy and only a few estates currently make it. One of the most notable and easiest to find is Banfi.
The most famous of Tuscan dessert wines is undeniably Vin Santo DOC. The sweetness of the wine is brought about by air-drying Malvasia and Trebbiano grapes to concentrate the sugars. The wine is then sealed in small oak casks for 3-5 years. The result is a complex honey-colored wine, not too high in alcohol nor cloyingly sweet, perfect to pair with biscotti or panforte.
Brachetto d’Acqui from the Piedmont region is another fabulous and fun dessert wine. Slightly frizzante, its aromas of rose and plum pair beautifully with chocolate, a specialty of this region. One of the easiest to find in the US market is another by Banfi, Rosa Regale.
When we’re in Italy and buying wine to ship home, we always include one or two bottles of dessert wines, no matter the region. It’s a wonderful way to relive the memories of our tours and travels when celebrating a special occasion at home!
Salute! Cin-Cin! Cheers!
|
|
Torta di Arancia (orange & olive oil cake)
This delicious cake starts by pureeing an entire orange, peel, pith and all. It's an old Tuscan recipe using olive oil instead of butter, simply garnished with powdered sugar and accompanied by a glass of sweet wine or a grappa.
If you’ve ever been to Dario Cecchini’s restaurant in Panzano, Tuscany, then you’ve had this delicious cake. It is always served at the end of lunch or dinner, large squares of it, well sugared and passed family style. The bottles of brandy and grappa make their way around the table as well! I was fortunate to get the cook to share her recipe with me and find it goes especially well with a sweet Italian dessert wine. An important key to a light, luscious cake is not to beat too vigorously once you’ve added the olive oil.
1 ½ cups sugar
1 whole orange, organic & cut into pieces
4 eggs
2/3 cup olive oil
2 cups flour
1 teas baking powder
ÂĽ cup brandy
In a food processor, puree the entire orange with the sugar. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and add the olive oil and orange sugar mix, beating until incorporated together. Be careful not to beat too vigorously or the cake won’t rise as much.
Sift the flour together with the baking powder and add it to the egg mixture. Stir in the brandy.
Butter and line with parchment a 9” round cake pan or 10” rectangular pan. Sprinkle the top with sugar. Bake the cake at 375 until cake tester or toothpick comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Do not open the over for the first 30 minutes. Cool on a rack. To serve, top with whipped cream or ricotta citrus mousse.
Ricotta Citrus Mousse
2 cups whole milk ricotta, whipped with ½ cup sugar
1 cup cream, whipped to stiff peaks with 2 tbsp sugar
Zest from one orange
Fold all ingredients together.
|
|
Use the whole orange for the cake |
|
|
This month's Italian saying:
"Diciamo pane al pane e vino al vino"
Translation: Let's tell it like it really is. Literally: "Let's say bread for bread and wine for wine."
|
|
Travel is up, for sure and the industry seems to be recovering a bit as we all have pent up desires to travel and go, go, go! The virus in Italy and most of Europe has waned and things seem to be normal with Covid19 restrictions beginning to be relaxed. They'll be a new round of rules coming on May 1st in Italy and we will continue to monitor the situation and will let everyone know. When traveling about, we recommend getting a plastic sleeve for your covid vaccine card as well as taking a copy of it and carrying a photo on your phone. As of this writing, there are many wineries, museums, restaurants that still require you to have your 'green pass' which is our white vaccination card. Mask requirements may be dropped, but it’s good to know that if they’re required again they must be the N95 and surgical variety.
Travel insurance - we suggest that you get it in the event you have to cancel your trip. It is peace of mind and allows you to be covered if something happens that you cannot make the trip. We've partnered with a company that provides quotes from across several providers depending what type of coverage you want or need. Check them out here: YonderTravel
Check out the dates for our upcoming tours. There are still some spots open for our Puglia tours this fall. Our small group tours are perfect to be with like minded people to explore the culture and history of Italy through its foods and wines. Join us for a week filled with delicious foods and regional wines. You'll learn a lot and have a great time, just leave the details to us!
Call or email Mary to get registered or with any questions.
|
|
|
|
Plus learn a thing or two! |
|
Gina Stipo and Mary Stipo Potter | Ecco La Cucina | 1-972-342-8308| Email | Website
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
‌
‌
‌