Montescudaio,
Tuscany 7 October 1997
An invitation to attend the Sagra del Vino in Montescudaio, a
medieval wine town off the Tuscan seaboard below Pisa and to take part
in a round table discussion on wine tourism gave me the most welcome
opportunity to escape into the wine country. Though only early October,
the harvest was nearly over, and the wine producers here and from the
neighbouring zones of Bolgheri and Val di Cornia were unaninimous that
1997 looks set to be one of the great vintages of the century (many
are comparing it with the mythical 1947!).
Of
course, it is always a joy to be in the wine country at this time of
year -- there is a heady, almost intoxicating atmosphere about, brought
on in part from the beautiful scent of fermenting grape must and the
anticipation of the creation of new wines as the old year begins to
draw to a close. I had the chance to visit some exciting estates which
should certainly be watched. Sorbaiano is located near the Etruscan
town of Volterra, and produces both fine white and red wines: best were
Lucestraia, a rather exotic Chardonnay/Riesling blend and the dense
yet elegant Rosse delle Miniere, a fitting partner to a wild boar stew
we enjoyed for lunch on the estate. Tenuta del Terricio is another high-profile
new wave estate in this still relatively little known Montescudaio DOC
zone. Outstanding wines include Rondinaia, a luscious Chardonnay/Sauvignon/Gewurztraminer
blend packed with creamy, round fruit, and Lupicaia, a Cabernet/Merlot
blockbuster which demonstrates how these French varieties transplant
so successfully to the Tuscan seaboard to produce wines with great concentration
and fruit; there is plenty of tanin and extract, yet the wine remains
utterly charming and approachable, with an underlying velvety character
and roundness that is astounding. Finally, to the south of Bolgheri,
just outside the medieval borgoof Suvereto, the tiny estate of
Tua Rita, located in the Val di Cornia, is also producing wines of the
highest quality that need to be tried to be believed. Giusto di Notri
is another weighty and serious Cab/Merlot blend, but most remarkable
and rare of all is Redigaffe, a pure Merlot that in sheer weight and
intensity allied with elegance and sweet soft tannis is one of the most
remarkable wines that I've ever been privileged to taste.
And
so, with great wines such as these, what to eat? In Tuscany, as always,
it is the simple country foods that continue to satisfy above all, for
its cucina is based above all on Tuscan bread, outstanding extra-virgin
olive oil, and the freshest seasonal vegetables, plus game, meat and
whatever is available from the sea. Try some of the new wave wines of
Montescudaio, Bolgheri and Val di Cornia with the simplest of appetizers,
perhaps just a platter of fettunta, chewy sourdough Tuscan bread,
first toasted over a fire, then rubbed with garlic and soaked in extra
virgin olive oil, or with some crostini misti, bread appetizers
topped with chicken liver spread, or cavolo nero or other greens
stewed in olive oil and garlic. Or why not make this outstanding and
filling vegetable and bread soup that is a Tuscan classic, la ribollita.
La
Ribollita
Tuscan
Vegetable and Bread Soup
Our great
friend Giampaolo Pacini, winemaker and food historian, conjectures that
Tuscan bread soups date back to the days when unleavened breads were
used for plates. Afterwards, they were discarded or given away to the
poor or to the servants, who, being crafty and thrifty perforce, devised
any number of ways of making delicious soups with the well-flavored,
meat-soaked left-over. Pacini himself actually tried this once, inviting
friends over to enjoy a traditional meal served on flat breads instead
of crockery. Then afterwards, he collected the plates soaked with flavorsome
foods, and the next day made a bread soup from the remains. The result?
"Ottimo!", he assured me.
Ribollita
is basically a hearty vegetable and bean minestrone, all the
better for being left over, to be "reboiled" the next day
with the addition of stale bread to pad it out. How simple, how humble:
yet when well-made how delicious! Giampaolo showed us how.
2
tablespoons olive oil
1 small
red onion, peeled and chopped
2 legs
celery, chopped
1 large
carrot, peeled and chopped
2 cloves
garlic, peeled and finely minced
Handful
flat-leaved parsley, finely chopped
1 large
can chopped tomatoes
Salt and
black pepper
1 cup dried
cannellini beans, soaked overnight and boiled until tender (reserve
the cooking liquid)
1 large
potato, peeled and diced
1 lb zucchini,
sliced
1/2 lb
green beans, cut into 1inch segments
1/2 small
cabbage or winter kale or other spring or winter greens such as purple
sprouting or sprout tops or sprouting broccoli (about 1 lb)
About 8-10
cups water or broth
1 large
loaf (about 1 lb) of 4 or 5 day old country bread, cut into thin slices
Extra-virgin
olive oil
Heat the
olive oil in a large pot and gently fry the red onion, celery, carrot,
garlic and parsley. Add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile,
purée about two-thirds of the boiled cannellini beans together
with their cooking liquid. Add the puréed beans and liquid to
the pot together with the potato, zucchini, green beans, cabbage and
other winter greens, and the reserved whole beans. Add sufficient water
or broth to cover and cook until all the vegetables are tender, about
a half hour. Adjust seasoning.
In
a large terracotta pot, layer slices of stale bread in the bottom, and
sprinkle with extra-virgin olive oil. Add a few ladles of soup, then
another layer of bread, sprinkling with extra-virgin olive oil each
time. Continue in layers until the pot is full. The ribollita
can be prepared to this stage, then either reheated in an oven, adding
more water or broth if necessary. Or else, it can be slowly reheated
over the stove and mixed well before serving.
Serve
in bowls, with a dribble of fragrant extra-virgin olive oil on top.
Wine
Suggestion: Ribollita cries out for a full, flavourful Sangiovese-based
red. Try Avignonesi's classy Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Altesino's
stylish Rosso di Montalcino, or for a real treat Le Volte, the second
wine of the high profile Ornellaia estate in Bolgheri
