It is 0559. The sun is still sleeping as I write this in the 14th Century Scaglieri Palace that has been my home for the past hectic week. It is now the Hotel Due Torri Baglioni where I met my friend Sophie Van Die Mutter the famous German violinist who was checking in yesterday afternoon.
I shall miss my friends in the Ristorante Al’Aquila like Luciano (aka ‘Pavorotti’) the waiter and his colleague Ali who I see every morning at breakfast before going to the Concorso Enologico Internazionale to judge the wines for Vinitaly.
What wines there were! Yesterday and Saturday were the best when we judged the top wines to decide which wines earn the Grand Gold Medal, Gold Medal, Silver and Bronze. They were absolutely fabulous and only about 3% were second samples which means rejected wines due to cork and TCA (2,4,6 trichloroanisole) or other physical and biochemical faults. Out of over 3500 wines in the competition and only about 3% corked!!! To any rational person of sound intelligence. good, well treated cork for bottles of wine seem to be not such a terrible idea after all. Perhaps, that it why it has been used since the days of ancient Rome. So, persons who advocate screwcaps and other such high tech gadgets condemning good old cork, maybe…. just maybe you have got your figures somewhat incorrect, dare I say, in a completely inoffensive way of course. Ah, the politics of wine….when will it end?
Later I shall go to Trentino to taste some of the world’s best sparkling wines, usually maligned by champagne lovers who have never even tasted them. Trention wines like Cantine Ferrari are mad by the metodo classico knownin Champagne as the methode champenoise. These wines are unique to Italy and the top ones are in my opinion as The Travelling Gourmet, BETTER than some French champagnes! As I like to say, in the world of food and wine, like all other things, think of parachutes ## THEY ONLY WORK WHEN THEY ARE Open!!! Salute! Buon Giornata! I am going jogging now to see the sunrise over Verona!
This is The Travelling Gourmet in the City of Romeo & Juliet > VERONA