Where does time go? It is now spring, and it was just the holidays! But spring is the time of renewal and freshness, Easter and Passover. We have some new things at Corti Brothers and some traditional ones. I hope you will find interesting items in this newsletter that will make your spring very pleasant. Darrell Corti
LOISON COLOMBA AND VENEZIANA
Much like the arrival of panettone at Christmas, COLOMBA arrives at Easter. Like panettone, Colomba is a similar sweet, buttery, bread-like cake, made with a mother yeast and candied fruit, sprinkled with sugar. Its name comes from its shape which is that of a flying dove. It is the other of the seasonal bread cakes famous in Italy. We have also the two typical Venetian cakes, the Veneziana and the Focaccia Mandorlata. Both of these come from Venetian tradition, and found on the breakfast or dessert tables of Venetian connoisseurs. For us, all–Colomba, Veneziana, Focaccia–are wonderful spring delights and delightful throughout the summer period, especially with fresh fruit.
All are from the renown LOISON bakery, near Vicenza. Unless otherwise stated all are one kilo in size.
INES ROSALES CORTADILLO DE CIDRA Citrus Crumble Cake
The CORTADILLO DE CIDRA is a Spanish specialty, in fact an Andalucian specialty. The cake is made by the firm of Ines Rosales, founded in 1910, near Seville, famous for its olive oil cakes, Tortas de Aceite. The Cortadillo is made of a similar flaky oil made dough, but with an unusual filling made from a very special squash called CIDRA or Calabaza CABELLO DE ANGEL, “Angel Hair.”
The squash is melon shaped and looking, but when cooked separates into filaments which are cooked with sugar. It is very mild in flavor, taking on flavors easily, but having this delicate, tender filament structure which is beloved in Spanish and Latin American cuisine.
Cortadillo means it has been cut into pieces, in this case 6 individually packaged pieces. The sensation of the flaky crust and the tender, yet sweet, flavory filling is at once both tasty and intriguing.
It appears that the cidra, Cucurbita ficifolia, is originally from the highlands of Peru or possibly from southern Mexico. Curiously, it arrived in Spain by way of India, having been brought from its origin to India then to Spain. As a squash, it does not have a typical squash flavor, but is very neutral and takes on flavor easily when cooked and remains moist textured. Its string-like consistency makes it unique. It is very typical of Mediterranean Spain.
I know you have seen it before on these pages, but what is the difference between bulgur and couscous? They are sometimes confused. One is a wheat, the other, a pasta--yes, and made from wheat. (Answer: couscous is the pasta.)
Bulgur is merely durum wheat, boiled and then dehydrated, next coarsely milled–cracked–then sifted into three sizes of pieces, called bulgur one, bulgur two, and bulgur three. Bulgur three is the largest. To use, traditionally it was merely soaked and used as is–for example making the bulgur salad with parsley called Tabbouleh. Actually, this is a dish which uses very little bulgur and a lot more parsley, but frequently it is made the other way round. Bulgur is often cooked, with stock and sauteed pieces of thin pasta to make pilaff. It can be used to thicken soups, cover meatballs of ground meats flavored with different savory flavors. Or for making desserts.
Corti Brothers buys bulgur from a family owned mill–Sunnyland–in the Fresno area which has been making bulgur for several generations. They also make the unusual, yet very easy to use Yarma, another cracked wheat product, but this time left with its flour and sold as such. A delicious vegetarian/vegan soup can be made using finely chopped onions, yarma, some olive oil and water. Called yarma shourba, its flavor comes from caramelizing the onions, very slowly, adding the yarma and water, then letting it cook slowly. Salt and pepper is added, other vegetables should you like, but basically it takes its almost roast meat-like flavor from the caramelized onions. Very tasty yet simplicity itself in cooking. The exact recipe is shown on the last page below.
Then there is Grano, the pearled whole durum wheat; the hull is removed and the wheat left as a “wheat berry.” Once hulled, it is golden in color and should be stored in the freezer to lessen oxidation. It needs to be washed in cold running water, then soaked (up to overnight) before cooking. It can be cooked just like pasta in salted boiling water until tender and then dressed like pasta. It is the mainstay of the Neapolitan Easter pie called “Pastiera” with candied citrus rind–especially citron–ricotta, milk and eggs, sugar, cinnamon and orange flower water, baked in a buttery, rich, short pastry dough.
All the above durum wheat products are in one pound resealable bags and cost $3.99 per pound.
In Athenaeus’ The Diepnosophists, one of the earliest fine living texts in the western world, the author remarks about “Persian luxury and extravagance.” This Greek author was merely mirroring what the then world knew as sophistication in gastronomy, rather than the Spartan concept that “hunger was the best sauce.” Persian cuisine is not something we often think about in this country, but there is a great deal of tradition and exchange throughout the eastern Mediterranean that owes a lot to this ancient cuisine. The number of cookbooks currently in print about this cuisine has never been greater. Persia is the historical name for what we know as Iran.
An Iranian couple living in Sacramento, Sima and Deen Rashidy, produce what has come to be recognized as exemplary versions of Iranian specialties. Under their “SIMA’S” label there are several delightful items, mainly condiments, that show off the intricacies of this ancient cuisine for modern times.
Using seasonal vegetables, Sima makes two famous pickles: TORSHI and LITTEH, which are relishes. Litteh is an eggplant relish made with eggplant, carrot, celery, parsley, mint, jalapeño, garlic and vinegar. Torshi resembles Italian Giardiniera, pickled vegetables: cauliflower, cabbage, carrot, cucumber, celery, parsley, mint. A new product is Jalapeño Relish, with jalapeño, garlic, parsley, mint. The jalapeño is there, it is not just hot, but flavory.
From her own garden, Sima makes a fresh Mint syrup and a Sour Cherry syrup, both wonderful to make refreshing drinks with the addition of water rather than drinking soda in hot weather. For mixologists, this is a new world.
Sima’s Pomegranate Vinaigrette just needs good olive oil to make a delicious salad dressing or dipping sauce.
Several fruit preparations are made using local fruit, but a really special jam is Sima’s 3 Fruit Jam, made with Fuji apples, Blenheim apricots and quince. The elements are prepared when in season, then when all three have been made, they are blended together. Another different jam is the Carrot and Orange jam called “horig” which is unusual for us, but traditional in Persian cuisine.
Sima also makes several different flavors of rice mixtures which just need to be cooked. One is made with smoked Basmati rice. Another with normal Basmati, but both have dillweed and Iranian saffron. Another blend is Basmati rice with lentils which are cooked together making “Adaspolo.” All three are excellent, easy to prepare versions of vegetarian or meatless dishes that are tasty and satisfying. In Persian, a dish of rice is said to bring families together, secure friendships, and solve arguments. If tasty also, what more can we ask?
With Persian New Year, Nurooz, the 20th of March, you have delicacies to celebrate with.
PUERTO RICAN COFFEE: Single Finca Arabica, Special Roasting.
Coffee is grown commercially in the United States in two places: Puerto Rico and Hawai’i. One is a state, the other a territory. Of the two, the smallest production now is Puerto Rico. Due to the devastating hurricane of fall 2017, where much of the island was torn up and left without services of any kind, being able to find a small amount of genuine Puerto Rico grown coffee is remarkable. A lot of coffee has been grown in the center of the island, in an area called Utuado. Coffee cultivation was introduced to Puerto Rico from Martinique in 1736.
Puerto Rico was discovered by Columbus in 1493 on his second voyage and Utuado has been known since 1553, but only became a town in 1733. Its name is verified by a baptismal certificate dated 1754. In 1894 it became a city. The Utuado area is mainly mountainous, and all told is only 115 square miles in size.
Originally a Taíno center–the Taíno are an indigenous people on the island–the area became a mining region. Now it produces coffee, some tobacco and fruit. Some of the coffee grown is shade grown, planted as the under cultivation of taller trees. The coffee varietal is mainly arabica, the coffee cherries wet pulped, sun dried.
With the help of a Sacramento friend, a past employee of Corti Brothers, Emmanuel Kemiji, now a Master Sommelier and wine maker both in California and Spain, we were able to purchase 400 pounds of green arabica beans from a single “finca” or estate, that of Don Dionisio in Caguana de Utuado. With the roasting assistance of Carlos Moya, possibly the most important roaster on the island, having his own coffee shop, we have two styles of this coffee. Labeled CAFÉ 2150, one roast is just 100% Arabica, the other is made according to Emmanuel Kemiji’s idea using the most famous rum on the Island, Ron del Barrilito Three Star, to macerate the green beans before roasting. The heat of roasting removes the alcohol, but leaves the character of “la formula” the secret herb, spice, and fruit blend of the rum production as a delightful aftertaste in the coffee.
The roast of CAFÉ 2150 is a medium dark “city” roast and the Barrilito roast, slightly darker. This is the typical local taste: to taste coffee, not the charred effect of a very dark roast. Also the island tradition is to drink coffee with heated milk, not exactly like a cappuccino, but a delicious drink. You, obviously, can drink the coffee the way you like. (My first experience at a coffee finca on the island, the heating of the milk, aerating it with a large ladle, took longer to do than brewing the coffee. It was delicious!)
For the current shipment we only have 400 pounds of coffee. The roasting and packaging are done on the island to island taste. The coffee comes in an 8 ounce, foil lined paper bag with a valve and is the only quantity we will have until this fall’s harvest. If there is one! The trees have been pretty beaten up. Roasting is done just before shipping. We hope to be able to continue this project, to give some assistance to this devastated island.
If you have never tasted Puerto Rican coffee, you should try CAFÉ 2150. Try both styles! Puerto Rican coffee was once reserved for Popes and Kings. Now we also can enjoy it. This production is exclusive to Corti Brothers.
TERMS OF SALE: This list supersedes all others. All taxable items, such as wine, beer, or spirits will be taxed at the rate of 8.25%. This is for all sales since we sell in California. Foodstuffs are not taxable. Shipping will be charged at prevailing rates. PLEASE NOTE: In extreme weather, either hot or cold, please give us a shipping address where your order may be properly received and stored. Corti Brothers cannot be responsible for items left without protection
ARMENIA VINE AND WINE:
A new publication on an almost forgotten wine country
ARMENIA VINE AND WINE is a quarto sized book of more than 418 pages dealing with the archeobotany and domestication of the vine, its history and enology, its ampelography, culture, and significance today from a little known about, land-locked country with immense ties to grapes and wine. Written by the lead author Nelli Hovhannisyan, a former cancer researcher now dealing with vines and wine, and numerous other experts from Armenia and other places and numerous museal entities and even grape growers, with splendid photographs illustrating every facet of this complex world, this is a book which deserves a place in the library of every wine lover. Just the amount of color photography makes this a fascinating work that will serve to illuminate and enlighten almost any reader. It is a comprehensive work befitting its noble and ancient history, about which we, in the West know relatively little, but will know much, much more having read ARMENIA VINE AND WINE. It is worth every penny of its price!
MOSCATO PASSITO DI SARACENA: A dessert wine you’ve never heard about
From the tip of the toe of the Italian boot, the region of Calabria, Moscato Passito di Saracena comes as a specialty wine from a single producer, Cantina Viola. The most famous of the region’s dessert wines is Greco di Bianco, made from the Greco variety in the town of Bianco. Linguistically, it seems that it should be the other way around. But like it linguistically is the Moscato Passito di Saracena. Saracena is the place. It means “Saracen” obviously from its history of having contact with the Muslims from the Middle East who ruled this part of Italy or raided it for a long time. Here is what Daniele Cernilli wrote about it in his ULTIMATE GUIDE TO ITALIAN WINES 2016:
“...[M]oscato di Saracena...seems like a wine straight out of the Odyssey. Produced with ancestral methods with a partial cooking of the must (which is creating no few problems with the EU regulations), [this wine is] a cultural heritage as well as being excellent....A blend of Guarnacca, Malvasia and Moscadello di Saracena grapes. [It] Matures for a year in stainless steel ‘sur lie.’ Bright amber. A nose of formidable complexity, ranging from the classic scent of raisins to candied orange peel, dates, dried apricots, and almond paste. The flavor is sweet, but not cloying, full bodied and nicely underpinned by acidity. A really great traditionally-styled sweet wine. 95/100 ” Enough said! But really good.
CANTINA VIOLA MOSCATO PASSITO DI SARACENA 2013
500ml - $49.99 (#4431)
Case of 12/ 750 ml -$269.00 (#4431C)
(Phone us for more information)
CORTI BROTHERS 2017 EXTRA VIRGIN OILS: Coratina and Piqual These two oils were again produced for Corti Brothers by Pablo Voitzuk, the miller at Pacific Sun in Gerber, CA., to the north of Sacramento. These are two southern Mediterranean olive varieties which have once again proven that they do extremely well in California. Once again, they were put in competition at the Los Angeles International Extra Virgin Oil Competition where I am the chairman of the tasting. The tasting is completely blind. I do not see who tastes the oils until the tasting takes place. And once again, they both won Gold Medals in their class, the Piqual also winning Best of Class. Both are very fine oils with medium fruity intensity, with the balanced pungency and bitterness of excellent oils with flavors of fresh artichoke and green tomato. They will definitely enhance your spring and summer salads and vegetable dishes. They are perfect for putting on toasted bread to make the classic “fett’unta.” Very little was bottled in January 2018, so do not dawdle to get some.
This 2015 Amador County Zinfandel is a fifty year commemorative wine. It commemorates the 1965 Amador County Zinfandel made as a home wine that, in 1968, convinced Bob Trinchero of Sutter Home Winery in Napa Valley to begin buying Amador County grapes. A lot has happened in the last fifty years.
The original 1965 Amador Zinfandel was made as a homemade wine by Charles Myers, an English instructor at Sacramento City College, who in 1972 would become a winery owner, opening his Harbor Winery in West Sacramento, CA. Charles’ home winemaking showed Bob Trinchero of Sutter Home how good Amador Zinfandel could be at a time when few wineries actually bought Amador County grapes. Most went to home winemakers in the Bay Area. At that time there was only one winery in Amador County, D’Agostini, which had been there in one form or another since the 19th century. The first new winery in Amador County was to be Cary Gott’s Monteviña which was created in 1970. By that time, Sutter Home had already produced two vintages of Amador County Zinfandel.
In May, 1968, Bob Trinchero, Charles Myers, and I went to Amador County and drank a bottle of Charles’ 1965 Zinfandel which convinced Bob that he should look to Amador County for grapes. The harvest of 1968 was the first year of a Napa Valley winery using Amador zinfandel and also labeling the wine with the appellation of Amador County. (Christian Brothers and Gallo had been buying Amador grapes at that time, but did not label any wine made from them with the Amador appellation.) Sutter Home was the first out-of-county winery to label its wine made from Amador grapes with the Amador appellation. Others would follow.
Since I have Charles Myers’ home winemaking notebook, I tried to make the wine following the notes which Charles wrote about making his wine. The grapes in 1965 were picked October 2, fermented with champagne yeast (the most common wine yeast at the time), pressed off on October 8 at 5% Brix, aged in one used small wood cask and in glass demijohns; racked four times during the year, and bottled August 15, 1966, just before Charles resumed teaching. So: very little time on the skins, very little time in wood, early bottling, and no fining or filtering, just the addition of metabisulfite at racking. It was very simple winemaking. According to Charles’ notes, he paid $75.00 the ton for 500 lbs of grapes which gave him 150 bottles of finished wine. This was his first Amador Zinfandel wine. He would make other vintages and in 1972 made his first commercial wine from Amador zinfandel at Harbor Winery.
In making our 2015 Amador Zinfandel, we asked Andis Winery in Amador County to make it for us. Mark McKenna, the winemaker, was enthusiastic about doing this project and used hillside grown, head pruned vines of some 50 years of age, picked September 3, 2015. Fermentation lasted 10 days with Champagne yeast; the wine was pressed at 2% Brix, and some of the new wine put into neutral oak barrels and the rest in flextanks rather than in glass demijohns. It was bottled on September 1, 2016. This production produced 290 cases of 750ml bottles and 10 cases of magnums. The bottles were bottled with Stelvin caps rather than corks since I am a great fan of Stelvin and I think Charles would have concurred.
A unique thing about this wine is that the label has a portrait of the original winemaker on it done by the noted Sacramento artist Wayne Thiebaud. In the early 1960s, Wayne and Charles were colleagues at Sacramento City College and in 1963 Wayne painted the image of Charles reading, which is on our label. In Wayne’s opus, the picture is called “Man Reading.” We asked Wayne if he would concede the use of this image for this one time bottling, and he graciously allowed it.
Corti Brothers Amador County Zinfandel 2015 is a sort of mirror of what happened in 1965. Fifty years later, wine tastes have changed and in no small part to the effect Amador County zinfandel had on the California wine market. Tastes changed and there is now a completely different profile of Zinfandel as a wine in California. According to the classic wine texts of the early 1960s and before, Zinfandel was always a light, fruity wine, described as such by most wine writers of the time. Amador County changed all of that. And it was begun by a really well made, homemade wine, from 1965.
In May of this year you can almost reproduce the tasting of fifty years ago. It is unusual to be able to experience such a thing in winemaking, especially in California. The last few cases are still here, but not for long!
CORTI BROTHERS AMADOR COUNTY ZINFANDEL 2015 13%
750ml - $24.99 (#4434) Case of 12/ 750 ml $269.00 (#4434 C) Window Gift Box 6/750ml $135.00 (#4435)
(Phone us for more information)
GRABER OLIVES
As I have written before, I think these are the best canned olives made in California. Using only estate grown manzanillo olives, hand harvested–no more than seven per handful–when just starting to turn color and cured in the Graber fashion, these “olive colored” olives will make a relish tray sparkle. These are not strong flavored olives, but very smooth, silky textured ones with an almost buttery character. No other olive producer in the country makes these olives as good as Graber does. There are no better classic California olives than Graber olives.
My trip to Greece, the Peloponessus, Crete, and Santorini in June 2014 led to an unusual discovery. At the Santo Co-operative on Santorini, I found caper leaves. I had never seen caper leaves offered before, anywhere. About 1 ½ inch in diameter, they are treated like the caper buds. Pickled in salt brine, they can be used just like capers and for garnishing are truly lovely. I enjoyed them in Italy at my cousin’s restaurant in Serravalle Scrivia, Villa La Bollina, where they garnished a plate of vitello tonnato in place of capers. The caper leaf flavor is less forceful than caper buds and using both leaves and buds, one could make a lovely garnish with two leaves and a caper bud as a presentation. They are unique and wonderfully flavored. Visually, superb. If I could come up with this sort of find every time I travel, it just might be worth traveling!
Here is a true monastic product made in Sonoma County by the Cistercian nuns of Redwoods Monastery. The sisters cream raw, grade A honey and add organic ginger, orange, lemon, cinnamon, and almond to the honey to give a range of flavors. Creamed honey is finely granulated honey that has had carefully controlled crystallization. Much smoother than naturally granulated honey, its texture is that of soft butter.
All honey can be creamed; but a honey, light in color and flavor, yet high in glucose, makes the best creamed honey. The simple granulation heating process also produces a thin layer of air bubbles which remain on the honey surface, looking like, and called, “frosting.” This is honey for putting on morning toast, scones, sandwiches and the like and not having to worry about its dripping. Monastery Creamed Honeys, all natural and organic, give breakfast another dimension. All are in 8 oz jars and sell for $6.99 each.
DANIELE CERNILLI’S ULTIMATE GUIDE TO ITALIAN WINES 2018
We have just received the new edition of this authoritative Guide. This year there are 1,069 producers selected for inclusion over the 979 from the last edition. The wines written about are 2,733 over the 2,436 in the previous edition. Twenty percent of the estates from the previous edition have been excluded and about 200 estates are all new to this edition. The favored wines have gone up from 220 to 297 due to the excellent vintages of 2013 in Barolo and 2012 for Brunello. Now is the time to get your copy of Daniele’s ULTIMATE GUIDE for 2018.
This recipe is Turkish in origin and uses only Yarma, water, vegetables, and no animal products, in its preparation. It is one of those cooking productions where, even if you can just boil water, you can make this soup. Surprisingly light, this soup also has the advantage of being almost miraculous--that is, it stretches easily and loses nothing. Made in double or triple quantities, it will easily feed you for some time. It reheats very well. Serves 4-6 with leftovers.
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons extra virgin oil 2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped 1 cup Yarma 1 red bell pepper cubed into small dice (other flavorful peppers may be added) 1 lb. thickly sliced fresh, medium size okra lh lb. diced fresh green beans 1 lb. Yukon gold or other waxy potatoes, peeled and diced 1 lb. eggplant, peeled and diced 1 lb. ripe tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped or broken up Salt and pepper to taste.
In a heavy bottomed pot, heat oil and slowly cook the onion until it is caramelized. It should be done slowly so that the onion takes on a very dark brown color. Stir often to prevent sticking. When caramelized, add the Yarma and 6 cups of water. Simmer for 25-30 minutes until the Yarma is tender. More water may be added to keep the consistency soupy. Then add all the vegetables, salt and pepper, and cook covered for 30 minutes or until all the vegetables are tender. Stir frequently to prevent sticking. Taste and correct seasoning and serve. Note: This soup is expandable. If one vegetable is not in season, use something that is. If tender vegetables are available, use those, merely adjusting the cooking time. To expand the recipe, increase the Y anna, vegetables, oil, and water in proportion. The addition of more water to prevent sticking or thickening, can be done at any time. The soup should be soupy. Correcting the seasoning with salt and pepper can also be done just before serving.
With the tensions and disasters from this year, it is my hope that you all will find Peace, Serenity and Joy in the 2017 Holiday Season and in the New Year. Darrell Corti
Please order early to assure availability of our products. Many do sell out quickly. We normally ship in 24-48 hours, but Holiday season volume and bad weather may delay the delivery of orders. Please allow 1-3 extra days over our normal processing in order to receive your order when expected. Overnight, 2 Day, and 3 Day shipping may not be guaranteed by UPS during the high volume Holiday period.
PANETTONE, PANDOLCE AL VASO, VENEZIANA ALL’ALPIANE When panettone arrives, it’s holiday time. Together with our traditional panettone we also have the Pandolce al Vaso and Veneziana with Alpiane. Due to favorable exchange rates, panettone prices have come down and we are passing these on to you, our customers. Please take advantage of this! Unless noted, all sizes are one kilo.
LOISON PANETTONE and VENEZIANA
This season, we have bought another exceptional flavor for panettone. It is a traditional panettone called 1476, the presumed date of the first production of this bread. There are the two Veneziana: similar to panettone but with less candied fruit. One with amarena cherry and cinnamon and the other with Alpiane passito wine.
BAGHI PANDOLCE ALL’ALPIANE is novel, and it is a great hit. The 60 hours moist raised dough, with mother leaven, and stone ground Italian wheat, Belgian butter, cage free fresh eggs, and house candied Calabrian oranges, is baked in a WECK thermal resistant jar to produce a jar baked bread. Then it is injected with Vignalta Alpiane, the noted orange muscat dessert wine produced in the Colli Euganei. The result is a slightly moister type of bread than panettone and can also be used as the base for other dessert preparations. It can be sliced into rounds and served with whipped cream or zabaione, or even toasted for breakfast. It is unique, delicious and comes in its reusable jar.
CASTELLO DI VERGNANO ACETO BALSAMICO TRADIZIONALE is the original balsamico we have imported since 1982. Then it was called San Geminiano. Now it has reverted to its more historical name--that of Castello di Vergnano, the original name of the location in the eastern foothills of the Appenines in Italy’s Emilia-Romagna. I like putting this product on our Holiday newsletter since it is authentic, true Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale–something which is often forgotten in the sale of “balsamic” vinegar. This, ABT is the real deal. Anything else that says anything different, may be very good, but it is not the real product. And to be further controlled, Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale is bottled by the governing consortium which guarantees its production.
Expensive? Of course. But this is probably the food gift par excellence and the recipient will not forget your generosity. A slightly different product, still from the same production, are the bottlings from Castello di Vergnano dated 8, 12, and 25. These are the bottlings done by the estate which correspond to the Consortium bottlings, but estate bottled. They are the exact same products under a slightly different dress and called only Condimento, or condiment, since they are not “officially” bottled. The only difference is in the packaging and then the price: they are a little less expensive. In either case, both are guaranteed to be “real” Aceto Balsamico, rather than something of dubious provenance. What is the difference in balsamic vinegars? Just look at the ingredient label. If it says grape must, this is the real thing. If the ingredients first read wine vinegar, this is not authentic. It is the blended, commercial balsamico confected from many ingredients. NOT the slow fermentation and acetification of boiled down grape must.
DIEVOLE CORATINA EXTRA VIRGIN OIL: MUGELLI PRIZE WINNER, L.A. Competition
This extra virgin olive oil has proven to be a very difficult catch. But finally, we have it. For three years hand running, DIEVOLE CORATINA OIL has won the Los Angeles International Olive oil competition’s highest award, the Mugelli Prize. And it does so using the extraction system created by its namesake, Marco Mugelli, who was one of Italy’s foremost oil experts and a taster for the Los Angeles competition. This Coratina oil is produced from fruit cultivated in Calabria and transported to Tuscany, to the Dievole estate, where it is milled. Other oils are produced there which are very good, but it has been this particular oil to win the top prize. Now you can experience it yourself.
Almost a year old, (the new production is probably not even made at this writing), it is still an oil which is very much alive and shows the heights to which oil can aspire. We do not have much left, since it arrived in early summer. But it will be very good in your pantry for this holiday/winter season. It is what the standard for really excellent oil should be.
THE END OF EXQUISITE WHISKEY RESERVE AND RED AND YELLOW GIN
With this notice, I would like to inform you that both Corti Brothers EXQUISITE WHISKEY and RED AND YELLOW BARREL GIN will soon be history. There are now very few cases left. If you have tasted these two products and wish to have some in the cellar, now is the time to get them. This is the last of the Mission del Sol barrels project, and there will be no more.
A recent visit by the owner of a Scotch distillery, who was shown the Exquisite Whiskey, remarked that it reminded him of a 43 year old Highland whiskey he had just tasted, and he left buying a bottle to take back to Scotland. The Red and Yellow Barrel Gin is not your gin and tonic gin, but a serious London Dry gin with wood character. A gin for sipping neat or with ice, perhaps even a gin to make a Martinez cocktail, the ancestor of the Martini. But both bottlings will not last long. You should be provident and lay some in.
CORTI BROTHERS RED AND YELLOW BARREL GIN 45% $39.99 750ml (#4335) $215.00 cs/6 (#4335C)
COUGAR GOLD: WASHINGTON STATE’S UNIQUE CHEESE: Production 2016 and 2007 Reserve
COUGAR GOLD CHEESE is the result of war! In fact it may the only good thing ever to have come out of war. During World War II, it was created by Washington State University to be used as military rations. It is the only cheese that I know of that is made and aged in a tin can. Normally, one does not think of cheese aged in a can, but Cougar Gold has become famous for this methodology. It is a “cheddar” like cheese that I think is possibly the best cheese to accompany wine. It has very low acidity, which does not change the taste of wine, and does have the clean sharpness of an aged cheese. Unique, it is made only at Pullman, Washington, and deserves to be better known.
It is also an easy to care for cheese. Just buy several tins and put them in your refrigerator and turn them from time to time. They just sit there getting better and better. It is also a cheese that is firm, with a crumbly texture, a pale yellow color and it will have specks of tyrosomine on it. Once the can is opened, wrap the cheese in waxed paper and then film and enjoy it until it’s gone. I think it is perfect with an old Cabernet or Vintage Port, perhaps not rich enough for Burgundy. If you like cheese and have not had Cougar Gold, you owe it to yourself to try it. It is hard to resist. By the way, when was the last time you had a 10 year old cheese?
A “passito” wine is a wine traditionally made in Italy by allowing grapes to wither after picking to increase sugar, and then fermented slowly to produce a naturally sweet wine, either white or red, to be used as a dessert wine. UVAGGIO VERMENTINO PASSITO is an example of this style of winemaking but made in California. In fact, the fruit was from a vineyard in Lodi. I say “from” because the production of this wine entailed the cutting of the trunks of the vines in the vineyard prior to their removal. It was a drastic move, but since the vineyard was destined for removal, a last vintage was made making this passito wine. But, rather than withering the clusters off the vine, the clusters were withered on the vine for several weeks and then the fruit harvested.
To be really orthodox, it is more a “late harvest” wine than a passito, but the clusters were withered--hence the “passito” name. In any event, the wine is delicious! Vermentino is a Mediterranean littoral variety also known as Rolle in France, but grown all along the Riviera in Italy. Uvaggio winery, more a brand than winery, run by Jim Moore, has made Vermentino famous in California.
Uvaggio Vermentino Passito is a pale golden-green color, with a very fragrant, gooseberry or quince-like perfume, a delicate sweetness, very clean and mouthfilling, with a fresh character and sweetness not at all cloying. The Uvaggio Vermentino Passito is a non-vintage wine since this blend is composed of 38% 2012 vintage (the original trial) and 62% of the 2013. Seventeen percent of moscato giallo was added after these clusters were sun dried for several days. But it is 100% from Lodi and probably the best dessert wine to come from that appellation.
Yet it is a sweet wine whose acidity belies its sugar–9.2%. This is the perfect wine for desserts that are fruit based, moderately sugary or when you want a light dessert wine rather than a full throttle one. There isn’t much of it, and it really is good.
PROPRIETÀ SPERINO LESSONA 2010: a new old property
LESSONA, a red wine from Italy’s Piemonte, had almost fallen into oblivion. At the beginning of the 20th century however, it was the most expensive wine for sale in Italy. Made from nebbiolo and two other complementary varieties, bonarda and vespolina, it is a very special wine from what is eastern Piemonte, bordering Lombardia.
Lessona is also one of the best “risotto” wines going. It has that spice necessary for melding with the rich unctuousness of risotto and then the sprightliness to make enjoying a risotto pleasant and not heavy.
PROPRIETÀ SPERINO is the name of a major estate in Lessona that had ceased production in 1952, when the villa and cellar were simply closed. I first saw this property in 1978, when I decanted in the villa’s dining room with some friends, a ‘68 Lessona--that is 1868 vintage! Now owned by Paolo DeMarchi and his son Luca, the first new era Lessona was the 2004 vintage, which I wrote about in an earlier newsletter. The DeMarchi family also owns the famous Chianti Classico property of Isole e Olena. Proprietà Sperino was the name given by the new ownership to what had been a family property, the property of a great-great uncle of the DeMarchi family, the Senatore Sperino. Hence the name. You can see the property and cellars on CortiTV. Just go to www.cortibrothers.com and hit the “Corti TV” link. It can be found by scrolling through the “Sicily - Venice - Northern Italy 2011 Blog”.
A nebbiolo based wine, Proprietà Sperino 2010 is just about right for drinking now. It can also be kept for some time. The first vintage 2004, is now drinking exceptionally well. This wine is remarkable for its finesse and delicacy, somewhat like famous names in Burgundy making wines that are not “faux” something else, but wines with delicacy. Eastern Piemonte is coming back with renewed interest in the various vineyard areas it contains. Proprietà Sperino is one of the renewed estates from an area, which was over a hundred years ago, one of the most important in Italy. If you like Burgundy on the de Montille model, then this wine is for you. With white truffle season here, try Lessona from Proprietà Sperino with a truffle risotto. You’ll thank me.
In California there is a small, almost ad-hox group called the NEB, an acronym meaning Nebbiolo Enthusiasts and Boosters. It is mainly comprised of producers of nebbiolo grape wines throughout California together with really committed amateurs. At a recent meeting of the NEB, in Clarksburg, south of Sacramento in the Delta area, we tasted several Piemontese nebbioli and then a series of nebbiolo wines produced in California. There were some very fine wines. To my taste one stood out as being really terrific: L.A. LEPIANE NEBBIOLO 2013.
Produced by Alison Thomson, a young lady winemaker in Santa Barbara, the grapes come from Sisquoc Vineyard, one of the earliest vineyards in Santa Barbara County. The nebbiolo planted postdates the original plantings and is the Michet clone, which arrived in the late 1980s in California. One acre of nebbiolo was planted in 1998, in the clay soil along the Siquoc river. The grapes were harvested on 23 October 2013, fermented with indigenous yeast and left on the skins for 35 days, and then pressed into a 600 liter neutral barrel for 33 months. It was bottled on August 15, 2016, released for sale November, 2017.
The Lepiane Nebbiolo 2013 is to my mind the most expressive and best varietally typical nebbiolo wine I have tasted in California. It has the proper deep red, not black color; a fragrant aroma, of berries and tar, typical of nebbiolo with the violet character called “goudron” so seldom found in this varietal. There is the austere character typical of nebbiolo that is even now beginning to soften and show its harmonious side. L.A. Lepiane was the name of Alisons’s great grandfather, also a California winemaker. This wine is a wonderful remembrance. If this 2013 wine is an example, Alison Thomson will go far in winemaking in California.
L. A. LEPIANE NEBBIOLO 2013 14.2% $44.99 750ml (#4340) $485.00 cs/12 (#4340C)
FOOD GIFTS FROM SACRAMENTO (For those faraway friends or even those close ones.)
THE GOOD STUFF: Preserves made in Sacramento from local fruit and then some. These are locally sourced and represent Sacramento extremely well. All jars are 190 ml and sell for $10.99 each
This wafer cookie represents Sacramento in my travels all over the world. The 8, large, 7 inch round, filled wafers are delicious with almost anything, but fit very well with coffee, tea, wine, or a glass of milk. They will definitely make a hit when showing off Sacramento’s culinary aspect.
While not exactly from Sacramento, but from the San Francisco Bay area, here are some ideas for those cold winter mornings:
From JEREMIAH’S PICK COFFEE, ETHIOPIA SIDAMO NENSEBO, medium roast coffee beans, in a reusable wide mouth, one quart, Ball glass jar, holding 12 oz of coffee. Ethiopian Sidamo is one of the world’s famous coffees and here you have it in a handy and very attractive package for using yourself or giving as a very thoughtful gift.
To go with your winter breakfasts, BUTLER’S PANTRY CRUMPETS. Sugar free and fat free, these traditional British style crumpets, just need to be put in the toaster and heated for a very tasty accompaniment to your breakfast coffee or tea. In fact with Butler’s Pantry, tea and crumpets has never been easier. Another San Francisco Bay area product, these shelf stable crumpets should be a pantry necessity. Very easy to use and convenient, you will wonder where they have been all your life. They also freeze well.
SO YOU WANT TO DRESS YOUR OWN OLIVES: Here is your chance. While not exactly from Sacramento itself, but from the end of the Sacramento Valley, that olive wizard, MAURICE PENNA, has come up with a very new way for you to prepare your own olives. Maurice’s family has been growing olives in the Sacramento Valley since 1951. He makes the range of olives sold under the M&CP FARMS. Now he has produced a half gallon jar of cured olives that will allow you to dress them according to your taste and ideas without having to go through the long process of actually curing the olives. The name for this new product is BUILD YOUR OWN OLIVE FLAVORS.™
Here you have cured olives in a brine, which you soak in fresh water overnight or a bit longer, depending on taste. You can crack them or not, also to your own taste, and then you just build the flavor that you want to give your own special olives. A recipe for this is on the jar or you can use your imagination. All you must do is de-brine the olives and then use them. The 2.5 lb jar is a reusable PET container, that is also shelf stable, but you only have to de-brine the olives, dress and enjoy. Obviously, the longer they are in your own special dressing, the more they become your own olives. Flavorful olives for entertaining could not be easier. And you can take pride in claiming them as your own.
BUILD YOUR OWN OLIVE FLAVORS, California Olives, Penna Farms,
BACK IN STOCK: ARDOINO VALL’AUREA EXTRA VIRGIN OIL
We have just received a new shipment of this very famous, light fruity Ligurian oil which Corti Brothers has imported since 1980. There are numerous fans of this style of oil among our customers. This is the oil used by preference with simply boiled fish, making mayonnaise or pesto, or where ever you want a delicate oil flavor rather than a more forceful one. Ligurian oils are some of the most delicate oils produced in the world and Ardoino has been the most famous name in this oil for a very long time. In Italy, Ardoino Vall’Aurea is found in most of the highest rated restaurants in its signature, gold foil wrapped bottle.
We have had for some time wonderful tinned tuna products from Spain. Galicia, on Spain’s northwest coast has a long tradition of producing tinned sea food which is both delicious and handy to use, and currently very much sought after for dietetic reasons. We like to think that it is just plain delectable eating!
From Galicia, on the Atlantic coast of Spain, comes a producer new to us, CABO DE PEÑAS, with lovely tins of VENTRESCA, Tuna Belly, from both Bonito and Yellowfin tuna. Bonito goes by the name of “Bonito del Norte” and Yellowfin, “Atún Claro.” Ventresca is the tenderest and most highly prized tuna meat. This is not tuna sandwich tuna, but if you did make a tuna sandwich with it, you would be spoiled for life! All are packed in olive oil.
The other speciality of the region are tiny sardines, which are caught in the many inlets that form the coastline, the RÍAS, as they are called in Galego, another Romance language spoken in Spain. (And you thought that the Spaniards only spoke Spanish!) The company name refers to the fact that it is the Cape (Cabo) de Peñas (of Rocks) due to the eroded coastline of the area which at one time was called the End of the Earth (Finisterra).
Note:The un-linked items in the newsletter are not available for purchase on our website. If you are interested in any of those items, please phone or email us your request.
916-736-3800 or 800-509-Food cortibros@sbcglobal.net
TERMS OF SALE: This list supersedes all others. All taxable items, such as wine, beer, or spirits will be taxed at the rate of 8.25%. This is for all sales since we sell in California. Foodstuffs are not taxable. Shipping will be charged at prevailing rates. PLEASE NOTE: In extreme weather, either hot or cold, please give us a shipping address where your order may be properly received and stored. Corti Brothers cannot be responsible for items left without protection
To our customers: Here is the Fall Newsletter. I hope you enjoy it.
Darrell Corti
THE FIRST TWO GREEK VARIETALS IN CALIFORNIA:
New Clairvaux Assyrtiko and Moschofilero
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When was the last time you could say that you were at the “first” of anything? Well, here is your chance to taste the first of two white varietals from Greece, grown and produced in California. They are the ASSYRTIKO and MOSCHOFILERO of the Abbey of New Claivaux, at Vina, in Tehama County, two hours north of Sacramento.
The Abbey of New Clairvaux is a Trappist monastery, a daughter foundation of the noted Gethsemani Abbey in Kentucky. Founded in 1955, it is felicitously located on what was the Leland Stanford vineyard and winery at Vina. In the 1880s, this was the largest winery building (2 acres under roof) and vineyard (some 3,800 acres) in the world. The original cellar is still used by the monks, partially as the winery itself. When constructed it was made with great care and thought to be, for its time, a “green” building, insulated from the torrid heat of the region. When Stanford originally planted his vineyard, the varieties were all wrong, mainly Germanic ones which cooked in the heat of this area, which is a Region 5 on the Regions 1 to 5 Winkler scale. Then, not much was known about degree days and wine quality.
About 1999, the monks decided to convert a small part of their walnut and prune orchards to vineyard to revive Stanford’s idea. Later, they were made aware of the possibility of getting planting material from UC Davis that was from similar areas in Greece. Assyrtiko is the white variety from the island of Santorini, which is hot and the variety has very good acidity, making a balanced wine in a hot area. Moschofilero is a scented white variety, actually a family of grapes, that comes from the top of the southern part of Greece, the Peloponnesus. The first bottling of Assyrtiko was the 2015. Very few cases were made. The very first vintage bottled of Moschofilero is the 2016.
When the 2015 Assrytiko was tasted with the group of Santorini producers in San Francisco in 2016, there were two reactions: One, “This is better, more typical assyrtiko than is made in other parts of Greece.” The other: “What the...now we have competition!.”
The entire idea was to plant varieties that would stand up to the region’s climate and make interesting wines. Clearly, Continental varieties are not going to make it as was seen in the first iteration of the vineyard. But there are varieties from like areas in the Mediterranean which could. This is the point. Why plant chardonnay when it won’t do well? Plant something that will do well. There is not much of these two wines to be had. Do not dither.
TEAS FROM INDIA and NEPAL: areas new to Corti Brothers
One of the results of new organizations and initiatives is occasionally new products. Several such were the result of the GLOBAL TEA INITIATIVE at the University of California, Davis. For two years now, the GTI has put on a symposium a year dealing with tea in its myriad forms. The last one in January, 2107, produced for Corti Brothers the teas which follow. For more information on the 2018 symposium, please check out the Global Tea Initiative at globaltea.ucdavis.edu/events
I tasted and found absolutely delicious, some teas from a small tea importer, YOUNG MOUNTAIN TEA CO. in Oregon, which imports teas from the relatively unknown tea producing country of Nepal and also tea from an early planting in India, which has been dormant for more than a hundred years; Kumaon.
NEPAL Nepali tea is grown very close to the more famous area of Darjeeling, but on the other side of the Himalayas. Much Nepali tea would find itself sold into Darjeeling since the style of tea is very similar. In the north of India, Darjeeling and Assam, are the two most famous areas. There is, however, a difference. Assam tea is produced from Camellia sinensis var. assamica. This cultivar of the tea camellia is indigenous to the mountains of Assam. Darjeeling, on the other hand, was planted by the British to Camellia sinensis var. sinensis, the Chinese cultivar.
I am pleased to present these two tea producing areas since they represent new areas with delicious qualities that are relatively new to the market. Their packaging is simple yet appropriate: resealable metal lined paper bags. The bags give the garden name, the tea, and the basic brewing formulas and time. I have tried the times and found them to be fine. But you should try, perhaps, slightly less steeping time. But then, you, the drinker, must decide. The Chinese maxim is: “Goodness is a decision for the mouth to make.”
Nepali Golden Black (1+1) one tip and one leaf, nicely rolled, a long leaf with many golden tips. From the Ilam district of Nepal at 4,500 to 5,000 feet high plantings, this tea is from Nepal’s first cooperative production. The plucking is of one tip and one leaf. Nicely rolled, a long leaf with many golden tips.
Nepali Delight, again the cooperative’s tea, from the Tinjure garden. A lightly oxidized greenish tea, with fewer golden tips than above. Rather like a light oolong style, with a greenish broken leaf, greenish liquor, scented.
INDIA Organic Darjeeling Ruby Oolong, Victoria’s Peak. Very tiny “snail” shaped leaves, reminiscent of the Chinese Bilochun. Very pretty to look at, lots of golden tips. With the recommended four minute steeping, the liquor is truly “ruby” tinged. It is coppery colored with a red center. Very pretty to look at, it is even prettier to taste. It has a nice balance of astringency and flavor. It is delicious drunk as is. With a bit of milk, a “milk” chocolate flavor comes out. Looking at the spent leaves you can see that the picking really is of a tip and one leaf. Difficult work done for our pleasure.
Organic Kumaon Black, Champawat garden: This is a tea which has been forgotten for over one hundred years. In 1836, Kumaon was one of the first places in India where the British planted Chinese tea seeds when they initially got them into India. It is an area to the north of Delhi which the British assumed had the correct “terroir” to grow the plants to make tea. What they didn’t consider was the fact that it was difficult to move the tea from Kumaon to market. As in most things, it really is: location, location, location. Hence, it got lost.
Kumaon tea has just now started coming to this market through the efforts of Young Mountain Tea Company. It is a very delicious black tea, with a lovely flavored liquor, not as heavy as Assam, nor as delicate as Darjeeling. It is unique. Drunk with a bit of milk, a notable “chocolately” flavor comes out. It is a very good example of a tea for making into iced tea, especially if brewed about twice as strong as the normal brewing. Use twice as much tea and for about 10-12 minutes. Then chill, but not with ice which washes out the flavor. Just put it in the refrigerator.
A few almond facts: Almonds are California’s second agricultural crop, second to dairy. Almonds are a stone fruit, sharing characteristics with apricots and peaches. 90% of California almond farms are family farms. Almond orchards are the first food source in the spring for bees used for pollination. Just a few facts.
However, this leads to CHICO CHICA ALMOND BUTTERS. Out of the blue (another way of getting new products,) I was telephoned and a female voice asked if I would be interested in tasting a new, very high quality almond butter. I answered that I was interested in tasting any high quality product. So an appointment was made for the two owners of a small almond orchard near Chico, Ca., to bring down their two products: Chico Chica Almond Butter, smooth or crunchy. They were delicious. Here is their story:
Sometimes there's a special place; a healthy, beautiful place, that beckons to us from the borders of what we know. This happened two years ago when a casual discussion about rural property ended in the purchase of a lovely, 7-acre almond orchard on Floating Cloud Farm in Chico, California.
The orchard has the world's best soil (Class One: Chico Loam). The trees are at their prime - about 15 years old. It's organically farmed, and there’s a rushing creek coursing through the property.
Jodi Host, a Cal State Chico grad and Chinese Medicine practitioner, partnered with Georgia Zweber, a Bay Area career woman and previous restaurant venturer, to work the farm. After tasting the almonds it was clear that wholesaling the nuts would not do them justice. Georgia and Jodi began making almond butter with just dry-roasted nuts: no sugar, salt, or added oils.
The orchard has four varieties of almonds for pollination and strength of diversity: Butte, Carmel, Price, and Non-pareils. The cream of the crop is the Nonpareils. The Chico Chica "non-pars" make up 40% of the crop. Most almond growers reserve these non-pars for specialty treats: spiced or candied almonds, or plain raw almonds, because they are the sweetest, most flavorful nuts. Not Chico Chica. This almond butter incorporates all of the nonpareils from the crop, and the result is a more full-flavored, yet delicate almond butter with a rosy hue.
The two "Chico Chicas" went into production and made their inaugural run of 7100 12 oz. jars in April 2017. Chico Chica almond butter doesn't need refrigeration if unopened. There is both crunchy and smooth. Just give it a good stir when you open it and refrigerate afterwards.
It's non-GMO, of course, vegan, heart-healthy, great on sliced apples, toast, in smoothies, in baked goods, or simply at the end of a spoon in your mouth. Chico Chica will be CCOF certified in July, 2018. Meanwhile, the farm is bee-friendly, organic, sustainable, and lovingly cared for by the Chicas (with help from three enthusiastic dogs and three very cool cats).
A very interesting snack or appetizer using the Chico Chica almond butter is to use it to fill a celery stick, then top it with a small dice of really good dried apricots. There you have celery with the stone fruit family, and a variation of the classic American “Ants on a Log” made with peanut butter and raisins on a celery stick.
ORTIZ BONITO DEL NORTE TUNA, Reserva de la Familia, Costera 2016
For tuna lovers this is something special. The Bonito del Norte, from the first fishing of 2016, which follows the spring movement of tuna with the schools of anchovies in the Cantabrian sea off the north of Spain, is processed by Ortiz as fresh fish and packed in olive oil. (Most tinned tuna is re-processed from frozen fish) This first fishing is reserved as the Reserva de Familia, with the fishing date on the package (Costera 2016). This is meant for further aging. (The Costera, means “coastal fishing” when the tuna swim close to the coastline, following anchovies.) If you really want to try it now, it is very tasty, but several years of aging in a cool place, turning the tins over from time to time, will produce what can be called the “Tuna of Dreams.” We don’t have much, but you should really try it, age it, then try it again. There can be no disappointment, just regret that more wasn’t laid down. Produced only from fresh fish, it is unique.
Two new wines from POJER e SANDRI: Vin dei Molini and Zero Infinito Col Fondo
Let’s start with the newest wine: COL FONDO. This means “with a deposit,” in Italian. It is a sparkling wine made from a very new variety called SOLARIS. Allowed in Italy in 2011, it is a variety which is grown without any sprays and the wine vinified without any sulphur. The redoubtable estate of Pojer e Sandri in the Trentino, grows this variety in an area where, if you can imagine it in Italy, there are no other vineyards. This is a valley where the Solaris vineyard is the only one. This location was chosen to allow the variety to show what it can do since there would be no possibility of pesticide drift to influence the vineyard.
Solaris is a new German-created variety, a very complex inter-specific hybrid, that ripens early. Born at Freiburg, Germany, it was released in 1975, the birth date of Pojer e Sandri winery. Looking at the vines in the vineyard, the vine leaf looks almost like a lotus leaf, it is so large. The whole idea of ZERO INFINITO is to make a wine that has nothing extraneous to grapes in it: no sprays, no sulphur, no chemical treatment at all. Even the ferment yeast was cultivated from the indigenous yeast on the grapes themselves. It has taken Pojer e Sandri almost forty years to reach this point of transforming the fruit of the vine into wine without recourse to anything outside of grapes. It can be served as is, becoming more hazy the more empty the bottle is, or decanted. Decanters get rid of the “fondo.”
VIN DEI MOLINI ROSATO is another special wine from this estate. It is made from ROTBERGER, a cross of Schiava (a light red grape, also known as Trollinger) x White Riesling. Having the same parents, it is a full sibling to Kerner. This cross was released in 1939 by the Institute at Geisenheim, one of the world’s most prestigious grape centers. Although vinified as a rosé with skin contact, consider it a light red wine, to be served with practically anything. It is meant to be enjoyed, not thought about.
POJER e SANDRI VIN DEI MOLINI rosato 12.5% $16.99 750ml (#4260) $91.00 cs/6 (#4260C)
POJER e SANDRI ZERO INFINITO Col Fondo 12% $22.49 750ml (#4261) $121.00 cs/6 (#4261C)
TWO NEW GREEK WINES FROM OUTSTANDING GROWERS:
Gerovassiliou and Biblia Chora
EVANGELOS GEROVASSILIOU is the name of an outstanding Greek enologist. He is also the savior of the variety MALAGOUSIA, which he single handedly rescued from extinction. His estate is in Epanomi, in the north east of Greece.
The Gerovassiliou ESTATE WHITE, I would like to point out is a wine made on the property from both Malagousia and Assyrtiko and which is truly lovely. Assyrtiko, as I have said, is from Santorini, an island variety. Malagousia is a northern Greek variety, and here both are blended 50/50 to make a delicious wine. Green-gold in color, balanced acidity and fragrant with a stony flavor showing the almost white peach character of Malagousia, bolstered with the acidity of Assrytiko. It is an example of the sum being better than the parts.
GEROVASSILIOU ESTATE WHITE 2016 13.5% $24.79 750ml (#4262) $133.00cs/6 (#4262C)
BIBLINOS from Biblia Chora is made from an unknown grape variety. Rescued from oblivion by Biblia Chora Estate, the variety was brought to them by a shepherd who, in 2005, found a single vine on the slopes of Mount Pangeon, in northern Macedonia, about 100 kilometers from Thessalonika. With DNA testing, there is no known parentage for this variety which makes it impossible to say where it came from and who the parents were. But it is vitis vinifera, with large oval, black berries in loose clusters. Its name of BIBLINOS was given it by the estate.
Dark purple in color, with a very fragrant, scented aroma of raspberry and rose petal, and a full body, it is intriguingly drinkable and if you want to stump your wine friends with a wine, here is the ultimate blind wine tasting wine. No name, no history; it just is.
MARUMATA OWARINO TAMARI and MITSUBOSHI SAISHIKOME SHOYU
These two products are Shoyu, soy sauce, made in Japan by two very old family owned producers who have been around for more than 150 years. They both fall under the umbrella of soy sauce since they are made with soy beans, but they are both different. Corti Brothers has sold them for almost twenty years now.
MARUMATA OWARINO TAMARI is produced by Marumata Shoten, established in 1834, located in Taketoya, Chita county, Aichi Prefecture, just south of Nagoya, Japan. OWARI is the old name for this northern part of the prefecture. Thus, this tamari is “OWARI NO TAMARI” or the “Tamari of Owari.”
Produced with only Japanese grown soybeans and natural sea salt, slowly aged for three years in cedar casks, the tamari has a thick, sweetish, smokey, meaty, full flavor. Not very salty, but with its thick body and deep flavor, Owarino Tamari is well balanced. It does not have any added alcohol for stability and should be kept refrigerated once opened.
But why the interest in Tamari? It is not solely for its use in Japanese and Oriental cuisine. I find that a bit of it in western dishes, where deep flavor is required–like braises and brown sauces–tamari offers just this. It deepens flavor in white sauces, especially Béchamel, Mornay and the like, providing some of that elusive character called “umami” or savoriness. Try some in your next mac and cheese, pasta gratin, or in a savory soufflé. Right now, I use it, just a drop, in place of salt making scrambled eggs. Try it!
MITSUBOSHI SAISHIKOME KANRO SHOYU is the entire name of the most unusual of the several soy sauce styles produced in Japan. It is double fermented (SAISHIKOME), where the water part of normal soy sauce production is substituted for by using already fermented soy sauce. Invented some time in the 1790s, in Yanai-tsu, Iwakuni feifdom, it was given the name of “Nectar Soy Sauce,” or Kanro, originally translated as, “Sweet Dew.” The Inada family who makes this Saishikome, has been doing so since 1874.
Aged for two years before bottling, MITUBOSHI SAISHIKOME has a deep color, a very high level of richness and savory umami taste. There is a delicate saltiness, a clean aroma and sweetness. It is free of artificial preservatives, only a small amount of rice alcohol is used. Used straight, it is a wonderful dipping sauce. Again, a drop or two heightens the depth of flavor in cream or white sauces. Store at room temperature and refrigerate once opened.
COOKIES and PRETZELS from the Sisters of St. Benedict, Ferdinand, IN.
With the holidays starring down on us, I thought you might like to know about some delicious cookies and now, pretzels, made by the Sisters of St. Benedict in Ferdinand, Indiana. The Sisters are members of the Benedictines, a western monastic order founded in Italy in the 5th century. In 1867, a small number of nuns went to Ferdinand, Indiana, to minister to the German speaking populace. Their baked goods production, very typical of female monastic orders, started with the local Christmas market. The cookies the Sisters bake are really lovely. I have written about them before, but now you have the possibility of thinking about them with some time before the holidays. But there is not a lot of time!!
HILDEGARD COOKIES: A recipe originating with Hildegard of Bingen–herself a Benedictine: crunchy cookies with the flavors of almonds, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. 4 oz bag $4.19 (#4266) 8 oz bag $6.39 (#4267)
SPRINGERLE: Ivory colored, rectangular thick cookies with a dense, soft, cake-like texture, anise flavored, made in the carved wooden molds typical of this German specialty. 6 count bag $6.39 (#4268) 12 count bag $10.49 (#4269)
ALMERLE: Similar to the Springerle, but flavored with almond rather than anise. Same rectangular shape and traditional design.
GINGERSNAP COOKIES: Brown colored, flavored with ginger and cinnamon and very friable and crunchy with a granulated sugar dusting. A must for a glass of ice cold milk or cup of hot tea, especially Nepali or Kumaon teas.
PRAYERFUL SPICY PRETZELS: New to the Sisters lineup. Broken pretzels about as thick as a pencil. Spicy hot with a hint of sugar and salt. Not easy to eat just one! 4 oz bag $3.39 (#4274) 8 oz bag $5.39 (#4275)
PRAYERFUL PRETZELS GLUTEN FREE: Small, whole pretzels, similar to the regular, but gluten free and very crispy. A truly delicious pretzel even if you don’t have to be gluten free.
OUR NEW COFFEE SELECTION: Tanzania Peaberry Mutawari
This new coffee is a Bourbon Typica variety, grown in the Tanzania region of Mbeya. Grown at an altitude of 1,150-2,000 meters, it is selected from 50 farmer groups and individual small growers. Washed and sun dried, it has balanced acidity, medium body with aromas of toast and cream, flavors of Meyer lemon curd. It is custom roasted to a medium roast for Corti Brothers by Jeremiah’s Pick coffee company in San Francisco.
Peaberry beans are a rare occurrence in coffee beans. A normal coffee cherry (the name of the coffee fruit) contains two flat sided beans. In 4-6% of all coffee cherries, the peaberry occurs when the coffee flower is singularly pollinated, creating one small rounded bean rather than two flat sided ones. The peaberry matures with the nutrient flow intended for two coffee beans and has been found to have higher oil content as well as higher levels of essential nutrients. In short, it is a more flavorful coffee bean. Very few producers take the time to separate the peaberry beans from the normal ones making its availability very special.
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO ITALIAN WINE 2017, Daniele Cernilli (aka Doctor Wine)
This is the third edition in English of this circumspect and personal guide to 978 producers from all of Italy’s wine regions. Daniele Cernilli is a legendary name in Italian wine reporting since he was the founder of the Gambero Rosso Guide, and for 24 years directed its work. He doesn’t work alone in trying to bring order to Italian wines, but with a very competent group of collaborators who more or less act as partial tasters. Daniele wants to be known as the editor in chief. He is a member of the ONAV, the Italian association of wine tasters which is an official governmental group licensed to taste wine.
The recommendations given in The Ultimate Guide to Italian Wine are varied. Wines are rated because they are very good and not expensive, moderately priced and then high priced. But in every case, the wines must first be good and then have special attributes that make them even more interesting or worthy of being bought. The Guide is essentially a consumer guide to high quality wine enjoyment. Of the 978 producers, there is an average of 2.5 wines recommended from each This is an enormous amount of wine.
The highest rating given is Three Stars which some 90 producers from all over Italy have been awarded. Other wines have other special recommendations: being particular favorites in tastings or have other special merits. Every year there is a special wine category award for particularly meritorious producers. Since this is a Guide which comes out every year, it is interesting to see which wines are favored from year to year. It is unique in that the wines tasted are not supplied by the producers, with great exception. The wines are tasted at public tastings, trade tastings, and consortium tastings just as normal customers would taste the wines. There is nothing special done for the tasters of the Guide, and the wines stand or fall on their own merits.
If you have any pretension of knowing about most, if not all, the good producers in Italy, here is your ultimate Guide. (Full disclosure: I have known Daniele for many years. But I have known his wife Marina Thompson, for even more.)
TERMS OF SALE: This list supersedes all others. All taxable items, such as wine, beer, or spirits will be taxed at the rate of 8.25%. This is for all sales since we sell in California. Foodstuffs are not taxable. Shipping will be charged at prevailing rates. PLEASE NOTE: In extreme weather, either hot or cold, please give us a shipping address where your order may be properly received and stored. Corti Brothers cannot be responsible for items left without protection
