Camillo Donati – Vinosseur.com

Prosciutto, Parmigiano & Sparkling Reds

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 15:46:47 +0000

Here is a re-post of my original story which appeared on March 5, 2012 on the innovative new Polish wine site Winicjatywa. I will be contributing my thoughts there on a regular basis. If you are Polish reader of my blog, you can click here to read the Polish language version of this story.

I grew up in California, but spent almost every summer with my grandparents in Bologna, Italy. Therefore it wasn’t strange to me when back in 2006 Non Dos, the same guys that introduced me to the wines of Frank Cornelissen, also brought in a bottle of Camillo Donati’s Lambrusco; a traditional red sparkling wine made from the Lambrusco grape from the Emilia Romagna region in Italy.

The Emilia Romagna is traditionally known for it’s food & sports cars, but has never been regarded as a source of reputable, sought-after wines. Wine connoisseurs instead looked to the regions of Piemonte, Toscana and the Veneto to provide them with high-scoring wines with often inflated prices. The reputation of the Emilia Romagna instead rested comfortably on Prosciutto di Parma, Parmigiano Reggiano and the likes of Ferrari. I suppose this could be blamed in part on the fact that the one wine that the region was traditionally known for was it’s sparkling red, often «amabile» (aka semi-sweet), Lambrusco, which by the way worked rather well with the aforementioned cured meat and mature cheese, but not especially while driving a Ferrari.

Tradition seems to be finally paying off as the Emilia Romagna looks to be emerging as a leader of traditional wine making in Italy (aka – low-intervention wine making), and the wines of Camillo Donati are among the best. He cultivates his 11 hectares of vineyards, and more than 8 varieties organically. Before the grapes arrive into the winery, a pinch of sulfur may be used in the tanks to sanitize them, but that’s it. Each variety is then vinified and bottled on it’s own without any additions, fining or filtration. The wines are bottled with some of their original must from the same vintage and are left to re-ferment in the bottle (creating the bubbles). The traditional closure of choice is the crown cap.

His two wines that stand out in my opinion are the «Il Mio Malvasia Secco», a skin-fermented white, and more importantly his «Il Mio Lambrusco», pictured here. His Lambrusco is so convincing that even the most reluctant would change their mind about this often disappointing sparkling red wine. His Lambrusco is not sweet but mysterious, deep & fresh. But most of all it is red and it has bubbles, and there is nothing wrong with that.

My Top 9 List – February 2010

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 11:34:28 +0000

I thought that publishing my top 9 list would be fun for people to see and also for me to look at in the future to see if my favorites remain my favorites and also to watch my moods change! Why is it a top 9 list instead of a top 10 list? Why not? For now, the wine style I can’t seem to get enough of is that lightish red colored, fresh and slightly CO2’d wine sitting at between 11 and 12% alcohol. Wine number 2 is a good example of what I am talking about (although the last bottle I drank noted an alcohol of 12.5.5% – there’s no mistake in my post, this is exactly the way it was printed on the label)! (I have left out vintages because I didn’t feel that they were necessary here.. )

1. Frank Cornelissen Munjabel Bianco
2. Jean-Marc Brignot Rayure
3. Camillo Donati Rosso della Bandita
4. Laureano Serres Montagut Vinyes Arrencades Blanc 2008 *
5. Maison Pierre Overnoy Arbois Pupillin
6. Domaine Le Mazel Cuvée Raoul
7. Camillo Donati Malvasia Secco
8. Domaine Griottes P’tite Gâterie
9. Jean-Pierre Robinot Concerto d’Oniss

* (I noted the 2008 vintage here because this is the first and only vintage of this wine I have ever tasted.)

Of course I have many more favorites and could have made this list quite long… but these are my favorite 9 for now!

Unfiltered Wines & Deconstructed Grapes

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 16:05:03 +0000

And along came natural wines. Pure, fermented “grape juice”. I find it difficult these days to drink wines that I can see through. I’m not saying I want to have a glass of super-dark, jammy, inky wine. In fact, I like wines that are lighter in color and fresher in taste. What I am actually saying is, I prefer my wines to be totally unfined and unfiltered. I love cloudy wines, wines with bits and pieces of “deconstructed grapes” floating around freely. A glass of wine that I can’t see through because of the living particles afloat in the glass. I believe that fining and filtering a wine is partly to blame for the “death” of a wine, along with over-sulfuring.

I also love wines of all colors – from light red to off-red, light white to light orange, even some brown wines I have tasted have intrigued me.

Often times, these light, fresh, unfiltered wines are easier to drink and very often pair well with a wide range of different foods.

As lovers of wine, we should give all wines a chance. Let’s dispel our beliefs that a red wine should be dark red and a white wine should be yellow and totally clear. Let’s dispel our belief that a white wine should be sparkling and a red should be still. Let’s give all wines a chance – light, cloudy reds; orange-hued whites; sparkling reds and sparkling orange-hued wines. They all want the chance to be understood, so give them a try, with an open mind and remember….the next time you feel turned-off because there is sediment left in your glass after drinking your natural wine, it’s simply from deconstructed grapes, and they won’t hurt you.

Too see more photos, click here:

Jacob's Christmas Menu with Biodynamic and Natural Wines

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 20:17:49 +0000

While many restaurants in Norway feature traditional Norwegian Christmas food, at Jacob’s Bar & Kjøkken we do things differently. Our concept for the Christmas menu is the same as usual – simple, fresh and creative food. The wines I have selected to pair with these dishes also don’t steer away from my usual focus on Biodynamic and Natural wines. Please note that since we only use the freshest of ingredients and small wine producers, the courses and the wines (and vintages) can change slightly. So, without further ado, here’s the Christmas menu and the wines: (click on thumbnails to enlarge photos and make yourself hungry and!)

Apéritif

The Starters

Sunchoke Soup with Langoustine Ravioli

paired with Domaine Bott-Geyl Riesling Les Éléments 2007 – Alsace, France

Terrine of Smoked Ham Hock and Fois Gras, Quince and Fig Chutney

paired with Battenfeld-Spanier Hohen-Sülzer Riesling 2007 – Rheinhessen, Germany

Brandade of Smoked Cod, Raw Marinated Vegetables and Crispy Bacon

paired with Weingut Fritsch Grüner Veltliner Steinberg 2008 – Wagram, Austria

Pigs Head Porchetta, Pickled Beetroots and Tarragon Mayonnaise

paired with Camillo Donati Malvasia Secco 2008 (lightly sparkling) – Emilia Romagna, Italy

Main Courses

Baked Cod, Potato and Garlic Mash, Pickled Onion, Gravy

paired with Vittorio Bera Arcese 2007 – Piemonte, Italy

Pan Fried Tusk, Ragout of Lentils and Ox Tail, Mayonnaise with Herbs

paired with Frank Cornelissen Rosso del Contadino5 2007 – Mt. Etna, Sicily

Lightly Salted Pork Ribs, Pickled Cabbage, Pork Sausage and Spicy Gravy

Paired with Arianna Occhipinti SP68 2008 – Vittoria, Sicily

Lamb with Herbs, Root Vegetables and Creamed Pepper Sauce

paired with Domaine Le Mazel Cuvée Raoul 2007 – Southern Rhône, France

Dessert

Caramelized Bread & Butter Pudding, Apple Sorbet

Paired with Vittorio Bera Moscato d’Asti 2008 – Piemonte, Italy

Dark Chocolate Cream, Orange Salad & Granité

paired with Giovanni Almondo Brachetto Fosso della Rosa 2008 – Piemonte, Italy

Locally made Brie from Ostegaarden, Stilton, Chutney, Fruit Bread

Brie paired with Silvano Follador Cartizze 2008 – Veneto, Italy

Stilton paired with Pierre Frick Gewurztraminer Steinert Grand Cru 2003 – Alsace, France