I ‘m not one for long goodbyes, so I’m going to keep this pretty short. As of this Friday, I will be ending my nearly three year association with the Wine Library to begin a new phase in my oenological life. I ‘m joining with a lcoal importer/distributor to form “Tom Ciocco Selections” (or whatever I eventually decide to call it). Really getting on the “road” to source exciting wines has always been a dream of mine, and when the proverbial opportunity knocks, sometimes one is compelled to answer the door…

But before I “sign off”, let me take this opportunity to thank Gary and Sasha Vaynerchuk for their vision, leadership, trust, flexibility, as well as the fantastic work environment that they continue to provide for all of their employees. When one does as many things right as they do, it’s no wonder that they have been able to build the best wine shop in the country. They gave me nearly carte blanche to purchase some pretty obscure wines (Pelaverga anyone? ), as well as the opportunity to write straight from my heart and my head free of dictates and any sort of censorship or oversight. I’d also like to send my highest esteem and best wishes to all of my colleagues (who shall remain nameless for fear of leaving someone out) - folks with which I have worked side by side, and from whom I have certainly learned a great deal and hopefully in turn, I have been able to teach a bit as well…

After speaking to Gary this morning, it seems that “Terroir” will continue in some form or another, though clearly with another brain and ten fingers behind the keyboard. Who this person or persons will be is still “under construction”, but I’m sure that whatever the new format will be it will not disappoint - not if I know Gary…

And so to all of you good folks - Thank you sincerely for reading my ramblings and obsessions. Thanks for your compliments, criticisms, corrections, and correspondence. I have thoroughly enjoyed the lively exchanges, and what goes for my colleagues, goes for all of you as well -thanks for giving me the opportunity to teach and more importantly, LEARN about one of the most exciting , challenging, and culturally rich pursuits in the world - WINE!

So keep drinking great wine - experiment, challenge your pre-conceptions, and don’t ever forget to SHARE (and keep at least one eye out for a bottle or two that might have been selected by a certain someone whose initials are “TC” ! )

Best wishes to one and all-

TOM CIOCCO

This one is a REAL rarity, and part of the reason that it is so rare is the region from which this grape variety comes, Molise, is probably the least visited by Italians and non-Italians alike. Molise (Italy’s second smallest region after alpine Valle d’Aosta) sits on the south-central Adriatic coast, south of Abruzzo (from which it seceded in 1963) and north of Puglia. This also happens to be the region from which my paternal grandparents come, but that is another story…

Tintilia’s origins, and even its precise identity is still uncertain. Until formal genetic testing was done several years ago, Tintilia was believed to be synonymous with a Sardinian (and prior to that, Spanish) variety called Bovale Sardo (which is likely, on the strength of the similarities of the names, related to another fairly obscure Spanish variety called Bobal). Genetic tests eventually conclusively proved that Bovale and Tintilia were not only NOT the identical cultivar, but hardy related at all. Despite this clean break with Bobal, Tintilia’s origins for some scholars are still linked with Spain. First, the word “tinto” in Spanish refers to red wine, whereas the word “rosso” and its permutations hold the same place in Italy. Further, Molise, which for a long time was contained within the greater orbit of Naples, which in turn had begun to be dominated by the Aragonese Bourbon dynasty in the early 1700s, is another sign pointing to the variety’s possible Iberian roots. But despite these indications, no conclusive connection with Spain has ever been established, and even if it were, there is no “Tintilia” currently growing anywhere in contemorary Spain. And after several conversations with Tintilia growers (including the proprietor of the estate whose wine is featured below), there was a strong consensus that Tintilia is native to Molise or at least a highly adapted/mutated version of a rare or possibly even extinct “foreign” variety. A bit of wishful local pride might be at work here, but at least for now Tintilia belongs exclusively to Molise…

The Molisan landscape is, apart from a narrowish strip along the Adriatic coast, very hilly to very mountainous. And despite it’s relatively southern placement on the length of the “boot”, due in part to this lanscape, as well as the patterns of cold winds that come from Eastern Europe, Molise is frequently amongst the coldest places in all of Italy during Winter. And likewise, summers are long and hot. In short, Molise’s climate is fairly harsh, but not surprisingly, Tintilia is well equiped to weather it. It is very resistant to Winter freezes as well as Summer droughts, and it is a tough target for most of the common vine diseases. Tintilia is also a fairly bountiful yielder, and it is slowly becoming the Molise’s signature variety (something that Molisan viticulture had always lacked), so all in all, growers like it, which makes its survival and even proliferation that much more likely.

In the glass, Tintilia is highly pigmented with an often purple/blackish caste. It often shows complex aromas of spice mixed with a lightly aromatic quality, flavors of licorice, vanilla bean, and wild berries, and is always accompanied by a considerable tea-like tannic structure. Tintilia pairs well with egg pastas with meat sauces, grilled red meats (especially lamb), dried sausages and salamis, and sheeps’ milk cheeses.

As always, if you pick up this or any other Tintilia wine (good luck with that), please post your tasting notes here as comments.

TOM CIOCCO

TANTALIZING TINTILIA

The physical act of drinking wine is pretty cut and dried, involving lips and tongue and throat. Most people make this “interior” connection with the usual exterior liquid conveyor, the wine glass. But the use of stemware (and even more modest drinking drinking vessels like wooden cups) is a relatively new phenomenon, especially in the countryside.

Prior to the advent of the age of an elegant glass for each drinker, there was the porro` (this is the Catalan spelling - it is called a “porron” in Castilian Spain. The porro` is however more closely associated with Catalonia than Castile). The porro` is in short, a decanter with a spout that narrows to a very thin hole out of which the wine is poured. But the porro` and the glass never meet. No, the porro` has a relationship only with a drinker’s hand, a drinker’s mouth, and the air in between. Here’s how it works…Raise the filled porro` to mouth-level. Draw it to within a few inches or so of your mouth. Open your yapper and tip the porro` until you feel the stream hitting your tongue. Now, slowly draw the porro’ up and away from your mouth as you look up to watch and continue to guide the stream into your mouth. To complete the dram, while still keeping an eye or two on the stream, draw the porro` back to the starting point and level the porro` to stop the pour. There’s no real practical reason to draw the porro` further and further away from the mouth other than to test one’s skills at doing so, and giving one’s drinking buddies the opprtunity to laugh at you if and when you squirt yourself in the eye or stain your shirt.

And there’s an added and perhaps unforseen problem in quaffing wine from a porro` - SWALLOWING…think about it - one has to decide if one big mouthful of wine is enough (the completion of which one must anticipate, and then also quickly complete the pour to avoid overfilling the mouth and wearing the wine) or if one can continue to pour and effect multiple swallows without completely closing one’s mouth (which also will clearly cause you to stain your clothes).

It seems pretty clear that the practical reasons for employing a porro` are few to none, but in the right setting, with the right folks around, it definitely promotes a sense of both comeraderie as well as plain old good fun…that, and it gets you drunk really fast…Porros are not easy to find, but if the idea of all this intrigues you no end, you can pick up one here . SALUD!

TOM CIOCCO

There will always be folks that “go it alone”, but even in the always surprising world of wine, this one goes to the edges. We’re talking about Barbacarlo and the personal name that is literally synonymous with that appellation, Lino Maga.

Barbacarlo is a sub-zone in the Oltrepo` Pavese DOC. Oltrepo` Pavese is a large zone that straddles the Italian regions of Lombardia and the Emilia half of the Emilia Romagna region that also contains other sub-zones (Gutturnio is another), but what makes Barbacarlo truly unique is that Maga is Barbacarlo’s LONE PRODUCER! What’s more is that Maga has an exclusive right to that name since it comprises precisely HIS ESTATE AND NOTHING MORE! So, even if someone had the notion to become a Barbacarlo producer, he or she would have to wait for Commendatore Maga to shuffle off this mortal coil, and then convice his heirs to sell their land to make that happen.

How all of this happened is apparently is quite arcane and convoluted (even for Italy) but apparently, Maga was able to convince the oenological powers that were that his terroir (soil, micro-climate, etc.) his unique blend (50% Croatina, 30% Uva Rara, and 20% Uvetta), and the fact that his family was the only known group to have ever farmed his little upland valley, was distinctive enough set of facts to warrant a unique designation.

Sr. Maga farms just 4 hectares (almost 10 acres) in the village of Broni high in the hills outside of Pavia on the Lomardia side of the border. From this plot he produces about 10,000 bottles of “the” wine. And to match this unusual viticultural designation, is Maga’s way of farming and making wine. His vineyards, aside from the fact that they do indeed produce great fruit, look nearly abandoned as they are covered with tall grasses and all kinds of wildflowers, and the wine that emanates from these wild vineyards reflects its origins - is are sturdy and rustic, but also elegant and charming. It is often described as possessing intense aromas of raspberries, pomegranates, violets, and briar, and not surprisingly, it pairs perfectly with the braised meats, stuffed pastas, and cheeses with which it shares the land…

As one might imagine, with Barbacarlo’s unique status, it’s tiny production, and it’s almost incalculable authenticity and coolness factor, Maga’s wines are rare as hen’s teeth (to my knowledge, this wine has never reached American shores), so don’t run out looking for a bottle (unless you happen to be in Maga’s immediate neighborhood, or happen to have his phoen number). Of course if you DO get a chance to buy a bottle, don’t pass up on the chance, but realistically, its probably best to content oneself as a perfect embodiment of an improbable triumph of tradition, tenacity, and vision over homogenization and fashion - the powerful howl of a lone wolf.

TOM CIOCCO

And today our focus is a white-berried variety called Arinto (ah-REEN-tu). The Arinto grape (which is also sometimes called Pederna) is most closely associated with the Bucelas region which sits just a few miles north of Lisbon, though of late, more and more Arinto is being planted in Santarem, Almeirim, and Coruche east of Lisbon, as well as in the Terras do Sado region to Lisbon’s south. In all of these areas, Arinto is usually bottled unblended (it must make up a minimum of 75% of whites from Bucelas). The variety also figures into the northern Portuguese Vinho Verde blend.

In the early 19th century, Arinto wines became very popular in England where they were often marketed as “Portuguese Hock”. “Hock” is an old English term for German riesling wines, and Arinto’s many similarities with Riesling certainly gave rise to its trade name which in turn undoubtedly led many to think that Arinto and Riesling were at least cousins, if not identical twins. Recent genetic studies however have proven that despite these varieties’ similarities in flavor and aroma, they are actually unrelated.

One reason for Arinto’s growing influence throughout Portugal (and of late, in Spain as well) is its generally unfussy, cooperative nature - it is quite resistent to all forms of rot which makes it a fine vine to plant in dampish places like Bucelas and Vinho Verde. But being the trooper that it is, Arinto also tolerates a fair amount of heat, and further, never comletely abandons its crisp acidity even in the hottest seasons.

In the glass, Arinto yields shiney, golden-colored wines with a wonderful, lip-smacking freshness. The grape’s aroma/flavor profile leans stongly toward citrus, especially lemon oil and orange juice, as well as notes of white wildflowers. And because of this wonderfully fresh flavor profile, Arinto is rarely if ever aged in any sort of wood barrel, but rather in stainless steel tanks that help this grape’s wines to retain their vivacious personalities.

Not surprisingly, Arinto is a wonderful match for all kinds of seafood, but is an especially felicitous match with clams, shrimps, and flat fish. Back at shore, Arinto dances beautifully with fried chicken dishes, young, creamy goat cheeses, and not too sour salads.

As always please post you tasting notes for this or any other Arinto here as comments.

TOM CIOCCO

ARE YOU INTO ARINTO?

You know you’re a cute little heartbreaker
Foxy…
You know you’re a sweet little lovemaker
Foxy…

If only it were true for wine. As much as Jimi Hendrix intended his words as a great compliment to the young woman that was the subject of his song, using the word “foxy” about a wine most decidedly does not mean beautiful and alluring. The term foxy in wine refers to a negative flavor/aroma component, and more specifically a pejorative term about non-vitis vinifera vines, i.e. American vines as well as American Hybrid grapes (Eurasian vitis vinifera cultivars that have been crossed with other American vitis species). The Concord grape variety (best known to the consumer as the material for jellies and jams, and for heavy, sweet, Kosher wines like Manischewitz) is often seen as the poster child grape variety for the foxiness.

It’s not all that involved really…the term foxy has its roots in the smell of actual fox hides - that “animal”, “musky”, or “funky” smell that is more reminiscent of the smell of a wet dog than a fermented fruit juice. Though foxiness is most closely associated with American and hybrid grape varieties, hybrids such as Seyval Blanc (white) and Norton (red) are completely devoid of any trace of foxiness. Likewise, there are occasionally 100% vitis vinifera wines that can show traces of this aroma.

The source of foxiness in wine, until quite recently, had not been precisely isolated, but within the last decades, a compound called methyl anthranilate has been tapped as the likely culprit, though even more recently another compound - o-amino acetophenone has also been cited as another possible source for this stinkiness. That being said, some fairly successful techniques have been developed to diminish foxiness, namely earlier harvest dates, and more extended cask aging. But despite this, the future of grape varieties that are prone to foxiness is still quite limited, and is likely to remain that way as more and more people become familiar with high quality vitis vinifera wines.

TOM CIOCCO

The old adage still holds true after all of these years. Late last month, Italian police broke up yet another ring of wine counterfeiters. The scam involved the faking of bottles of predominantly Barolo, Brunello, Amarone, and Chianti with juice obtained in the southern Italian region of Puglia. These ersatz bottings, very sophisticated ones by the way, were being funneled primarily into German supermarkets - some bottles whose contents were deemed to be worth 2 Euros, were being sold in some cases for more than 100!

Sure, we can and should blame the fakers first and foremost - they’re greedy, dishonest opportunists, and deserve to be permanently put out of business and heavily fined. But there’s another saying that says “It takes two to tango”, and the other partner in this dance of deceit is the greedy and/or uneducated consumer. This is how I see it…Sure it makes economic sense to fake Italy’s most prestigious wines. The “3 big B’s”, and Amarone, etc. are indeed “noble” wines. For various reasons, they do cost more to produce than many other other wines, but a sizable chunk of what these wines cost is not based on any real cost structure, but simply perceived prestige plus demand. And as harsh as this might sound, wines like this all too often attract people who have more interest in what wines like this represent in terms of status than in what they represent in terms of culture, history, quality, etc. And all too often, these label chasers are less likely to have even a snowball’s chance in hell of sussing out the fraud, and this is one of the reasons (aside from the economic one) why the deceitful choose these wines over others - they know that these types of wines attract more bullion than brains; more greed than grasp, and this almost certainly stimulates someone’s Robin Hood gene - a way to steal from ignorant, greedy, and status-obessessed rich folks with little chance of having the drinkers themselves blow the whistle.

Now clearly, not everyone who got swindled here was rich or greedy or status obssessed, but let’s face it, faking Verdicchio or Castel del Monte just isn’t very lucrative or even necessary, but those who buy into the notion that certain wines make them cool or sophisticated, and who don’t diversify their “drinking portfolio” are just that much more vulnerable to these deceits. Will I spend $60 or $70 per bottle OCCAISIONALLY to build my cellar, sure, but TONS of people who get into wine - mostly the super type-A personalities with LOTS of money - one way or another gravitate toward cult Cabernets, 100 total case production Shirazes, and $100 bottles of Barolo at the expense of nearly EVERYTHING else. Suggesting a dry Hungarian Furmint or a warm red from Alentejo can bring anything from indifference to overt, snorting disdain, and whether these folks know it or not, these money and status-based “tastes” make them the most most vulnerable to getting rooked.

Further, though the exact labels that were faked were not disclosed in anything that I have read thus far, I’m pretty confident in guessing that they were the BIG, “gold standard” names in their respective categories. Faking the wines of a little known, artisanal, though nonetheless BRILLIANT producers is not only MUCH more difficult (suddenly producer “X”, who normally turns out 3,000 bottles per vintage, is now turning up everywhere), but will not produce the desired effect for the counterfeiter (big $$$!). Intended or unintended, drinkers with more money than knowledge are the targets here, and I daresay that most of them will never know they’ve been snookered.

Now could it have been you or I that got swindled on some of these bottles? - easily, just as easily as the intended marks. Am I in any way defending these crooks? Absolutely not, but this is not the first time that this has happened, and it probably won’t be the last, but until we stop anointing certain wines as SO FAR superior to others, we’re perpetually vulnerable, and the more you follow the fashions, the more vulnerable you are, full stop. Educate yourself, persue and cultivate new tastes and places, and as always, caveat emptor. Here’s a link to DECANTER magazine’s short piece on the event:

POLICE UNCOVER ITALIAN WINE FRAUD

TOM CIOCCO

Now