Varano's Italian Restaurant Wine Blog

My first trip to Italy was in October of 1995, my wife and I spent eleven days traveling around Tuscany and Piedmont with her parents. This trip was a little intimidating for me, my in-laws travel extensively and my mother in-law likes to plan her trips to the minutest detail. Since I planned the entire itinerary for the trip, the pressure was on. Enter good old “Murphy’s Law.” Our flight was delayed in Belgium for about four hours, definitely not the way we envisioned our trip starting off.

This was an extremely difficult time for us, there weren’t any cell phones and trying to reach our contact in Italy at the winery was proving to be more difficult than it should have. I don’t think Italy was famous for their phone system. When I was finally able to reach the number I had been given to contact our host, he wasn’t home and I spoke to his wife. She didn’t speak English and I didn’t speak Italian, to say the frustration was building was an understatement. Trying to convey to her we would be late was impossible. To make matters worse, we flew into Milan and picked up our rental car and began our drive to a small town in Tuscany called Greve. When I booked the flight, I didn’t quite realize just how far a drive it was from Milan to Greve, it was about three and a half hours, if you had a clue where you were going. (we didn’t) You have to understand, there weren’t any GPS to rent with your car, we were depending on good old map reading. Did I mention that by this time it was getting dark? We finally arrived at our destination at around nine o’clock and the winery was pitch dark. To say my heart sank was an understatement. We all got out of the car and walked around looking for some sign of life. I didn’t dare look at my mother in law at this point for fear of the look she was probably giving me by now. Just when all seemed lost, all the exterior lights came on at the winery and our host came out a side door and yelled, “ the Varano’s have arrived.” The relief that came with the uttering of that one simple sentence was overwhelming.

With our crisis averted, we all realized two things, we were exhausted and we were starving. Our host gave us a tour of the thirty-five room villa we would be staying in, complete with an enormous tasting room stocked with my favorite wines from the Ruffino estates. We were graciously informed that we were to treat the villa as if it was our own, and help ourselves to any wine we wanted and that the Chef took the liberty of laying out a buffet for us. As it turns out, our host’s wife doesn’t speak English, she does however understand it. All our messages and phone calls had been relayed to John throughout the day. He’s anticipated our late arrival and the fact that we probably hadn’t stopped for anything to eat.

The very first winery I ever visited was Tenuta di Nozzole, which originally part of the Ruffino empire. The villa we stayed in was under a major renovation, and was to become the guest relation center for Ruffino, along with a cooking school. We were the first guests to stay in the refurbished villa and it was stunning. It felt like one of those master card commercials, plane tickets, fourteen hundred dollars, four hour delay in Brussels, insane drive to Tuscany in the dark, spending two nights in a thirty-five room villa with a private chef and host, priceless.

Tenuta di Nozzole was where I was introduced to Italian Cabernet. The Tenuta di Nozzole Il Pareto was one of the wines we tasted while visiting Nozzole. It completely blew me away, I never realized Italians produced single vineyard Cabernets of such magnitude. Obviously, I was a bit naive, my palate was structured around Sangiovese based wines, and Super Tuscans. I was aware Italians used some cabernet to blend in their Super Tuscans, I never realized that they produced stand alone single vineyard Cabs.

The Folonari family has produced wine at Tenuta di Nozzole since the late sixties, finally purchasing the estate in 1971. They started producing Il Pareto in 1987, the success of the cabernet has been overwhelming, I wouldn’t hesitate to to taste this wine blind against any cabernet. I think the results just might surprise you. The estate is located in the small Tuscan town of Greve, home of the explorer Verrazzano. One of my personal favorite memories of Greve occured ten years later, I was sitting in the Piazza with my wife and my parents, and my daughter pulled up in a van with five other students. She was on a trip she had won through the wine program at the Culinary Institute of America, and she was on her way to visit Tenuta di Nozzole. I remember telling her to say hello to Giovanni Folonari for me.

Life has a funny way of coming full circle, last spring when I visited Vin Italy, I was with my daughter and we tasted through the portfolio of Tenuta di Nozzole with Giovanni Folonari. We both reminisced about our first visit to the winery and just how much we enjoyed our stay there. The highlight of our tasting was the Il Pareto single vineyard cabernet. What prompted me to write this article was the dinner I had at some friends house recently, I went into my cellar and was hunting for something special to bring and lo and behold, I pulled out the Il Pareto. My friends went crazy over the wine and I welcomed back an old friend. Was I glad I still had some left in my cellar.

I know Americans are programmed to think California when you think of Cabernet, step out of your comfort zone and expand your wine palate. I think you might just surprise yourself.

Dick Varano

I’ve had the distinct privilege of spending time in Apulia, friends of ours own and operate a winery in Apulia. When my wife and I went to Apulia, I made the mistake of flying into Rome and renting a car and driving. I’m not sure what I looked at when I went to map quest to see how far a drive it was, I thought it was about a four-hour drive. It ended up taking us about eight hours to arrive in Apulia, just outside of Lecce. Our final destination was Porto Cesario, located on the Ionian Sea. Our friends own a beach house and graciously let us stay there during our visit. The weather in southern Italy in the fall is still quite warm, we were thinking of fall in New England and really weren’t dressed appropriately for the fall heat. The temperature was still in the eighties during the day. This was a pleasant surprise and one that we enjoyed immensely.

We spent time touring the winery on our second day, which included a visit to the vineyards. We had to arrive around ten in the morning, if we wanted to get to spend time with the pickers and watch the harvest in action. We were informed that by noon the heat was too oppressive to keep picking. One of my first observations was that all the pickers were locals, in many regions of Italy; foreigners are brought in for the harvest. The second observation was the camaraderie everyone had that was involved in the harvest. It was obvious that the same people helped with the harvest year in and year out. One of the other things I noticed was the age of the pickers; they were all my parents’ age. I’m sure they all worked for the money, yet I sensed an immense pride in the workers.

When you visit Apulia, or anywhere in southern Italy, the first thing you notice is how few people speak English. The second thing you notice is the lack of tourists, finally you notice how much cheaper it is to visit the area and just how unspoiled the area is. It’s almost like a journey back in time. There is so much land dedicated to farming, there is a constant sense of hustle and bustle going on, tractors are everywhere and working farms are in abundance. I really enjoyed traveling around observing the day-to-day activity of the many coop farms. There were communal crush houses, where local grape growers would make the trek to with their wagons of just picked grapes and wait in line for their turn to have their grapes crushed for their own small wine production.

I was fascinated by the sheer number of small producers who didn’t have their own wineries, yet were still producing wines in small quantities, of which I’m sure was all consumed locally. It was great to buy local red wines for about five euro a magnum. I never had a wine I didn’t enjoy, or a wine that didn’t pair well with my dinner. One of my favorite local grapes was primitivo, a grape comparable to zinfandel. There are numerous local grapes, producing all different varieties of wines. I think my affinity to primitivo is because my dad always talked about how his father always made his own zinfandel. My grandfather was from southern Italy originally.

I’ve recently discovered Passitivo Primitivo Puglia IGT, produced at a small winery in Apulia called Paolo Leo. What caught my attention to this wine was the method in which it was produced. The wine is produced utilizing the appassimento method; this is where a percentage of the grapes are dried in aerated lofts in small crates at a constant humidity and at a controlled temperature. The dried grapes are vinified separate from the grapes that are not dried. After the separate vinification of the grapes, the blending takes place, typically utilizing about thirty percent of the “appassito” wine and seventy percent of the regularly vinified wine. In addition, some of the previous vintage’s wine is added to the final blend.

The result is an intense ruby colored wine with a bouquet of cherries and raspberries, very pleasing to the palate. The wine is full-bodied, well balanced and has a long silky finish. This wine will pair well with roasted red meats, mature cheeses and hearty pasta dishes. We are currently in the process of bringing in this wine for our October wine special. We plan on launching the wine after Columbus Day weekend. When you dine at Varano’s this fall, treat yourself to a unique wine and create a new wine experience for you and your friends. I know what I’ll be drinking this fall. Finally, one last hint, watch for our Chef’s fall menu changes. We’ll be launching them alongside our wine of the month. Steve has some great new specials for the fall. A perfect time of year for hearty Italian fare, and a great glass of wine.

Dick Varano

I’ve had the distinct pleasure of visiting Bertani during Vin Italy. I am familiar with most of their portfolio and love their Amarone Classico, a wine that takes six years from harvest to release. Bertani still makes their wine in the traditional style; their entire philosophy is based on quality and timeless techniques that have proven to be at the forefront of Amarone production. With the Euro approaching the one dollar and forty-five cent mark, the cost of the Amarone Classico has been prohibitive for some consumers. It’s a lot like the cost of diamonds, there is a carrying cost associated with the actual price of the jewelry. In order to make an Amarone Classico with six years of age, the time invested in the aging of the wine carries a cost that is associated with the price of the wine.

Fortunately for Italian wine lovers, Bertani makes a number of great wines, utilizing their winemaker’s talents that allow us the quality of a Bertani Amarone at an affordable price. One such wine is the Secco Bertani, a Ripasso wine, fermented a second time on the skins of the Amarone. The result is a wine that is balanced and has great structure, which enables the wine to pair well with a wide array of food. The history behind Secco Bertani dates back to around eighteen-seventy, the wine originated in the hills of Valpantena. This is an amazing test of time, a true tribute to Italian winemaking. This is a wine by which all Ripasso are judged. I would have loved to taste the Secco Bertani in its early release back in the eighteen hundreds. It would have been interesting to see how the wine evolved over the last one hundred and forty years.

Bertani makes wines that are truly timeless, wines meant to age and mature with a lifespan parallel to a human. I’ve had the distinct pleasure of tasting the 1947 Secco Bertani at an event held at Villa Novare during Vin Italy several years ago. Recently, I spent time tasting some of the latest releases of Bertani, the 2005 Secco Bertani was one of the wines we tasted and I have to tell you, I taste this wine every year at Vin Italy and I’m always amazed at the flavor profile, and the quality of this wine. If you’re looking for an old style wine, which drinks like an Amarone at a fraction of the cost, this wine has your name all over it. The current vintage is the 2005 and I had the pleasure of drinking it with the sales manager of Bertani, we both agreed the wine is drinking wonderfully.

Don’t let the cost of Amarone get you down, try the Secco Bertani and you will have moved one step closer to understanding the love of Amarone. You might just surprise yourself on your next anniversary or special occasion and have to experience the Amarone Classico for yourself.

Dick Varano

One of the few places I haven’t visited in Italy is the island of Sardinia; it’s definitely on my short list of places to go. I’ve discussed the island with several friends from Italy and everyone speaks very highly of the island and it’s magical beauty, pristine beaches and the unspoiled landscape. The passion for Sardinia shared by Italians fuels my drive to visit the island in the near future. The fact that sheep more than double the population of people on the island is intriguing in itself. I’m told that the local cuisine is wonderful, with an emphasis on seafood caught in the pristine waters off shore, along with excellent lamb preparations, suckling pig and wonderful cheeses.

I was quite surprised at the wine produced on Sardinia, I tend to overlook the fact that Italy has over seventeen hundred grape varieties, and focus on the more famous wine producing regions such as Tuscany. The more time I spend in Italy, the more my wine focus shifts toward the lesser known wine producing regions. In the past several years, I’ve been introduced to several wine producers in Sardinia. My most recent was Sella and Mosca, considered one of Sardinia’s premier wine estates. Until recently, the only wine I’ve ever tasted from Sella and Mosca was their La Cala Vermentino, which pairs well with shellfish and local seafood. I didn’t realize that the majority of the wine produced at Sella and Mosca was red.

Sella and Mosca produce a world-class cabernet sauvignon, called Marchese di Villamarina, a single vineyard cabernet with over five three glass awards from Gambero Rosso. I do enjoy drinking Cabernet. The allure for me to Sardinian wine has been the local wine produced from the Cannonau grape. In certain years, Sella and Mosca produce Cannonau di Sardegna Riserva, a special version of the Cannonau produced yearly. What makes this wine special is the rich ruby color, with a sort of strawberry jammy nose and a very well rounded, and ripe finish. This wine pairs well with roasted or grilled meats, hearty pasta and risotto dishes. Unlike most Riserva wines, which tend to cost an arm and a leg, this wine is quite reasonable in price. The 2005 vintage is drinking really well at this time and has been one of the true gems I’ve discovered this season. I am proud to introduce this wine to Varano’s as our monthly special, we will be featuring it all month and are sure to add it to our list for the future.

It’s a good thing we built our new wine cellar this year, the best part of having a cellar is filling it. The fun part is sharing all the gems with your customers. Our goal is to continuously upgrade our wine program, introducing new wines from different regions of Italy. The satisfaction for me is how well these wines have been received by our customers. Summer may be winding down, but for me fall on the coast is the nicest time of the year, the weather is perfect for walking the beach, antiquing and kicking back with a great bottle of wine and some amazing food to pair it with. Come on in and enjoy the best Italian Food on the Seacoast and ask for some Cannonau Di Sardegna Riserva, you won’t believe your good fortune.

Dick Varano

Several years ago, my wife and I spent some time in Montalcino. We were traveling around Italy with some friends and they had asked if we could visit some wineries while we were in Tuscany. I contacted a friend of mine; she’s the export manager for Col d’Orcia Winery and had been inviting me to visit the winery for years. Paola arranged a tour and tasting at the winery, along with a luncheon at a local restaurant overlooking the vineyard for our group.

With all the travel shows and food channels available to consumers today, the famous lemon liqueur is no longer the big secret from the Amalfi Coast of Italy. I find it amazing that wherever you eat on the Amalfi Coast, at the end of your meal lemoncello is served on the house. Each restaurant has their particular brand they swear by, in some instances it is made in house. The last time I visited Amalfi, I went to eat at a restaurant that was famous for their house made lemoncello and was told it was illegal to serve it in the restaurant. The Italian government had recently passed a law banning the sale of homemade lemoncello in restaurants. The mass produced lemoncello they gave me in its place was a complete disappointment. It tasted more like the sour mix you’d put in a margarita than the lemoncello I’d grown accustomed to.

I think my favorite lemoncello story was the time I ate in a restaurant up on the hill overlooking the town of Amalfi. I had asked the clerk at the hotel we were staying at to give me a recommendation for a good restaurant off the beaten path. I explained that I didn’t want to eat in a tourist restaurant; I wanted to eat where the locals eat. He sent me to his brother’s restaurant and promised us a great experience with food that would be mouth watering. I have to admit, I was a little skeptical at first. I asked the clerk to call a taxi for us, his response was to inform us his brother would send a van to pick us up and take us back when we were finished. True to his word, the van arrived on time and drove us the couple of miles to the restaurant. Upon arrival, the entire staff was outside to greet us by name, it was probably at this point I realized we were in for a treat. To say the food was amazing was an understatement; the margarita pizza his brother sent to our table on the house was just the beginning of our culinary experience. Course after course arrived, each better than the previous. What made the experience for me was how the meal ended. The owner sent over a full bottle of lemoncello, a full bottle of melon cello and a full bottle of fennel liqueur, along with a shot glass for each of us. I’m thinking, “this is amazing”, the truly amazing part was the fact that he did this for every table that dined in his restaurant. Being a restaurateur in Maine, my first thought was, “if I ever did this in the US, they’d probably arrest me for sending so many intoxicated people out onto the streets.” The funny part was that no one really abused it.

As I mentioned, every restaurant had their favorite brand or recipe for lemoncello, they all included the use of the famous lemons grown along the Amalfi Coast. I was always told to use only the skins of the lemons and make sure and remove all the pith from the skin, or it would make your lemoncello bitter. It takes about two to three months for the lemoncello to mature and be ready for consumption. One evening, after we finished our dinner, we were served lemoncello in this restaurant, served ice cold right out of the freezer; it literally took my breath away. It was like drinking a lemon martini; I immediately called over our server and asked him the secret to their amazing lemoncello. He chuckled and told me that contrary to popular belief, they used whole lemons, not just the skins. I’m sure you know the next sentence out of my mouth, “Can I have the recipe?” The waiter smiled at me and then went back to work. When he brought the check, he handed me the recipe. I’ve since made this many times and it always comes out phenomenal, I usually give it away at the holidays to my friends and family.

I consider myself to be like most people, when you discover something unique or special, it can be difficult to share. I am definitely guilty as charged, I have held onto this secret for four or five years now. The time has arrived to share the secret, I finally broke down and shared the recipe with Varano’s. In the past I’d just bring in a few bottles and let them dole it out to select rewards customers. The unveiling of the first batch was this past weekend. To say the initial response has been overwhelming is an understatement. Next time you’re in for dinner, don’t forget to order a homemade lemoncello after your dinner, I think you’ll agree it’s the best you’ve ever had.

Dick Varano

The summer of 2009 in Maine will probably go down as “the summer that wasn’t’.” I don’t think I’ve ever seen a summer with weather as random and fall like as this year. It’s amazing how much weather can affect tourism and customer’s dining habits. We have seen highs and lows in our business as well as our wine sales. Unlike beer, which is affected by weather, I know this seems like a bizarre statement. When it rains people don’t barbecue, which means less beer is consumed. No matter what the weather, people are going to still eat and of course drink wine.

Our goal at Varano’s is to be the great provider for your summer wine experience. With over two hundred wines on our list, we have a wine in everyone’s price range. Italy is home to over seventeen hundred different grape varieties; our list is a small sampling of the diversity of Italian Wine. We try and represent all the different wine producing regions of Italy on our list. This is a challenge in Maine, being a control state; it presents a number of difficulties maintaining a list of this magnitude.

We strive to keep our list current and present a new offering each month. Our monthly feature has become a huge hit; I spend time each month researching the wine to feature. I will tell you this is definitely a perk, It’s fun to discover a new wine, taste it with food and friends, and finally feature it in Varano’s as our monthly special. The key is to find a wine that is affordable and drinks well. Sometimes I even get lucky and find a wine that is five or ten years old and is drinking amazing.

For the month of August, I’ve chosen to revisit Calabria, the region in Italy that my family is from. I spent some time in June attending several wine tastings and I came across a wine from a producer named Statti, the winery is in the Lamezia Terme region of Calabria. Two brothers, Antonio and Alberto Statti, run Statti; their goal is to restore to the wines of Calabria the prestige that they enjoyed in Ancient times. Unfortunately Calabrian Wines aren’t that well known around the world, or even in Italy for that matter. The transition taking place within the Statti Winery is based on a belief and passion shared by both brothers.

What I love about the winery is the fact that they are making these wines with indigenous grapes from the region, utilizing grape varieties that date back thousands of years. The wine I have chosen for this August’ feature is called Gaglioppo, made from one hundred percent Gaglioppo Rosso grapes. Ruby red in color, the wine has a nose of cherries and spices, and is full bodied. The Gaglioppo pairs well with grilled meats or medium aged cheeses. Lightly chilled it can be served with rich seafood dishes. Having visited Calabria, there is no mistaking that this wine is of Calabrian origin.

Rain or shine, we need to eat. If we are going to eat, why not enjoy ourselves and treat ourselves to something different. We could all expand our palette a little, why not travel to Southern Italy for an evening and have some fun at the same time. Don’t let the summer of 2009 get you down, make it the summer you expanded your Italian Wine Palette., when you return home, you can impress your friends with your new wine knowledge. Have a great summer.

Dick Varano

Even though this is a wine blog, I’m going to shift the focus for one week and write about our new Chef and his new menu. Back in January, I made “the decision” to hire a new Chef for Varano’s. Our existing Chef had been with us as Sous Chef and ultimately the Chef for about eight years. I felt Varano’s was coasting on our laurels; the need for more was tugging at me. As a Culinary Institute of America grad, I knew we could offer so much more and the time was right to act on it. Ultimately, I added a Chef to our staff at the executive level and moved our existing Chef back to the Sous Chef position. The reason for this was two fold, I felt our Chef needed more training to expand his repertoire and I knew he needed some support to grow.

After a lengthy search, we received a resume from a Chef by the name of Steve Ogden; Steve was from Pennsylvania and was a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. My curiosity was piqued, I wrote him and arranged a visit to our restaurant. At the time we were really searching for a new Sous Chef, when I interviewed Steve, (over dinner with some great wine) we talked food for three hours and I immediately knew I was about to make a very difficult decision that would start Varano’s down a new path. I’m going to be honest and tell you I made this decision with some trepidation, and certainly with quite a bit of excitement. My quandary was, I didn’t want to hurt Ray, our current Chef. We met with Ray and explained our new course we were about to undertake and he was very understanding. I think it was a little hard to swallow, but deep down he knew we were making the right decision for the restaurant.

The Monday after Easter, Steve Ogden became the Executive Chef of Varano’s Italian Restaurant, after nine years, Varano’s was about to make some major changes to the menu and I was excited. Steve hit the ground running, we spent numerous hours charting our new course. It sounds easy to just change the menu, the reality is it took us about three months to finalize everything and launch the new menu. On July 2, 2009 we unveiled our new menu, we had a staff tasting, took photos and waited patiently as the new menu unfolded before us. All the servers were excited about the changes and all the new items. The hard part was to meld the traditional Italian Fare that Varano’s was noted for with the new lighter style Italian Cuisine. In the end, the combination of the two styles worked well together.

Our new menu now offers faro, white beans, fragola and whole wheat pasta. We utilize more local produce; we will be adjusting the menu seasonally to take advantage of what’s available at the time. Our goal is to offer a menu with more variety, utilizing our new Chef Steve’s knowledge, along with Ray’s experience at Varano’s and meld it into a seamless dining experience with something for everyone. One of both Steve and my passions is to ultimately make as much of our menu items in house as possible. This includes our own hand crafted Italian sausage, mozzarella and Duck Prosciutto to name just a few of the new items we will be making ourselves. Our next focus will be on our desserts; we are currently working on a new dessert menu, which will include our own gelato utilizing fresh berries and ingredients for the summer.

The passion is renewed and our customers are the winners, we want to import our own private label olive oil for next year, our own wine and host a multitude of Italian cultural events that will give our customers the opportunity to experience their own little slice of Italy. Come on in and try our new menu, say hello to Steve and I guarantee you’ll be as excited as I am with the new changes.

Dick Varano

Suppliers trying to sell me more of their wine are constantly bombarding me. Everyone has a new great wine in his or her portfolio that I need to try. If it were up to my suppliers, I’d be sampling wine seven days a week and rewriting my wine list weekly. Let’s face it, there’s an inordinate amount of good wine available to consumers these days. It doesn’t matter what price point you’re seeking, there are numerous choices of wine in your price range and they’re delicious

The fun part of tasting is to find a gem in the rough and introduce it to your clientele. I’m constantly searching for a wine that I can introduce for seven to eight dollars a glass and have customers clamoring for more. This is an important part of keeping your wine list current. By introducing new wines, it gives you the ability to test market new products all the time. This process leads to changes on your list and this way your list stays current and fresh and your customers never get bored.

I enjoy wines from the Piedmont Region of Italy, the land of Barolo, the undisputed King of Italian wine is from Piedmont. The predominant grape of the region is Nebbiolo, used to make Barolo, Barbaresco, Gattinara and Nebbiolo IGT wines. Wines from Piedmont can be cost prohibitive at times, given the economy we are all trying to find a wine that drinks like Barolo, without the cost. There are still options for the Piedmont lover that can satisfy the palate, while maintaining your budget.

Recently I discovered a winery in Piedmont called Damilano, the winery dates back to the late eighteen hundreds and is run by the great grandsons of the original owner. One wine in particular stuck out, the Nebbiolo d’Alba. I found this wine to be an extremely well made wine, with great structure and balance. A very intense ruby red wine with hints of violet and red fruit, both dry and full-bodied with a velvety finish.

I was fortunate to get in on a special order and I was able to purchase six cases of this wine to use for my July featured wine. Life is good, we deserve to drink great wine, it’s great for our health and nothing makes a meal like a great glass of wine.

Enjoy,

Dick Varano