Montalcino is a magical part of Tuscany, the vistas are all postcards and the wine is exceptional. Walking through the medieval town of Montalcino is a step back in time, the stonework is all in tact, the shops are full of artisans wares and the restaurants all serve amazing food paired with local wines. I’ve visited Montalcino several times and each time I consider myself lucky to have been fortunate enough to have spent some time there. I know several producers in the region and have been invited to stay and experience the region on a personal level. I’ve never had a glass of wine that I didn’t love.

I remember several years ago, there was a huge uproar over the production of Brunello. Allegations were levied against some of the major producers over the addition of non-traditional grapes to Brunello. Brunello is made of one hundred percent Sangiovese Grosso, a clone of Sangiovese, the grape used in Chianti. Needless to say the uproar died down, I think in the end there were some minor instances of some grapes inadvertently making their way into the wine.

The problem with Brunello is, it’s so good, and the production level is so small. Producers are strictly limited to how much they can plant, and how much they can produce. Ultimately, we the consumers end up paying the price. If you want to drink Brunello, be prepared to pay, at minimum, a hundred dollars for a bottle. I would consider it a special occasion wine, one that is consumed with fellow wine lovers. Fortunately, the producers of Brunello understand that their wine has become prohibitive to the average consumer, and are sympathetic to our cause. Most wineries produce a Rosso di Montalcino, which is typically considered a Baby Brunello. It is produced from the grapes picked from the newer vines, usually under five years of age. This wine is aged for about one year, where a typical Brunello is age from three to five years before being released. Which of course contributes to the cost of the wine.

San Polo is a fairly new winery in the Brunello region, it was started in the year 1990, the first vintage was produced in 1997. San Polo is owned by Marilisa Allegrini, of the famed Amarone producing family in the Veneto. Branching out into Tuscany, Marilisa has focused her tenacity on producing world class wines on par with her Amarone. We have chosen a wine produced by San Polo to be our September Wine Special. It’s called Rubio IGT Toscana,

Strolling through Montalcino after lunch

and it is one hundred percent Sangiovese. The wine is a brilliant Ruby Red and pairs well with most barbecued meats, sausages or pastas. I consider the wine to be very versatile and a new favorite. It will also pair well with prosciutto or salami and hard cheeses. I highly recommend this wine as an aperitif or to enjoy with your meal.

I will be traveling to Italy this fall, my wife and I have the privilege of dining with Marilisa Allegrini and I can’t wait to tell her how much our customers are enjoying her wine. I’m hoping to find some new gems to feature for the rest of the season. Enjoy your Rubio IGT Toscana and share it with your friends. Food, Wine and Good Friends, it doesn’t get any better than that.

The Sangiovese grape is extremely versatile and is used in the production of many wines in Tuscany, it’s uses go beyond just Chianti. Wineries are utilizing Sangiovese with the addition of some international varietals, mainly Cabernet and Merlot. This practice has blossomed all over Italy, the results are numerous wines, developed for our drinking pleasure at a reasonable price.

Each month, I select a wine that Varanos features. My goal is to find a wine that we can sell for seven to eight dollars a glass, and isn’t found in a supermarket. I search for wines, typically from smaller estates that show really well and pair well with our cuisine.

This month, we are featuring the Rosso di Altesino IGT 2008. It is made up of eighty percent Sangiovese and twenty percent Merlot and Cabernet. It’s aged for about six to eight months in stainless steel tanks and about three months in oak barriques. The result is a ruby red wine, that is well structured and pairs well with pasta and white meats. I consider this wine a great value wine, produced for today’s consumer. (Not everyone wants to lay down wine for five or ten years before drinking it). I’ve had this wine three times in the last week myself personally.

Altesino is a small boutique winery in Montalcino, the view from the winery is breathtaking and the original castello dates back to the fifteenth century. I’ve visited Altesino on several occasions and have seen firsthand their commitment to quality.  Their flagship Brunello receives top honors every year from the Wine Spectator and Gambero Rosso. I’ve had the pleasure of tasting through their entire portfolio of wines and they are all hand crafted and worthy of being called one of my favorites.

Don’t let the rest of summer slip by, come sit out on our patio and enjoy a light meal and a glass of Rosso di Altesino. It’s a great way to end your day, or begin your evening.

The upside to this quandary is, there are some incredible dining opportunities available to consumers. Pre fix menus abound, half price wine nights, small plates, and in many instances, two for ones are running rampant. Lots of radio and TV stations have programs, where you can purchase a fifty dollar gift card for twenty-five dollars. I don’t think there’s ever been a better time to be a consumer and get as much bang for your dollar as there is right now.

Not to be outdone, Varano’s Italian Restaurant has changed their wine philosophy. Throughout the last decade, wine prices have crept up. The rise in the exchange rate of the Euro hasn’t helped us, and wineries have capitalized on their ability to produce excellent wines, even in off vintages. Throw in restaurateurs jumping on the band wagon and tripling and quadrupling the cost of wines to their consumers, and you have the perfect storm in the wine industry. Let me be perfectly clear, I’m not railing on restaurateurs, if you carry a large wine list, you can have a tremendous amount of money tied up in your inventory, and there is a carrying cost associated with that. Similar to the jewelry business, the mark-up can be seen as staggering at times. Of course, this leads to some great marketing and sales events.

Like all things, what goes up, must come down. The Euro has modulated and everyone seems to be sitting on some massive amounts of wine. From producers, all the way down to restaurateurs. Where does this leave us at Varano’s? I’ll tell you, but first I want to share something that is special to me. When I travel to the southern part of Italy, one of the things that I love the most is their passion for wine. Wine isn’t a trophy, they serve it in glass pitchers, and pour it into small straight sided water glasses. It’s not about anything other than drinking the wine with your dinner. There’s no pomp or stature associated with drinking wine. I miss that and have decided to do something about it.

Here’s where it gets good, I’ve rolled back the prices on all my nice bottles of wine on our wine list. Even rare wines that I don’t have a lot of, or can’t get a lot of. I’ve decided to change our philosophy, I want our customers to be able to afford to drink whatever wine they choose. Wine is for consuming and I am committed to giving our customers the best deal I can afford. I can’t control the world market, I can’t control the Euro, and I certainly can’t control what other people charge for their wine. What I can control is what we charge for wine and what our customers pay for their wine.

Sometimes, you just want a glass of wine with your dinner, at Varano’s, we have plenty of those and sometimes, you want a great bottle of Barolo, Brunello, or a great Super Tuscan. No matter what your whim, I think you’re going to be pleasantly surprised when you see what I’ve done to our list. Come on down and enjoy your favorite wine, and don’t worry about the cost, we’ve got you covered no matter what you want to drink.

A perfect summer beverage

When you stroll through any Piazza in Italy during the summer, there is a common choice among outside diners. Bottles of Rose’ or Blush are prevalent on many of the tables. The French are noted for their love of Rose’ , this has been passed on to Italians, with many of the more reputable producers introducing new products each year.

This year Varano’s has introduced Al Fresco Dining. We are now serving light fare outside on our patio. The weather has been extremely cooperative and the diners have been delighted with the offerings. Our goal is to give our customers an authentic Italian dining experience. To this end, we are serving Bellinis and home-made lemoncello, utilizing an authentic recipe hand carried back from Amalfi. In addition, we’ve always served Italian Rose’, the difference is, this year we are now featuring it. This spring I had the pleasure of tasting many Italian Rose’, I have to say they were all drinking really well.

After careful consideration, I chose the Ros’ Aura from Feudi di San Gregorio. This is a wine that is fresh and lively, chocked full of berries with a crisp, clean finish. Ros’ Aura is a very versatile wine that is great as an aperitif, or when pairing it with chicken,  fish, or even light pasta dishes. (perfect for our Al Fresco Dining)

Italians are all about traditions, and drinking Rose’ is fast becoming a great tradition. I personally love red wine, the problem is, red wine can be heavy in the afternoon. It’s not a problem in Italy, you just take a nap after a late lunch. We don’t always have that luxury, a perfect compromise is a great glass of Rose’ with lunch or in the afternoon.

Feudi di San Gregorio is located in the small town of Serbo Serpico in Campania, which is between the Amalfi Coast and Pompei. The local red grape is Aglianico, the Ros’ Aura is made of 100 percent Aglianico and spends only twelve hours in contact with the skins, resulting in a spectacular strawberry colored wine that tantalizes the palate leaving your mouth with an explosion of fresh picked berries and a nice clean finish.

Vineyards in Planeta's Segreta Winery

Wine waiting to be shipped to Varanos

A beautiful day in Sicily

It seems as though I’ve spent the last month blogging about wines from the south of Italy. The truth is, there are so many nice wines that are reasonably priced and pair perfectly with our food. Planeta is one of the two powerhouses in Sicily, they have property dating back to the sixteen hundreds and have spent the last twenty years improving on the quality of wines imported by the United States from Italy.

The newest winery of Planeta is located in Menfi, which is in the southeastern part of Sicily, where the heart of the Planeta’s operation is. A Rosso under the Segreta label is produced here, utilizing the indigenous grape, Nero D’ Avola, blended with international grape varieties, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Cabernet Franc. The results are worth noting, Planeta produces wines that are approachable and food friendly. The fact that they are reasonably priced is an added bonus.

This is a wine you can enjoy in the afternoon as an aperitif, or with a dinner of barbecued meats or meat risotto, or even medium to strong cheeses. The wine is very versatile and can satisfy any number of palates. I’ve had this wine with rigatoni in a spicy tomato sauce with smoked bacon. Get creative and enjoy a great bottle of wine.

During the month of July, Varanos will be featuring this wine. Our goal is to introduce our customers to multiple “Go To” wines that are reasonably priced. Our updated Wine List will be out on Friday July 2nd, our “Wines by the Glass” section will host many of our monthly wine specials we’ve had in 2010. We look forward to a great summer and hope all our customers will in some small way, be influenced by some of our special selections. It’s great learning about wines from different regions, don’t be intimidated by the grape varieties. Use your sense of adventure and expand your palate. The best part is sharing your new discoveries with your friends.

Don't Go Home without it!

Mario’s sons working the booth at Vin Italy

Helen Gallo of Winebow and my daughter Vanessa

Nestled at the base of Mount Vulture is a dynamic winery called Bisceglia. It was founded in 2001 by Mario Bisceglia, and designed by Japanese architect, Hikaru Mori along with Italian architect Domenico Santomauro. This state of the art winery and bottling facility is cutting edge and a leader in local production. The goal is to produce world class wines from this old farming community, located in the district of Lavello. Lavello is considered a “ Wine Town “ in this southern part of Italy.

I was fortunate to taste through Mario’s portfolio this year at Vin Italy, and I have to say the wines live up to the hype. The quality of all the wines are excellent. The combination of volcanic soil, Mediterranean microclimate and state of the art wine making facility has vaulted this relatively new winery to elite status in the Basilicata region. I could tell that Mario was very proud of his wines when we were tasting them. It was a testament to Bisceglia, the fact that their booth at Vin Italy was cutting edge and modern looking, reflecting the image of the winery.

For me personally, the Terra di Vulcano Aglianico del Vulture DOC was one of the hidden gems that I discovered at the show. It always brings a smile to my face when I discover a new wine that is reasonably priced. My first thought is “I have to feature this wine in my restaurant”. One of the first phone calls I made when I returned from Vin Italy, was to my local distributor to check on availability for the Terra di Vulcano Aglianico. Upon confirmation of the availability, I immediately ordered every case they had in stock. I’m excited to share with our faithful wine drinkers this new wine. We will be featuring it for the month of June at Varano’s, this wine is a great pairing for pasta dishes, grilled meats and   game. I even enjoy this wine as a stand alone glass of wine before dinner. No matter your preference, don’t miss out on this wine. I’ve been on a kick featuring wines from the South of Italy the past few months, it’s been a lot of fun sharing the southern regions with our guests, the response has been overwhelming.

I look forward to hearing your comments on our wine specials on Facebook, or through our website. Let us know your thoughts, likes and dislikes. Our goal is to introduce our customer’s to new regions in Italy, new grape varieties and reasonably priced wines. One last thing, Varano’s now offers our famous Marinara Sauce to go, we now can it and have it available for sale on our website and at the restaurant.

Varano's featured wine for May

Here you will find the estate of the Tasca  d’Almerita family, with roots dating back to the nineteenth century. It was probably some time in the nineteen fifties that the Tasca family, specifically Count Giuseppe Tasca, made the conscientious decision to focus their wine making on producing quality and not bulk wines. This elevated the quality of the local Nero D’Avola wines and elevated the status of the winery. Count Guiseppe is noted for being the father of high-end red wines in Sicily.

In addition to producing great wines, The Tasca family is renowned for their cooking school, a friend of mine spent some time there and told me the food is amazing. I had the privilege of attending a luncheon at a Boston restaurant several years ago, and Marchesa Anna Tasca Lanza who runs the cooking school was the guest speaker. The chefs of the restaurant prepared dishes from Anna’s cookbook and served them to us. Nothing like a four course Sicilian luncheon in the middle of the work week.

Regaleali is famous for their rose wine and their signature red, Rosso del Conte, which is probably the most renowned red wine in all of Sicily. As with all great wines, the price tag is in line with the quality of such a wine. I personally just tasted the Rosso del Conte in Verona at Vin Italy. It is one of those wines that leaves you wanting to buy a case for your own personal consumption, and maybe share it with some good friends. For everyday, a great compromise is the Regaleali Nero D’Avola IGT. The Nero D’Avola form Regaleali was one of the first Nero’s to be introduced to the American market. A very approachable red wine, with a very European style, this wine is an everyday workhorse. Wether you just want a nice glass of red wine in the afternoon while eating a slice of pizza, some grilled meats, or a dish of pasta with meatballs or sausage, this wine is going to pair perfectly every time. The price value of this wine is what puts this over the top, this is a very affordable wine, which will satisfy your palate every time. Ruby red in color, the bouquet of cherries and raspberries will tantalize your taste buds and excite you and make you want more.

Varano’s will be featuring this red wine for the month of May, this is one of those wines that drinks great every time you pour it. After tasting it in Italy last month, I couldn’t wait to come back and feature it at our restaurant. If you’re looking for a new “go to” wine, to serve with pasta or eggplant parmesan, we’ve got it for you. Come in and see what all the fuss is about, I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

It's always a tough decision to pick a wine

Last night at Vin Italy

Every spring, I travel to Verona Italy for the most awe inspiring Italian Wine Show. Veronafiere, the name of the fair, also know as Vin Italy is a five day event. The event features almost forty-five hundred Italian Wine Producers, pouring over one hundred thousand Italian Wines. If you love Italian Wine the way I do, this is a dream come true.

Dinner at Villa Novare with Bertani

The sheer immenseness of the fair is overwhelming, you have to have a plan. You can’t simply walk around and taste at will, you’ll never make it out of the first building. I like to make appointments with the producers I want to taste with, this helps to keep you focused and allows you to personally taste with the owner or winemaker. Part of tasting is learning the story behind the wine and the family. Discovering the history and applying to the tasting elevates the experience to another level. You now have a complete understanding of what the winery is trying to accomplish with the production of their wines. Some wines date back to a particular affection to an indigenous grape of the region, perhaps by a grandparent. I tasted with an owner who told me the story of how his brother lost a number of barrels of wine, only to discover them six years later, blended with merlot. The discovery led to a new wine for their winery. This is where palate and understanding meld, where your mind is connected to your taste buds. Once you understand the history, you are able to fulfill your appreciation of the evolution of the Italian Wine Industry.

I like to arrive in Verona the day before the fair starts, this allows me to adjust to the jet lag and get acquainted with old friends. This year, I attended Vin Italy with my daughter Vanessa. Vanessa and I share a deep passion for Italian Food and Wine, the trip enables us to stay in contact with many of the friends we’ve made over the years, and keep up with the current wines and food trends. Our first stop is a great pizza place in Piazza Bra, it’s always great to start out with the basics (a pizza and a beer), and work you palate up from there. The fact that the pizza is phenomenal speaks for itself. Verona is home to many great restaurants, one in particular, Greppia is fast becoming one of our favorites. We love to eat in the downstairs dining room, it is brick and marble and has twelve foot ceilings. The copper ceiling in the hallway leading downstairs is gorgeous. The restaurant has one Michelin star and is always busy. Our first night would not be complete without a visit to the infamous Wine Bar Bottega di Vini. This wine bar is an experience every wine drinker in the world should experience during the fair. The sheer magnitude of Italian Wines served by the glass are staggering. If you want Solaia by the glass, they have it. I’ve seen Masseto by the glass during the fair. The crowd spills out into the alley and the revelry goes on far into the night. I’ve heard that their sales for a saturday can be over one hundred thousand dollars. This is a restaurant owner’s ultimate fantasy, open any bottle of wine you desire and someone will buy it.

Thursday is the first day of the fair, usually the weather is cool and rainy, this year we had gorgeous weather for all five days of the fair. We attended the fair for four days, about eight to nine hours a day. We taste through about a dozen wineries portfolio each day. It doesn’t sound like a lot, in reality, it’s over a hundred wines per day. During the evenings, the major producers in the region open their wineries, old villas and castles and hold events that include all their wines and food from some of the best chefs in the region. The chance to meet and greet, stay connected and network is the just a fortunate bonus to the amazing food and wine. This year, some of the wineries stepped up their game and included fireworks and laser light shows.

This is probably one of the highlights of my year, I get to visit Italy, stay connected with all the friends I’ve made over the years, and eat world class food and drink great wine. Sharing all this with my daughter is what puts this over the top for me. This was our second year attending this event together and I’m convinced that I’ll never be able to attend again without Vanessa.

This year seemed to be my best yet, I’ve discovered many new wines for our wine list at Varano’s, and found a number of new products for our Chef to cook with. I look forward to the upcoming season, where we’ll get to share the fruits of this trip with all our customers and friends.

Dick Varano

Having traveled from one end of Italy to another, one thing I’ve noticed is how many olive trees there are. I never realized how hand in hand, olive trees and vineyards went. Almost every winery produces their own olive oil, some mass produce it for sale, while others produce small quantities and use it at the winery only. I love watching the locals prepare for the olive harvest, they string netting from tree to tree, and cover the entire grove. On weekends, two and three generations come to the olive groves and spend the entire weekend picking olives. Everyone in the family has a job, the men typically climb up into the trees and pick the olives, being careful not to damage the trees themselves. The women make an amazing picnic and provide food for the family, and the children scoop up the olives from the nets and put them in baskets. Families have been doing this for ages, the olives are then pressed and the families get half of the olive oil that is produced.

At one particular winery, they have fifty gallon terra-cotta urns, the families olive oil allotment is stored at the winery and each week, a family member goes to the winery with their jugs and fill them with olive oil. The idea is to pick enough olives to produce enough olive oil for the year. I’ve been infatuated with this allure to extra virgin olive oil. I use it exclusively in my house, and at Varano’s our goal is to provide a premium olive oil that will complement our ciabatta bread.

It’s now my distinct pleasure to announce that Varano’s is now importing our own private label, all natural extra virgin olive oil. We will have it on all our tables and we will be selling it to our guests for their home dining pleasure as well. This is part of our continuing effort to provide our guests with the absolute best dining experience possible. In response to our guests requests, we are working on offering our Marinara Sauce for sale this spring as well. Stay tuned, we will keep you posted with all the upcoming surprises Varano’s will be offering this season. It’s our tenth year anniversary and we want to celebrate with our guests all season long. Don’t forget to check your e-mail, you don’t want to miss out.

Dick Varano

you have to harvest in the morning, it gets hot in Apulia

picking grapes in Apulia is an adventure

When I think of Antinori, my first thought is Super Tuscan. The
family is renowned for being one of the first producers of Super Tuscan wine with the release of Tignanello in 1971. The evolution of Tignanello and the Antinori family is legendary. Their 1997 Solaia was the first Italian wine ever voted “Wine of the Year” by the Wine Spectator Magazine. In their continuous pursuit of excellence,  Antinori has purchased numerous estates throughout Italy. In 1998, Antinori purchased the Bocca di Lupo estate in the Castel del Monte DOC in Apulia, located in the heel of Italy.

It’s not uncommon to look in any wine region in Italy today and find a major producer from Tuscany, Piedmont or the Veneto. As the costs for land continue to spiral upward in the major wine producing regions, producers are now looking for land in regions that are not as renown for their wines. It almost becomes a numbers game. With the purchase of Bocca di Lupo, Tormaresca wines were born. Antinori is a wine producing machine with all the components in place to produce world class wines in any region. Tackling wine making in Apulia is just another feather in the cap of the Antinori family. Utilizing local grapes from their own estates, along with cabernet sauvignon, a wonderful blend called Tormaresca Neprica was born. Neprica is a blend of Negroamaro, Primitivo and Cabernet Sauvignon, utilizing both the Bocca di Lupo and Masseria Maime estates.

The grapes are picked at the optimum ripeness and vinified separately, the wine is blended and aged in stainless tanks and finished aging in the bottle for a total of about 1 year of aging. The key to this blend of grapes is the drinkability, the primitivo gives it a softness that rounds out the cabernet and negroamaro. The wine is an intense ruby red color, with a nose of black cherry, and balanced acidity. This wine is going to pair well with spicy pasta dishes, grilled meats, or roasts, aged hard cheeses and sausages.

Varano’s will be featuring this wine for the month of April, we are committed to finding wines that we feel offer value and quality to our customers. The best part of our featured wines is the tasting that goes into finding the new gem  and pass it on to our customers. See you in April.