PUNTA ALA, ITALY – My wife and I had already visited the country where my family originated just a few generations back. Now we faced the challenge of a trip that would have to offer something for everyone: it was time to travel with the entire family, with a wide range of ages and interests.

I hoped our sons and daughter-in-law, along with grandkids, Ellis, 16; Palmer, 13; and Barrett, 11; would find Italy as magical as we did.

How could they not? It’s an ancient land where – over the last thousand years – culture, art and history have converged to create civilization, and where visitors can now walk, observe and taste this living, breathing encyclopedia of life.

However, I was forewarned by You Know Who that on this trip I would need to devote more time to walking and observing, and less time on the tasting components of Italian culture. And while I reluctantly conceded the point to my spouse, I also knew that my kids and grandkids had, thankfully, inherited my fondness for food and drink.

They know, as I do, that food gives us strength and that thirst is a terrible thing. So off we went.

Part of our strategy was to divide and conquer: while all three branches of the family arrived in Rome on the same day, each branch headed out in different directions. Son Bryan and his family would spend three days touring and exploring Rome while son Aaron went south to Naples and the Amalfi coast.

For our private getaway, Debbie and I decided to spend a couple of leisurely days at the beach. We had been looking for a coastal resort favored by Italians, and one that was within easy driving distance of Tuscany. It was our plan to meet there later and spend five days all together exploring the region and visiting the towns, castles, churches, vines and art in that storied part of Italy.

The Gallia Palace, a Relais & Chateaux resort hotel, was perfectly situated two-and-a-half hours north of Rome near the seaside port town of Punta Ala, along the Mediterranean coast in a region of Tuscany called Maremma.

This same area is home to vineyards that produce crisp white wines such as Vermentino, and superb red wines called “Super Tuscans.” These blended wines, made from grapes such as cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah and sangiovese, can rival the great reds of the world such as those produced in Bordeaux and Napa.

The Gallia is a small but very pretty property, set on a hillside in a spectacular natural setting. From our balcony, we could look down across the grounds to a stand of stately Stone Pine trees) that resemble umbrellas. And beyond the stone pines, just a kilometer away, was the sparkling blue Mediterranean with the Gallia’s private beach.

But the highlight of the resort for me is the superb restaurant back at the hotel. Some of the dishes are like art on a plate, almost too pretty to eat, and the wine list features selections from all the major Italian regions. In fact, one of the most delightful wines of our entire trip (and there were many) was the 2014 Col D’orcia Brunello Di Montalcino made just an hour from the Gallia resort.

While we were enjoying our beach getaway, Bryan and family spent their days touring the antiquities of Rome and Aaron visited and explored the stony beaches and steep hills of the Amalfi Coast.

Then it was time for all of us to meet in Tuscany.

My daughter-in-law, Ericka, used VRBO to locate a large country home near (delete:Siena in ) the small village of Sovicille [so-va-CHIL-ah], that served as our base. La Dimora di Teresa (residence of Teresa) features four bedrooms and four baths along with a fully equipped kitchen and a large great room with cable TV and internet. It is also completely air-conditioned, which is not common everywhere in Italy, especially in large homes.

The outdoor spaces include a long covered porch, a swimming pool, an outdoor fireplace and even a pizza oven. Naturally, on our first night together, we took full advantage of this particular amenity and arranged to have a local chef, (delete: Chef Giulia) make custom pizzas for us in the outdoor, wood-fired oven. Our hungry group (delete: of eight ) ate, and ordered, and ate some more. What a treat!

Each of our days in Tuscany was spent exploring a different town, historical site or museum.

In Florence we were led on a private tour of the Uffizi and the Academia Museums, viewing priceless Renaissance artworks such as The David, along with the paintings of Michelangelo, Botticelli and DaVinci among others. We also visited the old walled city of Siena, marveled at the towers of San Gimignano and watched artisans carve alabaster into bowls, grapes and vases in the hill top town of Volterra.

And even the most modest restaurants served us amazingly fresh and delicious meals. We dined at two small eateries within five minutes of La Dimora di Teresa that were exceptional.

La Compagnia featured exquisite, mouth-watering pasta choices, including the best ever cacio e pepe (cheese and pepper) and carbonara dishes I’ve ever eaten.
The traditional Bistecca alla Fiorentina (or beef steak of Florence) served at the other local establishment – Il Grillo Morro – is a giant, four-inch thick, bone-in rib eye that will melt in your mout

We ended our five-day tour of Tuscany with a visit to Il Borro, a relatively new winery owned by the Ferragamo family, more widely known for their famous namesake famous fashion and clothing company. The entire family toured the cellars, tasted the wines and had a very special lunch at Il Borro. You just knew I had to get a little more wine-time in, right?

When we departed our lovely Tuscan digs, Aaron headed to the airport and back to the U.S. while Bryan and family traveled just up the road to Lucca to attend an Elton John concert under the stars. They spent two more days exploring the canals of Venice before making their way to the airport and the long flight home.

We took the fast train to Rome and checked into the Palazzo Cinquecento Hotel in the center of the city. From this exceptional hotel, we were able to conveniently visit the most important Roman landmarks, as well as savor those last delicious bites of Cucina Italia before heading back to the mountains of home.

Photos from Top to Bottom:

1.  Grandkids marvel at the frescos in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel 

2. Sommelier at Gallia Palace pours us Brunello Di Montalcino

3. Chef making us pizzas at our Tuscan Villa

4. Bryan, Ericka and children tour Venice in a gondola

A couple of weeks back, my long-suffering wife and yours truly celebrated a signature wedding anniversary that I decided to designate  our “Penultimate 50th.” Actually, it was our 49th — but who’s counting?

For really seminal events – like our Penultimate 50th – I try to amp up the celebratory liquid several notches. So I wandered down to where I store a few special old bottles of wine to see if there might be one with a vintage date close to 1970 – the year of our wedding.

Lo and Behold! I found the perfect bottle of Bordeaux red wine – 1970 Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou (pronounced do-crew bow- kii- you).

Sounds great, right? Well maybe not. Because when you’re dealing with wine older than most of the people currently occupying Mother Earth, a lot can go wrong. So here are a few tips you might find helpful in case you’re considering purchasing an old bottle of wine, or opening one you’ve had in your cellar for a while.

First of all, you’ll need to consider the vintage date and the reputation of the winery. I knew that 1970 was considered a very good vintage in Bordeaux. Also, Ducru has a historically excellent reputation for quality. And, I was very pleasantly surprised to learn that esteemed wine critic, Robert Parker, rated it 92 on a 100-point scale. So far, so good.

But what about other considerations such as how and where the wine was stored for all those many years. Well, I had purchased the wine from a state ABCC store in the early 1980’s, and I had stored it in a cellar where the temperature and humidity were fairly consistent. In this instance, the temperature and humidity did not vary more than 10 degrees from summer to winter. So I felt pretty good about this aspect of the evaluation.

But how about the wine itself? How could I be comfortable that the wine would still be palatable after almost five decades? One positive indication that this particular bottle might still be good was that it had not “ullaged” much over time. Ullage is a term wine experts use to describe the amount of wine in the bottle that has been lost over time due to leakage or evaporation. Some amount of ullage is expected in older wines. But if the wine level has dropped down below the shoulder of the bottle, the air that has replaced the liquid could cause the wine to oxidize- and that’s not good.

And while the level of wine in my bottle had ullaged somewhat – about one-half inch – I felt pretty good about this component of the evaluation process. So now all that remained was to open that baby up and give it a good sniff and sip- right?

Not so fast my friends! There was still the issue of opening the bottle and dealing with the real likelihood that the cork would disintegrate during removal. The only way I’ve ever been able to successfully remove the cork in an old bottle of wine is by using a two-prong metal contraption called an Ah-So. To use the Ah So, you must insert the prongs on either side of the cork and rock them carefully down as far as they will go in the bottle. Then you gently twist and slowly pull the cork out.

But I didn’t have my Ah So with me at the time and I had to rely on a traditional waiter’s corkscrew to open the bottle. Unfortunately, most of the cork fell into the wine. But all was not lost. I used a wine funnel with a metal screen (that I had purchased online) to pour that old elixir through and into a crystal decanter. Ah…the moment of truth had arrived!

So I carefully poured the wine into our glasses. Then I sniffed. The aroma of leather, tea and damp earth filled the glass. The color was a kind of burnt cranberry with just a slight tint of orange around the edges. I swirled the wine and let it sit for a full five minutes before taking a sip. On the palate, the first sensation was of sour cherries, then cola and then tea. The wine was also silky, and over a period of one hour, both the aroma and the flavors became more complex and refined. To say the least, the bottle exceeded our expectations and we were both very pleased.

I’m saving one more bottle of 1970 Bordeaux for the half-century celebration next year. I can only hope that the owner of the wine ages as gracefully as the wine we’ll be drinking. Cheers!

On Monday, we will observe Memorial Day to honor the sacrifice of those Americans who have paid the ultimate price so that we might be able to enjoy this holiday with our friends and families. So I hope you’ll join me in recognizing and appreciating this solemn occasion.

And since this weekend does mark the unofficial start of the summer season, I’m going to recommend a few tasty choices for your picnic menus, as well as some deliciously compatible wines to pair with them.

The dishes I’m suggesting below have all been previously prepared on my trusty old Weber Performer charcoal grill. There just aren’t many primary food sources (I’m talking meat, fish and vegetables here} that won’t benefit from charcoal or even gas grilling. Okay, so let’s begin with some simple, but delicious picnic options.

Hot dogs, as well as Italian sausages, Kielbasa, Chorizo and Bratwurst are especially tasty when grilled, and then served with simple garnishments like relishes, onions and condiments. And try splitting the wiener or sausage down the middle to flatten it out on the grill. You’ll expose more meat to the heat, and that’s a deliciously good thing.

Two types of wine go particularly well with these bun-encased tube steaks: Rose’ and light to medium bodied reds like Rioja, grenache, Beaujolais and/or Cotes du Rhone. These are excellent picnic wines, and should be served slightly chilled to provide a refreshing and thirst quenching counterpoint to the spicy dogs or sausages.

There are few seafood dishes that benefit more from the grill than a filet of salmon. Since salmon loves sweet and heat, I’ll rub my fish with chili powder, salt, black pepper, cayenne and brown sugar, and then grill it over a hot fire for about four minutes per side. My favorite vinous accompaniments to grilled or smoked salmon are pinot noir or cabernet franc.

Are you a vegetarian? Then try this: In a bowl, squirt a little olive oil and red wine vinegar, along with salt pepper and garlic powder, onto your choice of sliced vegetables. Asparagus, tomatoes, sweet bell peppers, spicy poblanos or jalapenos, Vidalia onions, green beans or even corn do especially well on the grill. Then pair them with crisp and refreshing, chilled white wines such as sauvignon blanc from New Zealand, arneis and verdicchio from Italy or albarino and verdejo from Spain.

Barbecue baby back ribs are a picnic staple at Chez Brown. To each side of the rack of ribs, I’ll apply a dry rub consisting of one tablespoon each of cumin, chili powder, kosher salt, coarsely ground black pepper, brown sugar, smoked paprika and cayenne pepper (optional). And, if time permits, let the ribs sit in the refrigerator overnight or at least for a few hours before grilling.

If you’re using charcoal, place the coals to either side of the cooking grate and grill the ribs indirectly at temperatures ranging between 250 and 300 degrees Fahrenheit for about three hours. You should be able to control the cooking temperature by adjusting the vents on the grill. If you’re using a gas grill, just cook the ribs indirectly. For those of you wishing to add a sauce to the ribs, you’ll want to slather the glaze onto both sides of the meat, turning the racks several times during the last 15 minutes before serving. My go-to wine choices for baby back ribs are medium to full bodied reds such as zinfandel, syrah, sangiovese or merlot.

So have a great holiday weekend, but also take a few moments to ponder the real and somber significance of Memorial Day.

Every now and then I have a wine reawakening. I’m not talking about reacquainting myself with the wines of my youth like MD 20/20 or the half-gallon jug of California “Burgundy” (where the picture of the old codger on the label looked as if it had been taken post-mortem).

No, I’m referring to a recent dinner where I purchased an inexpensive bottle of red Italian wine from Tuscany and made from sangiovese grapes. The wine was very fruit forward without being sweet. It was also round and ripe and a very good pairing with food, particularly my antipasti followed by pasta in a marinara sauce. It also had aromatic components with aromas of cherries and spices like teaberry. This wine brought back very fond memories of trips I had taken to Tuscany.

The most famous red wines of Tuscany are: Brunello Di Montalcino made entirely from sangiovese grapes and grown around the small town of Montalcino: Chianti Classico (also made from predominately sangiovese); and the Super Tuscans of the region which are blends of varieties like cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, sangiovese and even syrah.

Italy has a government office that sets forth regulations determining which grapes can be grown and produced into wine for each viticultural area in the country. Denominazione Di Origine Controllata (“Controlled designation of origin”) or DOC is a quality assurance label for Italian wine. DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) on the label of an Italian wine is an even stronger and higher quality assurance rating.

The government does not prohibit wineries from planting different grapes than those approved by them for a specific region, but in the past, the resulting wine had to be labeled as “vino de tavola” or table wine. For example, cabernet sauvignon was not an approved grape for Tuscany and therefore had to be labeled simply as table wine. That all changed in 1992 when the government, with extreme pressure from influential wine makers, set forth a new classification known as IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica). This classification permitted wineries to produce wines from grapes not previously approved by them.

The wines known as “Super Tuscans” – initially in the coastal Maremma region of Tuscany -led the way by producing Bordeaux-type blends such as cabernet sauvignon and merlot. Ornellaia is perhaps the best known example of a Super Tuscan” and is also considered one of the greatest wines in Italy.

Here are three wines I’ve tasted recently from Tuscany that you might wish to try.

2016 Monte Antico Rosso Toscano ($12) – This is the wine I mentioned above that rekindled my desire to revisit Tuscan wines. Medium-bodied with flavors of ripe dark fruit along with a slight touch of vanilla from oak aging, this is an excellent every day drinking red. Try it with pasta in marinara or a Bolognese sauce.

2015 Frescobaldi Nipozzano Chianti Rufina Riserva ($28) This lovely wine is comprised of 90% Sangiovese and 10% other varieties such as malvasia and colorino. It has flavors of tart red cherries, teaberry and nuances of oak. It is medium bodied, with some noticeable tannin and excellent balancing acidity. The wine was aged in oak for 24 months and for three years in bottle before being released. Grilled Italian sausages or barbecued baby back ribs would be great accompaniments to this wine.

2015 La Massa Toscana ($30) A blend of 60% sangiovese, 25% Merlot, 15% cabernet sauvignon and alicante bouschet, this IGT from the Chianti Classico region of Tuscany is a rich, full-bodied and complex red wine. Aged in French oak, it is silky smooth, has flavors of black cherries and is perfectly balanced. Try roasted pork tenderloin with a port wine sauce for a heavenly pairing with La Massa.

It was a very warm and sunny Sunday. Normally, that would mean firing up my old Weber to grill the edible parts of some formerly animate land or sea creature. But dang, “Little Giuseppe” (my Italian alter ego), preempted my redneck intentions and whispered to me: “mangia pasta, mangia pasta, mangia pasta……”

Yes, the weather may be warming up a bit, but you can still enjoy the exceptional satisfaction of a pasta dish whenever you get the urge. And with springtime in full bloom, you might just want to prepare a version of pasta that is a bit lighter, and also more seasonably appropriate for this time of year. So today, I will impart to you a healthy recipe that should not only satisfy your pasta craving, but also mitigate any residual guilt you may have for ingesting a few more carbohydrates.

Spoiler Alert: this dish contains broccoli!

For those of you who have an aversion to this cruciferous plant, please know that you can substitute any green vegetable that is acceptable to you, including asparagus, peas, scallions or even ramps. Or, if you so choose, you may eliminate the green vegetables altogether and stick with what’s left of the recipe. I think you’ll like it that way too. So bear with me broccoli-o-phobiacs, I think you’re going to love this dish. And guess what? I’ve got two really great wine pairing suggestions that should elevate the dining experience even more.

Fusilli with Broccoli and Italian Sausage

Ingredients:

One pound fusilli or rotini pasta
One-half pound of broccoli florets
Two links of hot or mild Italian sausage
One-half small onion finely chopped
One cup grated Parmesan cheese
Eight ounces of chicken stock
Three tablespoons of heavy cream
One teaspoon each of salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes and minced garlic
Four ounces of extra virgin olive oil
One-half cup of reserved pasta water

How To:

Fry the Italian sausage in sauté pan until done
Slice the sausage into rounds and set aside
Boil one pound of fusilli until al dente
Add broccoli florets to boiling pasta water for two minutes and remove
Drain the pasta in a colander
Sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent
Add salt and pepper and half the cheese to sauté pan and adjust to taste
Put the broccoli, chicken stock and pasta water in pan
Add fusilli and sausage to pan and heat through until mixture is integrated
Stir in the heavy cream and heat for one minute
Serve pasta into dishes and sprinkle each plate with cheese and red pepper flakes

2016 Antica Napa Valley Chardonnay ($30) This Antinori family wine tastes more European than Californian with hints of ripe apple and brioche leading to a long and silky finish. Great balance and elegance and just the right hit of acidity to marry perfectly with the fusilli dish.

2017 Domaine De Montredon Picpoul de Pinet ($17) – From the Languedoc region of Southern France, this crisp, fragrant and fruit forward white has flavors of ripe pear. This wine is a lovely counterpoint to the richness of the pasta.

 

I’m not quite sure that I would call this a trend, but I’ve recently noticed that a greater number of restaurant patrons are choosing to dine at the bar of their favorite eateries. Count me among those who prefer to forego the more formal seating in the dining room to roost in close proximity to the wine and other adult beverages being offered.

And hey, it’s not all about the drinks either. Sitting at the bar of a good restaurant has other advantages too, particularly if you’re alone or in a bit of a hurry since meals ordered there seem to be served more quickly. And the bar also offers more intimacy if you are with that someone special.

Yes, there are downsides to bar dining. It’s very difficult to enjoy the experience with more than just two in your party unless you get corner seating where couples can use that 90-degree angle to converse. And noise can be a problem too.

But there is also something special about the feeling or vibe in certain restaurant bars. In these establishments, friends meet regularly to drink, eat and discuss the issues of the day. And even strangers can make new acquaintances in the convivial atmosphere of a good restaurant bar. Of course, these establishments have exceptional bartenders who are knowledgeable, friendly, and loquacious. We are particularly fortunate in Charleston to have several restaurant bars that fill this bill quite nicely. Here are my favorites.

Bricks and Barrels has a very long L-shaped bar that is just about the perfect place to have your meal, or just sip an after work drink. The wine by the glass list is well-conceived and features one of my favorite zinfandels – Easton Amador County – by the glass. The restaurant has recently added some new menu selections and has excellent appetizers. Bricks and Barrels’ bartenders – Drew and Cody- know their stuff and can whip up any drink you can possibly think of. Try the Lightning Bug.

Soho’s U-shaped bar at Capitol Market is one of my favorite places to whet my whistle, meet friends and dine on the extensive Italian selections on the menu. Joey is the bartender and, if you’re a regular, he knows what you want to drink before you do. The wine by the glass list is fairly comprehensive. I love the Zaccagnini Montepulciano D’Abruzzo (red) to pair with the wild mushroom and caramelized onion thin-crusted pizza. You might also sip a glass of Ferrari-Carano Chardonnay to accompany the chicken Alfredo pasta.

It’s hard to top the bar at the Chop House during happy hour. Excellent appetizer and drink prices along with a friendly and competent bar staff, make this a super place to enjoy happy hour or a meal. The Chop House has a broad selection of wines by the glass and two of my favorites are the Erath Pinot Noir and the Chalk Hill Chardonnay. The calamari appetizer is top notch too.

A few other restaurants in town feature bars where it is fun to sip and sup. I love the food and wine at The Market in South Hills where the long bar has ample room for dining. And Howard at The Bridge Road Bistro is one of Charleston’s best bartenders. The Bistro has a very nice bar area with a good selection of wines by the glass. The Block in downtown Charleston is also a great place to eat and drink at the bar or in the bar area. The owner of the restaurant, Des Baklarov, has put together a deep selection of bottles from most of the world’s great wine appellations.

I’ve also enjoyed the wine and food in the bar area at Noah’s where it’s often difficult to score a table in the main dining room. I am also a fan of the food and drink at Bluegrass Kitchen’s bar where you are up close and personal to live music just about every night of the week.

Of course, I must give a big shout out to Haley at the Red Carpet Lounge who has been serving me a varied selection of beverages at the bar for several years. And now, with a new outdoor kitchen under construction at the Carpet, we’ll be seeing more dining options on the menu too.

So the next time you’re going to be dining out, you might wish to consider enjoying your meal at a restaurant that sets a high bar!