Gourmet winery restaurants are popping up all over Italy, making the
touring of vineyards less hard work. So get packing for a truly
gastronomic break, says Kerin O'Keefe
Not so long ago, a visit to any Italian winery entailed driving up a
bumpy country road, knocking on a locked door and asking an
unenthusiastic owner to show you around the cantina. If you were lucky,
the winemaker would grudgingly sell you a few bottles at the end of the
visit. The quest for a decent bite to eat after this 'tour' normally
proved futile. More often than not, the oeno-tourist ended up driving
great distances to find a trattoria just as it finished serving lunch,
so had to settle for a simple panino at a local café.
Thankfully, times are changing, as wineries open gourmet restaurants on
site. What started off as an anomaly has turned into one of the hottest
trends in the Italian wine world. In many instances, producers have
teamed up with star chefs, whose offerings rival what diners could once
expect to find only in the top restaurants of Rome or Milan. As an added
benefit, these new restaurants offer spectacular views of the same
vineyards that produce the wine they will be enjoying throughout dinner.
Marco Caprai, restaurateur and one of Umbria's top producers, says: 'The
best way to end a winery visit is enjoying the wine with a local dish.
It should be an essential part of the experience.' It's a stance
increasingly adopted across Italy…
Alto Adige
When Elena Walch took the reins at her husband's winery, not only did
she modernise the wine and winemaking, she also took marketing to new
levels in Alto Adige. She even made the bold move to refurbish the
family's 350-year-old castle – immersed among hillside vineyards and
offering views over Lake Kalteren – and turn it into a restaurant.
'I wanted to offer patrons not only a memorable dining experience, but a
new insight into the wines they would be sipping during their meal.
Surrounded by vineyards, one can appreciate what goes into each glass of
wine,' says Walch.
Here, husband-and-wife team Stefan Unterkircher and Claudia Pitscheider
offer a menu of traditional meals infused with a Mediterranean
influence, such as grilled tuna and garlic with grilled polenta, and
vegetarian lasagne. An ample wine list highlights Walch's wines, but
also offers bottlings from other Italian regions, as well as abroad.
Castel Ringberg, Caldaro (BZ).
Tel: +39 0471 960 010
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0471 960 010end_of_the_skype_highlighting;
www.castel-ringberg.com
Campania
Rising up among rolling hills covered with vines, Feudi di San
Gregorio's ultra-modern metal, glass and concrete winery shocks visitors
on first sight. The image perfectly embodies the firm's philosophy of
combining tradition with innovation, and this remains especially true
with the winery's on-site restaurant, Marenn".
Husband-and-wife design team Massimo and Lella Vignelli kept the décor
in the same minimalist style as the rest of the new centre, with
chestnut tables and comfortable red leather chairs. Tall windows offer
wonderful views of the rolling Irpinian landscape. Restaurant manager
Vito di Tello studied under famed chef Heinz Beck of Rome's La Pergola
Restaurant, as did chef Paolo Barrale.
Enzo Ercolino, president of Feudi, says: 'Our intention was to bring the
traditional tastes of Campania to the modern table.' The cuisine is
Feudi's hallmark mix of classic and modern. Among the treats on offer
there is sumptuous veal marinated in Taurasi and served over a bed of
delicately flavoured onions, or baccal" salad with herbs served over a
medley of vegetables. The restaurant also offers an unusual wood-oven
menu that includes everything from antipasto to dessert. The wine list
is Feudi's own.
Marenn", Feudi di San Gregorio, Localit" Cerza Grossa, Sorbo Serpico
(AV).
Tel. +39 0825 986 626
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0825 986 626end_of_the_skype_highlighting; www.feudi.it
Piedmont
While the Boroli family, founders of the DeAgostini publishing empire
and now Boroli Publishing, may be recent converts to winemaking, their
impact on the local wine and food scene has already been significant.
The wines from their two estates outside Alba are receiving
international acclaim, and their restaurant at the Cascina Bompè winery,
surrounded by Moscato, Barbera and Dolcetto vines, is a welcome
addition.
'We wanted to offer a modern interpretation of traditional dishes,' says
Achille Boroli. Chef Maurizio Quaranta conjures up dishes such as
venison with juniper served in a bed of roasted vegetables and
hazelnuts. All ingredients are local, and the restaurant's pasta, bread
and breadsticks are made on the premises. The wine list has over 400
listings from all over the world – plus, of course, Boroli wines from
the local vineyards.
Locanda del Pilone, Localit" Madonna di Como, Alba (CN). Tel. +39 0173 366 616
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0173 366 616end_of_the_skype_highlighting; www.locandadelpilone.com
Sicily
Close to Cefalù and overlooking the Mediterranean, Abbazia Santa
Anastasia has been converted from a Benedectine abbey into a winery,
complete with hotel and restaurant. Owners Francesco and Paola Lena
replanted the surrounding vineyards and restored the 14th-century
buildings which now house the winery.
The estate's two dining options, La Corte dell'Abate, open for dinner,
and Passioni e Tentazioni, lunch only, both serve Sicilian specialities.
Typical dishes include fresh pasta with lightly fried broccoli coated
in breadcrumbs, or pork stuffed with fresh, aromatic herbs. The wine
list focuses on the estate's own bottlings, with a limited choice of
wines from other regions of the peninsula.
La Corte dell'Abate, Abbazia Sta Anastasia, Castelbuono (PA). Tel. +39 0921 672 233
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0921 672 233end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Tuscany
Just south of Tenuta Tignanello, the Antinoris' Badia a Passignano
vineyards surround an ancient monastery where the family has use of the
cellars. Below the abbey, Allegra Antinori opened a shop selling wine
and local specialities and, in 2000, opened the Osteria restaurant.
'Because the place is so beautiful, we get a lot of visitors, and I
wanted to give them the option to enjoy a meal with a glass of wine
right here in the vineyards,' she says. 'Osteria showcases not only the
local wines and cooking, but also the surrounding vineyards and
countryside – quintessentially Tuscan.'
Chef Marcello Crini has lightened traditional dishes to suit visitors
not used to the sometimes heavy local cuisine, cucina povera. Egg
spaghetti with wild-duck ragù served with raspberry sauce, and roasted
rabbit with black olives and fennel cream on a bed of bittersweet chard
leaves are examples of modern renditions of simple-yet-classic dishes.
All the Antinori wines are available, as well as nearly 300 other
listings from local and international wineries.
Osteria di Passignano, Via Passignano 33, Localit" Badia a Passignano,
Tavarnelle Val di Pesa (FI). Tel. +39 0558 071 278
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0558 071 278end_of_the_skype_highlighting; www.osteriadipassignano.com
One of the most recognised names in Italian wine, Banfi now boasts two
dining options at its estate south of Montalcino. The Michelin-starred
Ristorante Castello Banfi is as elegant as it sounds. Dinner is served
among frescoed walls, with large windows overlooking the view. Its
cuisine is Mediterranean and inspired by the finest local ingredients.
The more casual Taverna, open for lunch only and housed under the
vaulted ceilings of what was once the estate's cellars, relies on more
traditional, although equally tasty, Tuscan dishes.
Chef Guido Haverkock creates the menus and prepares the food for both
restaurants. Taverna's simple fare, such as the dense, delicious,
ribollita soup or the veal braised in Brunello, is a perfect ending to a
morning of exploring and wine tasting. Dinner at the ristorante is a
culinary treat not limited to the area's specialities, as dishes such as
foie gras in cranberry sauce and potato purée reveal. While the wine
list at Taverna is limited to Banfi selections only, the more extensive
list at the Ristorante includes many international choices – albeit ones
imported and distributed in Italy exclusively by the producer.
Castello Banfi, Sant' Angelo Scalo, Montalcino (SI). Tel: +39 0577 816 054
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0577 816 054end_of_the_skype_highlighting; www.castellobanfi.com
