"CLOTTED CREAM & WINE" A new 'Trendy', Revolutionary Wine Pairing Idea by Philip S. Kampe

Did you think that the only 'Clotted Cream' devotees are older, afternoon tea time Brits who live in Devon or Cornwall (England)? Or possibly the upper class of society who eat strawberries and cream at Wimbledon or at the Royal Ascot.
Well think again.
Clotted cream has found its way into society's never ending pairing game. What wine goes best with what food is the games name. Clotted cream is one of the new players.
Chefs and Sommeliers ask: What dish can we make using clotted cream? What wine pairs best?
The 'Clotted Cream Revolution' is in full swing.
It is only a matter of time until clotted cream will be a useful word in your vocabulary.
Clotted cream is also called 'Cornish cream or 'Clouted cream'. It is a thick cream made by indirectly heating full cream 'cow's milk' using steam or a water bath and then leaving it in shallow pans to cool slowly. During this time, the cream content rises to the surface and forms 'clots' or 'clouts', hence the name, clotted cream. 
Clotted cream is thick and rich with the consistency of soft butter. It has at least 55% butter fat, giving it a pale yellow color. It is traditionally made in Devon or Cornwall and served with scones or desserts. If you purchase an ice cream in Devon or Cornwall, it is normally topped with a spoonful of clotted cream. Clotted cream has been described as having a 'nutty, cooked milk flavor.
COOMBE CASTLE is my favorite brand of clotted cream and is widely available in your gourmet market or via www.igourmet.com online..
Like wine, clotted cream has the same Protected Designation (PDO) of Origin status as Stilton and Jersey potatoes, effectively giving its name EU-wide protection from potential imitators.
I questioned several trend setting sommeliers and chefs about the potential of pairing foods using clotted cream and what wine pairings were suggested.
Evan Goldstein, Master Sommelierand founder of Full Circle Wine Solutions (SF) sad that clotted cream is all about texture-and mostly that. There is an inherent sweetness, as well. A Late Harvest Riesling could get lost if the amount of clotted cream is too much, thus overpowering the wine. For the typical scone,strawberry jam and clotted cream pairing, I would lean towards a fortified Muscat, like Beaumes de Venise or some other southwest French example. If you have a more citusy usage, such as marmalade, perhaps Moscatel de Setubal or even a sweeter style of Madeira. If the usage is more savory, bright acid and again some weight are critical.
Jim Nejaime, wine merchant from Spirited (Lenox, Ma) recently cooked 'Veal Escalope with Garlic Clotted Cream Mushrooms' (recipe is online) and found that a Russian River Chardonnay, such as Davis Family winery Chardonnay or an elegant Sangiovese from Ferrari-Carano? Siena? Red wine from Sonoma paired perfectly with the dish.
Kollin Kozlowski, CSW, says that one of his favorite desserts is spongecake topped with a dollop of clotted cream and sprinkled with crushed marcona almonds, topped by a small pour of Ruby Port.
Any way you look at it, 'Clotted Cream' has invaded the gastronomic world that we live in. Experimenting with clotted cream regarding recipes, whether sweet or savory, has a high priority for the many 'Trendy' chefs that have taken over our universe.
Add a savvy Sommelier to the  scene and you have the making of a 'Clotted Cream & Wine Revolution'.

Philip S. Kampe
Philip.Kampe@theWineHub.com

Three 'Wines from Chile'--All screw-top bottles and ready for the Summer! by Philip S. Kampe

Chile has recently grown into a powerhouse wine production country.
Thanks to the world's top technology and world class winemakers, supported by international and indigenous grape varietals, Chile has become the poster boy representing a true wine success story.

In fact, Puro Chile at 221 Centre Street, in Chinatown (NYC) opened an office many years ago to promote the products and the land of Chile. Seminars, wine tastings, food tastings--all events are fully-booked and promoted so well that the unusual location has only met with success.

Location, Location, Location means nothing when you have the 'Best' products. 221 Centre street has proven that.

Recently I sampled many 'Wines from Chile' and have three recommendations that fill both the quality and price restrictions that we look for. Since it is summer, I, also looked for bottles that were screw-top, making wines for a picnic or other outdoor events more desirable.

My choices:
APALTAGUA Rose 2012
85% Carmenere
15% Syrah
$10
When I opened this 13% alcohol, salmon colored wine and took my first sample, I knew that I had discovered an unusual, rather intense rose that had numerous red wine characteristics. Maybe it was the rich soil or mountain water from the Andes mountains nearby or the 65 year old vines that were planted in the land from the Apalta region of the Colchagua Valley, I am not sure.
The end result was a very pleasing, smooth, long lingering rose that was a bit spicy with citrus notes on the palate. The aromatics of strawberry and fig prevailed and seduced me.

COMO SUR Bicicleta 2012
100% Viognier
$10
I am partial when I find a good Viognier at a fair, or in this case, a very reasonable price. This 13.5% alcohol driven wine is a wine that gives only pleasure to those who are drinking it. It is a wine made for odd food pairings-- stir-fry food, creamy meat dishes, felafel and pasta.
When I opened the bottle, apricot and peach engulfed my nose followed by a faint scent of honeydew melon. My first sip sang with grapefruit, pineapple and green apple. The wine was extra dry, concentrated and had a lengthy finish with mineral notes.

VIU MANENT Gran Reserva 2011
100% Chardonnay
Casablanca Valley
$10
In 2012 Robert Parker wrote, " VIU MANENT is the very model of consistency as all of its wines can be recommended and several off exceptional value". Need I say more?
The Gran Reserva 2011 Chardonnay is one of those wines. Aged for six months in French oak barrels and 14.5% alcohol, help make this big, bold bright yellow-green wine a real powerhouse house of a Chardonnay.The tannins are soft and create a near perfect balance between the oak and the fruit. I believe this wine is elegant and a true standout.

Philip S. Kampe
philip.kampe@thewinehub.com

The 'Cocktail of Venice', the Venice Spritz is now in America by Philip S. Kampe

After strolling down Venice’s cobbled streets, visiting museums and doing the tourist thing from sunrise to sunset, the thought of wine and food enters your mind step by step. The tradition in Venice is at 5pm or a little afterwards is to hop into a little café and order the ‘Official’ cocktail of Venice, the Venice Spritz.

The traditional Venice Spritz is composed of white wine, fizzy water and either bitter Campari (dry), iridescent orange-red Aperol (sweeter) or Select (somewhere in-between).

Sometimes Prosecco is used instead of wine and fizzy water. This version enhances the flavor and is a big plus.

According to the bartenders in northern Italy, a Venice Spritz made with Aperol is considered feminine and one made with Campari is considered masculine. Using Select is somewhere in-between.

Recently I was served a bottled version of the Venice Spritz at an event at the Italian Consulates residence in New York. In this case the ‘Italian Cocktail’ was bottled and ready to pour and justly named the ‘Venicespritz’. Sam Ramic, founder of Wine World Wide explained his discovery, Venicespritz, to me.

Venicespritz is made with Glera, the Prosecco grape and is only 6.5% alcohol. The color is similar to that of Aperol, iridescent orange-red. The flavor is reminiscent of the ones that I had in Venice and northern Italy.

As summer approaches, I know the Venicespritz will be my ‘go-to’ drink.
Move over Moscato (last years rage) and Prosecco (the rage in 2011), the ’Venicespritz’ is now in town.

The bottle of Venicespritz is shaped like that of a Prosecco bottle and has a screw-top, a feature that should help keep the fizz in the bottle until it is poured. I am guessing that the Venicespritz is priced similar to Prosecco, which is usually $9-$12.

The distributor and importer of Venicespritz is: Wine Worldwide (845) 255-1955.

On the web, visit: www.Mediterraneanwine.com

Philip S. Kampe

Philip.kampe@thewinehub.com

Celebrate the 150th Birthday of MARTINI Vermouths & Sparkling Wines on July 1st as told by Martini to Philip S. Kampe

MARTINI Sparkling Wines & Vermouths: Celebrating 150 Years!

 

What do Warhol, Fellini, Formula One, the Negroni and Clooney have in common? MARTINI®, celebrating 150 years in 2013!

                                   

When Americans hear the word MARTINI, most of them would picture the drink favored by James Bond. But in most other parts of the world, MARTINI can only refer to the iconic Italian winemaker. In fact, throughout Europe, if you were to order a “martini” you would receive a glass of MARTINI Bianco Vermouth on the rocks with a lemon twist.

 

On July 1^st and throughout the rest of the year, the storied brand will be celebrating its 150^th Anniversary. MARTINI has left an indelible mark on both popular culture and cocktail culture  – from its use as an ingredient in some of history’s most classic cocktails, to ad campaigns designed by the legendary Andy Warhol and commercials featuring George Clooney, to a dedicated MARTINI bar at the Dolce & Gabbana flagship store in Milan – MARTINI truly knows no bounds. Drinks like the Negroni and the Americano would not be complete without MARTINI Vermouth, and mixologists continue to be inspired by MARTINI today.

                                                                                                                                                                 

Created in 1863 by Luigi Rossi and Alessandro Martini, the company has grown and developed into a category leader, with MARTINI Asti as the number one-selling imported sparkling wine in the United States and MARTINI Vermouth, the number one-selling brand in both the United States and the world. The brand’s portfolio is vast and differs from country to country, offering superior quality vermouths and sparkling wines.

 

For many people, it’s hard to make the connection between the brand behind the 1970s “Martini & Rossi Asti Spumante” jingle and the chic, authentically Italian wine enjoyed by celebrities like Sophia Loren and Federico Fellini. For this reason, in celebration of the brand’s 150^th year, join me with a toast.. There are so many stories about the brand just waiting to be told, and this momentous anniversary seems like the perfect time to drink the real MARTINI.

 

Below are 'Classic' Cocktails, dating back to the mid-1800's. I suggest that you try all four Classic Cocktails to Celebrate MARTINI'S 150th Birthday.
Consider celebrating with these drinks on July 1st, the true Anniversary date, as well as for the big American Holiday of the 4th of July.

                                                                                                                                                                     

MARTINI CLASSIC COCKTAILS

 

Americano: Bright red and bittersweet, the Americano was born as the "Milano-Torino" at Gasparre Campari`s bar, Caffè Camparino in the 1861. The Campari came from Milan and the sweet vermouth from Turin, Italy, the original home of MARTINI. The cocktail eventually became known as the Americano due to the habit of American tourists to adda splash of soda or sparkling water to the drink.

                Recipe:        1 oz. Campari

                1 oz. MARTINI Sweet Vermouth

                Soda water

                Pour the Campari and Sweet Vermouth into highball glass filled with ice and stir.

                Top up with soda water and garnish an orange wedge and lemon twist. 

 

Negroni:  This classic Italian cocktail was first served sometime before 1920 at the Bar Cassoni in Florence (Alessandro MARTINI, founder of the brand, was originally from Florence). Bartender Fosco Scarselli created this drink for regular patron, Count Camillo Negroni, who was asking for an “Americano” with a dash of Gin.

Recipe:

1.25 oz. Gin

1.25 oz. Campari

1.25 oz. MARTINI Sweet Vermouth

Stir with ice and strain into chilled coupe or over ice in a chilled rocks glass.

Garnish with an orange twist.

-J.S. Bruscart, Cien Cocktails, 1943

                               

Manhattan: Regardless of the cocktail’s origin, the popularity of Italian vermouth in the latter half of the 19^th century made it inevitable that it would eventually end up in the Whiskey cocktail. Probably first concocted in New York City`s Manhattan Club, it was originally mentioned in print in 1884.

 

Recipe:

2 oz. Wild Turkey Rye Whiskey

1 oz. MARTINI Sweet Vermouth

2 dashes Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with three brandied cherries on a pick.

-O.H. Byron, Modern Bartender’s Guide, 1884

 

Martinez: While the origin of the Martini is widely debated, many people consider the Martinez to be the Martini’s precursor. It first appeared in Jerry Thomas`s Bartender Guide in the 1880s.

 

Recipe:

1 oz. Old Genève

2oz. MARTINI Sweet Vermouth

1 dash oranges bitters

2 dashes maraschino liqueur

Stir with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with lemon twist.                        

 

MARTINI MILESTONES

• Putting Torino on the Map – MARTINI’s production site moved to the small village of Pessione, about 15km outside Torino in 1867. However, the brand has always kept offices in Torino, its original home. MARTINI is very much part of the city’s success and the Rossi family were directly involved in the city’s promotion and development.
• Popularizing MARTINI - Alessandro Martini recruited many enterprising and far-sighted young Italians (even some members of his own family) to be MARTINI ambassadors across the world. Imbued with the spirit of the company, they were sent from Turin to establish distribution networks across the world.
• Advertising Icon - The early lithographic designs for the MARTINI advertising posters started in 1885 and formed the first advertising medium for the brand. From the 1900’s to the 1960’s MARTINI commissioned great poster artists to explore their brand through advertising. They included the Italian Armando Testa, one of the greatest poster artists of all time and the founder of modern advertising, as well as Andy Warhol another legendary artist. Modern MARTINI advertisements have featured celebrities like George Clooney and Charlize Theron.
• MARTINI and Sports - MARTINI has always had an involvement with sport, recognizing the daring, thrilling lifestyles of great competitors. In the 1920’s and 1930’s MARTINI began sponsoring cycling, as the Rossi di Montelera family were keen sportsman in their own right. MARTINI’s hit its stride in the world of motor racing sponsoring with Spanish Gran Prix in 1951. For over forty years MARTINI racing has continued the love affair through rallying to FORMULA ONE®.
• TERRAZZA MARTINI - The original concept came in 1948 from MARTINI France, which opened a hospitality lounge on the top floor of their building in the Champs Elysées which had a huge terrace and garden. By the 1950’s it had become known as the TERRAZA MARTINI. By 1965 there were TERRAZA MARTINI in London, Brussels, Milan, Geneva, Barcelona, San Paolo and Pessione. Championed by Metello Rossi, who had extensive contacts in the celebrity world, they became cultural mouthpieces for the celebrities, including Frank Sinatra and Federico Fellini, who launched anything and everything at the TERRAZA MARTINI. Although many of the original sites have been closed, the TERRAZA MARTINI continues as an international cultural event.

Perigua (Umbria) Home of the Umbria Jazz Festival and Cantina GORETTI by Philip S. Kampe and Maria Reveley

For the first twenty-two years of my life, our family home was in New Orleans (Louisiana), 'Birthplace of Dixieland Jazz'. My life experience brought me to Europe on numerous occasions.
Whenever I traveled (backpacked) Europe during my college years, every European that I talked to mentioned 'Jazz' and New Orleans in the same sentence. This happened for three summers in a row.
Eventually I moved to Europe (Nuremberg) Germany and taught at an American high school (journalism, photography and movie-making).
During the four years that I lived in Europe,the subject of Jazz was always discussedAs an adventurous traveler, with three months of summer vacation, and an owner of a VW min-camper, European travel was at my disposal.

During my summer journey, which always led me to Italy and Sicily, I noticed a billboard south of Milan advertising a 'Jazz Festival in Perugia'. As chance would have it, the Jazz Festival was going to take place within a week. With no definite plans ahead of me, I drove to Perugia, found a beautiful camp sight and parked my shiny lime green pop-up VW camper.
Perugia would be my home for the next week.
Meeting and conversing with fellow travelers was easy.
I talked with a couple of campers who I met near the sun-drenched swimming pool. We talked about Umbria and Jazz. They were, like me, in town specifically for the Jazz festival.
They also wanted to visit vineyards and taste the wines of Umbria.
Their plan was simple, swim, enjoy a late breakfast,  then drive to a vineyard near Perugia.

I was asked to join them.

At high noon we met and off we went, in search of wines from Umbria.
Little did I know, the couple that I was with were wine aficionados.
They said that we were going to visit a vineyard that is called "Goretti Winery". It is a working farm and vineyard all in one. The drive was short. We approached the vineyard and witnessed, what seemed to be, miles and miles of vines surrounding our vehicle. We drove to the biggest building we could see, parked and
was met by a Goretti  family member, I think named Gianluca.
He showed us around the winery, we sampled amazing wines (What did I know then?) and were served wonderful snacks.
The afternoon was an awakening and help mold my future.
This was just the beginning of many wine tours, for me, throughout Europe.

Now it was wine time!

The next afternoon we visited two wineries in Umbria.
My wine studies officially began.
While preparing for the Umbria Jazz Festival, we toured this landlocked paradise.
We visited the Basilica in Assisi, chocolate making in Perugia, the 14th century Cathedral of Orvieto, Spoleto, Terni,  Gubbio and Todi.Visually and culturally,
Umbria has it all. The region is known as the 'Green Heart of Italy'.

Umbria is a  true land of paradise.

And a land of people devoted to making the Umbria Jazz Festival an International event.

Crowds waited as the gates opened to welcome everyone to the festival grounds. I brought my sleeping bag with me, staked out what I thought was a great spot and waited for the music and the 'Jazz festival' to begin.

Now, over twenty-five years later, the Umbrian Jazz Festival, in Perugia, is considered one of the premier jazz festivals in the world.

The 2013 festival, which runs from July 5th to 14th (10 days), features Diana Krall, John Legend, Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, Jack DeJohnette, Chris Corea and Herbie Hancock.
For ten days, Perugia becomes a musical village, where you can hear jazz in medieval buildings and squares.

And if you need to take a break from the music, visit Cantina Goretti, now considered one of the 'Top Wine Producers' in Umbria. The vineyard is well known for their 'Grechetto' and  'Sagrantino di Montefalco.

Visit: www.umbriajazz.com for all the jazz festival information.
Visit www.vinigoretti.com to learn more about their wines and to schedule a visit to the winery.
Use the newly developed  free app: Enogastronimia to learn about Umbria.

Philip S. Kampe
philip.kampe@thewinehub.com

UMBRIA Takes Over The World with the Newly Released Free app, "Umbria Enogastronomia" by Philip S.Kampe

UMBRIA Takes over the World with the newly released Free app, “Umbria Enogatronomia”  by Philip S.Kampe

First it was Umbria Month in New York.

Now it is time for the ever-so adventurous wine, food and lodging group from Umbria to ‘Take over the World’, electronically.

A special ‘Umbrian App’ has been unveiled, just in-time for the busy summer season, a time of year that tourism thrives in Umbria, Italy’s only land-locked province. The app has 28 Dedicated Applications, presenting the best in culture, nature and entertainment in Umbria, ‘a land rich in time’.

The app is made especially for Smartphones and tablets. Umbria is breaking the mold while pushing their culture into the 21^st century via technology, while still holding on to old world traditions.

The idea behind the (English) app, ‘Umbria Enogastronomia’ is to promote tourism and gastronomy in Umbria by advertising some of the world’s nationally acclaimed food and wine specialties. In this App you will find a range of products representing the local flavors and wines of Umbria with a selection of beautifully illustrated recipes complete with the information of the origins of each dish, its ingredients and detailed instructions on how to prepare it.

The app also offers a number of itineraries illustrated with photos and videos through which you can explore the local environment, landscape, history and architecture.  The app is also innovative and follows voice commands, content sharing, a section where you can take notes and one where you can store you ‘favorites’.

To take advantage of the Free app, visit: www.ifreeware.net or www.appshopper.com .

Search for the free English Umbria Enogastronimia app. online, as I did. The above websites are just two of many that carry this Free app on Umbria.

Philip S.Kampe
Philip.Kampe@TheWineHub.com

La Mancha's "Bodegas ZAGARRON" wines 'Invade North America' by Philip S. Kampe

At one time when La Mancha was mentioned, I had visions of windmills, Don Quixote and everlasting sun light.

After a recent tasting of newly arrived wines from Bodegas Zagarron, a postwar vineyard comprised of 670 families, the words ‘La Mancha’ has taken on a new meaning for me.

Maybe it was how Patricia Lozano Cortes, Enologist from Zagarron, explained her passion for winemaking or maybe it was just the wines talking to me, but, after sampling three wines form Zagarron, La Mancha meant much more than Don Quixote.

La Mancha has taken on a new meaning to me.

Ask our peers about La Mancha and the discussion barely gets off of the ground.

Ask our peers to name the largest wine growing region in Spain and answers like Rioja, Navarra and Ribera del Duero are uttered.

Who would have imagined that La Mancha is the largest wine growing region in Spain?
With 450,000 acres, in fact, La Mancha is the ”Largest Wine Growing Region in the World”. What is even more interesting is that the varietals grown in La Mancha are mostly international varietals rather than indigenous varietals.

La Mancha’s name is believed to have Arab roots (Mantxa), which means dry land. With 280 days of sunshine, yearly, ripening of the grapes, without much worry for disease exists.

Geographically, La Mancha is approximately 90 miles south of Madrid. The region is known for its continental climate, with long, hot summers and cold winters. This means that the wine growers must contend with extreme temperatures, well above 100 degrees and frequent droughts during growing season.

Enologist Patricia Lozano Cortes, who basically lives at Bodegas Zagarron, explained that the region is going through changes and ideally wants to be identified with high quality wines at affordable prices. Her job was to prove to our group that this philosophy was adopted by Bodegas Zagarron, using her wine making skills.

Our job was to sample three wines along with special ‘snacks’, the new word for ‘tapas’, at the newly opened (four months) highly acclaimed Manzanilla brasserie in Manhattan.

This was owner and Michelin star chef Dani Garcia’s vision.

The first wine poured was the 2012 Garbeo, made with the Sauvignon Blanc grape (100%).  Everyone’s first question, in unison, to Patricia Lozano Cortes was:  How did you make this Sauvignon Blanc? Why is so different from any other Sauvignon Blanc in the market?

After a discussion about the wine making process, the 2300 feet of altitude the grapes were grown at and the sandy loam soil composition, we realized that Bodegas Zagarron produced special wines. In fact, I noted that this Sauvignon Blanc was to food, as is  Sangiovese for pizza. Both wines are food wines, one with a white grape and the other with a red grape. To prove my point, Chef Dani Garcia paired an amazing Oxtail Brioche and Tortillita Gaditana, a crisp shrimp dish, with the Sauvignon Blanc. These matches were ‘Made In Heaven’.

In addition to the ‘snacks’, I ordered an amazing Grilled Fennel Salad, full of avacados and manchego cheese to pair with the second wine, a 2012 Jaleo, made with the Grenache grape (100%).  Nora Faveluks, founder of QW Wine Experts chose to pair Huevos a la Flamenco, a dish made of a poached egg, spicy chorizo and English peas as a partner for the 2012 Jaleo. Both pairings were a huge success.

The final wine we sampled was the 2012 Tapeo, made of 100% Tempranillo. At 13% alcohol and fermented in stainless steel for seven days, this food-friendly wine found a partner in the signature Black Rice dish that I ordered. Black rice is just that, black rice colored by squid ink and topped with sautéed shrimp and cherry tomatoes, topped with a citrus aioli sauce. Nora Faveluks order of Iberico Pork Presa, a dish made with tomato pesto, potato and bacon terrine and asparagus paired equally as well with the lively, food-friendly Tempranillo. This wine was ‘Music in a bottle’.

Brand Ambassador Mickael Lourenco's  good fortune is to make North America aware that the wines from La Mancha, specifically Bodegas Zagarron, are the new wave of wines to hit our shore.
These are the wines of our Future!

Retailing at under $11.99 per bottle, who could complain?

Brand Manager Mickael Lourenco can be reached at; (917) 726-9635 ( mickael@zagarron.com )
Winemaker Patricia Lozano Cortes can be reaches at: +34 967 181 120 ( enologia@zagarron.com )

Philip S. Kampe

Philip.Kampe@TheWineHub.com