For Love of Pizza (Neapolitan, that is)

Monica Piscitelli taking a bite out of her new book on the best pizzerie of Napoli and Campania (Photo ©Tom Hyland)

Head to Italy, especially Southern Italy, and you've got to enjoy the local pizza. Where else in the world is pizza taken so seriously - and done so magnificently? 

To help you on your quest to find the best pizza during your next visit to Campania, local journalist Monica Piscitelli has written a book titled Giuda alle Migliori Pizzerie Napoli e Campania. It's in Italian, but even if you don't know the language, this is an easy to navigate book that's nicely organized with beautiful graphics and easily understood ratings.

Piscitelli begins her book with an engaging discussion of pizza in Napoli and how to recognize greatness in this product. She admits that personal opinion - objectivity - plays an important part in this decision. This is like enjoying wine, in that it depends on whom you're sharing your pizza with (or if you're sharing it), if you're enjoying it at a renowned pizzeria with a hungry crowd or simply eating it while working on your computer. Beauty in pizza - like most things - is in the eye of the beholder. Is it crunchy? Is it too runny? Was the best flour used? The Neapolitans do take their pizza seriously to say the least. 

For the author, there are some things that she needs to see and taste in a Neapolitan pizza. She writes about looking at the pizza after it has been cooked (or "fired" in the oven, if you will); this "reveals many things, not only lightness, softness (fluffiness) and uniformity, but also ... the perfect tradition of a beautifully risen pizza from the wood oven."

As for the main section of the book in which she rates the various pizzerie, the author organizes these eateries into location in Napoli (such as Centro Storico e Mercato and Toledo e Quartieri Spagnoli), just outside the city as well as other areas of Campania. She tells the history of each pizzeria, writing about the individuals that operate them and offers tidbits, as in the section on Pizzeria del Figlio di Presidente, when they served pizza to President Bill Clinton during his visit amidst a G7 conference.

But trivia aside, readers will want to know which pizzerie are the ones that Piscitelli rates the best. There are several categories including atmosphere, price and parking, but of course, everyone wants to know who serves the best pizza. Among the highest rated by the author, the list includes Starita (Via Materdei, Napoli), Umberto (Via Alabardieri, Napoli), Di Matteo (one of Napoli's most historic pizzerie and another place President Clinton stopped in) and La Notizia (Via Caravaggio, Napoli), the creation of Enzo Coccia, who has been recognized by local and international press for the quality and variety of his ingredients. There are a few others in Napoli that receive the highest rating as well as one - Pizzeria Pepe - that is situated outside of Napoli, in this case in the town of Caizzo in the northern Campanian province of Caserta.

Piscitelli also has a separate rating for the best examples of Pizza Margherita, the pizza that is the truest representation of the Neapolitan style (and one that many pizza devotees judge a Campanian pizzeria on); the list includes Pizzeria Vuolo and Di Napoli in the city of Napoli as well as the previously mentioned La Notizia and Pizzeria Pepe.

Finally for students of how this style of pizza is made there is a glossary of the pezzajuolo (the pizza maker) at the back of the book; terms such as crisceto (the mother yeast), impastamento (kneading) and stufa (stove) are defined. This is a nice source of information, one that helps lift this book above others written on the subject.

In all, this is an engaging, informative, highly detailed look at the best pizzerie of Napoli and the surrounding area and it clearly was a labor of love for the author. Brava, Monica!

Guida alle Migliori Pizzerie Napoli e Campania - Edizioni dell'Ippogrifo - 10.00 Euro

Available as an app for iPhone here.

"A Wonderful Wine Journey"

"With a little help from my friends"

My first book on Italian wines, Beyond Barolo and Brunello: Italy's Most Distinctive Wines has been available for just a little more than two weeks and sales are good, for which I'm thankful. I'm also appreciative of some special individuals I've known for a few years who have written some wonderful things about my book.

Here are the quotes from the back cover:

"The approach of this book on Italian wine is focused on the producers. Tom captivates the personal stories of some lesser-known produttori, while introducing us to some unusual grape varieties. He also tells us how to discover and understand their poetry in the glass and on the palate." - Piero Selvaggio, Owner, Valentino Restaurant, Santa Monica, CA.

"Tom has his finger on the pulse of contemporary Italy. His extensive experience with Italian winemakers and his passion for the land, vines and wines make this in-depth reference book a must-have for lovers of Italian wine." - Debra Meiburg, Master of Wine, Hong Kong

"Tom Hyland has the sense of smell of the Italian truffle dogs; he succeeds in unearthing excellent wines and great producers amidst the thousands, indeed tens of thousands of proposals. His book is a good trail to follow for all who love Italian wine. You can be secure - before recommending a glass, he enjoyed it!" - Luciano Pignataro, Wine journalist, Napoli

Then there is this wonderful quote from a review by Subhash Arora at his blog, Italian Wine Academy:

"Each wine listing describes in detail several specifics about the wine, not only the aromas and flavours, but also the style of the wine as sought by the producer. More than just a technical approach to the Italian wine industry and the specific regions, he has taken an engaging look into the individual producers as they carry out the work of their previous ancestors of creating a product that reflects the terroir and a sense of place..."

Later in the review, he writes that my book is "a wonderful wine journey." Thank you, Subhash! (Here is a link to this review.) 

Hopefully, there will be more praise along the way for my book - I'll be sure to share it!

Here is the link for ordering the book.

Tre Bicchieri Highlights

The Gambero Rosso Tre Bicchieri tasting hit Chicago yesterday and the result was a great success. This the fourth year for the tour to visit Chicago - San Francisco and New York City are the other cities on the US tour - and this year saw the largest attendance. It was extremely well received by most of the attendees I spoke with; in fact, I heard three of four of them tell their colleagues that they believe this has become the best wine event of the year in Chicago. When you consider how many wine tastings are held in Chicago every year and then consider that this is only the fourth time for this event, that's some lofty praise!

Massimo Piccin, Podere Sapaio

For those readers who are not familiar with this event, this is put together by the famous Italian wine publication, Gambero Rosso; each year, they organize numerous tastings by their panel members who sample 20,000 wines from some 2300 Italian producers. Wines that are recommended are listed and ranked according to a glass - or bicchiere (plural, bicchieri) rating. One glass is a very fine wine, while two glasses means a very highly recommended wine, while three glasses (tre bicchieri) is an outstanding wine, one that is a great example of its type. This year for the 2013 guide, a total of 399 wines were awarded this highest rating, meaning that for 2013, just less than 2% of the total number of wines tasted were awarded tre bicchieri, meaning this award is very difficult to attain and one that is highly treasured by the wineries. 

What I love about the wines that receive this award is the fact that there are many, many types, from sparkling to dry whites to lighter reds to be enjoyed over their first three to five years along with full-bodied reds made for a decade or two (or three of cellaring). Thus you have sparkling wines from Prosecco and Franciacorta, lovely whites from Alto Adige, Friuli, Marche and several other regions and reds ranging from Carignano del Sulcis from Sardinia to Italy's most famous reds such as Barolo, Brunello and Amarone. Not only is there something for everyone, but it is an excellent mirror for the Italian wine industry. I believe that consumers in America and just about everywhere outside of Italy need to learn that Italy is not just the home of what I call "trophy" reds, wines meant to compete with the world's finest. No, Italy is about lovely sparkling wines, vibrant whites wines as well as charming reds. This tasting gives you a great spectrum into what Italian wines are all about!

Marica Bonomo, Monte del Fra

A few highlights. For sparkling wines, there were several that I thoughts were standouts, including the 2011 Ruggeri Prosecco "Giustino B", the 2011 Merotto Prosecco "Cuvée del Fondatore" (two shining examples of how rich, complex and beautifully balanced Prosecco can be); also from Franciacorta, the first-rate 2006 Ferghettina Extra Brut, an extremely dry, beautifully balanced wine and the explosive 2004 Ca' del Bosco "Annamaria Clementi" Rosé, wine in that in my mind is one of the world's finest sparkling rosés.

For whites, I loved the 2010 Monte del Fra Custoza "Ca' del Magro", one of the best examples of this Veneto white. Also impressive were the 2011 Cantine Lunae Bosoni Vermentino "Etcihetta Nera", a wine of superb richness and texture with lively acidity that has been my favorite Vermentino from Italy for the past three or four vintages. Other excellent whites included the 2011 Cantina Nals Magreid Pinot Bianco "Sirmian" that displays beautiful varietal purity with subtle spice - what a lovely wine for so many meals - and the 2010 Ettore Germano "Herzu", a dry Riesling from Piemonte - yes, you read that right! - that you have to taste to believe! 

Sebastiano Rosa, Agricola Punica

Finally, just a few reds - there were so many great examples! Two beautiful versions of Carignan from Sardinia: the supple and delicious 2010 Cantina Mesa "Buio Buio" (gotta love that name) and the richly endowed and beautifully structured 2009 Agricola Punica "Barrua."

There were several examples of Amarone from the stellar 2008 vintage (this is one of the finest vintages for Amarone in the last ten years); the best included the perfectly balanced Allegrini and the elegant and traditionallly styled Speri "Vigneto Sant' Urbano." From Campania, the 2007 Feudi di San Gregorio Taurasi "Montevergine" offers wonderful varietal purity, supple tannins and nicely integrated oak; this is a beautiful red meant for ten or more years of cellaring.

Finally, I always love discovering new wines I haven't tasted before. This year my favorite was the 2009 Terrazza dell'Etna Etna Rosso "Cimeco", a 100% Nerello Mascalese with lovely wild strawberry and dark cherry flavors, polished tannins, very good acidity and lovely finesse; this is a fine example of what the top producers in Etna are accomplishing these days.


One final note on the tasting. I overheard a restaurant owner who had come in from Milwaukee for this event telling Christine Volkmer, who handles public relations for this event, that "this is the best resource we have for Italian wines." I couldn't have said it better myself!

Thanks to Christine as well as Tiina Eriksson and Lorenzo Ruggeri and their team from Gambero Rosso for their organization of this event, in which more than 110 Italian producers gather to pour their finest wines. It's a huge tasting, but it comes off beautifully and I can tell you first hand in Chicago, that each year, more members of the trade show up and are dutifully impressed. I can't wait until the 2014 tasting!

Text and photos ©Tom Hyland

Tre Bicchieri Returns!

The Tre Bicchieri tastings are back in America, beginning with a tasting this Thursday, the 7th in San Francisco and continuing next Tuesday, February 12 in Chicago and finishing up on Friday the 15th in New York City.

These tastings are organized by the Italian wine publication, Gambero Rosso. Each year in the fall, they publish their annual guide to that year's finest Italian wines and reward these offerings with a rating of one to three glasses (tre bicchieri). This year, 20,000 wines from 2350 producers were judged for the guide with a mere 399 being awarded the highest rating of Tre Bicchieri.

This is of course a must attend event for anyone in the media or trade that works with Italian wines. What I love about the event is how comprehensive it is; if your education of Italian wines is limited to reading a few American publications, chances are you know about a few famous reds. But with this tasting, you will have the opportunity to taste a great range of the best wines of Italy and discover first-hand the marvelous array of viticultural products offered by Italy. Thus you will try examples of sparkling wine such as Prosecco and Franciacorta, outstanding whites from Alto Adige, Friuli, Liguria and other regions as well as gorgeous reds such as Barolo, Brunello, Amarone, Taurasi and Barbera, to name only a few.

In each city, there will be more than 110 producers pouring their wines; each one of them earned a Tre Bicchieri rating in the 2013 guide. For a list of participating producers in each city, click on the city's name: San Francisco, Chicago, New York City.

I will be attending the event in Chicago at the historic Union Station. I hope to see you there! I'll be more than happy to point out a few of my favorites.

For trade and media RSVP, contact Christine Volkmer

A Wine Encyclopedia you can trust

Everywhere you turn these days, there's some new forum you can peruse for wine information. There are countless blogs (good and not-so-good), there are streaming videos at YouTube or at winery websites and there are articles at online sites that sell wine.

And yes, there are still books available that can provide the reader with information about a particular wine or often a large group of wines. While you should be able to trust what's written in a book (especially given the time necessary to write and edit the book as opposed to a blog that's often composed in a manner of minutes), we know that there are too many mistakes in too many wine books currently in the marketplace.

So where does the average wine lover turn to for the most intelligent and insightful information on wine? The best and easiest to understand work that I've encountered as of late is the Oz Clarke Pocket Wine Book 2013. This book has been published for numerous years and it's updated for each edition (something that you would think would be the norm for a wine book, but I can tell you that it's not), so the information is quite up to date and accurate.

But more than that, it's a great way to educate yourself about the world of wine and much of that is due to Clarke's manner in which he presents his material. I first met Oz about ten years ago after hearing a great deal about his knowledge regarding the wines of the world. Sometimes people in that position are a bit much to handle, as their egos constantly need to be fed. Well, that's certainly not the case with Oz, who's quite funny and has a wonderful sense of humor. He's actually a classically trained actor who performed in numerous productions of the plays of Shakespeare and he's got a great palate, as evidenced by his being the youngest ever person to win the title of "British Wine Taster of the Year," way back in 1973. Perhaps it's the various avenues that Oz has taken before winding up as a wine writer and critic, but whatever the recipe, it's been a winning one, as he has become one of the world's most respected wine personalities, all the while maintaining his humility.

A few notes on the book. This is in encyclopedic format, so the entires are easy to find - they are also well organized. You'll find entries on producers (more than 4500), wine regions and grape types. A star  system is used to rate various wines and for each wine highlighted, recommended vintages are listed. This last feature also deals with vintages that are meant for current consumption and those that need a bit more time in the bottle. 

Here's an example of the entries from just two pages under the letter "N": Napa Valley; Navarra; Navarro (the California producer as opposed to the Navarra district of Spain); Nebbiolo; Nebbiolo d'Alba; Nelson (a wine district in New Zealand); Nero d'Avola; Neuchatel; Neudorf (another wine zone in New Zealand) and New South Wales. That's a lot of ground to cover and it's only two pages from the "n" section of the book!

There are some more detailed entries for famous wine zones (Napa Valley, Burgundy) as well as grape types (Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc). These full-page entries are very informative, with lists of the best producers that work in these areas or with these grape types. Add to that vintage charts - both for relatively recent releases as well as older wines - and you've got quite a lot of bang for your buck. This is especially true, given the price of $14.95 ($17.95 in Canada).

Well done, Oz!

Oz Clarke Pocket Wine Book, Pavilion Press, 368 pages