Krk Island, Croatia

Theres no better to see a city then when you can get to visit it with a friend from that area. This past week, we were invited to Punat, on the island of Krk in Croatia. With its many beautiful islands and the gem city of Dubrovnik, Croatia has really rebounded from the war in the early nineties when it was part of Yugoslavia. The summers bring thousands of tourists and the cool yet crystal clear waters fill with boats and yachts. Besides tourism, fishing and agriculture are the main industry and locals are really proud of what the land and sea produce.
On arrival late friday evening, we went straight to our friends husbands town of Vrbnik where two beautifully cooked fish we were waiting for us. Freshly caught that morning by our host, the dentice (known as dentex is english) and the orata (gilthead) were slowly baked in a brothy sauce of white wine, bread crumbs, parsley and a touch of cream. Tender but well structure the sweetness of the fish was washed down with a white wine also made by our host. Zlahtina is found really only on the island of krk and known for its hard skin and strong acidity. This bright yellow white can be a bit hard by itself since the acidity and minerality are really intense but paired with food I couldn't believe how good it was.
The next day my friends made a dinner for us which also included wine from the area, although this time chardonnay, to be had with the plumpist scampi stewed in a red sauce called 'busara' which is made from fresh tomatoes, parsley, onions, white wine, garlic, salt and pepper. We were so stuffed from the meal that all I could think about was walking around the city, trying to digest the meal while looking at the architecture and the fishing boats. Another dish my friends mother made for us was the goulash. A typical plate arriving from the east, it contains veal stewed for many hours in a brown sauce which is then poured over freshly made pasta in the form of a that similar to a penne pasta.
The weekend was perfect, the warm weather and blue skies definitely adding to our experience, learning a new wine found in the central valley of Krk, trying local foods, all we can say is thanks to our hosts ans that we cant wait to visit again!


Non c'e' ninte di meglio di soggiornare in una citta' con qualcuno che ci vive o che e' originario da quell'area. La scorsa settimana siamo stati invitati a Punat sull'isola di Krk in Croazia. Con le sue bellissime isole e le sue interessanti citta' come Dubronovik, la Croazia e' sicuramente rinata dalla guerra degli anni novanta quando faceva ancora parte della Jugoslavia. D'estate ci sono migliaia di turisti e la fresca e cristallina acqua del mare e' piena di barche e yachts. A parte il turismo, la pesca e l'agricultura sono le maggiori fonti e i Croati sono veramente orgogliosi dei loro prodotti di mare e di terra. Arrivati venerdi sera ci siamo diretti immediatamente a casa di amici di Sascia nella città di Vrbnik dove due bei pesci, un'orata e un dentice al forno ci aspettavano in tavola. Pescati al mattino profumavano di buono, teneri e dolci si sposavano bene con il vino bianco il cui produttore eravamo ospiti. Zlathina e' il nome di questo vino famoso per la durezza della buccia e per la sua notevole acidita' prodotto solo su questa bellissima isola di Krk. Bevuto da solo puo' non esser piaciuto per sua 'durezza' ma abbinato ad un piatto di pesce, ragazzi diventa un grande vino! Il giorno dopo la nostra amica a cena ci ha preparato 3 kg di scampi alla Busara, di media misura ma di una dolcezza irresistibile e li sempre a Punat abbiamo bevuto uno chardonnay niente male. Una passeggiata verso il porto a godersi la fresca brezza del mare, l'architettura della citta'e il dondolio dei pescherecci. Un'altra delicatezza che abbiamo potuto gustare a Krk è stato il goulash, tipico piatto dell'est. Gli ingredienti sono stufato di vitello fatto andare per ore sulla passata di pomodoro e versato in questo caso su della pasta fatta in casa, una vera delizia. Tanto di cappello. Andate a Krk e godete anche voi di queste bontà.

BodegasTerras Gauda 2007 Rasal at Los Huevos de Lucio

On our first night out in Madrid, we headed down to the latin quarter in search of my beloved tapas. Passing by many restaurants that offered a variety of food and wine we stopped at Los Huevos de Lucio on the famous calle de Cava Baja. We pulled up to the bar and asked the bartender what he recommended for a refreshing bottle of white on an unbearably hot day. The meritage wine produced by Bodegas Terras Gauda is a wonderful blend of albariño (70%), loureiro and caiño blanco. The strong, intense aromas of this wine paired perfectly with our seared tuna and aspargus stems appetizer. Remnents of orange and lemon, sage and other herbs were carried through to the taste which was equally as intense and persistant. Well-balanced, warm and velvelty, the time this wine spent in barrel was not an overkill to the taste which can often happen with whites. Continuing on with Spanish cheeses, salami and jambon, while looking at the pictures of past presidents and celebrities on the wall, de Lucio was a great welcome to our time in the city.

La nostra prima notte a Madrid l'abbiamo trascorsa nel Quartiere Latino in cerca delle 'Tapas'. Passando attraverso stradine, attratti da numerose vetrine di ristoranti ci siamo fermati a Taberna Los Hevos de Lucio sulla famosa Calle de Cava Baja. Ci siamo letteralmente spinti dentro facendoci raccomandare dal barista un vino bianco fresco per combattere la calura della città. Un vino bianco della Bodegas Terras Gauda un corroborante blend di albariño (70%) e loureiro e caiño blanco. L'intenso aroma si abbinava bene al nostro tonno scottato in padella assieme ai piccoli asparagi. Il vino dai profumi citrici come arancia e limone, erbacei di salvia caldo in bocca e vellutato perfettamente bilanciato, un'armonia data magicamente dalla barrique. Le tapas si susseguivano una dopo l'altra formaggi, salami e prosciutti mentre il mio sgurdo s'inerpicava fra le pareti traboccanti di fotografie con presidenti e persone illustri. Un grande inizio in questo viaggio madrileno.

Umbria III

On our last day in Umbria, we had to (of course) visit some of the local wineries. Our first stop was a vineyard we hadn't heard of before called Adanti. Set on a picturesque landscape, we entered the villa antisipating the wine within. One white, five reds and an out of this world desert Sagrantino later, we were in love with this place. Our 'host' was intellegent and informative, explaining to us all about the Sagrantino grape and the differences between the Doc, Docg and the marriages they created with is and other grapes. We were also amazed by the passito and how well sagrantino does as a desert wine (later finding out that the origins of the grape wine started as a sweet wine) After we bought a few of our favorites we thought the since we were in the area we should visit Assisi, home of the Franciscan monk and his church. The city, now a mecca to Christians, was full of tourists and medalions dedicated to the holy man. The church is set high on a hill and is visible from many surrounding towns. It was destroyed during an earthquake in 09/26/1997 and restored to its original state a few years ago. Beautiful and open, but the insane amount of people really keeps you from enjoying the experience fully. Once we'd had enough, we set of to find a Cipolloni or a place where olive oil is made. Umbria is also home to some of the best oil in Italy more olive trees the vineyards can be seen from the small roads. The Cipolloni we went to was recommended to us by our friend Andrea and is considered a great oil for the price. We tasted their regular oil and the reserva, taking home with us a couple of bottles. Back the B&B to rest and pack, sad to see the day coming to an end. We had been invited for dinner by our new friends and were interested in seeing their much talked about home. Set in the middle of fields, the ranch style home was full of ceramics and homey in an artists way. We helped set the table for the 10 expected guests and opened a few bottles of wine made by small local producers. Once everyone arrived we laughed and dined on local food, slightly enhanced by the brazilian ideas of cooking. With dogs running around us, we spoke of future plans and past experiences, all the time thinking to myself, what a simple easy life, could I live like this? Away from the hustle of city life? Maybe.

And on our drive back to Venice, I thought about it more and more. The simple life in a beautiful place full of amazing people, food and wine. Why not after all? Being happy is whats most important isn't it. And now, back in NY, I still think about Umbria and the friends we met and the places we visited. Who knows, maybe we will end there one day. It wouldn't be half bad, thats for sure.

Nell'ultimo giorno in Umbria non poteva mancare una visita ad una cantina. La scelta è caduta sull' Azienda vinicola Adanti situata tra Bevagna e Foligno in un bellissimo panorama di colline arricchite da vigneti ed ulivi. I vini in degustazione presentati erano un biano e precisamente il Grechetto dei Colli Martani e cinque rossi tutti degni di nota ma due in particolare caratterizzati da un ottima qualità prezzo sono il Montefalco Rosso Arquata DOC e il Rosso dell'Umbria IGT. Non potrei dimenticare fra quete righe il meraviglioso Sagrantino di Montefalco e il persinstentissimo Sagrantino di Montefalco Passito tutti prodotti di ottimo livello gustativo targati DOCG. Dopo averne comprate alcune bottiglie ci siamo avviati per una breve vista verso la Basilica di San Francesco d'Assisi per poi virare appena fuori Foligno esattamente a San Giovanni Profiamma per immergere i nostri sensi nel frantoio Cipolloni. Questo frantoio raccomandatoci da una amica artista Andrea è veramente un passaggio obbligato tra i molti offferti da questa grande terra. Tornando al B&B per una rinfrescatina siamo stati invitati poi da Andrea e Nicola per la cena in una cascina tra le colline umbre. Persone incredibili e affascinanti l'Umbria non finirà mai di stupirmi.