Vino Novello - Italians give thanks for new wine

Although Thanksgiving isn't officially celebrated in Italy, Italians still give thanks during the month of November for their olio e vino novello, new olive oil and wine production. Vino novello is made using a different fermentation process than that of typical red wine. When harvested, the grapes are transferred uncrushed to a sealed barrel or steel vault. The winemaker then introduces carbon dioxide. With little oxygen and increased presence of CO₂, the fermentation process is accelerated. The sugars in the grape are quickly converted into alcohol resulting in a fizzy, fresh, red berry aroma all in less than 20 days!

Produced in most regions, vino novello is most common in Veneto, Trentino, Alto Adige, and Tuscany. The most popular grapes for producing vino novello are Barbera, Dolcetto, Cabernet Savuignon, Merlot, and Sangiovese. 

Officially put on the Italian market November 6, consumers will savor this wine through January. But don't try to add a bottle to you cellar collection: lacking in natural preservatives from the tannins, vino novello won't last. Drink it young and slightly chilled.


The lightweight, bright and more acid forward wine is a perfect pairing for richer holiday meals...and most under $10, they're a great value too!
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Giocale Novello Rosso 2012
Terre Di Chieti Abruzzo, Italy
This is a Novello from the south of Italy with 75% Montepulciano. It is very fruity and fairly full-bodied but well-balanced.

Castello d'Albola Sant' Ilario Novello di FattoriaToscana IGT, 2012

Tuscany, Italy

Novello is said to be born in the vineyards of Chianti and this wine stays true to the traditional style, combining the freshness of red berries with the fragrance of peaches.

Negrar Novello Del Veneto 2012

Veneto, Italy

Blackberry, raspberry, and cherry aromas and flavors.

 

NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER!

Mangia bene this November with recipes from Chef Fabrizio in Tuscany with wine pairings, plus our picks for restaurant and book of the month! 

 

http://cooking-vacations.com/newsclips-media-press-coverage/newsletter/

 

 

Honoring the Past on Il Giorno dei Morti

While in the U.S. glowing jack-o-lanterns light the way for children as they scurry from house to house for candy, in Italy the streets are empty. The festivities take place the following days on November 1st, All Saints Day (Ognissanti), and on November 2nd, Day of the Dead (Giorno dei Morti).

Although they fall on different dates, both Halloween and All Saints Day originate from the same Celtic traditions. For the Celts, the new farming year began on November 1st. It marks the transition from the season of life and harvest to winter, when nature sleeps. On the night of October 31, also known as Samahain, spirits were said to walk the earth. Once Christianity took over Pagan cults, the Samahain celebrations were turned into the Christian feast days of November 1st and 2nd. 

In Italy, many pay tribute to the dead with a visit to church and to the cemetery. Families are reunited at the table with meals of seasonal foods of pumpkin, polenta with squash, or gnocchi dei morti, made with squash or sweet potato dressed in butter, cinnamon and grated cheese.

As ancient tradition held that fava beans were a means of communication between the living and the dead, the appearance of these fave dei morti on the 2nd of November should be no great surprise. Other almond based sweets include ossa dei morti or dita dei morti, shaped like bones and teeth! And remember, while the name Il Giorno dei Morti might sound a little macabre, for Italians it's another celebration day!

Le fave dei morti - Beans of the Dead Cookies

Makes about 35 small cookies

100g (1/2 cup) Hazelnuts

150g (3/4 cup) blanched Almonds

350g (1 3/4 cups) Sugar

30g (2 1/2 tbsp) Flour

2 Egg Whites

Pinch either of Anise Seeds or Cinnamon or a little Lemon Zest as preferred

Place all dry ingredients into a food processor and work until ingredients are very finely ground. Slowly add the egg whites and process until mixture comes together. Wrap the mixture in plastic wrap and leave to rest in a cool place for at least two hours. Now you're ready to form the dough into small cookies. Generously flour a work surface and roll out thin sausages of dough, then cut into gnocchi-sized pieces. Cover a cookie sheet with oven parchment, roll the pieces of dough in flour, flattening them ever so slightly, and place on the cookie sheet and leave to rest for a further two hours. When you're ready, bake at 150°C / 300°F for 15 minutes.

Be sure you make extra! It is said that between the nights of November 1st and 2nd, the deceased relatives return to the places they did when alive. It is common in some parts of Italy to leave out an extra plate at the dinner table. Buon Appetito!

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OLIO NUOVO!

Celebrating the Italian olive picking & pressing season

Olio Nuovo, new oil!  Ooooh, just the sound of these two little words brings music to my ears!  Today in our garden, Salvatore and our olive oil pickers are busy reaping the harvest.  Large green nets are spread under trees like catch nets under a circus trapeze...tied to branches, fences and whatever they can hold on to, while sun tanned farmers with worn leather-like hands pick vigorously by hand.  With a small hand-held rake, the farmers gently sweep off the olives from the branches, being careful not to bruise them.  They fall to the net and then are wrapped up, bagged and carried to the frantoio, the press. 

 

The olive fruits, that were only small pearl sized in May, have now grown full size and are ready for pressing.  And all in a days work!  Yes, the picking, cold pressing happens quite fast so the olives don't lose their fresh flavor!   

Poured into glass green bottles to keep it away from light, the Olio Nuovo  is made with Leccino, Curatora, Frantonoio & Coratina olives.  These varieties give an excellent, high quality and low acidity of 0.25%;  which qualifies it to be extra virgin.  Our olives are grown on a small olive oil orchard, tenderly cared for by our farmers and picked just at the right time.  Grassy and with a hint of almond give this olive oil a clean taste.  Celebrate the season with Olio Nuovo, drizzled on bruschetta, risotto, pasta, fish or meat!  A good olive oil not only tastes good, it is imperative in the healthy Mediterranean diet.

Check out our lemon olive oil, made with Amalfi Coast lemons, and hot red chili pepper too at Marketplace Page.

DIY: Drying Italian Herbs & Spices

Our chefs know just how important it is to have fresh herbs and spices on hand to bring out the best in their seasonal foods. Now with summer over our shoulder and the gifts from the garden winding down, we're in full preparation for the winter months ahead. In Positano we're busy keeping the flavors of summer by naturally drying our organic garden herbs and chili peppers!

We naturally grow high quality basil (basilico), parsely (prezzemolo) marjoram (maggiorano), oregano (origano), rosemary (rosmarino), sage (salvia), thyme (timo) red chili peppers (peperoncini) which can all be dried either by air or oven.

Air-drying: Choose a dark, airy place. Attics and sheds are ideal, but a dark breezy room will work fine. Tie the stems of the chili peppers or a loose bunch of cut herbs with twine or thick string. Hang the branches upside down by the string. After a few weeks the leaves should be completely dry, rub them off the stems and store in clean, glass jars away from direct light.

Another alternative is to pick off the leaves and leave them to dry on clean, dry racks allowing air to circulate. Drying on racks is best for large-leaved herbs such as sweet basil or bay leaves.

Oven drying: Start by setting oven on low heat, 150° F or lower. On a metal rack or screen, layer fresh herbs and leave in oven for 20 - 30 minutes or until dry.

When herbs are crisp, remove the leaves from the stems and crumble them into clean, glass jars.

Or leave the harvest to us, and visit our Marketplace page, where a full line of spices and olive oils are available. The natural herbs and spices are simple to use, healthy, and compliment any pasta, sauce, soup, toasted bread, fish or meat recipe.

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