|
By The Glass Chuck Furuya |
Kapalua festival to feature
little-known jewel of a redOne of the world's great, though relatively unknown, red wine grapes is named nebbiolo.
It is a grape as fickle to grow as pinot noir. In fact, only in the frequently fog-laden, rolling hills of Langhe, Italy, does this grape truly excel.
KAPALUA WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL
Dates: July 8 to 11
Featuring: Wine seminars, cooking demonstrations, dining events throughout the Kapalua resort.
Information: Call (800) KAPALUA or check online at www.kapaluamaui.com
A Taste of Italy: Winemaker dinner benefits Maui Community College Arts Program, July 10 at Vino. Cost is $100. Call (808) 669-8466.
Like Burgundy, the top nebbiolo "crus," or vineyard sites (usually the steeper, south- to southwest-facing exposures), have risen to the top of the class over centuries.
For many, the king of nebbiolo is the appellation of Barolo and the queen, Barbaresco.
By reputation, the wine has a unique combination of "tar and roses" in its aroma and flavors. Other descriptors often include cedar, cigar box, red currants, saddle leather and anise.
In "good" vintages, cru nebbiolo has deep, complex, profoundly layered fruit flavors and a resounding, strongly puckering structure, with the best sites adding world-class breed and intricacy.
One of the wine world's most fascinating revelations is a well-aged Barolo or Barbaresco. The transformation is amazing!
With age, the wine becomes translucent, with a glorious perfume that few other grapes could hope to achieve, and a fine, silky sheerness that others could only dream of attaining.
In short, it is a wine that all wine lovers should try. For my palate, Barolo/Barbaresco is one of the world's great reds.
Three of Italy's top nebbiolo producers are coming to Hawaii July 8 to 11 for the Kapalua Wine & Food Festival. Pio Boffa of Pio Ceasare, Chiara Boschis (Pira Boschis) and Giorgio Rivetti (La Spinetta) will host tastings and cooking demonstrations. Boschis and Rivetti will be paired at one demo with celebrated Los Angeles chef Celestino Drago; Boff with San Francisco chef Suzette Gresham.
Both those events are sold out, but the winemakers also will be featured at a dinner July 10 at Vino restaurant on the Kapalua resort. The walk-around, "grazing" dinner will also feature dishes by chefs Drago, Gresham, San Francisco Fisherman Wharf icon Nunzio Alioto and Vino chef Ruth Rasmussen. Those are the fixings for a very special evening.
Chuck Furuya is Hawaii's only master sommelier and a consultant with Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar.
This column is a weekly lesson in wine pairing written by a rotating panel of wine professionals. Write to features@starbulletin.com
