Corti Brothers Newsletter for Summer 2002    Page 4  

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PIACERI DALL' ORTO MIXED MUSHROOMS

An easy to fix, unusual, and delicious antipasto or starter course is a plate of mushrooms. Italians dote on pickled mushrooms. One producer in Ancona, in the Marche Region of Italy, has produced a lovely combination of mixed mushrooms under the PIACERI DALL' ORTO brand. These are not your average run of the mill mushrooms, but a delicious blend of wild and cultivated mushrooms, a terrific mixture of five different kinds, not normally found together. The wild one is Boletus edulis, "porcini." Oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus,) cultivated white mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus,) straw mushrooms (Volvariella volvacea,) and the nail shaped, light orange colored, "chiodini" (Kuehneromyces mutabilis, previously Pholiota mutabilis) are the cultivated, but also somewhat exotic, ones.

Although they may be used as they come from the jar, I would recommend emptying them into a strainer, letting them drain, and then placing them in a bowl with a good dollop of extra virgin oil, some finely chopped parsley, a squeeze of lemon and salt and pepper to taste. You now have a quick summer first course to accompany grilled vegetables or ripe tomatoes. The different crunchiness of each mushroom, each with its own special flavor and texture, makes this mixture a delicious one. Add some good bread to sop up the dressing with and a cool light red wine, the Mixed Mushrooms could even become a refreshing summer dinner.

VINUM: THE STORY OF ROMAN WINE

This recently issued book is the work of Dr. Stuart Fleming, the scientific director for the Museum Applied Science Center for Archeology, MASCA, at the University of Pennsylvania. His specialty is the dating of ancient pottery. Having produced two striking works on Roman glass, he wrote VINUM: THE STORY OF ROMAN WINE.

This is wonderfully informative, both with text and visuals, of wine's place in Roman culture. The period covered is from 2nd century B.C. to the early 7th century A.D. VINUM describes where and how Roman wines were produced, and the people who drank them, both at banquets and bars. For the Romans, wine was special. With oil and grain, it formed the backbone of their economy. Fleming's work allows us to see a quite intimate view, as far as we are now able, of life both with and without wine. Fleming shows also the scope of wine growing and production throughout the Mediterranean. The illustrations in the book are wonderful; one can see how design sophisticated this period was. This is a scholarly work which educates the wine lover, pricks the curiosity of the historian, and impresses the artist. We still have much to learn about wine and its culture from the Romans.

TYRRELL'S VAT 1 HUNTER SEMILLON 1996--Australia's unique gift to the wine world

"Semillon is alive and well in the Hunter (Valley). It continues to make great wine which has a distinctive character...If you have never tasted an old Hunter Semillon, try one on the next special occasion and I believe you will see what I am carrying on about." James Halliday, The Australian Wine Compendium, 1985
Tyrrell's is a family owned winery in the Hunter Valley, north of Sydney, Australia. This unoaked, bottle aged Semillon is an Australian classic wine style and the winner of the Best Wine of the Show Trophy at the Sydney Wine Show in 2001. The trophy is one of the most prestigious awards to be won at an Australian wine show.

Semillon arrived in the Hunter Valley in the 1820's. By 1844, it was called Shepherd's Riesling and then became known as Hunter Riesling. It is now known under its correct name, Semillon. In Australia, different styles of white wine have been produced from this variety. Wines called Hunter Riesling, Chablis, and White Burgundy were all at one time produced from Semillon. In fact, Tyrrell's Vat 1 was originally called Riesling when bottling began in 1963. Previously, Tyrrell's, like many California wineries, sold most, if not all, of its wine in bulk to other wineries.

Vat 1 is made from Tyrrell's oldest and best blocks of Semillon. The 1996 was picked at slightly high sugar levels in mid to late February 1996, fermented cold in stainless steel, racked off its lees, and bottled in June, 1996. Alcohol is 10.6% and pH 3.10. The strong fruit and acidity of this Semillon becomes a toasty quality with bottle age. The wine retains its firm backbone while developing a characteristic greenish gold color. Flavor intensity continues to build with further bottle age. This is a wine which will easily last 10 years or more in bottle.

The flavor development is incredible and very distinctive. If any wine producing country has a special style for certain of its wines, Hunter Valley Semillon, made in the classic, unoaked fashion and with bottle age, is the quintessential Australian one. Tyrrell's Vat 1 Hunter Semillon 1996 is arguably Australia's finest Semillon.
TYRRELL'S VAT 1 HUNTER SEMILLON 1996 $35.99 750ml

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