Delamain Grande Champagne 1982, bottled in 2009 is the last cask of this very special cognac Corti Brothers owns. Over a period of thirty years, we have offered exclusively in our country, this now rare cognac style. It originates from the tradition of British wine merchants shipping to England newly distilled cognac for aging in cool, damp cellars in England. The result is a pale colored, very perfumed cognac with great delicacy on the palate. It is a style now almost forgotten.

Two famous, small cognac firms, Hine and Delamain were the last to offer young distillates for aging in England. Hine has stopped doing so and only Delamain continues. The two firms historically have some things in common since Thomas Hine, the founder of Hine, married a Delamain daughter. Both companies have the highest reputation; both are Royal Warrant holders in England, and both deal primarily, if not exclusively, with Grande Champagne cognac.

Delamain Grande Champagne 1982 has been aged in damp cellars in Bristol, England, and has produced a remarkable bottle. Originally, there were two casks; after tasting samples of both, I decided to sell the less interesting one and bottle the better. What you will taste in this bottling is a spirit that is worthy of the house that selected it, the aging given it, and you who will enjoy it.

Delamain Grande Champagne 1982 750ml (#2625)

We can still offer a limited amount of Hine Grande Champagne Early Landed Cognac:

Hine Grande Champagne Cognac 1972, bottled 1992 750ml (#2626)

Hine Grande Champagne Cognac 1977, bottled 2000 750ml (#2627)

Please keep in mind that these bottlings, once gone are gone forever. They keep very well cellared standing up and only become more precious and valuable.

This is a reprise of one of the best rums we have ever sold. Since 1978, Corti Brothers has offered Wedderburn Rum in different ages. The first was 10 years old, then 12, and ultimately 25 years old. Now we have it back in an 8 year old version which has all of the flavor and much of the character of the previous offerings.

Wedderburn is a high flavor rum, made with the addition of the fermented “dunder,” the residue from previous distillations, to the fermenting cane juice, which, when distilled, gives the rum a very typical, exotic scent. This scent is characteristic of this type of rum and not easily forgotten. Wedderburn Vale Royal is a rum for drinking straight, after dinner, or for mixing with not overly strong flavored juices. Freshly squeezed orange or tangerine juice would be wonderful mixed with it.

Wedderburn Vale Royal Jamaican Rum 2002 750ml (#2628) $226.00

Once again it is that time of year when Panettone takes center stage for holiday entertaining. This traditional Italian cake is the symbol of Christmas for Italians. We have from our two favorite producers, Loison and Bardi, another wonderful selection of old favorites and a new variation for 2010, which just might entice you. We have tried to keep prices for this year about the same as last year, this, in spite of the poor dollar/euro exchange. Each year, Loison bakery comes up with new styles of panettone. This year we have only one: Albicocca e Zenzero, candied apricot and ginger.

Loison Panettone All’Albicocca e Zenzero basso shape, 1000g, yellow box, ribbon, (#2629)
Mixed with high quality, candied young ginger and fragrant candied apricots, this is a delicious new flavor combination. Very fragrant and very tender, the blend is better than either candied fruit alone.

Loison Panettone Al Chinotto basso shape, 1000g, yellow box, ribbon, (#2630)
Chinotti are small, green skinned citrus (Citrus myrtifolia) which used to be much consumed before WWII. Now they are almost a relic of candied fruit. With their aromatic, “lime-like” character, chinotti make this is a very special, unique panettone, exclusive to Loison.

Loison Panettone al Mandarino di Ciaculli basso shape, 1000g, yellow box, ribbon, (#2631)
Unique, the Late Mandarin from Ciaculli, a Palermo, Sicily, suburb, adds its distinctive, fragrant aroma from candied peel, replacing other citrus. The mandarin is a Slow Food Presidium product. A Loison exclusive.

Loison Panettone Amarene basso shape, 1000g, yellow box, ribbon, (#2632)
Large candied sour cherries called Amarene are added to the usual peel and raisins. Amarene, large and juicy, lend a distinctive fragrance and savor. If you like cherries, this is for you.

Loison Panettone Ai Fichi basso shape, 1000g, yellow box, blue ribbon, (#2633)
Made with white Calabrian Dottato figs, giving a special character. This year in a 1 kilo size.

Loison Panettone Classico 1476 Latta basso shape, 750g, decorative tin, (#2634)
Before the turn of the 19th century, bakers vied for whose tin was the best presentation. This is the fifth year Loison has produced a collectible tin with a cord handle. The designs are from the Loison panettone memorabilia collection. If you have the others, you need this year’s.

Loison Panettone Noël basso shape, 1000g, yellow box, ribbon, (#2635)
With candied pears and the spices of northern Europe, cinnamon and cloves.

Loison Panettone Al Torcolato Maculan basso shape, 1000g, ivory paper wrapped, (#2636)

Loison Panettone Classico 10 kg (#2638)

Loison Panettone Classico 5 kg (#2639)

Loison Panettoncini 100g, cream colored box (#2640) The smallest made.

Bardi Panettone has slightly different characteristics from Loison. It is produced by a noted Piemontese bakery, which makes a series of complimentary flavors to the Loison. There are both the (tall) Alto and Basso (low) shaped panettone; Senza Canditi, without candied fruit, just raisins; Nocciolato, glazed with hazelnut paste; Fondente, perfumed with orange flower water, pieces of chocolate, glazed with chocolate and almonds. Pandoro, a Verona specialty, without fruit and in a tall star shape, to be covered with powdered sugar, is eaten traditionally at New Year. All Bardi Panettone are 1000g (2.2lbs) in size.

Bardi Panettone Alto Traditional tall shape, candied citrus and raisins, boxed (#2642)

Bardi Panettone Basso Traditional low shape, candied citrus and raisins, boxed (#2643)

Bardi Nocciolato Low shape, hazelnut glaze, citrus fruit, raisins, boxed (#2644)

Bardi Senza Canditi Tall shape, no candied fruit, just raisins, gold foil wrapped (#2645)

Bardi Fondente Low shape, chocolate bits and glaze, fruit and orange flower, almonds, silver foil (#2646)

Bardi Pandoro Tall, star shaped golden bread, no fruit, box (#2647)

One of the real glories of winter for northern Italians is being able to dine on Bagna Cauda. This is a sauce, not a dish, which gives its name to a communal meal of raw vegetables and warm sauce. The vegetables should be crunchy, fall/winter ones like carrots, celery, peppers, cardoons, cabbage, turnips, etc., that are cut into manageable pieces and then dipped into the sauce, the Bagna (bath). The sauce has as its basis garlic, oil, and anchovies and it is anchovies that I would like to bring to your attention.

Consorzio Selección Platino Filetes de Anchoa are possibly the best tinned anchovies on the market. Fished from the cold waters of the Bay of Biscay in northern Spain and packed in olive oil, they are full flavored and tender. Used as they are, Selección Platino anchovies are delicious. Put into the Bagna Cauda, they are even better. Since Bagna Cauda is very simple, the quality of its ingredients is paramount and anchovies are the major ingredient (together with garlic and oil.) We will supply our recipe for Bagna Cauda to anyone who asks for it. It is a treat that you should experience.

Consorcio Filetes de Anchoa Selección Platino 50g tin (#2648)

Ball Club Wild Rice is hand harvested by two people in a canoe during the months of August and September--the 3-4 week window for harvesting genuine wild rice (Zyzania aquatica)--in Minnesota. Known as Mah-No-Men in the Anishinabe language, wild rice is a cultural staple, medium of exchange, and food delicacy. Ball Club Wild Rice has a pale khaki brown, gray color, the natural color of wild rice. Traditionally harvested from wild growing plants, it is very different from the very hard, paddy grown, machine harvested, black parched “wild rice” normally found in commerce.

Since Ball Club wild rice has just been harvested, it does not need to be soaked before cooking and will take about ½ hour to cook. It is delicate, yet intensely scented. If you have never enjoyed this kind of wild rice, Ball Club is a revelation. A delicious and very North American addition to turkey or game fowl, it is equally at home with grilled or roasted beef, pork, or lamb as an alternative to potatoes or other starch. Since it reheats very well, it is worthwhile to make more than can be eaten at one time. Just re-steam to heat.

Ball Club Chippewa Wild Rice 12 oz bag (#2649)

Since 1982, Corti Brothers has imported directly, Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale, the only real Balsamic Vinegar, from a family producer outside of Reggio Emilia, Azienda Agricola San Geminiano. We are very proud of this fact, since it was the first time that this vinegar had been imported into the U.S. We are still importing San Geminiano vinegar, and with a few additions.

The Violi family, which owns San Geminiano, are founding members of the Consorzio of Reggio Emilia, one of the two consortiums that were allowed to control Traditional Balsamic Vinegar. (The other is that of Modena.) Tradizionale vinegar, made only from boiled down grape must and time, has passed from being controlled by the consortium to a product with a Protected Denomination of Origin, controlled by the government. The Consorzio still does the bottling of the product when commercialized in the Consorzio’s distinctive bottle.

However, now the individual producers can themselves bottle the same product and not pay the Consorzio’s bottling fees. San Geminiano has decided to have a foot in both camps: They still offer the Consorzio bottling and an estate bottling called Passione Per Balsamico (Passion for Balsamic Vinegar.) Both bottlings are equal in quality and quantity, 100ml or about 3.3 ounces per container. If you want the Consorzio bottling, we still offer three qualities from cask age, and the new estate bottling, Passione.

San Geminiano also produces a young product which previously was called Mastro Acetaio. Now it is called Agrestum. Agrestum comes from the Latin word for countryside “agro” and also the same word for something “sour,” hence, vinegar. It is merely a young version of balsamico, made from boiled down must. It is perfectly lovely for dressing salads, but since it is younger, not as expensive as the Tradizionale.

We offered another product called MIX. This was a mix of old vinegar (4/5 of the blend) blended with a Tradizionale, whose production began in 1970 (1/5 of the blend.) This blend is no longer allowed under Italian law and is substituted for by a younger Tradizionale, now called Passione 8. Extremely high quality, it is the youngest Tradizionale San Geminiano sells. But it is not available in the lineup from the Consorzio bottling. If you trust Corti Brothers and we trust San Geminiano, nothing is lost, nothing is taken away, but there are some slightly less expensive Balsamicos to be enjoyed. And this is the whole reason for this complicated explanation. (Rather like much in Italy, what seemingly looks simple, is often very complicated.)

San Geminiano Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale Argento AS15-1970 100ml in box (#2650)

San Geminiano Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale Oro AS19-1855 100ml in box (#2651)

San Geminiano Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale Oro Riserva AN 12-1650 100ml in box (#2652)

San Geminiano Passione Per Balsamico 8 (Replaces MIX) 100ml in box (#2653)

San Geminiano Passione Per Balsamico 12 (corresponds to AS15) 100ml in box (#2654)

San Geminiano Passione Per Balsamico 25 (corresponds to AS 19) 100ml in box (#2655)

San Geminiano Agrestum (Replaces Mastro Acetaio) 250 ml (#2656) $172.00

My annual appeal for interest in these two cod fish products always comes in fall/winter. Why? Because they represent an antique foodstuff that we have lost sight of and are made into stew-y dishes, welcome this time of year.

Stoccafisso (Stockfish) is air dried cod fish. Baccalà is salted codfish. Both are from Norway, where in the icy water from near the Arctic Circle, these cod are caught and prepared. Stockfish is also the basis for Lutefisk. Both fish require some forethought, since they must be soaked in cold water, changed often, for several days before using. Both have become expensive food stuffs, rather than what they once were, a preserved protein, the food of the poor. If you have never tried either, now is the time you should. They represent a food memory which is still valid and very attractive. If we have begun to enjoy sashimi and sushi in various guises, here is another delightful form of fish. We can supply recipes using both stoccafisso and baccalà upon request.

Stoccafisso, “Ragno” quality, is fished off and dried on the Lofoten Islands on Norway’s western coastline. Baccalà, is split and salted Norwegian cod, preserved with its bones and skin. It is sold cut from a whole, splayed fish. “Superior” means that these were very large fish. It is also known as bacalao or bacalhau.

Stoccafisso, whole fish, average weight 1.75 lbs $36.99 lb. Specify: Beaten (#2657) or Whole (#2658). These are sold in random weights. Please call us to order.

Baccalà, Norwegian Superior Salt Cod (with skin and bones) random weights (avg. 1.5 lb.) $18.99 per lb. (#2659) These are sold in random weights. Please call us to order.

Ardoino Vall’aurea Extra Virgin Oil has been a great favorite at Corti Brothers since 1980. We imported Ardoino oil because it was the most famous and highest quality Ligurian oil on the market in Italy. Nanni Ardoino, the last Ardoino owner, was one of the founders of the Onaoo, the Italian national organization of olive oil tasters, the first didactic and oil sensory tasting panel in Italy.

Vall’aurea is the prototype of Ligurian oil made from taggiasca olives. It is a light fruity intensity oil beloved by palates not interested in intense fruity oils with pungency and bitterness. It is the oil of choice in making pesto, mayonnaise, Bagna Cauda, salad dressings for delicate lettuce, or saucing simply cooked, delicately flavored fish. On both the Italian and French Rivieras and in Piemonte, this style of oil is the oil of choice and for good reason. This is an oil typology which is food friendly, doesn’t change the taste of a dish, but acts as an unguent, not a condiment. I think a lot of Americans would prefer this oil to the more intense ones.

Vall’Aurea (Silvery Valley)is the name of an olive tree covered valley to the north of Imperia on the Italian Riviera due to the silvery color of the mass of trees. The fruit of these trees is the golden liquid extracted using the Rapanelli system of percolation in oil extraction. Vall’Aurea was also the first oil marketed with gold foil wrapped, dark green glass bottles, to protect the precious liquid even further from light degradation.

From Ardoino we also buy other products: Taggiasca Olives in brine and Taggiasca olive paste, Olivia. I called Olivia the “black gold” of the Riviera when we first imported it. It takes about 18 months to properly cure Taggiasca olives for the table. They are small in size and big in flavor. It takes even longer to produce the black olive paste from them. Olivia is a typical Ligurian condiment where it is used to dress pasta, generally farfalle. We can supply our recipe booklet for using Olivia which we first printed thirty years ago.

Ardoino Vall’aurea Extra Virgin Olive Oil 500ml (#2660)

Ardoino Olivia Taggiasca Olive Paste 180g (#2661)

Ardoino Taggiasca Olives in Brine 240g (#2662)

This is a very rare bottling of Gonzalex Byass Oloroso sherry created to commemorate the new Millenium. It is a blend of vintage oloroso sherries from 1902, 17, 23, 35, 46, 57, 62, 77, 83, 92. These ten vintages, one from each decade of the 20th century, are true vintage wines, from the unique collection of single harvest wines kept by Gonzalez Byass as separate, individual wines, unique in every respect. It requires the immense stock of wines from a great sherry house to be able to pull this off, and Gonzalez Byass is probably unique in being able to do so.

We have a small quantity of this rare, dry oloroso, bottled in 1999, and recommend it to our sherry aficionado customers. A wine like this is not new to Corti Brothers. We have previously offered some of the single vintage sherries bottled by Gonzalez Byass, notably the 1963 and 1966 Olorosos. The Millenium bottling is a blend of the ten vintages, now ten years in bottle with a driven cork and wax seal. This is not exactly an old in bottle sherry, but pretty close.

Gonzalez Byass Millenium Oloroso is packaged in an elegant maroon leather case, suede lined, with two crystal copas. This is the ultimate gift for a sherry lover, or any wine lover, for that matter.

Gonzalez Byass Millenium Oloroso Sherry Bottled 1999, bottling of 2000 bottles 750ml (#2663)

Fattoria Petrini is an oil estate which we have not sold for several years. We now have it back in stock since it is one of those intermediate style oils, not too light and not too intense, that pleases many palates because it is “just right.” Fattoria Petrini is on the Adriatic Coast of Italy in the Marche, a region that, before the “invention” of green oil in Tuscany, its neighbor to the west, used to supply Tuscany with its oil. In this Region, the olive cultivars are somewhat different. The two oils we have are San Vito, a blend of Raggia, Frantoio, and Leccino and Sei Colli, a blend of Raggia, Frantoio, Leccino, Maurino, Moraiolo, Carboncella, and Rosciola. Both oils are certified organic.

San Vito is a light fruity intensity oil with fine balance. Sei Colli is a light medium intense fruity oil, more pungent than bitter.

Fattoria Petrini also produces a new package for Sei Colli oil, a Blister Pack. This is a single portion presentation that I first saw at the Petrini stand at Tokyo’s FoodEx this past spring. A very handy method of presenting oil for a single serve, this might just be the wave of the future for take away salads and salad bars. Light and compact, the blister pack insures that you can have high quality oil wherever you go. There are 10, three pack blisters of 10 ml each per carton, sold only by the carton. This new presentation is very handy for picnics, or where ever you want good oil without the possibility of spilling it.

Fattoria Petrini: San Vito Olive Oil 500ml (#2664)

Fattoria Petrini Sei Colli Olive Oil 500ml (#2665)

Fattoria Petrini Sei Colli Olive Oil Blister Pack, 30 individual servings carton (#2666)

Sunnyland Mills in Fresno, California, have made wheat products for 75 years. What kind of wheat products? Primarily bulgur, which is a special kind of wheat product. It is steamed, cracked whole wheat, usually in three sizes: fine, medium, and coarse. Bulgur is normally made from white wheat; Sunnyland has now produced a “golden” bulgur made from durum wheat. Since durum wheat has more fat, it has a tendency to rancidify quicker, hence should be stored in the freezer for long term storage if you want to keep it over six months.

Indispensable in making the parsley salad, Tabouli, the new #1 Fine Golden Bulgur makes a wonderful dish called “Kibbe” made from raw lamb pounded with bulgur. I think the dish is even better baked. It is simple to prepare, can be extended if necessary, and wonderful for quick holiday meals to feed an unexpected number. We can send the recipe.

Yarma is ground pearled (hulled) white wheat. We have offered it before and it makes a lovely, completely vegetarian, soup of Turkish origin called yarma shourba. Grano, pearled white wheat, which we have offered before, is now also available as Golden Grano, made from durum wheat. This is essentially “wheat berries” which are cooked like pasta, that is, boiled until tender in salted water. Grano can then be finish cooked like a risotto, or covered with a sauce and eaten like pasta or made into the famous Neapolitan Easter dessert called Pastiera.

All of the Sunnyland Golden Wheat products are $3.99 per pound package.

Sunnyland Golden Grano Whole Wheat 1 lb. package. (#2667)

Sunnyland Yarma Ground Pearled Wheat 1 lb. package. (#2668)

Sunnyland Golden Bulgur #1 Fine 1 lb. package. (#2669)

Sunnyland Golden Bulgur #2 Medium 1 lb. package. (#2670)

Sunnyland Golden Bulgur #3 Coarse 1 lb. package. (#2671)

Culinary Trivia Question: What’s the difference between bulgur and couscous?

Answer: Couscous is a pasta, made from flour and water, kneaded and granulated. Bulgur is wheat, steamed and dried, that is cracked to different sizes. It is still a grain.

When was the last time you enjoyed a wine from Fredonia grapes? Until January 2010, I had never even heard of the grape variety. Crimson Sky is the name of this award winning sweet table wine, from Sharrott Winery in Egg Harbor, New Jersey. Its color is gorgeous (crimson.) The wines’s scent is that of ripe strawberry. It has a juicy, non cloying flavor, due to high acidity. This is an unabashed American wine for Thanksgiving, that most American of holidays or for when you want to serve an “All American” wine.

Fredonia is a cross of Champion and Lucile, both American varieties. It ripens early and was crossed by F. E. Gladwin at the Vineyard Laboratory of the New York State Experiment Station in 1915 and introduced in 1927.

Crimson Sky is sold by the winery as a non vintage wine, usually from the last vintage. Fermented at 55 degrees and kept in stainless steel, its bracing acidity bolsters its flavor profile. It has 10.8 grams/liter Total Acidity; residual sugar of 6%; a pH of 3.25, and alcohol of 12%. Its decidedly strawberry character is remarkable. Ripe strawberries are intensely fragrant--not for nothing are they called Fragaria.

Crimson Sky is also intensely strawberry tasting, much like fraise des bois, wild strawberries. It is a delicious dessert wine without high alcohol, or a stunning anytime wine with a simple sugar cookie. It pairs extremely well with cranberry in any disguise and offers a real jolt of flavor to pumpkin pie. I think you will be delighted with Crimson Sky.

Sharrott Winery Crimson Sky Wine 12% 750ml (#2672)

Miles Lambert-Gócs is a wine writer who first made a name for himself writing The Wines of Greece, (1990), a seminal work on the wines of this then very unknown-to-us wine country. It was the first and most important work on Greek wines in English. Now, Miles has published a remarkable work on Tokaji, the emblematic Hungarian wine, titled Tokaji Wine, Fame, Fate, Tradition. I think it is an extraordinary work, as do both Gerald Asher and Hugh Johnson.

Tokaji is the fabled wine of Imperial Courts, Tsars, and Emperors. It is making a remarkable comeback from having lived under Communism for some forty years. Its history and origin are the basis for Lambert-Gócs’ book and range far and wide, encompassing Greeks, Bulgarians, Turks, Jews, Armenians, and every other influence in the 1,200 years of Hungarian wine history.

It is said that “whoever has drunk it (Tokaji) never forgets the taste.” Whether or not it is one’s favorite wine is not the question. The wine, its area of production, and renown, are sufficiently famous that it has even earned a mention in the Hungarian national anthem. What other wine in the world can say it is in its country’s national anthem?

Tokaji Wine is encyclopedic in its scope. It explains methodically and concisely, everything one would want to know about Tokaji, its production and history. As the first major work on this wine written in English, to read it is a pleasure. The information found in it is amazing. I would suggest you begin to read it with a glass of Tokaji Aszú in hand and enjoy yourself. All our copies are signed by the author.

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