Rebecca in Tuscany

Video #25 - first part of summer testimonials

info@tuscan-wine-tours.com (Rebecca Christophersen) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 23:16:20 -0500

I apologize once again for my rare postings on the blog, and I really have to thank my great guests who leave me with these wonderful memories - the testimonials:

Summer Testimonials 2008 - 1 from Rebecca Christophersen on Vimeo.

Video #24 - Wine tour testimonials - spring 2008

info@tuscan-wine-tours.com (Rebecca Christophersen) — Thu, 22 May 2008 23:33:01 -0500

A few testimonials of some recent wine tours... Thanks to all who contributed!

Wine Tour Testimonials - Spring 2008 from Rebecca Christophersen on Vimeo.

Video #23 - Blindtasting of 3 whites by Mastertaster Louise

info@tuscan-wine-tours.com (Rebecca Christophersen) — Sun, 25 May 2008 02:46:27 -0500

The busy season has really started and there is practically no time to make interesting videos for you right now. The wine tours and guests so far have been terrific - a great satisfaction that makes me very happy.
Here's another video with my wonderful daughter. She thinks doing these tasting videos is a blast!

Blind tasting of 3 whites from Rebecca Christophersen on Vimeo.

Video #22 - Manzo al modo del Macellaio / Beef as the Butcher likes it

info@tuscan-wine-tours.com (Rebecca Christophersen) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 13:12:56 -0500

Cooking with Alberto - Manzo al modo del Macellaio / Beef as the butcher likes it from Rebecca Christophersen on Vimeo.

Video #21 - Cooking with Alberto again - Ribollita

info@tuscan-wine-tours.com (Rebecca Christophersen) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 13:12:30 -0500

I don't know how to explain to you how happy I am to be able to post these videos from Alberto's kitchen. I'm so proud of what an excellent cook he is and anyone taking this tour will testify to it.

This video is a little long (25 minutes) - I'm so sorry - I will try and make them shorter in the future.
In this video Alberto shows us how to make the best Ribollita soup ever. It's an old Tuscan dish, a hearty soup that you should absolutely try to make!
If you need a list of the ingredients, just let me know...

A Hearty Soup - Tuscan Ribollita from Rebecca Christophersen on Vimeo.

Video #20 - A Mastertaster judges Tuscan wine and more...

info@tuscan-wine-tours.com (Rebecca Christophersen) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 13:11:54 -0500

The season has finally started. It's not necessarily the weather that gives us the indication. The first signs are always the big tour busses out on the highways and the school groups that invade the Italian art cities just around Easter.

We all wake up from our winter daze and start working again. It's a wonderful sensation but also very tiring the first couple of weeks - and of course spare time is limited. For this reason the frequency of new videos will be reduced during the summer - but I'll try and get a few out to you once in a while.

In the meanwhile, I would love for people to comment on the videos. And remember that you can download them on your Ipod by going into Itunes and typing in "Tuscany" as a search word on the top right - you'll find mine called "Rebecca in Tuscany" (there are two - one with just audio and one with the videos).

And now we come to today's video which is not very serious but very special to me as it stars my daughter Louise. Since she was born she has watched me wine taste and she's learned quite a bit. Her smelling and tasting curiosity has definitely develloped a lot. Enjoy!

Mastertaster Louise from Rebecca Christophersen on Vimeo.

Video #19 - A cooking lesson in Tuscany "Crostini with Salsiccia" - 3

info@tuscan-wine-tours.com (Rebecca Christophersen) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 13:11:16 -0500

In this video Alberto shows us how to make his delicious Sausage Crostini.
These are the ingredients:
Rosemary
Garlic
Chili peppers
Olive Oil
Sausages
Wine
Tomato

Antipasto - Crostini with Salsiccia from Rebecca Christophersen on Vimeo.

Video #18 - Another Tuscan cooking lesson with Alberto - "Tagliatelle con Capocollo" - 2

info@tuscan-wine-tours.com (Rebecca Christophersen) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 13:10:26 -0500

This is a fairly simple recipe - the ingredients should all be rather easy to find.
In this episode Alberto prepares the pasta sauce and Marzia takes us through the steps of making fresh pasta.
Name of the dish would be tagliatelle con capocollo and here in Italy it is considered a "primo piatto". This is seriously one of my favourite pasta dishes.

Pasta tagliatelle with capocollo from Rebecca Christophersen on Vimeo.

Video #17 - Tuscan Cooking Lesson "Stufato di maiale" - 1

info@tuscan-wine-tours.com (Rebecca Christophersen) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 13:09:43 -0500

Time for a little break from all the wine videos I have put up recently. I convinced my good friends Alberto & Marzia to host some cooking lessons, so you can expect more delicious recepies up in the next few days.
This recipe is absolutely delicious - stufato di maiale - pork casserole - which is considered a secondo - so a second course. Enjoy!

Stufato di Maiale / Roman port stew from Rebecca Christophersen on Vimeo.

Video #16 - My Umbrian Wine Tour

info@tuscan-wine-tours.com (Rebecca Christophersen) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 07:04:28 -0500

Whichever most beautiful place you live in, it's always refreshing to see another area. So I decided to head out to the neighbouring region of Umbria early Friday morning. My friend Brenda had planned the perfect day touring the wine region of SAGRANTINO DI MONTEFALCO choosing mostly small "garage" wineries.
I met Brenda and her lovely friend Doreen by the town that they live in, Spello. Brenda and Doreen are two expats that after having moved to Italy have found a love for wine just like myself. Their town Spello is a little gem close to the notorious town of Assisi and just North of the wine region that gives birth to the authoctone grape varietal, the Sagrantino.
When I arrived and teamed up with the girls, I felt like I couldn't have been in better hands for the perfect Umbrian wine tour!
These are the wineries that we went to:
- Ruggeri
- Antano
- Paolo Bea (will be available for purchase on http://www.tuscany-in-a-bottle.com/)
- Arnaldo Caprai

Umbrian wine tour - Sagrantino di Montefalco from Rebecca Christophersen on Vimeo.
PS. If my video has made you more interested in Sagrantino wines, I recommend you watch Gary Vaynerchuck's tasting episode of 3 Sagrantinos. Here's the link: http://tv.winelibrary.com/2008/01/25/sagrantino-di-montefalco-and-heart-to-heart-episode-394/

Video #15 - Benvenuto Brunello 2008, video 4

info@tuscan-wine-tours.com (Rebecca Christophersen) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 13:07:29 -0500

This is the last video, alas!
And the question in this video requires a little explanation.
Basically, since I started attending the Benvenuto Brunello festival years ago I always wondered why some of the most "famous" wineries wouldn't attend the event. It slightly irritated me partly because I had hoped to try some wines that otherwise weren't easy to get a hold of and secondly because I thought that the whole idea behind producing a wine with a unique name, so in this case Brunello di Montalcino, and by being members of the Brunello Consorzio should imply taking part of the important initiatives that the latter has to promote the area and the name of the wine.
Apparently this is not the case. Very respectable wineries such as Soldera, Biondi-Santi, Salvioni, Cerbaiona, Salicutti, etc (and from this year Casanova dei Neri & Poggio di Sotto) are some of the wineries that were no where to find on the list of the Benvenuto Brunello wineries. Only 153 out of a total of over 204 (approx) showed up.

SO, my question to some of the wineries that actually were at the Benvenuto Brunello event (you might already have detected that some of the people I interviewed are part of the famous wineries - but who did turn up) was:
"What do you think about the wineries that have chosen not to participate in the Benvenuto Brunello wine event?"
I felt it was a sore question that nevertheless needed to be addressed.
So here are the answers to that:

Benvenuto Brunello Wine Festival February 2008, part 4 from Rebecca Christophersen on Vimeo.

Video #14 - Benvenuto Brunello 2008, video 3

info@tuscan-wine-tours.com (Rebecca Christophersen) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 13:05:11 -0500

And so here's the fun question that I just had to ask the producers to see their reaction ;)
What do the Brunello wine producers think about Sangiovese grown in California?
Here's the answer!

Benvenuto Brunello wine festival February 2008, part 3 from Rebecca Christophersen on Vimeo.

Video #13 - Benvenuto Brunello 2008, video 2

info@tuscan-wine-tours.com (Rebecca Christophersen) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 13:07:49 -0500

My second question to the wine producers has to do with the star-system used in Italy (1 star being pretty bad and 5 stars being extraordinary). It seems to me that especially for Montalcino the stars have a huge say on how the market goes for a specific vintage. The 2002 vintage was rated only to stars, but there were wineries who could produce Brunello and wineries that couldn't. And then again there were the ones who decided not to produce Brunello because a lowly rated year would be hard to sell.
The most recent harvest - the '07 has just been rated - 4 yrs before the '07 vintage will actually come on the market. It was rated 5 stars which is the max.
So, my question to the winery owners was:
Do you think that the stars given to the different vintages are fair?

Benvenuto Brunello festival in Montalcino 2008, part II from Rebecca Christophersen on Vimeo.

Video #12 - Benvenuto Brunello 2008, video 1

info@tuscan-wine-tours.com (Rebecca Christophersen) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 13:09:01 -0500

This weekend we attended the Benvenuto Brunello manifestation in Montalcino. It's an annual event organized by the Consorzio and all the producers of Brunello are invited to come into the Fortress of Montalcino to present their newly released vintages. This year's release was the Brunello '03 (there were no Riserva's as the '02 vintage didn't allow for it).
I decided to go and ask the winery owners and producers 4 questions. I regret that I didn't ask a fifth question related to the recent sponsorship that the Consorzio has received from the car company FIAT. In fact, the yearly artistic tile hung up in Montalcino at this time has FIAT written all over it. However, I decided not to become too political and to stick to my original questions.
Question number 1:
In a few words, how would you describe the tipicity of Brunello?

Benvenuto Brunello Wine Festival in Montalcino 2008, part I from Rebecca Christophersen on Vimeo.

Video #11 - Follow me in my visit of a Pecorino Cheese maker in Volterra

info@tuscan-wine-tours.com (Rebecca Christophersen) — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 14:12:14 -0500

Volterra is one of those hilltop towns in Tuscany that really is a must-see both because of its ancient history that ties it to the Etruscans and for its magnificent handcrafs. The country side around it is almost magical, vast views that on a clear day will let you see the Mediterranean sea. This area is perfect for keeping sheep and hence it was a natural choice of Sardinian families to settle down in this area when they came over from the island in the last century. They took their cheese making tradition with them and hence the Pecorino Cheese making has flourished in Tuscany.
Here's a video of one of my favourite producers of cheese. My question to you is, what cheese is your favourite? (leave a comment...)

Pecorino Toscano from Rebecca Christophersen on Vimeo.

Video #10 - Last video question to the wine producers at the Anteprima of the Vino Nobile

info@tuscan-wine-tours.com (Rebecca Christophersen) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 05:02:10 -0500

And so my last question to the wineries is:
"Do you think it is possible to taste the difference between organic and non-organic wines?"
Do you think they agreed?

Video #9 - Third video from the fair Anteprima del Vino Nobile

info@tuscan-wine-tours.com (Rebecca Christophersen) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 05:01:48 -0500

...in which I ask the producers which place within Tuscany they think that the Sangiovese grape gives the best result...

Video #8 - A second question to the producers of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano

info@tuscan-wine-tours.com (Rebecca Christophersen) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 05:01:28 -0500

Here's the second video with comments from the producers to the following question:
"Do you think it could be perplexing to the customer abroad that there is a likeness between the names of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and Montepulciano d’Abruzzo?"

Video #7 - Anteprima Vino Nobile

info@tuscan-wine-tours.com (Rebecca Christophersen) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 05:01:07 -0500

This is the time of year when many of the wine fairs take place.
The first I've attended was this past week-end in Montepulciano. My "mission" was to ask the wine producers 4 questions and then confront the answers cutting them together in videos for you guys to enjoy.
So I predict that there will be 3 more videos coming along...

The question in the first video:
"Do you think that the DOC & DOCG regulations are enforcing quality or are they restrictive regulations that effect the competition on the international market?"

Video #6 - Saffron of San Gimignano

info@tuscan-wine-tours.com (Rebecca Christophersen) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 05:00:38 -0500

So this new video shot this morning is about Saffron - but not just any saffron - it's about the saffron grown around the town of San Gimignano.
San Gimignano is a hilltop town that has become real popular to visit ever since Rick Steves wrote it up and it now receives a myriad of tourists. But few take the time to visit the farms around it, farmers of oil, wine (Vernaccia di San Gimignano & Chianti Colli Senesi) & last but not least, SAFFRON.

Video #5 - Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, part III

info@tuscan-wine-tours.com (Rebecca Christophersen) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 05:00:20 -0500

And so this is the last of the trilogy of videos about the Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena DOP.
In this video you will learn about:
- the bottling process
- the tasting

You should be able to find the TBV in special gastronomy stores - or have it shipped to you from here: http://www.tuscany-in-a-bottle.com/

Video #4 - Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, Part II

info@tuscan-wine-tours.com (Rebecca Christophersen) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 04:59:49 -0500

And so here's part two:
- how the Traditional Balsamic Vinegar is made according to regulations
- the aging of the two kinds: the minimum 12 year old and the minimum 25 year old

Video #3 - Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, Part I

info@tuscan-wine-tours.com (Rebecca Christophersen) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 04:59:23 -0500

You all know Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, right?
But did you know that the stuff you buy in supermarkets in all sorts of different size bottles and with all sorts of labels actually isn't the real thing? Nothing wrong with it, but most balsamic vinegars today are produced on an all together industrial scale and aren't particularly tasty or natural as they are produced chemically. Only a few producers in Modena today produce the real thing, the Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena a natural product of great tradition which has been protected by the DOP (protected origin) designation since the year 2000.
We went to visit a small Acetaia in Modena to uncover the mystery once and for all!
I will be posting more parts as I finish editing them.

When in Venice...

info@tuscan-wine-tours.com (Rebecca Christophersen) — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 05:20:48 -0600

It was about time I went to Venice, only 13 yrs after my arrival in Italy!
I had sort of feared it because of the many warnings about the hords of tourists. But it was lots better than I imagined, maybe because of the time of year, maybe because we got lost in an area of town where there were nothing but venetians, maybe because we had dinner in the most memorable Enoiteca ever, or maybe because we were only there for 24 hours!
Anyway, I have to tell you about the Enoiteca. Actually, we had been having dinner the night before in Padova at Le Calandre (see previous post for picture of chef) and as we were having dinner with our friend Luca from Padova (who's a pastry chef and single - if anyone's interested maybe I can hook you up!), he says to us that we have to go to this place and eat in Venice called Mascareta. I wasn't really paying attention to the conversation, especially because those northern accents really tire my ears, but suddenly this very original character is sitting with us at the tabel. And what a character! It just so happened that the owner, Mauro, of the restaurant in Venice was in the same restaurant as us that night, so we certainly had a date for the next evening in Venice!
So after getting lost in the alleys of Venice and with feet hurting from blisters, we decided to head for an early dinner. We find Enoiteca Mascareta, get a seat and start ordering. Mauro, our new friend, arrives a little later and then starts taking full care of us. We had the most amazing food, and gallons of wine - all sorts that he just started bringing us. "Natural" wines that had very little to do with what the modern palate is used to. However, extremely interesting and an extraordinary entertaining night. We didn't get back to the hotel 'till 2 am - completely exhausted and probably a little hazy! The good thing in Venice is that you don't have to drive anywhere so you can drink without danger!!!
I could tell you lots more about Mauro and his fantastic ideas, but it would get too long...

But when in Venice, make sure to look up this restaurant or ENOITECA as it is classified by Mauro himself, founder of the International Enoiteca Association.

Enoiteca Mascareta
Wine Bar
Calle Lunga S. Maria Formosa, 5183
Venezia Tel: 041-5230744
Open from 7pm to 2 pm

Video #2 - Romano Dal Forno winery visit in Valpolicella

info@tuscan-wine-tours.com (Rebecca Christophersen) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 04:58:36 -0500

I finally finished editing the video of a visit to the famous wine producer in the Valpolicella region (just North of Verona) Romano Dal Forno. We went there on our recent venture to the North of Italy. I really hope you enjoy it... (I did!)