Italy is one of the world's most imported wines, and for good reason - the country boasts more than 1000 different varieties of grapes. Many collectors swoon for their Barolo and Barbaresco, high-acid, long lived wines that pack a powerful punch. And Amarone, a wine that presents itself as sweet on the nose but dry on the palate, is often a big hit at steakhouses (with big prices to match).

Yet what to do if you crave a rich, full-bodied dry wine that is smooth and velvety, with just the right blend of acid and tannin? Go south to Sicily, and try the grape known as Nero D'Avola. Right now I am sipping a glass of Feudo Principi Di Butera Nero D'Avola and it is quite good, very rich and concentrated, with a velvet mouthfeel and a perfume of deep red fruit on the nose. On the palate, one senses raspberry jam, brandied cherries, and notes of chocolate and mocha.

The wine's history goes back to 1543 and the newly minted Prince Ambrogio Branciforte, the first Sicilian to claim the rank of Prince of Butera. At around $14, this is a quality wine for the price - great wine for sipping with dinner and imagining all the drama that must have went on in the vineyard from that date to today. Or consider stocking for parites. Grilled hamburgers or even salmon would be a great match for this wine. Salute!

In these challenging economic times, most of us are only too happy to learn of exciting new regions that offer quality wines at a good value. Last Fall I was lucky enough to visit the Rhone valley in France and see many wineries. It may be hard to believe in this day and age, but unlike in the Napa Valley, with its sleek visitors' centers and formal tours, producers in the Southern Rhone are very old-school when it comes to introducing their wines to the public. Some of the wineries are hundreds of years old and are just now modernizing their "showrooms" for the many millions of fans around the world.

Today I am going to talk about two very affordable wines from the Rhone Valley, but first let me set it up for you. When you visit the Rhone, you can fly into the airport in Marseilles, or take a train from Paris (next time I'll definitely take the train!). The Rhone is not so much a city as a collection of many small villages, some of them so tiny you will only see a restaurant, a small park, a post office, and a shop or two. The scenery along the road is gorgeous.

Rhone wines still offer value for wine lovers who want to experience authentic, quality wine at a decent price. Recently I sampled two that are quite good. Let’s start with a Tavel rosé from Domaine de la Mordoree. It is a gorgeous pink color, with an aroma of tart frambroise (tiny strawberries), and on the palate a very nice body, refreshing acidity, and subtle but gripping tannins. I’d pair this with salmon (poached or grilled), a composed salad with protein such as chicken or shrimp, or vegetarian fare. Note that this is a dry rosé, as is the tradition for pink French wines, yet it is hearty enough to accompany a steak salad. This wine is 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Cinsault, and 10% Clairette.

I also tried the Domaine du Gour de Chaule Cotes Du-Rhone Cuvee de la Vigneronne, a red wine that is the typical mix of Grenache, Syrah, and Mouvedre. Now, this domaine has a very interesting history. First, it is positioned in the very pretty village of Gigondas, an AOC (the term denotes a quality wine region with specific terroir that renders it different from other vineyards in the area). When the estate was founded in 1900 by Eugene Bonfils, all the wine it produced was sold in bulk to negociants. Only in 1972 did the house begin to slowly bottle for private clients. Today 50% of the annual production is selected for sale in bottle (approximately 25,000 to 30,000 bottles). 85% of the vineyards are planted to Grenache, with approximately 10% dedicated to Syrah and Mourvedre and the balance planted to Cinsault.

This is a great wine to pair with grilled steak or stews, especially if the stew is spiked with cinnamon. You won’t get a lot of oak on this wine, as it is aged in large oak "foudres" where it stays for approximately 18 months.

Salut!

Wine & Food Pairing at Restaurant Daniel with Sommelier Raj Vaidya and Executive Chef Jean-Francois Bruel Part 1

If the oldest question in the world is “what’s for dinner,” consider that the second oldest question may very well be “what wine should I serve with what dish?” Pairing wine with the right dish is an art, and in cities like Manhattan, bursting with five-star restaurants, sommeliers are very valued artisans.

Perhaps you’ve had the good fortune to have experienced a prestigious chef’s tasting menu which often includes the option of pairing each dish with a different wine. Or if you were luckier still, experienced the food and wine pairing dinner in the chef’s own kitchen, where you could watch chefs work their magic.

Yet wouldn’t it be incredible to experience a multi-course food and wine pairing dinner, not just in the kitchen but above it, perched in the sky? And with your very own sommelier pouring various wines?

To celebrate a friend’s birthday, I made arrangements to experience the Sky Box in the kitchen of Celebrity Chef’s Daniel Boulud’s esteemed four- star Restaurant Daniel, winner of numerous awards. As a wine journalist who often writes about how to pair wine with food, I decided to have a chat with Sommelier Raj Vaidya in advance of the experience, to understand his methodology for choosing the wines.

Raj, recently the sommelier at another celebrated restaurant with a notable wine list called Cru, has been in the business for over ten years and admitted that yes, he is a ‘fairly decent home chef’ – which is quite an asset in his business. We verbally went through the eight-course pairing menu and I asked him his thoughts on the wine matches. Please note that for four guests, two guests receive one dish, and the other two receive the other. Sharing is encouraged)

Wine to be paired with first course: Balthazar Ress Riesling Spätlese “Oestricher Doosberg,” Rheingau 1995

First Course dishes

PORCINI VELOUTÉ Parsley Emulsion, Littleneck Clams, Sweet Garlic Custard

ECKERTON HILL FARM HEIRLOOM TOMATOES Salad with Peekytoe Crab, Avocado, Burrata Chilled Soup with Sherry Vinegar

So why Riesling? Raj explains that it has great freshness, even after fourteen years, and that it has the kind of acidity that will stand up to the flavors of the food. He chose the Rheingau region specifically because of its earthy mineral elements. Another factor in his choice of pairing Raj explains, is that Riesling is low alcohol. He feels that it is important to start a progressive meal with a lower alcohol wine so champagne or sparkling wine are options as well.

Wine to be paired with second course: Nigl Grüner Veltliner “Freiheit”, Kremstal 2008 Second Course Dishes

OLIVE OIL POACHED COD SALAD Artichoke Purée, Anise Hyssop Dressing, Lemon Zest

TAI SNAPPER CEVICHE WITH PERSIAN CUCUMBER Shaved Radish, Tapioca Pearls, Dill Oil

Raj explains his wine pairing choice by saying that the green herbaceous flavors of the Gruner tap into the green, herbaceous notes of the dishes and adds minerality. The wine is also lower in alcohol, which Raj feels is important in the beginning dishes. Wine to be paired with third course: Château de Pibarnon Bandol Rosé, Provence 2008

Third Course Dishes

BUTTER POACHED MONTEREY ABALONE Rosemary-Vegetable Relish, Crispy Zucchini Flower, Lettuce Purée

DUO OF OCTOPUS Tempura with Eggplant Caponata, Pine Nuts Marinated with Tomato, Ricotta Salata

Wait! Pink wine with fish? Actually, the rules for pairing white wine with fish, and red wine with meat, have become blurred over the years. Yet Raj explains his choice this way: “What is beautiful about Rosé is that even when paired with main courses it offers acidity, weight, and a tinge of tannin. The Château de Pibarnon Bandol Rosé is made from Mourvèdre and Grenache, and Raj is a fan of the wine’s searing aromatic style, and its notes of citrus and a touch of tomato skin.

Wine to be paired with fourth course Bruno Giacosa Dolcetto D’alba, Piedmont 2008

Fourth Course Dishes

WHOLE GRAIN CRUSTED SKATE Chanterelles, Swiss Chard, Caper Chicken Jus

SLOW BAKED STRIPED BASS Artichoke Barigoule, Lemon Arancini, Cilantro Pistou

“Dolcetto brings out the flavors in these dishes,” Raj says, explaining that he wanted to bring out the earthly flavors of the chanterelles, artichoke, cilantro and teff (an earthy grain from Ethiolpia that coasts the skate) “Dolcetto is a very earthy wine with good acidity. For this dish, I wanted to do a red wine, but not Pinot Noir which I wanted to pair with the next dish (Dorade). I wanted a wine with distinctive freshness and no oak.”

Wine to be paired with Fifth course: Domaine Drouhin Pinot Noir, Willamette 2006

Fifth Course Dishes

WHOLE DORADE “À LA PLANCHA” Figs, Glazed Radishes, Hearts of Palm, Chickpea Falafel (Prepared for Two. . . . . )

Why the Pinot Noir from Willamette?” I ask Raj. “What about France, Germany, New Zealand? Raj explains that the Pinot is best from Willamette because the fish is stuffed with figs and aromatized with fig leaves, and the wine mimics these flavors and aromas. Wine to be paired with Sixth course: Bosquet des Papes “Cuvée Grenache”, Châteauneuf du Pape 2001

Sixth Course Dishes NOIRMOUTIER TURBOT WITH SYRAH SAUCE

Leek Royale, “Pommes Lyonnaise” (Prepared for Two) Now I’ve had this dish at Restaurant Daniel before, and always wondered about pairing it with a Syrah. So why does Raj choose Chateauneuf du Pape? Raj likes this producer and his traditional way of making Chateauneuf du Pape, and feels that this wine is better with the turbot on account of having less and softer tannins a syrah, which might interfere with the delicacy of the fish.

Wine to be paired with dessert: Château Pajzos “5 Puttonyos Aszu”, Tokaji 1999

Dessert Course DUO OF FRUIT AND CHOCOLATE DESSERTS

CITRUS MARINATED STRAWBERRIES Vanilla Bavaroise, Yuzu Sorbet and MANJARI CHOCOLATE MOUSSE WITH NOUGAT FOAM Milk Chocolate Biscuit, Rwanda Coffee Ice Cream

5 Puttonyos Aszu is a very very rich, sweet, complex wine, and after ten years in bottle, this wine must have developed very interesting flavors. Raj feels it will go great with the chocolate – guess I will find out soon!

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this story, when I report on my actual dinner in the SkyBox at Restaurant Daniel.

Are you a jaded diner? In today's power-packed culinary world, many people are lucky enough to visit four and five star restaurants as a matter of course. Twenty years ago, for example, dining at a top restaurant would be because of a celebration, a birthday perhaps, or an anniversary.

In big cities, particularly New York, San Francisco, Chicago, and Los Angeles, executives often dine out every night in celebrity chef restaurants in the course of business. However, when envious spouses ask what they enjoyed, the executives often can't recall - they were too busy deal-making.

Happily, jaded diners can get in touch with their inner foodie at The Restaurant in the luxurious Meadowood Resort in California's Napa Valley. A jaded diner myself, I generally prefer to order a la carte, select my own wines and, in New York fashion, take personal control over my dining experience.

Perhaps there is something about the tranquility of this peaceful resort, or curiosity about new chef Christopher Kostrow (awarded two Michelin stars when he was at the helm of Chez TJ in Mountain View) that motivated me to order the multi-course tasting menu and leave my wine pairing in the capable hands of young, but highly professional sommelier Rom Toulon.

As you can imagine for a tasting menu that is $130 for food alone, the ingredients are quite luxurious. Starting plates included cold smoked toro & Osetra caviar, foie gras and apple, and citrus cured Spanish mackerel served with a very curious (and delicious) olive oil ice cream. Savory lobster and sweetbread was accompanied by Hedgehog mushrooms in a froth of a sauce, followed by the mains of crispy confit of suckling pig accented with maple syrup, and poached grass fed beef.

The pairings (an additional $90, with a different wine pairing virtually every dish) were fabulous and in my view, generous. 2006 Pierre Gaillard Le Secret Ivre was a personal favorite, a delicious flavorful wine with heady vanilla accents that paired excellently with the lobster. I also enjoyed 2005 Domaine Vincent Girardin Saint-Aubin 1er Cru. Of course, there is no real point in listing all the wines sommelier Rom personally selected to accompany our meal because when you dine here, the menu — and your wine pairings — will likely be different.

What is important to underscore is that Rom Toulon's extensive knowledge is such that he can very quickly decide on the best wine to match your dish. To me, this is both a gift and a skill. By the definition of their job, sommeliers taste a lot of wine. What separates the five-star sommeliers from the rest is their chef-like ability to pick up an accent of a dish (a hint of vanilla in a sauce) rather than generically pair a white wine with a seafood entrée.

Of course, you can create your own a la carte meal. Fish dishes include Local Dungeness Crab served with sunflower seeds, vanilla, Bartlett pear, and Jalapeno, Scallop and Blue Hawaiin Prawn, Olive Oil Poached Black Cod with Osetra caviar and oyster foam, and Pacific Kampachi with braised lettuce, peas, crab, and mint. Entrees include poached and roasted squab, slow roasted veal, and Marin Sun Farms lamb along with the suckling pig served on the tasting menu.

At the time of my meal, Chef Christopher Kostrow had only been in the kitchen a few weeks, so The Restaurant is too new to review, even though everything was fabulous. I loved his flavor combinations, however, and feel very comfortable suggesting that when you do visit, just leave yourself in his hands. Although the wine list is spectacular and will have Napa Valley wine aficionados salivating, consider leaving your pairing to Rom. Delicious surprises await!

Meadowood · Napa Valley 900 Meadowood Lane St. Helena, CA 94574 Tel (800) 458-8080

... so if you have been to the Marketplace at Grand Central Station in NYC, you know there is a Murray's cheese shop. The other day I spotted this rich, exotic looking cheese that was too enticing to pass up.

Just now opening it, I must tell you it looks exactly like its picture. The rind - as I anticipated, is salty gooey delight. The soft cheese is creamy with savory flavor incorporating freshly sauteed wild mushrooms.

Though the wine is from Burgundy and I will pair it with a Burgundy white and red later, right now I am enjoying it with a Bernard Baudry Chinon (Les Granges) 2007 and it is delicious. This is a very typical Cabernet Franc and the weight and forrest flavors of the cheese deftly matches the tea leaves, dried leaves, and subtle red fruit of this grape.

Paired with Chateau Fonseche 2007 of the Haut Medoc, the wine somewhat overpowers this cheese with its assertive flavors.

Now that summer is winding down, it's time to enjoy an al fresco picnic in the park. I recently had the opportunity to taste two affordable California wines that would be perfect pairings with the elegant salads of summer.

In France, they are referred to as "composed salads" unlike the leafy green salads most Americans consume before an entree. Composed salads can be constructed from many ingredients, yet unlike a salad from PAX they are artfully arranged to please both the eye and palate.

Pair these elegant salads with either or both of two new wines I've tried from Waterstone Winery in Napa. The Cabernet Sauvignon rose ($12) would be perfect with a composed salad starring salmon or pork. This is a very dry rose, with an elegant finish of tart raspberries. The Pinot Gris ($18) is bursting with a sun-warmed pear aroma and would be a great match with chicken or shrimmp.

Try this picnic idea before summer is a memory!

Part 1: Tale of Two Pinot Noir

One of the pleasures of those who love Pinot Noir is blind tasting various producers and deciding if they are Old World or New World, and then trying to pinpoint the producer’s exact location. If you have not played this ‘game’ before one of the supposed marks of an ‘old world’ Pinot Noir is that the fruit is more in the background, while in the ‘New World’ it is more in the forefront.

Blind Tasting New World Pinot Noir and guessing the AVA revolves around placing it in Sonoma Coast, Central Coast, Oregon, and other West Coast regions. Recently Susan Doyle, winemaker at Mac Murray Ranch in California sent me their new releases of Pinot Noir. Both bottles were 2007, with one Pinot Noir being Mac Murray Ranch 2007 Central Coast ($23) and the other Sonoma Coast 2007 ($28).

In the tasting, I found both wines similar in many respects as the wines had the same dark ruby purple color with a pale purple rim and watery white meniscus. On the nose the wines were similar, yet with some differences. The Central Coast had a medium + aroma of chocolate, raspberry, brandied cherry, licorice, and blueberry with a similar palate. The Sonoma Coast 2007 was also medium intensity with black fruit, a stronger anise aroma, and just ‘more’ everything on the palate, more black jammy fruit, spice, cinnamon, and vanilla. It has all the ingredients to evolve with time in the bottle. Both were delicious and decidedly ‘New World’ in style. The wines would pair with the same dishes … salmon, pork in a fruit marinade, and the wines would also be delicious paired with a composed summer salad.

The wines represented quality production, especially as the 2007 harvest was smaller than usual. As is typical in quality winemaking, the grapes were harvested in the early morning (note 3am) to ensure that the fruit was kept cool for fermentation. As one can observe from the color, the grapes were de-stemmed and cold soaked prior to fermentation for optimal extraction of color and flavor.

Part 2 Mac Murray Pinot Gris 2008

This is an excellent wine to pair with white fish, composed salads, and as a refreshing aperitif on a warm summer day. The nose is a heady mix of white flowers, yellow flowers, and stone fruit such as firm peach and apricot. The grapes are whole-cluster pressed and fermented for 14-21 days in stainless steel.

A votre santé!

… So did you ever wonder how wine got on a restaurant’s wine list? For many upper end restaurants, the wine list is one of the primary reasons customers come to dine at their establishment. Some very high end restaurants spend upwards of a million dollars on their wine program, which includes stocking wine, cellaring wine, and renovations in the cellar in addition to the salary of the sommelier and his or her assistants.

Yet wine in fine dining restaurants is not just about the wine’s pedigree. Sommeliers and beverage mangers must find a variety of wines to suit the various dishes on the list, and at many different price points. A sommelier would also have to find wines to be sold by the bottle and also to be sold by the glass, typically consumed as an aperitif, or to pair with various dishes on a tasting menu.

Recently I had the good fortune to chat with Emanuel Moosbrugger, Sommelier (and wine buyer) at Café Boulud, one of Celebrity Chef Daniel Boulud’s many restaurants. Moosbrugger’s parents had run a hotel so he grew up serving at an early age before completing his wine education at a European university and then here in New York at the American Sommelier Association. Moosbrugger’s background has given him a talent for understanding the ‘small things’ that enhance a guest’s pleasure.

When asked how wines get on his list, Moosbrugger explains that typically distributors make appointments with him to showcase their wines. To narrow the selection to his needs, Moosbrugger typically tells them what specifically he is looking for. As an example, Moosbrugger explains that a distributor made an appointment with him to show him a California Pinot Noir, and ended up “sneaking” in another wine that Moosbrugger had not requested. This wine was Chateau du Campuget Prestige Viognier from the Costieries De Nimes. “I found it was perfect to sell by the glass,” recalled Moosbrugger, “because it fills a gap in the white wines we presently offer.” Moosbrugger describes the wine as “rich yet medium bodied, with notes of peach, pear, orange, and tropical fruit. “There is great acidity in the finish, and it balances out the richness from mid-palate,” he remarks. “The climate and soil are important in this wine, as it is from the Rhone Valley (Costieres de Nimes is considered an extension of the Rhone) where they have the galet stones.”

Moosbrugger calls Prestige Viognier a great aperitif because it is fresh, herbaceous, and with notes of anise and ginger. He likes to use it on tasting menus for the spring and summer, specifically with Café Boulud’s spring salad (featuring different spring vegetables), or seafood starters such as the restaurant’s delicious crab salad which is spiked with grapefruit. “A Riesling from Alsace would be a good traditional pairing with the crab dish,” says Moosbrugger, “but many of our clients do not like wines with residual sugar so this is a good replacement.”

And finally, Moosbrugger raves about the floral aroma. “For a customer, the sommelier should be able to open the bottle, pour it into the glass, and see the guest have the full enjoyment of the wine’s delightful aromas.”

Once upon a time, wine from Chianti was associated with candles and straw wrapping. Savvy wine connoisseurs today know that the quality of wine from the Chianti region of Italy—and the specific D.O.C.G. region of Chianti Classico -- has soared. Yet many consumers wonder what makes Chianti Classico different than ‘regular’ Chianti? And where is this Chianti Classico region, exactly?

The Chianti Classico zone includes the territories of the communes of Castellina, Gaiole, Greve, and Radda and parts of those of Barberino Val d’Elsa, Castelnuovo Berardenga, Poggibonsi, San Casciano Val di Pesa, and Tavarnelle Val di Pesa – over 70,000 hectares. Altitudes range from 200 to 800 meters, the climate is continental overall, and the stony, shallow soil and steep slopes make for a quality wine producing area. Wines with the familiar Black Rooster logo – symbol of an official D.O.C.G. Chianti Classico – must satisfy a series of regulations stipulated in the production of this wine, namely eighty percent Sangiovese and up to 20% maximum of other red varieties including Canaiolo, Colorino, and even international varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Trebbiano and Malvasia (white grapes) were once part of the official mix, but have been outlawed as of the 2006 vintage.

To help students of wine better understand the region, the Wine and Spirits Educational Trust organized a study trip for students and graduates in mid-June of 2009. It would prove a whirlwind of two and a half days of touring eight wineries, yet it would prove a fantastic opportunity to meet the producers and get a real feel for the region. After an early morning flight and train ride to Florence, we were whisked off to the town of Gaiole and the first of several wineries, Checchi – Castellina. We enjoyed an extensive tour of the property and learned a bit about its history. The winery was founded by Luigi Cecchi in 1893 when the accepted recipe for Chianti was 70% Sangiovese, 15 percent Canaiolo, and 15% Malvasia Blanca. The Canaiolo gave the wine tannic strength, and the white grapes softened the blend. The mix also gave winemakers the tools to overcome flaws that are now avoided by this winery’s shiny new equipment and viticultural savvy. Andrea Cecci, co-proprietor with his brother Cesare, were getting ready for VinExpo but greeted us at a reception in a gorgeous space overlooking the vineyard where we had the opportunity to taste select vintages.

Our next stop was Fattoria di Petroio s.a.s di Diana Lenzi & Co. This is a remarkable winery for many reasons. The tour was led by the dynamic blond American Pamela Lenzi, whose Italian physician husband inherited the property. Pamela’s incredible enthusiasm and dedication to the property was palpable. While showing off the cellar, she laughed that while most women want diamonds or fur coats as birthday gifts, she wanted new tanks. The estate’s terroir is unique as it stands on the watershed between two major basins of Tuscany resulting in little rain. Large, sculpture size stones spring up all over the property, rendering it something of a magical place. An ancient church adjoining the property is sometimes used for weddings. Following a tasting and check-in at a lively, modern hotel, we attended dinner al fresco organized by Consorzio Chianti Classico at Podere Terreno alla via della Volpaia.

The following day we visited Rocca di Castagnoli, another gorgeous property. This winery combines the best of the old and the new … the stone building spans centuries, yet has a sleek, updated look due to the high tech glass doors and state of the art winemaking equipment. Max – our informative guide – gave us a tour of the cellar and orchestrated the tasting. Next was a ‘light lunch’ and tasting at the Colle Bereto winery in Raddda. Like most of the estates visited, Colle Bereto also produced olive oil. Curious as it seems, at times olive oil was a more lucrative business than wine production. Following this visit we went to Greve, another Chianti Classico producing town, and toured the Panzanello winery now owned by Andrea and Iole Sommaruga, a young couple who have made wine on the estate for over ten years. Afterward we tasted their Riserva wines, very refined due to the couple’s mantra of “drinking wine, not oak.” Our last winery visit and tasting of the day was also in Greve, at Azienda Agricola Savignola Paolina di Ludovica Fabbri. Winemaker and owner Ludovica Fabbri had the similar high energy of Pamela Lenzi, though both have very different backgrounds. Azienda Agricola Savignola Paolina was known as a Christian settlement, built around the first half of the seventeenth century. In 1780 the Fabbri family purchased Savignola and started wine production in the second half of the 1800s. According to the effervescent Ludovica, the first real success of Savignola was a result of her aunt Paolina who between the two world wars took charge of the company and created its present name: Savignola Paolina. When Ludovica spoke of Paolina I could visualize this incredible, gutsy woman quite clearly in my mind. That night, we had a multi-course ‘Italian sampler’ dinner at Macelleria Cecchini, the restaurant of a butcher who is quite famous in town. Many Chianti wineries contributed bottles for our sampling pleasure.

On the day of our departure, we visited and enjoyed a tasting at Solatione in Greve, family owned and operated since 1972. In 1992, flame-haired brother and sister Fabio and Francesca decided to bottle their own wines and carry out the dream of their late father. One of the more amusing aspects of this visit was when the charming Francesca showed us one of the tanks with a typical miniscule opening. When someone asked how it was cleaned, Francesca described in an amusing fashion how a giant man was able to fit himself inside. Our final visit was Fattoria Le Corti, a historic estate where we enjoyed a tour of the winery, tasting, and lunch.

Overall, the key takeaway point from the trip was the passion the Chianti Classico producers had for their wine and their D.O.C.G. region. A surprising number of the producers were young, inherited the winery when they had established other careers, yet despite the ups and downs of the wine production trade consider producing wine a labor of love as well as a source of revenue. Far from the stereotype that once plagued the name “Chianti wine,” these producers will do anything in their power to create better wines, whether it is investing in expensive new winery equipment, pulling up old vines, or planting new clones. These producers are dynamic, creative, and enormously resourceful. This youthful energy is perhaps behind many of the new changing laws in Chianti Classico, as producers now desire to create a wine that consumers actually want to buy instead of sticking to tradition. Perhaps the best visual representation of this new energy comes from the home of Ludovica Fabbri, as her living room is constructed directly over an old olive oil press visitors can see through a window pane on the floor. Yes, the Chianti Classico region is founded on its unique terroir, but its new generation of producers are taking it into the new century