Brief News: Monday July 7, 2008: Greg’s Pig Roast with TJ’s beer, Brunello allowed into the US, Baltimore events!

Our resident beer guy roasts a pig and makes Thomas Jefferson’s beer: This past Friday, July 4th, Greg B spent half of his day cleaning, dressing, salting, garlicking and roasting a pig. His “Jefferson Beer”, having spent months in the making, was ready for consumption and was a great pairing with the salty pork. What Greg didn’t mention in his great recap is that he and I tried roasted pig brain for the first time. Lucky for us, there were over 200 bottles of his various homemade beers on hand to wash it down! Don’t foget to keep an eye on “Greg’s Corner” to follow his journey through beer and wine making, whole-animal roasting, and internet blogging!

Brunello gets it’s groove back: After months of controversy surrounding Brunello di Montalcino (more here), Decanter.com reports that Italian Authorites have “guaranteed” that all Brunello being exported to the US meets the standards set by Italian wine law and Brunello di Montalcino DOCG regulations. Though 2002/03 weren’t good vintages in Montalcino, this is good news for Brunello lovers as it’s nearing time for the highly praised 2004’s to go on pre-sale!

Things of note in Baltimore this week (find out more on Localwineevents.com):

Jul 07, 2008 (Mon) - Jul 10, 2008 (Thu)Aperitivo Hour and $10 Pasta at Sotto Sopra

Jul 07, 2008 (Mon)Monday Nights 1/2 off bottled wines at Sotto Sorpa Restaurant

Jul 07, 2008 (Mon)Monday is Neighborhood Night at AIDA Bistro: All Pastas Specially Priced

Jul 08, 2008 (Tue)Dinner with Daniela - 4 Course Italian Home Cooked Dinner

Jul 13, 2008 (Sunday): Baltimore Chefs and Wine Experience: A must if you are available on Sunday!

Montalcino Restaurant Review: Osteria Al Giardino (Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy) - Upscale and pricey, but worth it. Highly Recommended!

Osteria Al Giardino:

Ambiance: Elegant,
Food: Upscale and traditional Montalcino/Tuscan cuisine
Service: Outstanding: attentive, great wine service.
Wine List: Good overall. Fair pricing with a good number of bottles with some age to them.
Pricing: $$$$ - Expensive, but worth it for a special occasion. Expect around 60 Euros per person, plus wine (our total was aorund 230 Euros)
Attire: Upscale, but comfortable/business casual seems appropriate.
Overall Rating: Great. Highly recommended for special occasions but be prepared to spend some money. The food was exceptional across the board and the service was very good. Chef Giovanni Luca di Pirro shows great passion in his food and keeping you well fed!
Piazza Garibaldi 10
Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy
Bookings and Fax: 0577 849076. e-mail: osteriaalgiardino@virgilio.it
Closed Wednesday.

Il Girdino: This was our favorite “upscale” dining in Montalcino. The service was attentive and very helpful, the food was outstanding, and the setting was elegant and warm. Situated near the middle of town on the top of a hill where the main streets merge, Il Girdino was all around a great meal. The wine list represented some of the best wines in Montalcino and prices were on par with other restaurants and enotecas. Our meal began with a beef carpaccio of neck meat that was sliced so thin and delicate that it melted on the palate. Our other primi course was a poached egg served with a decadent white winter truffle sauce that was very simple but quite delicious. We paired these with wines by the glass from a well thought out list.

For a first course we split two dishes: white winter truffle linguine and a potato ravioli with artichokes and parmageano reggiano cheese. The homemade pasta dish featured a rich truffle sauce and a large plate of linguine covered with fresh shaved white truffles. This was a hit- the simplicity again let the truffle shine but prevented it from overpowering the palate. The potato ravioli was a bit of a let down. It was well spiced but the flavors and texture just weren’t that great. Overall, we were happy with this course.

Our main course featured both beef and cinghale (wild boar): a well seasoned steak cooked medium rare and a tender and flavorful cinghale stew. This course was paired with a 1999 Poggio al Vento (Col d’Orcia Riserva) that was served in beautiful stemware and went perfect with both dishes and which I rated 95 pts.

For dessert, we decided on a hazelnut Creme Brulee that featured lovely flavors and texture in the creme sauce hiding beneath a perfectly crisp top layer. This topped off one of the best meals I’ve ever eaten- all compliments to Chef Giovanni Luca di Pirro, who came to our table at the end of the evening to talk with us about our meal. You could see his passion for preparing world class meals in the way he spoke about the meal. A passion that was even more evident in the food itself.

Overall this was our favorite upscale meal in Montalcino. The setting is more elegant than most of the other restaurants, the food a little more upscale and complex, and as you’d expect, the prices a little bit higher. The meal with wine cost us around 220 Euros, or roughly $350 USD. Expensive? Yes, but worth it for one special night out in one of the most amazing towns in Italy.

More on the Brunello saga…

For the past two months some producers of Brunello di Montalcino, one of the premier wines in the world, have been investigated for blending their Brunello (100% Sangiovese-based wines) with Cabernet and Merlot. Amidst these allegations, the United States Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau has stepped in to ensure that the wines that reach our dinner tables are the real thing. Decanter Magazine is reporting that imports of Brunello into the United States may be delayed beginning June 9, 2008.

From Decanter: “Francesco Marone Cinzano, president of the trade body, the Brunello Consorzio, said… ‘Starting on 9 June, the US will block all Brunello imports unless the wine is accompanied by laboratory analysis proving that the wine is pure Sangiovese.”

I understand regulations on producers to ensure that Brunello is in fact 100% Sangiovese, but is this level of control necessary? Is it really feasible to ask this of all 200 or so producers that export wines to the US? What do you think: has it gone too far, or is this an important step in preserving the tradition and integrity of one of the worlds most amazing wines?

Image: Taken in Montalcino of an Enoteca on one of the main roads into town.