Botromagno
Dateline: 07/03/97
Botromagno is a new, relatively unknown south Italian winery that is doing some very interesting things; I tasted the wines a couple of months ago at VinItaly and was quite impressed.
The estate is located in Gravina in Puglia, a town inland from Bari, in the Murge. Though the land is harsh and rocky it is also surprisingly fruitful, with vineyards, olive groves, and flocks of sheep. When it rains there are also mushrooms, and (not for this reason) Fredrick II of Swabia termed the area "a garden of earthly delights;" he built a castle where he stayed when he wanted to hunt. Puglia of course has a long history; prior to Fredrick Gravina had been a trading center where Roman and Greek merchants met, and shortly after Fredrick's death the people began holding the Fiera di San Giorgio, an agricultural fair that still takes place, in April.
As I said, Botromagno is new; it was formed in 1991 through the merger of the local cooperative winery and the D'Agostino family. The winery is now in the unique position of having a DOC to itself – it owns all the vineyards that produce Bianco di Gravina – and is working with the owners of the small vineyards that had formerly supplied the cooperative to maximise the quality of the grapes they produce: Greco di Tufo and Malvasia, which are white, and Montepulciano and Aglianico, which are red.
Gravina is a white wine produced from a Greco di Tufo, which is locally known as Reico (60%), Malvasia Lunga (30%) and Bianco di Alesano (10%). The 1995 vintage is a lively pale yellow, and has a rich fruity bouquet with some honeysuckle mixed in. The wine I tasted also had faint toasty notes, which were due to the recent bottling of the wine and will fade with time. On the palate the wine is full and somewhat sweet, though not as sweet as I might have expected given the nose. Plenty of body, and a long fruity finish with floral overtones. An interesting wine well worth seeking out; Dr. D'Agostino suggests it be served with soups, shellfish, and white meats; I think it would also go quite well with oriental foods.
Pier delle Vigne is a red wine, made from 60% Aglianico and 40% Montepulciano d'Abruzzo (the latter serves to temper the former); after the fermentation it spends a year in barriques and then a year in steel, and 6 months in the bottle before its release. The 1992 vintage has a pleasing, complex bouquet, with fruit, cranberries (typical of Aglianico) and tobacco mixed with vanilla and spice from the Barriques. On the palate it has rich fruit that is balanced by well-rounded velvety tannins; it is full bodied, and the finish is clean and fairly persistent. It will go quite well with grilled meats.
Botromagno also makes a Rosé, which they did not have at VinItaly. On the other hand, they did have Gravisano, a Passito di Malvasia that was an unexpected delight. It's made from Malvasia grapes that are allowed to dry on the vines, then pressed using an antique water-driven press, and fermented in barriques. After the fermentation the wine is aged in steel for about a year (aging in steel as opposed to wood heightens the fruit and floral notes). The 1992 vintage is a honey-buttercup yellow, the bouquet is powerful, with a mix of honey and flowers. On the palate it is velvety, sweet and warm, with slight citrus overtones (no nuttyness), and very pleasant. The finish is long, and leaves you wanting to enjoy another sip.
Notes on the vintages released in 1998.
To close, a traditional Puglian way of dealing with broccoli: ORECCHIETTE COI BROCCOLETTI.
- 1 pound broccoli florets
- 1/4 pound salted ricotta, grated (if you are unable to find salted ricotta, substitute Pecorino Romano for it).
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- A small bunch parsley, minced
- 1/2 cup grated cheese, either all Parmigiano or half Parmigiano and half Pecorino Romano
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Pepper to taste (salt should not be necessary)
- 1 pound orecchiette (a Puglian specialty, available in delicatessens. Substitute any other short firm-walled pasta if need be)
Set a pot of salted water to boil. Meanwhile, wash the broccoli florets and break them up into fairly small pieces. When the water comes to a boil, throw in the pasta, stir it, and add the broccoli. While the pasta and broccoli cook, mince the parsley and the garlic, and sauté them gently in the oil, in a large skillet. Do not let the garlic brown. When the pasta is still a minute or so shy of being done, drain it and transfer the pasta-broccoli mixture to the skillet (it should still be a little moist, so don't shake all the water out of it while it's in the colander). Stir in the ricotta, season the pasta with pepper to taste, and continue cooking over high heat until the pasta's done, stirring vigorously. Transfer the pasta to a serving dish, dust it with the grated Parmigiano, and serve.
Serves four.
Good Food &
Drink,
Kyle Phillips
