Sicily's Zibibbo Grape with Fish Cakes

Sicily has been the talk of not only Italian wines, but the worldwide wine market as a whole mostly due to its unique volcanic wine production.  Looking outside Sicily’s volcanic wines though one will discover a breadth of unique grapes found throughout the island including the Zibibbo grape I’m featuring today.

What is the Zibibbo grape? 

Synonymous with the name Muscat of Alexandria, the Zibibbo grape’s origins believe to hail from Egypt and were brought over to Sicily by the Arabs.  It’s an ancient grape that has been cultivated for over 5,000 years.  The name Zibibbo comes from the Arabic word, Z’bib, which translates to dried grape.  This is a grape that shows beautifully not only when produced from dried grapes that result in a sweeter style wine, but also as a dry style white wine like the one I'm sharing today. 

Zibibbo is considered an aromatic grape due to its high levels of organic compounds called terpenes.  Other grapes that you may be able to relate to that carry intense, floral aromas that also contain high levels of terpenes are Riesling and Gewurztraminer.  Before I knew the breakdown of the blend today that I’m sharing, some of the floral notes of this wine reminded me of a Gewurztraminer, one of my favorite white grapes due to my love of NY Finger Lakes wines.  You’ll pick up notes of stone fruits, orange blossoms and jasmine in the aromas of Zibibbo.  It’s a resilient grape that does well in the hot temperatures of Sicily’s climate.  It also is a drought resistant grape.

Firriato's Calamoni di Favignana Estate

I had the luxury to tour the Firriato wine estates spread from the western side of Sicily to the eastern side right before covid hit near the end of 2019.  Firriato's Calamoni Estate is located on the island of Favignana.  Vines had disappeared off this island over a century ago and today Favignana is the only vineyard present in the Egadi archipelago.

The vineyards are located only steps from the sea and surrounded by neptune grass, which is a marine plant that acts as a natural fertilizer providing nutrients to the limestone soil.  Sitting right off the water these vineyards receive a nice marine, Mediterranean breeze that gives a hint of salinity to the wines along with very aromatic notes.  to read more about Firriato please reference my previous blog on Favignana,  Firriato's Calamoni Estate: The Only Winery of the Aegadian Islands.

The Wine

This week I sampled the 2018 Firriato La Muciara Terre Siciliane IGT which is a blend of 60% Zibibbo, 20% Grillo and 20% Catarratto.  This wine was softly pressed and went through fermentation for 12 days.  It spent 6 months on the lees with an additional 18 months in the bottle.  A brilliant straw-colored wine with golden highlights.  Intense florals of stone fruit with some tropical notes. Medium-bodied with the tropical fruits carrying through to the palate creating a roundness on the wine with a touch of salinity.

Food Pairing with Zibibbo

When I consider pairing wines with food I always think of where the wine originates from. What is the typical cuisine of the region?  With many of Sicily’s indigenous white grapes you can’t seem to go wrong with a seafood pairing and creating a dish with the abundance of vegetables grown throughout the island.  It had been awhile since I had made some fish cakes and these are always a big hit in my home so I figured I couldn’t go wrong.  This pairing worked out great!  I was concerned about the body and flavors of the wine with some of the flavors of the fish cakes, mostly the mustard added to the fish cakes but it was so minuscule in the grand scheme that all the flavors blended nicely together. 

The fish cakes, which I made with cod, were an easy preparation.  I poached the fish in some water and milk on the stove with some added bay leaves, lemon and salt until cooked through.  In the meantime, I blended together a cup of bread crumbs, 2 eggs, garlic, a tablespoon of mayonnaise, a teaspoon of mustard with some added kosher salt and pepper.  Once the fish was finished and cooled, I blended all the ingredients with my hands forming the cakes.  I cooked them in some extra virgin olive oil for about 4-5 minutes each side.  Easy peasey!  So try some Zibibbo or any of Sicily’s indigenous white grapes, cook up some fish cakes and let me know what you think.

Do you have a favorite Sicilian white grape?

This month our Italian Food, Wine & Travel group, hosted by Camilla the Culinary Cam, featured indigenous grapes of Italy.  Join the rest of our wine and food bloggers as they feature their particular selections.  

• An Umbrian Grape with Greek Origins: Cantina Roccafiore Grechetto di Todi Fiordalis + Pesce alla Ghiotta by Culinary Cam
• BI.VI.SI.: Revitalizing Sicily’s native, ancient vines for forgotten flavors like Frappato by Wine Predator...Gwendolyn Alley
• Brachetto: A Piemontese Grape Meant for Food! by Keep the Peas
• Castello di Grumello Medera & Casconcelli by The Quirky Cork
• Ciliegiolo, Great Wines for Spring by Avvinare
• Durella - Native vine of the Lessini Mountains that Sparkles by Crushed Grape Chronicles
• Pasta, Wine, and a Cookbook Review by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Pizza Wine! Fresh, Fruity, and Made from Native Italian Grapes by My Full Wine Glass
• Sicilian Wine Grapes: Grillo and Frappato by Cooking Chat
• Unlock the Beauty of Mexican Wines: The Fusion of Italian Indigenous Grapes by Our Good Life

Also, in support of Vino Travels, if you plan to purchase some Sicilian wines I may receive commissions if any wines are purchased directly from Wine.com.

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Michele Chiarlo Gavi with Grilled Chicken Caprese

Spring is upon us as I slowly start to gravitate towards choosing a white wine over red some evenings.  Today the focus is on one of Italy’s top whites, Gavi, made from one of Piedmont’s respected producers, Michele Chiarlo.  Gavi, located in the Alessandria province, is situated in the northwestern wine region of Piedmont where it is tucked in the southereastern corner very close to Liguria and the port of Genova.  With its close proximity to both the Mediterranean Sea as well as the Alps these varying landscapes are major influences on Gavi’s wine production. 

The Winery ~ Michele Chiarlo 

This is not Michele Chiarlo’s first appearance on Vino Travels as I have featured them not too long ago talking about sustainability at the forefront at the winery.  Michele Chiarlo is a well-established name in the Piedmont wine region.  They were established in 1956 and own about 270 acres between the areas of Langhe, Monferrato and Gavi.  Their focus is only on indigenous grapes and in Piedmont there are plenty to work with.  They also don’t blend any of their grapes either.   

Today the winery is operated by the 4th generation of family members that are staying true to tradition, but also focusing on innovation while expressing their authenticity paying close attention to the environment with much manual care.   

The Grape ~ Cortese 

Gavi, also known as Cortese di Gavi, is named after the town itself and includes a number of surrounding communes located in the hills.  It is made from the Cortese grape, which is a highly productive, high acid grape.  Its home is in Piedmont where it grows in the mineral rich soils and high sunshine area where it thrives.  Gavi became a DOC in 1974 and was promoted up to DOCG in 1998.  It produces wines that are dry, low alcohol, crisp, fresh and lively that deliver floral, aromatic wines.  You’ll find notes of peach, pears, lemon/citrus and almonds.         

The Wine 

2017 Michele Chiarlo “Palas” Gavi DOCG – This wine is made from 100% Cortese on white calcareous soil.  The grapes are softly pressed where it spends a minimum of 3 months in stainless steel.  Straw colored with golden highlights.  Mostly citrus on the nose showing lemon and grapefruit with some green apple and wet stone.  Dry, medium bodied with refreshing acidity.  Pineapple and green apple on the palette with some minerality showing towards the finish.  With an SRP at $10-12 a bottle you can beat the value of this wine.   ABV 12.5%  

This wine paired lovely with a simple grilled chicken caprese topped with sliced tomato, fresh mozzarella, basil and a drizzle of authentic balsamic vinegar from Modena.  It made me crave for warm days on the patio that lie ahead.  Here’s to the warm days of spring and summer approaching quickly where we can all get back outside for some rays of sunshine.  

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Top 5 Italian Wine Blogs of 2017

Happy New Year!  It's hard to believe another year has passed us  by.  Vino Travels is welcoming our 5th year anniversary.  I apologize for the lack of blogging in comparison to other years, but as all my dedicated readers know we have just welcomed our 2nd son into our family in November and another little guy of 18 months running around so to say the least I have my hands full. 

Although, I'm always dedicated to learning and sharing information on wines I have discovered or information I have learned along the way.  

Here is a flashback to my top 5 wine blogs of 2017.  

#1 Negroamaro of Salice Salento with Leone de Castris 

#2 The Land and Soul of Ceretto 

#3 Journey to Trentino with Teroldego and Spaghetti alla Carbonara 

#4 Italian Red Wines to Enjoy in the Summer 

#5 The Development of Cantina Primo Re 

If you'd like to see more of something or have enjoyed particular topics or themes I love hearing from my readers and encourage comments or emails.  I look forward to another great year and getting back on the horse to share some great articles with you in 2018.


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The Alchemy of Hunt Country Vineyards Paired with Braised Beef Short Ribs

Breaking outside the rules a little today and not featuring an Italian wine. I'm part of the Wine Pairing Weekend food and wine bloggers group and this month we feature American or French food and wine pairings. Coming out of the 4^th of July celebration festivities for the first time at our new vacation home in the mountains of northern NH I had a great pairing I shared with everyone, Hunt Country Vineyards Alchemy and braised beef short ribs. It doesn't get any more American than that with a Finger Lakes wine from upstate NY and ribs always remind me of summer time festivities with friends and family.

Hunt Country Vineyards

I chose the Hunt Country Vineyard Alchemy wine that I brought back from my last trip to the Finger Lakes, one of my favorite regions in the US, although I have to say I have yet to visit the west coast. The Finger Lakes wine region is about a 6 hour drive from the Boston area and I usually take an annual trip to tour the wineries of the Seneca, Cayuga and Keuka lakes. Hunt Country Vineyards is located on the smallest of the three glacially formed lakes, Keuka lake, with about 16 wineries. They are also located on Italy Hill Rd, so I guess something is Italian about this blog today ; )  Keuka lake is celebrating it's 30th anniversary.   

Owners, Art and Joyce Hunt, met years ago in high school. In 1973 they relocated to Art's grandfather's land where they used 50 acres of that land to start grape growing where they sold off the grapes that they grew. When the Coca-Cola Company bought the Taylor Wine Company that devastated the area and damaged many of the winegrowers businesses, the Hunts in 1981 began their own winery, Finger Lakes Wine Cellars, that six years later became Hunt Country Vineyards that stands today, six generations in the family later.  The Hunt's are one of the founding members of the Keuka Lake Wine Trail.

Having a little fun at Hunt Country Vineyards

The Hunt Country Vineyards Alchemy wine is a blend of grapes from a variety of wineries in the Finger Lakes with 53% cabernet franc (Hunt Country Vineyards grapes and Green Acres Farm), 28% lemberger (Fox Run Vineyards one of my favs), 17% merlot (White Springs Winery) and 2% cabernet sauvignon (Swedish Hill Winery). This wine was fermented in stainless steel, but aged in about 85% French oak and 15% American oak. On the palate is ripe black cherry, with some slight notes of oak/vanilla and a little pepper. This wine has been Hunt Country Vineyards best seller since 2012. Retails $15.

I actually wanted to do ribs for this wine pairing event prior to selecting the wine and upon browsing through Hunt Country Vineyards web page came across a variety of wine pairings they suggested with their wines. Come to find out that they recommended for one of the food pairings with the Alchemy wine, braised beef short ribs. I'm always one for trying new recipes and I actually have yet to ever prepare a beef short ribs recipe so I thought it was perfect to try their own. Check out their recipe along with some of their other wines and suggestions as they have many. The sauce the beef short ribs were braised in was rather delicious and was a nice complement to the wine. The food and wine blended together well and neither were overpowered by one another. The herbs of the dish went nicely with the hint of spice and fruit profile of the Alchemy wine.

In addition to the braised beef short ribs I've also been exploring the vegetables in my farmshare that I'm participating in this year.  With this dish I decided to saute some swiss chard and beet greens and I also prepared the beets themselves in balsamic vinegar with a little salt.  

Beef short ribs

Beet greens and swiss chard saute

Braising beef short ribs

Braised Beef Short ribs with beets, beet greens and swiss chard paired with Hunt Country Vineyards Alchemy

We're also coming up to the Wine Bloggers Conference to take place in the Finger Lakes August 13-16^th. If you've never been to this region you must seek it out. Do we have any readers that will be attending or that have visited this region and have favorites?

A Day in the Life on the Farm: “An American Feast for #WinePW”

A Pug in the Kitchen: Classic Nicoise:An American/French Pairing

Confessions of a Culinary Diva: “Provence Style Pan Roasted Chicken with Rose"

Cooking Chat: "Gruyere Cheeseburgers with a Bordeaux"

Culinary Adventures with Camilla: “Tapenade-Topped Sablefish + Cave de Saint-Roch-les-Vignes Côtes de Provence Rosé”

Curious Cuisiniere: “Cherry Clafoutis paired with a Cremant Rosé”

Dracaena Wines: “Discovering the Truth About Bastille Day with #WinePW”

ENOFYLZ Wine Blog: “Independence Day at Ridge Vineyards Zins and Blends #winePW”

Food Wine Click: “All American Menu: Farmer & Winery Friends”

Grape Experiences: “Wine and Dine: Les Vignes de Bila-Haut Blanc Cotes du Roussillon and Salade Niçoise”

Pull That Cork: “Domaine de Bila-Haut and Cobb Salad for #winePW”

Rockin Red Blog: “Celebrating America & France with July #WinePW”

Tasting Pour: “Steak with Mushroom Cognac Sauce, Patriotic Potatoes, and Bell Wine Cellars Cab Sauv #winepw”

Please join us this morning at 11 am EST on Twitter for a fun and lively discussion on our American and French food and wine pairings at #WinePW. Also, join us Saturday, August 15 as we explore Portugal, a land of delicious food and outstanding wines!

Source: Hunt Country Vineyards

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Arneis through the eyes of Malvira in the Roero

This Wine Pairing Weekend (#winepw) on wine and food pairings with arneis is right up my alley, not only because the focus is on this Italian white grape from Piedmont, but also because in the last month I just had the opportunity to meet one of the charming owners and winemaker, Roberto Damonte, of the Malvira winery in the Roero of Piedmont. I'll very rarely pass up an opportunity to meet an Italian winemaker visiting the Boston area if I can help it. They always have such great stories to tell and information to share.

Me with Roberto Damonte, Owner of Malvira winery in the Roero of Piedmont

The Malvira winery
The Malvira winery began in the 1950's when Roberto's father started the winery. The name stems from the word "mal" meaning badly and "vira" meaning situated.  The winery used to be north facing, obviously being a bad situation for a winery as the most ideal conditions for grape growing are south facing.  Roberto and his brother Massimo took over the winery in 1974 and their mission was to focus more on quality than the quantity of wines that were being produced previously. Malvira produces organic wines on 104 acres across 6 vineyard sites with about 380,000 annually. 

Azienda Agrizola Malvira - copyright www.Malvira.com

Malvira produce a variety of Italian grapes including barbera, nebbiolo, birbet and favorita, but its their arneis that they pride themselves on. Their arneis vines are 40-45 years of age,which lend to lower yields with higher quality grapes.  The arneis grape itself translates to “little rascal”.  Fortunately arneis was saved and is one of the most widely planted white grapes in Piedmont as it was facing extinction in the 20^th century.

The two arneis wines I sampled from Malvira were the the 2012 Malvira Roero Arneis and the 2009 Malvira Roero Arneis Trinita.  The '12 Malvira Roero Arneis DOCG is a blend of the different vineyard sites of the Malvira winery that is aged 4-8 months in stainless steel.  The '09 Malvira Vigna Trinita DOCG is a single vineyard that is aged 90% in stainless steel for 6 months with 10% of the juice aged in French oak for 6 months.  My personal preference was for the 2012 Malvira Roero Arneis as I appreciated the crisp, clean, ripe fruit with minerality opposed to the Trinita, named after the small church at the top of the vineyard, that had a hint of oak and more tropical flavors.

The Roero
The Roero is located in the southern part of Piedmont known as the Langhe, but is further within the Cuneo province.  According to Malvira's website the Roero is named after the Conti-Roero family that lived there in the 14th century.  What's unique about the Roero is that prior to 1000 A.D. this area of Piedmont was covered by the sea so it's not uncommon to come across sea fossils from ancient seabeds within the vineyards themselves.  

Copyright of Federdoc

Food pairing with Arneis
In deciding a food pairing with arneis it brought me to the idea of using the fresh vegetables that I just got this week from my  CSA farmshare.  I have always grown my own large garden, but last year we had a little mischievous critter, woodchucks, that ate all my produce so this year I decided to give the CSA a shot and hopefully the woodchuck will venture off without a year of the fruits of my labor.  He sure had a big belly at the end of the season I must say.

I chose to pair with the Arneis a recipe from David's new cookbook of Cooking Chat, the original founder of our #WinePW.  He just recently published his first book Collards and Kale and I thought it was a great opportunity to test out one of the recipes by using his Creamy Penne with Kale and Mushrooms recipe.  I made some adjustments to the recipe. I'm always looking to boost up my protein intake so I chose to add some sliced chicken into the recipe.  The healthy alternative was a 1/2 pack of silken tofu, but my experience with tofu so far hasn't been to my liking so I choose to use a olive oil garlic sauce instead.  Lastly, fusilli is my favorite pasta so I was in the mood for that this week.

Fusilli with Kale and Mushrooms
 

Ingredients

1 pound of fusilli
1 onion chopped
12 oz of mushrooms sliced
Head of kale
1/2 tsp of rosemary
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
2-3 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp of parsley
Sliced chicken or sausage
fresh grated parmesan for serving
sea salt and pepper to taste

Preparations

• On low heat, heat up olive oil in pan and add minced garlic along with a sprinkle of sea salt.  In meantime boil pot of water for pasta adding salt to the pot.
• After a few minutes add chopped onions to garlic and olive oil.  Cook until onions begin to go clear and soften.
• Add mushrooms and cook until softened.
• Chop kale and begin to add to the mushroom, onion and olive oil mixture.  Add rosemary, additional salt and pepper to taste.  Cover ingredients and simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes
• Saute chicken or sausage in separate pan in a couple tablespoons of olive oil
• Add pasta once water has begun to boil and prepare until dictated time.
• Once pasta and chicken are fully cooked, add both to saute pan with other ingredients and mix together. Upon serving top with fresh grated parmesan cheese.

 

Food and Wine Pairing with Arneis
The Arneis was a nice complement to the Fusilli with Kale and Mushrooms.  I felt that the citrus and crisp acidity of the wine paired well with the slight bitterness of the kale along with the other components of this dish.  I think if this dish had a creaminess to it as the original recipe had it would still be a nice choice.   

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June Wine Pairing Weekend Round-up: More Summer Arneis Food Pairing Recipes!

We'll be talking about Arneis and summer wine pairings later today during our Twitter chat at 11:00 ET by following the hashtag #WinePW.

• Esplorando Arneis con #WinePW, Dracaena Wines
• A Summer Arneis Food Pairing: BBQ Chicken in a Citrus Butter Curry Sauce, GirlsGottaDrink
• Spaghetti alla Carbonara for #SummerOfArneis #WinePW, Curious Cuisiniere
• Kale Pesto Tortellini Paired with Arneis, Cooking Chat
• Shrimp and Fennel Risotto with Arneis, FoodWineClick
• Heritage Grain Risotto with Roero Arneis, Wine Pass
• Damilano Langhe Arneis Paired with Dungeness Crab and Pea Purée Crostini, Pull That Cork
• Maltagliati con Sugo dei Porri e Trotte alla Salvia, Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Italian Arneis Wine for #WinePW (yum - linguini and clam sauce!), A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Summer of Arneis on #WinePW, Rockin Red Blog
• Shrimp and Cheese Grits with Vietti Arneis, Enofylz Wine Blog
• Shrimp, Fennel, Fava Bean Pasta with Vietti Arneis, Tasting Pour

Wine Pairing Weekend July: Join us next month!

In July Americans celebrate Independence Day and the French celebrate Bastille Day. July's Wine Pairing Weekend will take place on Saturday, July 11, led by Michelle Williams of Rockin Red Blog. The group will explore food and wine pairings from the United States and France. Get creative and make your favorite all American food and wine meal, your favorite all French food and wine meal, one of each or a combination of both! With these two regions the sky is the limit!

 
Source: Malvira Winery

Campania Food & Wine Pairing; Mussels with Feudi di San Gregorio Falanghina

Welcome to our 7^th month feature of our Italian Food, Wine & Travel event (#ItalianFWT). It's been quite fun exploring a different region of Italy every month with fellow bloggers as we all share our experiences of these individual regions and what makes them special. This month is special to me as we feature the region of Campania in southern Italy. The reason this region is important to me is because my father's side of the family is from Campania in the province of Avellino and even further more the town of Candida for those of you from there that are more familiar with the area. I've been to Campania myself, but have yet to visit Avellino in particular, but I will get there some day, especially since Avellino is the largest province for winemaking in this region.

When I first started this Italian wine blog it was all about Italian wine, but as I'm having fun with this it's only normal to pair some of these Italian wines with food. This is Italy after all and it's all about the Italian food and Italian wine. I wanted to further seek out some different producers of the region and some unique grapes, but I'm in the process of closing on a home and time caught up with me real quick, plus some of the real unique wines that I'd like to get my hands on aren't that readily available at local wine shops. I've written an overview of some of the wines of the Avellino province previously and today I selected the 2013 Feudi di San Gregorio Falanghina di Avellino. Falanghina is one of the more popular white indigenous grapes of this region along with fiano and greco di tufo.

Feudi di San Gregorio

Feudi di San Gregorio was established in 1986 via a joint venture of 2 familiar, Capaldo and Ercolino, so it's a rather young company in comparison to winemaking throughout the rest of Italy and the world nonetheless. Their winery in Sorbo Serpico in the Avellino province, Irpinia region, consists of 740 acres (300 hectacres). It's proximity to Mt. Vesuvius and the volcanic soils there imparts characteristics into the wine that make wines from this region very special.

The 2013 Feudi di San Gregorio Falanghina I sampled was medium bodied, aromatic on the nose, with lots of tropical notes of bananas and pineapples as well as minerality. This wine is fermented in stainless steel tanks lending freshness to the wine. (Wine-searcher.com retail average $14.)

Discussion with Antonio Capaldo, Chairman of Feudi di San Gregorio

What makes winemaking in this part of Italy unique?
"Volcanic soils with the unique indigenous varietals and the peculiar climate conditions (over 200 days of rain per year), make Irpinia a wonderful terroir for both white and red wines.  Campania is probably one of the most interesting regions for white wines (with Friuli and Alto Adige), but also for red wines."

What qualities does the volcanic soils instill in the wines?
"Minerality is evident in all our wines and greatly supports the body of the wine thus making them quite flexible also for pairing with food. The volcanic soils within Irpinia are not al the same; they go from the volcanis stone in Tufo to the volcanic sand in Aglianico.  This way they offer an incredible potential for variety in wines."

What impact has Feudi di San Gregorio had on the history of winemaking in Irpinia?
"Historically Feudi had the merit to bring Campania great history into contemporary society from the style of wine tot he design of the bottles to the communication.  After Feudi was successful, over 100 wineries were created in the area."

What is the goal of Feudi di San Gregorio today?
"Today we try to continue accomplishing the mission to lead the system in particular on foreign markets.  Together with Mastroberardino in more ancient times, Feudi put Campania on the winemaking map."

Cuisine of Campania

Some of the cuisine of Campania includes shellfish and seafood based on its close proximity along the Adriatic Sea so I chose to pair the Feudi di San Gregorio Falanghina with mussels from my mothers recipe that I love. I actually was always afraid growing up to try mussels and this recipe made it easy to love. Nothing better than learning directly from my mother whom was taught by her Italian grandmother. No ones cooking is like my mothers and I guarantee this recipe is sure to please.

Mussels

Ingredients

3-4 tablespoon of olive oil

2-3 cloves of garlic

1 cup of white wine
2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon of sea salt

14 oz can of chopped tomatoes

½ onion (optional)

1/4-1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes (optional)

Clean the mussels prior to cooking. Put them into whatever size pot or dish that makes it easy to run water over them washing them off. Sprinkle flour over them and toss them in the bowl. Some folks also use cornmeal instead of the flour. Those mussels that are open make sure to discard them.

Once the mussels are cleaned, put aside and add oil to a pot and heat oil prior to adding ingredients. Add onions and saute the onion for about 3-4 minutes. In the last couple minutes add garlic. Add the red pepper flakes along with a can of chopped tomatoes and bay leaves. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Combine mussels with the white wine within the pot. Bring to a boil and cover until mussels open.

We enjoyed these mussels as an appetizer, but you can combine them with pasta. Either way you'll get a taste of Campania with this pairing that will make you wanting more.

What's your favorite Campanian wine or food?

The first Saturday of each month, the #ItalianFWT bloggers visit a region of Italy. Check out the other posts about Campania: 

Foodwineclick -- Neopolitan Pork Chops and Autochthnous Grapes of Campania 
Rockin Red Blog -- Exploring Campania with #ItalianFWT 
Cooking Chat -- Grilled Swordfish with Pasta Margherita 
ENOFYLZ Wine Blog -- A Taste of Campania with #ItalianFWT 
Curious Appetite -- Strange Foods and Fringe Wines of Campania 
Christys Palate - Flying Squid Pasta with Beneventano Falanghina

We'd love to have you join our Twitter Chat Saturday, June 6, at 11 a.m Eastern time/ 5 p.m. Italian time. Some of our bloggers had last minute computer troubles so we may be a bit quieter than usual! Blogs that were posted as of Saturday 6/6, 7 a.m. ET have live links to their posts in the list above; check back as the others will be sharing their posts soon!  Next month we will be featuring Lazio!

I find this wine map very useful to understand not only Campania, but all the wine regions of Italy.

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