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Daily Telegraph
15 hours ago
- Lifestyle
- Daily Telegraph
Sommelier Fabio Nistrio names world's best organic vineyards to visit
Don't miss out on the headlines from Lifestyle. Followed categories will be added to My News. Fabio Nistrio grew up in Italy and says wine has been a passion since before he was legally allowed to drink. His interest in organic viticulture started in childhood. 'My grandfather was an olive oil producer with a 100-acre (40ha) olive grove in Puglia. Organic farming was just a way of life – there was never any desire to use synthetic materials due to the warm climate in the region,' he says. Sydney-based sommelier Fabio Nistrio. The sommelier who is the head of organics at organic wine retailer FAB now travels the world seeking out winemakers who are having a positive impact on the land and vines they produce. 'During my travels, I realised the impact organic and biodynamic agriculture had on the vineyards. They were teeming with life, and you could sense this energy and character in the wines,' he says. 'Nature creates the perfect wine and food pairings.' Here he shares his favourite organic vineyard locations around the world: Montalcino, Italy At Il Paradiso di Frassina vineyard in Montalcino in Italy they use speakers raised on poles to play the musical harmonies of Mozart to study the benefits of sound waves on the vines. It's beautiful and the winemaker says the vines are incredibly responsive to the sound, with the vibrations of the music detracting predator species. The wines here are clearly loving the sounds because they are spectacular. Il Paradiso di Frassina winery in Montalcino, where Mozart is played to the vines. Linsengericht-Altenhasslau, Germany Paradieschen is a small, members-only farm north of Stuttgart, in Germany, where you can join to receive a notification of when your selection of fruit and vegetables is ready to harvest. Non-members can stop by to enjoy the small bistro and general store on site in Linsengericht-Altenhasslau. Here, I tasted many organic wines from local producers. One that I loved was Gustavshof Wines, made by winemaker Andreas Roll. The wines are exotic, textural, and exciting. Gustavshof Wines is one of the standout German organic winemakers. Marsannay, France My favourite place in France for organic wine is Marsannay in the famous Côte de Nuits region. This is the home of Domaine Huguenot, an outstanding Burgundy producer with a winemaking and viticulture history that dates back to 1800. While the expansive, organically farmed vineyards are impressive, a walk through the cavernous barrel rooms blew me away. The wines work beautifully with regional dishes such as duck casserole or French onion soup. Côte de Nuits in France's Burgundy wine region. Hokkaido, Japan Domaine Takahiko in Hokkaido, Japan, is widely known as the finest winemaker in Japan. These wines are made by Takahiko Soga from a small vineyard located on a hill and surrounded by forest above the Yoichi River. The pinot noir wines are unconventionally fermented in neutral tanks made of resin. His 2021 Nana-Tsu-Mori pinot noir was made extra memorable when paired with unagi don or roast marinated eel brushed with soy sauce served on rice. It was magic. Autumn colours at Domaine Takahiko in Hokkaido, known for its pinot noir. HIGHS AND LOWS Daylight robbery I was in Paris, the most beautiful place in the world, when a pickpocket took my wallet. It was a bit of a hustle to recover all my documents, but luckily I was in a European country, so it was manageable. But it didn't make for a memorable visit to one of my favourite cities. Nostalgic nurturing My best travel experience was a recent trip to the Amalfi Coast. It holds a lot of sentimental value to me and my family. My grandmother was married here, and growing up there was always Neapolitan music playing with references to the vibrant aspects of Sorrento. Originally published as Sommelier Fabio Nistrio names world's best organic vineyards to visit
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Travel + Leisure
25-05-2025
- Travel + Leisure
I Traveled on 2 of Europe's Most Luxurious Trains—Here's What They Were Like
Big news for vintage train enthusiasts: The Orient Express brand is back with a luxe new train inspired by 1960s style. As a Rome-based journalist, I was lucky enough to be one of the first passengers aboard the La Dolce Vita Orient Express for its inaugural 'Taste of Tuscan Vineyards' journey from Rome to Montalcino. The experience was fabulous from start to finish, but how does it compare to the iconic Venice Simplon Orient Express? Both trains offer luxury journeys that encourage passengers to partake in the joys of slow travel. They both feature gorgeous design, gourmet meals, and entertainment on board, but there are a few key differences between them that are important to consider if you're trying to decide which one to book. First of all, it's important to note that the trains are run by two different brands, though the French conglomerate LVMH has a stake in both of them. The Venice Simplon Orient Express (VSOE) is run by Belmond, which operates luxury trains and five-star hotels around the world. La Dolce Vita Orient Express (LDVOE) is part of the new Orient Express brand run by French hospitality group Accor. Guest cabin on the La Dolce Vita Orient Express. With glossy lacquered wood, intricate marquetry, sumptuous fabrics, and lamps by Lalique and Baccarat, the VSOE exudes Jazz Age glamour. It has three restaurant cars, a bar car, a boutique, and 54 cabins that can accommodate up to 108 passengers. Perhaps to distinguish it from the VSOE, the LDVOE was inspired by 1960s Italian design, with details inspired by legendary mid-century architect Gio Ponti. It has 12 carriages that contain a restaurant, a bar, and 31 cabins that can accommodate up to 62 passengers. When I rode the VSOE, I was assigned to a Historic Cabin, which has a banquette that converts into a bed, whereas on the LDVOE I stayed in a suite with a big, comfortable bed, a separate sofa, and a table and chairs. However, I also took a peek at a Deluxe Cabin on board the train to see how they compare. The biggest difference is that on the VSOE, the Historic Cabins don't have a shower, whereas on the LDVOE, even the entry-level cabins have a full bathroom with a shower and high-end bath products. Suites on the VSOE have luxurious bathrooms, and while guests in entry-level cabins have a washbasin, they have to use shared bathrooms located at the end of each sleeper carriage when they want to shower. This is important to keep in mind if you're considering booking a multi-day journey. A lounge cabin on the Venice Simplon Orient Express. Meals on both trains are multi-course gourmet affairs by lauded chefs. French chef Jean Imbert has been designing the menus onboard the VSOE since 2022. German chef Heinz Beck, who's behind Rome's only three-Michelin-star restaurant, created the menus on board the LDVOE. When I took the VSOE from Venice to Paris, I had a decadent three-course lunch in one of the train's restaurants, was served afternoon tea in my cabin, and somehow still managed to eat a tasting menu dinner on board that evening. On LDVOE, the drinking and dining started at the chic lounge at Rome's Ostiense Station, then continued with a five-course lunch in the restaurant that left me satisfied but not stuffed. Dinner was a private event at a historic winery in Tuscany. After dinner, both trains offer live entertainment in the bar car. Passengers aboard the VSOE tend to dress to the nines, with many embracing vintage 1920s style and indulging in martinis or Champagne. The LDVOE was still elegant but a bit more casual. Instead of Champagne, they were serving Franciacorta (one of Italy's best sparkling wines). I loved how Rome-based American singer Tess Amodeo Vickary, who was serenading the LDVOE's passengers during my trip, handed out tambourines and really tried to involve everyone in her performance. Other trains or itineraries might have other performers on board. Scenes from an excursion in Venice, Italy. The VSOE has itineraries throughout Europe ranging from one to five nights, while the LDVOE offers one-, two-, or three-night journeys on eight routes throughout Italy. While the VSOE stops in cities like Paris, Venice, Amsterdam, Budapest, Vienna, and Istanbul, the experience is really more about being on board the train. Only the longer journeys include excursions. For the LDVOE, the excursions are an important part of the experience. They're not mandatory, and they do come with an extra cost, but every itinerary gives guests the option to choose from at least one or two excursions or use that time to explore on their own. I really enjoyed the excursion to Argiano Winery, where we were given a tour of the owner's private art collection and the barrel room before enjoying an aperitivo and sitting down for a four-course dinner paired with the winery's Rosso di Montalcino and Brunello di Montalcino. On other journeys, excursions range from walking tours of off-the-beaten-path locations to Jeep excursions on the slopes of Mount Etna and exclusive dinners in private Venetian palaces. Journeys aboard the VSOE start at $4,692 for one night in a Historic Cabin on the classic Venice to Paris journey. That rate includes afternoon tea served in the cabin, dinner, midnight brunch, breakfast served in the cabin, and all soft drinks, as well as a shared transfer from your hotel/residence to Venezia Santa Lucia Station. The rates for the LDVOE start at $3,910 for a one-night trip in a Deluxe Cabin and includes meals, a curated selection of wine, soft drinks, and cocktails, and transfers to and from the Orient Express Lounge at Rome's Ostiense Station.
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Lifestyle
- Yahoo
Meet the Young Aristocrat That's Making Brunello Cool Again
This story is from an installment of The Oeno Files, our weekly insider newsletter to the world of fine wine. Sign up here. Thirty-year-old vintner Santiago Cinzano has just launched a new estate called Conti Marone Cinzano, where he is pioneering an unorthodox viticultural philosophy: selecting the best plot in any given vintage to create his wine, Lot.1 Brunello di Montalcino. Due to increasing climatic unpredictability, the plot changes every year and is selected during the ripening season based on the year's conditions and their influence on the vines. After realizing that members of his age group prefer other styles of wine to age-worthy Brunello with potentially hefty tannins, Cinzano launched his project with an eye toward making Brunello cool again. More from Robb Report $2.2 Million Worth of Ancient Artifacts Trafficked Through New York Are Returning to Greece and Italy Spring-Break Travel Prices Have Hit a Record High This Year How to Sell a Bottle of Wine From Your Collection The 10th generation of a winemaking dynasty whose surname is more closely associated with Vermouth and Asti Spumante than red wine, Cinzano notes that his friends prefer to drink styles such as Beaujolais, Trousseau from Jura, and crisp, fresh reds from the slopes of Mount Etna rather than what they consider an overly tannic red that may not be ready to drink for another 10 years. 'Don't get me wrong—I know that today Brunello's reputation is at an all-time high,' Cinzano says. 'But people my age want to drink cool wines. Montalcino, Brunello, today, they are not cool. They're prestigious. They're high end. They're historical. They're classic. But Brunello is not considered cool by 25- to 30-year-olds.' Ten years ago, Cinzano's father, Count Francesco Marone Cinzano, ceded 10 percent of the land owned by his Montalcino wine estate Col d'Orcia to Santiago and his brother to begin a project of their own. At that time, this portion of the estate had been planted with fields of grain, olive groves, and forests, which Santiago replaced with Sangiovese planted in bush-vine style. The elder Cinzano had sold the remaining 50 percent of his family's eponymous Vermouth and sparkling-wine brand when his own father died in a car accident in 1989, and his son's first line item in starting a new project was to use his family name on the bottle, which was easier said than done. The sale of Cinzano was a painful end to an illustrious family legacy dating back to 1757, and while Santiago wanted to reclaim the name, multiple legal consultants and attorneys told him it would be impossible. Unbeknown to Francesco, Santiago set up a meeting in Milan with Luca Garavoglia, chairman of Campari Group, the current owner of Cinzano. 'I presented this project, and he told me, 'As long as Campari owns Cinzano, I will never make your life difficult. Send me a bottle for Christmas. Please, use your family name, feel free,'' he says. And thus Conti Marone Cinzano was born, for which Santiago often uses the shorthand CMC. With his family name back in play, it was important to him to take a personal, intimate approach to every aspect of winemaking from vineyard to bottle, including his and Francesco's signature on the label and hand-numbering each bottle. Because his 10-year-old vineyard is not producing grapes of the quality necessary for such a special project, CMC Lot.1 is currently reliant on the vines of Col d'Orcia, where 272 acres are planted at 500 to almost 1,500 feet above sea level with many different expositions and multiple soil types. The vineyard has been broken down into micro-parcels so that the team can understand each and every plot as deeply as possible. Working closely with enologist Dr. Donato Lanati of Giacomo Conterno and Giuseppe Mascarello fame, Cinzano's Lot.1 is a single-vineyard wine, but it will not be from the same plot each vintage. 'In the past eight years we've seen the warmest year on record, the driest year on record, and the rainiest autumn on record,' Santiago says. 'We are seeing such a level of climatic variability and unpredictability that the concept of having to rely on a single plot is becoming less and less reliable.' With that in mind, Lanati analyzes grapes samples just after veraison, which indicates the onset of ripening. He is looking for aromatic precursors that at that point cannot be smelled or tasted in the grape; they are released only during fermentation. Lanati examines the grapes prior to full ripening and can predict the evolution of aromas, thereby choosing the best plots weeks before harvest and then narrowing it down to just one. 'When we are harvesting that parcel, we go even further, and it's a selection of the best bunches from that already selected parcel,' he says. 'The parameters allow me to do very short maceration and very delicate pump overs to have a fresh, approachable wine, but at the same time I can extract a lot of aromas.' Seeking to release a wine that's age-worthy yet still approachable, Santiago and Lanati's goal is a 'Brunello that even in its first year of release has tannins that are extremely integrated, extremely silky, and extremely round,' Lanati says. Cinzano's 2019 Lot.1 is derived from what he calls a 'textbook vintage.' Sourced from the estate's almost 40-year-old Canneto vineyard, the wine benefited from 'near perfect equilibrium' in its soil composition. 'The limestone, clay, and sandy components have great balance, which in a vintage like 2019, where you didn't need the most draining soil or the most retentive soil, you go for a very balanced soil,' he says. The plot's southern exposure and ample sunlight brought on perfect phenolic ripeness, which is necessary to make great wine. The entire lot was aged in a single large wooden tank called a botte and was transferred to bottle in August 2023. Conti Marone Cinzano 2019 Lot.1 Brunello di Montalcino is deep garnet in the glass and has a bouquet of cranberry, pomegranate, cherry, and vanilla with touches of saddle leather and tobacco leaf. Flavors of ripe summer cherry and dried cranberry are wrapped in brilliant acidity and polished tannins shot through with a bold vein of minerality. Shimmering acidity lingers into the drawn-out finish. If this wine doesn't make Brunello cool again, we wonder if anything will. Do you want access to rare and outstanding reds from Napa Valley? Join the Robb Report 672 Wine Club today. Best of Robb Report Why a Heritage Turkey Is the Best Thanksgiving Bird—and How to Get One 9 Stellar West Coast Pinot Noirs to Drink Right Now The 10 Best Wines to Pair With Steak, From Cabernet to Malbec Click here to read the full article.
