Top Italian reds: are the Tuscans prevailing or is the pre-eminence of Piedmontese nebbiolo be set to prevail?

The Gambero Rosso may have its ideas with three glasses and the like, anointing wines from many regions.

Italian standards continue to rise and much of it is better winemaking. Hopefully there is more attention towards eliminating brett.

In one Florentine wine bar I had to leave wine; after ordering three glasses, older Chianti (1998), current vintage (2009) and an expensive (8 euros glass) pinot nero, I just gave up. Too bretty to drink and no varietal flavour left to enjoy.

At the top end of Tuscany there is a big challenge between IGT and traditional DOCG (Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino).

Tradition has producers strapped in as top sangiovese wines ought to stay as just that. Not a bad outcome really.

It was simply stupidity that the Montalcino producers chose to covet the idea that dilution of Rosso di Montalcino with international varieties become a right. Their vote last month failed thankfully and does not need revisitation.

Just because Chianti Classico contains some.

It would be better if this were revoked and all Chianti styles revert to being 100% sangiovese or native red varieties (colorino and canaiolo nero) to strip out the influence of international varieties. Those extra wines can carry the IGT status with impunity.

Many IGT reds impressed, and here is a revisit this month during my Italy Wine & Food Tour of some leading styles – in order of preference.

Ornellaia 2008; 14.5% (USD 250-trattoria price-Rignana); ++++1/2; deep colour, impressive, cedar, leaf, ripe, spicy fruit, a total nose package, palate layered with oak and fruit, the backbone is cabernet, the subtleties rise up as it evolves, many flavours though few protrude and the finish closes off with authority.

Ornellaia 2007; 14.5% (USD 250-trattoria price-Rignana); ++++1/2; deep colour though losing its purples, cedar box oak gives nose sweetness; cabernet expressed as mint/catmint, lots of drying cabernet tannin, juicy drinks, very homogeneous and full-bodied, a powerful drink to enjoy. Memorable.

Solaia 2006; 13.5% (USD 280-Florentine restaurant price); ++++1/2; good deep colour though losing its purples, nose heavily aromatic from very sexy oak use, on the top of that is spicy-ripe cabernet fruit, ethereal and heavenly aromas showing an enjoyable vintage and barrel age residence time, youthful on the palate, powdery, drying tannin, palate still tight, acidity still stoic, long aging wine yet to soften.

Mormento 2008; 14.% (USD); ++++; great colour, what an emphatic wine, lot of oak aging character for 14 months, nose power, spiciness of correct ripeness, fruit has aromatics too, enticing, palate very powerful, nice dryness  yet heaps of tannin for longer aging, yet to be complex but not a consideration for this fresh long liver. Bravo.

Sassacaia 2004; 14% (USD 345-Florentine restaurant price); +++1/2; aged colour, some browns, nose mature, earthy, spearmint, leafy, bonox, palate lifts, complexity, body and prune flavour of mature grapes is very emphatic, earthy aged tones, soft all round with oak recessive, no signs of drying out but mature.

Guado al Tasso 2001; 13.5% (USD); +++1/2; aged colour, browns, some russet shows mature colour, could be brighter, nose earthy, damp soil, fungal, mature leafy fruit has gone into its bottle-complex phase, palate similarly mature, tertiary prune and bonox flavours, drying but not dried out.

Peter Scudamore-Smith is a Brisbane-based Master of Wine, winemaker and educator www.uncorkedandcultivated.com.au

October in Piedmont is the wind down of the vintage, the cooling of the weather and the proliferation of truffles in every ristorante in the region.

The emergence of the white truffle has been celebrated in Alba for 50 years; and the 2010 programme ran the covers of the food celebrities who had graced the previous 49.

The official festival lasts a month but the season extends another month after, and the largest tubers of course are dug up last in the season.

Most ristorantes will offer an additional truffle pairing for 33-40 USD over most dishes (pasta, eggs or roasted meats) or you can buy one outright for 40-66 USD and share with your friends (the waitstaff have clever little scales for selling by the gram).

La Ciau del Tornavento veal carpaccio

Vineyard views while you eat are a lot of fun, and great scenes make for relaxation while eating and drinking. The ristorante La Ciau del Tornavento (tel 0173 638333) in Piazza Baracco, 7, in Treiso (a Barbaresco village), is in fact an old library built by Mussolini in the ’30s, now refitted for this wonderful eating house. The basement has a fairly smart cellar.

This region has a tradition with rare veal of the carpaccio type; Le Ciau’s primo rendition was a square (see pic); adorned with marinated mushroom, anchovy and parmesan in the plate corners, saffron mayo, tasting succulent with the evoo pepper overtones. Simple stuff.

La Ciau del Tornavento parsley frogs legs

Secondo was frogs legs (see pic), endowed with parsley to the point of green when deep fried; comes with savoury salt and pepper, and a dipping sauce of white vinegar, more parsley and evoo. They are simply plump and juicy with feint parsley flavour, and probably not a very popular diners’ choice, but very fine frogs.

As a dolce nut the naturally-made gelato selection of the day was fig and raspberry combo, watermelon, pear and apricot; all ordered so I had an excuse to drink a glass of Francesca Ripetti’s local sticky made by rack drying, Tarasco 2006 Passito di Arneis 2006 Azienda Agricola Cornarea in Roero (90) 13.5%.The glass (USD 10.50) is golden, honeyed on nose, showing lots of barrel aging nuttiness, nice fineness then a shot of sweetness and the mouth dries out with the French oak impact; summary, a good sweet white which surrounds some locally-made ice-creams.

The local red glasses were Pora Barbaresco from the producers co-op (grower Pora) 2004 (91) 14%, soft and silky, now mature, (USD 8), and Ca’ del Baio Barbaresco Asili (Guilio Grasso) 2004 (90) 14%, cherry purple colour very good, maturing into the barley sugar honey development phase, great texture with the veal, (USD 10.50).

Venturing into Castiglione Falletto with the frogs legs match for a glass: the Barolo Pernanno (Cascina Bongiovanni) 2001 (91) 14%, deep black colour, very honied-sweet as now mature, deep and dry and tannic aftertaste showing a warm life and plenty to go (USD 10.50), was a good idea.

Barbaresco-Nieve; north-east

I agonised over the area’s winter specialty-finanziera; a combination of stewed chicken lung, heart, marrow, roosters crests, onion and capers, must be a Piemontese version of haggis, before declining as such a dish may disrupt other diners by being so out there.La Ciau scored well (18/20), positively outstanding food all-round, great cellar and all wines tasted by the glass, recommended by sommelier Luca were very fine value, www.laciaudeltournavento.it ; check USD 85 per person.

Uncorked and Cultivated took a listening tour of Chianti and its surrounds in advance of our tours starting September 2011.

PART 2: VENEZIA, VINCENZA AND PIEMONTE

While there is little wine production around Venezia (Venice), this utmost tourism venue is a magnet for the wines from almost all Italian regions. The closest being Soave, and it is a natural fit with the fishing activities in the Venetian region.

The restaurant of choice in front of the Rialto bridge was Al Pesador, looking quite hip at Rialto on Campo San Giacometo overlooking the tidal Grande Canal which was washing the tiles below. As expected the restaurant featured fish for lunch, and there were three types fresh for inspection.

The starters were encouraging; soft marinated sardines (lemon jest, good salt), mozarella soft in the centre and small spinach, squid in its own ink, jet black, salt cod (bacala) fluffed up as in a cream, all seeking an acidic local white Soave of which there was a choice of three including the popular Pieropan.

The drink was Filippi Brothers Castelcercino 2009 (USD 39); biodynamically-grown www.cantinafilippi.it, (86), 12.5%, quite skinny and obviously aged on its solids, needing better winemaking but this is covered when drunk with the fish of the day, porgy, a type similar to what we would call bass or bream.

It came simply grilled with peppered waxy potatoes and raddichio.

The Haitian espresso coffee was a marvel; made by a specialist roaster Gianni Frasi (torrefazione) in Verona who draws supply from some unusual and interesting sources in the Carribean.

Meanwhile accommodation was at the ancient Villa Valmarana in via dei Nani, having imposing sights of the city of Vicenza and surrounding vineyards, olive orchards and host to several running tracks, so the Vicenzians look to be a fitter lot.

The property is very imposing; part is open for public inspection with its manicured gardens while our accommodation is simply enormous. A new kitchen at one end of a very large living room is an excuse to visit the local markets to prepare fresh mussels over pasta while the local tomatoes still stay so ripe sitting on their covered trellises with barely any leaves.

Refitted bedrooms intersect the large walls and their beautiful frescos are intersected by new ceilings which cut the room height by half. We found time to enjoy the late and fading afternoon sun from the balcony and drink newly-discovered Proseccos with spiced olives.

This fizz was Desiderio JE10 Prosecco Superiore from Colmei in Valdobbiadene NV 11.5%; 90, termed extra-dry and tasting so, made by the Bisol family.

Across to Alexandria and then Alba takes you to the heart of nebbiolo grape country collectively called Langhe.

After some navigation which by-passed the spiritual city of local winemaking as well as the truffle centre, we located Grinzane Cavour, then a small area on the fringe of Diano D’Alba and accommodation at Tenuta Ottocentro under the steep hill behind the town.

The first encounter with traditional Piedmontese foods was at Trattoria nelle Vigne in via Santa Croce 17; tel 0173 468503 owned by Farioli Sabrina.

Successive courses of tuna sauce over anchovies, salad russe (one of many interpretations combining chicken, cheese, capers and iceberg lettuce), fatty pork belly, veal tartare and gorgonzola frittata, were completed with white rabbit braised in nebbiolo and onions, garnished with parsley.

A good bottle of Vietti Perbacco Nebbiolo 2007 14%; 89 (USD 22) from nearby at Castiglione Falletto soothed the nerves and the angst of such a succession of dishes on the hop. This ristorante was good value.

After a morning of tastings in Barolo town, the GPS was set for via Boschetti to locate Locanda nel Borgo Antico, an old renovated farmhouse, now a ristorante 0173 56355.

A little like taking the back roads, unsealed of course in my home country, quite a deal of navigating resulted in finding our place for a meal.

This did become a little complicated because the entry door is not signed (and there are several, some leading to derelict rooms or the cellar areas, unattended of course), and even more bizarre, the entry is kept locked, and a staff member jumps out the door from upstairs to offer admittance. Strange secrecy.

Food interpretations were quite contemporary; the veal tartare was tiny veal dices, marinated in lime juice and white truffle, dices of cheese, pimento, Dijon mustard and a single chive garnish.

The veal eye fillet was cooked pink, with green vegetable puree garnish, caramelised roasted vegetables kept to the minimum or taglitalle home-made had veal ragout, and canaraoli sauced with melted semi-hard Toma cheese.

La Morra from Locanda nel Borgo Antico

The wine choice Camerano Cannubi Barolo 2005 14%; 85 (USD 72) was simply too pretty to enjoy, so we reverted to a glass of Brezza Bricco Sarmassa 2004, 14%; 92, a wonderful wine showing little age and maximum flavour softness.In summary Locanda nel Borgo Antico scores well (16/20) for great decor, excellent service, “out-there” plate and dish presentation, super food flavours on the minimalist train, great country lunch venue and all-staff attention to detail. Check USD 104 px. www.locandanelborgo.it