Monday , March 18 2024
Italian pairings of food and wines are ancient, ineffable, and lasting unities. That is one reason why tourists love to go to Italy.

Vino 2015: Walk Around Tasting Highlights, Cantine Lizzano

Vino 2015, Italian Trade Commission, Cantine Lizzano, Puglia, Italian wines
Vino 2015, table #105, Cantine Lizzano, wines from Puglia. Photo from the site.

Vino 2015 held at the Waldorf Astoria was an amazing metaphoric journey into the Italian wine country of the southern provinces of Calabria, Sicilia, Campania, and Puglia. In the master classes introductory information was presented about the products of each of the provinces and then came the tasting of wines offered from various producers. During the master class about wines from Puglia, I encountered some interesting and delicious red wines which I decided to investigate in the walk around tasting.

One selection of wines was from the cooperative Cantina Sociale Di Lizzano. I decided to stop by the table to reinforce what I had tasted which I really enjoyed from Cantine Lizzano. There, I was able to meet in the Italian words of the cooperative, “il nostro fantastico team”: Luca Circelli, the administrator of the cooperative, Giuseppe Masini and Angelo Pinto who is the Enologist and Winemaker. Angelo Pinto knows and understands all things about the process of making their wines and has been ahead of the curve regarding trends in climate and agriculture that are more modernistic in the region. Luca, Giuseppe, and Angelo shared with me that they are looking for a fine distributor to connect with as a partner to get their wines into the hands and onto the tables of the American public. I really enjoy their wines, so I would love for this to happen.

Vino 2015, Italian wines, Cantine Lizzano, Lizzano, Salento, Puglia
Vino 2015, Cantine Lizzano offering delicious wines for great food pairings. Photo from their website.

When I go to Puglia and visit Cantine Lizzano, which is in the town of Lizzano in the heart of Salento, Puglia, I can stop in with my friends for a tasting then purchase and bring back their wines. I can also order them online, contacting them on their website, Cantine Lizzano. And I can also Skype Lucacircelli and speak to him directly telling him what I want.

Unfortunately, I cannot go to my retailer and make a pest of myself asking them to order their wines. My retailer, like every average retaile,r is not in the fine wines world class category and they are mostly OLD SCHOOL. They deal in American product with wineries from the West Coast or France and some from Chile or Australia which have been over-hyped for the price. This also happens if I go to some fine wine shops in NYC. If the distribution is not yet set up, then the wine shops don’t know what phenomenal Italian wines are out there. However, it is only a matter of time, education is spreading the information. Eventually, if the wines are great, they will find distributors.

Vino 2015, Cantine Lizzano, Manonera Primitivo di Manduria DOP, Apulia Networking Meeting and Dinner, Italian wines
Vino 2015 Apuglia Networking Meeting & Dinner. I enjoyed this Cantine Lizzano Manonera Primitivo di Manduria DOP with herb roasted rack of lamb, Chicory and Pecorino and Grilled Asparagus. Photo from the site.

Americans’ favorite restaurants are Italian, and increasingly their favorite wine offerings will be from the list emphasizing a variety of Italian wines. Italian pairings of food and wines are ancient, ineffable, and lasting unities. That is one reason why tourists love to go to Italy. Italians know how to celebrate what is beautiful and long lasting in their culture. They understand what is a healthful lifestyle. As a part of a gracious style of living, they emphasize leisure and the enjoyment of great cuisine and wonderful wines that enhance the flavors of their delicious meals. The more Americans embrace healthy eating, lifestyles, and unprocessed food, the more they will see the imperative about preparing enjoyable meals enhanced with wine. As Italians say if someone has had too much to drink, “He hasn’t had enough to eat.”

So for a company like Cantine Lizzano, it is only a matter of time before they are working hand in glove with fine distributors. In 1989 the company received the Controlled Designation of Origin label (DOC). Through the years the cooperative has grown and progressed to become one of the largest  and most modern of the cooperatives of in Southern Italy. It has more than 400 members and 500 hectares of vineyards with local grape varieties (Primitivo, Negroamaro, Malvasia, Moscato), and international grape varieties (Chardonnay, Pinot, and Cabernet). What I was really thrilled to discover as I checked out their website was that the cooperative is the only one in Italy that is managed by a woman. Rita Macripò is solid in her beliefs and determination to carry out the principle values of the company with the same enthusiasm as the previous founder.

Vino 2015, Cantine Lizzano's Negroamaro Lizzano DOP Manorossa. Great with savoury first courses, red meat and pecorino cheese. Photo by Carole Di Tosti
Vino 2015, Cantine Lizzano’s Negroamaro Lizzano DOP Manorossa. Great with savoury first courses, red meat and pecorino cheese. Photo by Carole Di Tosti
Vino 2015, Cantine Lizzano, Macchia Primitivo Di Manduria DOP, Puglia, Italian wines
Vino 2015, Cantine Lizzano’s Macchia Primitivo Di Manduria DOP. This is great with savoury first courses, lamb and game. Also good with Granna Padano. Photo by Carole Di Tosti

Cantine Lizzano’s red wines that I sampled go beautifully with sumptuous meals, savory meats, pastas, or even with appetizers, Grana Padano or other pungent tasting and fabulous cheeses and salumi. If your like reds bold and robust, their offerings cover that territory. These were two wines that I enjoyed. The third I had at the Apuglia Networking Meeting and Dinner, (see photo above). But on their website they offer an incredible range of whites, reds and roses, and they have lovely tastings if you are in Puglia and can make the trip to Lizzano.

The NegroamaroLizzano DOP Manorossa to the left has an intense ruby red colour with purple reflections. It is wide and complex to the nose, fruity with a scent of black cherry and soft fruit with notes of spices. It is a full-bodied wine, soft and balanced, rich in fine tannins with a pleasantly long lasting finish.

The Macchia Primitivo Di Manduria DOP to the right has a ruby red colour enriched with garnet reflections and a generous perfume which recalls ripe plums, black cherry, dried fruits and soft notes of vanilla. The wine has a velvety texture which is softened by the warmth of the primitivo grape. And it finishes with notes of a persistent sweetness.

Vino 2015, Cantine Lizzano, Puglia, Apulia, Italian wines, southern Italy
Guiseppe, Angelo and Luca representing Cantine Lizzano at Vino 2015, at the Waldorf Astoria. Photo by Carole Di Tosti

Angelo Pinto, Giuseppe Masini, and Luca Circelli graciously hosted Cantine Lizzano at Vino 2015.  The cooperative has been keeping them busy as they travel to other wine events globally. They were in New York in February, then they went to Düsseldorf, and they will be finishing up with events at Vinitaly 2015 in Verona at Operawine (#vinitaly, #veronaeventi).  As their Facebook page states, they are wonderful world travelers and ambassadors for the company. Also, they are really affable and nice guys.

Apulia or Puglia as we know it in English is an amazing place to visit because of its uniqueness. The architecture of the towns, the cliffs, and sandy beaches along the coast are beautiful as is the other terrain where the farming countryside and olive groves are plentiful. Puglia produces 40% of Italy’s olive oil.

Also, when I think of Puglia, I think of the unusual Trulli of Alberobero that you might choose to stay in if the idea suits you. The trulli are fascinating structures inside and outside, and cooler in the summer. They are protected by UNESCO so you can’t tear them down; they can only be refurbished. Some of the families that had them built in the golden age of trulli in the 19th century during its final decades when wine growing was on the rise still live in them today. And, of course, some date back much older. That is miraculous, considering that they are a mystery of building and solid and sturdy.

More so in this area of Italy than in Tuscany or Torino, be warned. If you are visiting Puglia in the height of the summer, you will understand why a siesta is necessary in the afternoon rather than strenuous hiking or bicycling. But after your sleep, a wine tasting at the Cantine Lizzano would just hit the spot.

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About Carole Di Tosti

Carole Di Tosti, Ph.D. is a published writer, playwright, novelist, poet. She owns and manages three well-established blogs: 'The Fat and the Skinny,' 'All Along the NYC Skyline' (https://caroleditosti.com/) 'A Christian Apologists' Sonnets.' She also manages the newly established 'Carole Di Tosti's Linchpin,' which is devoted to foreign theater reviews and guest reviews. She contributed articles to Technorati (310) on various trending topics from 2011-2013. To Blogcritics she has contributed 583+ reviews, interviews on films and theater predominately. Carole Di Tosti also has reviewed NYBG exhibits and wine events. She guest writes for 'Theater Pizzazz' and has contributed to 'T2Chronicles,' 'NY Theatre Wire' and other online publications. She covers NYC trending events and writes articles promoting advocacy. She professionally free-lanced for TMR and VERVE for 1 1/2 years. She was a former English Instructor. Her published dissertation is referenced in three books, two by Margo Ely, Ph.D. Her novel 'Peregrine: The Ceremony of Powers' will be on sale in January 2021. Her full length plays, 'Edgar,' 'The Painter on His Way to Work,' and 'Pandemics or How Maria Caught Her Vibe' are being submitted for representation and production.

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