Wine Club Trip: Travel Journal - August 1, 2008

Susan DeMatei's Travel Journal

We are sad to see our last day come, as we are now old friends. We enjoy our hearty breakfast and stiff espressos and head up to Il Cavalier for the cooking class with Fabrizio and Richard. Today we are focusing on recipes from the Renaissance and Di Medici eras.

We learned that potatoes and tomatoes are a relatively new introduction into Italian cooking – or at least after the discovery of America. Thus, Gnocchi is made with old bread crumbs and called Pisarei Pasta and the sauce is also of bread crumbs and oil. The use of spices is also liberal, especially cinnamon, which was a sign of wealth. For dessert, we made a sort of fried doughnut fruitcake, dipped in Acacia honey – definitely something I am going to use to impress at my next dinner party!

We finish our cooking lesson and then lunch on our labors. We designate the Pisarei as “looks bad tastes good” and the cinnamon spiced balls as heavy and flavorful with the dessert wine we had chosen.

After lunch we move onto the cheese lecture where we taste four different types of cheeses and the effect they have on four different types of Gabbiano wines. The entire group agrees they have learned a lot.

Our last evening starts with a cocktail reception by the pool, including Giancarlo, Ivano and Cornelia from Gabbiano. We toast to each other with Prosecco in the evening sun and exchange phone numbers and stories to keep in touch. Then we move onto a candle-lit dinner in the garden with wines and boisterous talk of future travels. It was a wonderful day filled with wonderful memories.

On August 2nd, we leave the Castello. This week has been full of wine, food, and friendship and I hope to appear here again. We hope you will be able to join us on our next adventures in food, wine and travel.

Ciao!