May 1, 2007
Arrived in Juan-les-Pins today by way of train down from Paris, a 5 1/2 hour ride through the French countryside to the Riviera. Bleary-eyed after the all-night flight from Naples, but happy to finally to be here, our host, after a brief tour of the area provided a proper French welcome - local cheese, a crusty baguette, and a bottle of deliciously dry and fruity rose`. I think I'm going to like it here!

One of the first sights of the area was this view across the Mediterranean from the shoreline of Juan-les-Pins. The bluest sky and water and a bustling little town.



Sunday morning, May 6th.
Another beautiful day on the French Riviera! Found my way to the open market in "Old Antibes", a medieval town right on the sea. Fresh veggies and fruit, butchers, bakers - and yes, even candle makers! I stopped counting at more than a dozen types of locally produced goat cheeses. And every fifteen feet or so, there would be another farmer selling his/her olives and their freshly made tapenade, to be spread of course on yet another warm, crusty baguette.



Tuesday, May 8th.
On the way to Nice today, saw a sign that signaled a change of plans - Musee de Renoir. Up an incredibly steep and winding narrow road, not sure where I was or if headed in the right direction, sure enough, I found La Collette, Renoir's last home. An amazing location and fabulous house and truly a moving experience to stand in the studio where he painted some of his most recognized work during the last years of his life. The house seemed virtually unchanged and the grounds surrounding the property appeared much as they were when he was painting in the gardens.



Thursday, May 10th.
A fabulous lunch today @ L'Armoise, in Vence, a 13th century walled city in the foothills of the Alps-Maritimes. In a little courtyard of this ancient village, this restaurant served the most incredible Coquille St. Jacque dish I ever had - a "Truffled Scallop Provencal Salad". The scallops were dusted with truffle powder, seared, I suspect in a ton of butter, served over mesclun with zucchini, sun-dried tomatoes, a truffled white wine vinaigrette and topped with a julienne of smoked salmon. Unbelievable! And all washed down with a glass of fabulous local white wine, a Domaine du Cagueloup Blanc de Blanc. It just doesn't get any better than this.

Saturday, May 12th
Of all that I've seen to date, nothing comes close to the beauty of this little town at the base of the Alps just 25 miles from the Italian border. Villefranche Sur Mer is an immaculate seaside village where legend has it, the Rolling Stones holed up when they escaped England to avoid tax litigation and where they recorded their Exile on Main Street album. Trust me, if you had to escape to someplace, this would be as close to paradise as you get!

The "main" street here, has an abundance of wonderful restaurants, - we had a wonderful tuna carppacio at Belluga, served three ways with a half-bottle of vins de pays rose` from the Cotes de Provence served iced cold, while overlooking the little fishing harbor.



Sunday, May 13th.
Back to Old Antibes for dinner, The Les Vieux Murs Restaurant, or The Old Walls Restaurant, set high above the sea at the site of the Picasso Museum, is one of the most fantastic locations on the Riviera, with views of Nice far off in the distance. Hundreds of years old, the menu, wine list and service belie the age of the restaurant. This was my first introduction to the Braquet grape, an indigenous Provence red from Clos Saint Vincent that reminded me somewhat of a cross between a syrah and mourvedre - rustic yet with big fruit. It matched superbly with a duck breast entrée garnished with local sour cherries and served with an incredible almond polenta. Tres Bien!



Monday, May 14th
This one and only sign indicating the location of the vineyards of Domaine Augier on a steep mountain in the Bellet appellation says it all as to why I had just a little difficulty finding it. I think I probably would have enjoyed the wine, but never did locate the winemaking facility. The ride up the side of the mountain though was the most fun I've had since trying to open a bottle of wine with a Phillips-head screwdriver!



Tuesday, May 15th.
My second day of wondering around the countryside of Provence on the road to Bandol, my intent was to drive straight through to the western edge of the region and work my way back. The best laid plans..., there are just so many small family-owned vineyards; getting lost was never so much fun! Zooming along the A-8, France's version of the Indy 500 for the general public, I passed an exit marked Les Arcs and remembered Gilli, from Heidi's Bookstore in Antibes - one of the few places I could go to hear English spoken, telling me of the charming little wineries in this region. On to the next exit and make my way back to Les Arcs, I retrieved the diagram Gilli had provided but neglected to consider that the road signs she pointed out were all in French. Ah, the challenge of trying to read a map in a language you haven't begun to master. Within this little village, there were more than a dozen vineyards, some not more than a few acres, no tasting room or gift shop and many without any real cellars to speak of. These are truly farmers who year-to-year try to eek out a living from the dirt in which they grow their grapes. Needless to say, communicating was a chore, but I found many of them to be charming and happy to have me taste their wine and explain a little about their vineyard.

Among the few wineries of any significant size in this region of Provence, Chateau Sainte Roseline is an amazing domaine of history, art and fabulous wines. Rather than go into any great detail here, I will write more extensively about them in the upcoming newsletter. But, I have visited many vineyards over the years and none impressed me the way Chateau Sainte Roseline did.



Friday, May 18th
Back into the Provence wine country, I was intrigued as to how many of the vineyards plant flowers at the end of each row of vines. I tried to ask whether there was any real value to this practice and was looked at as if I was from, well another country or maybe, planet. I got the sense that of course there was value - it was pretty! Touche.



Monday, May 21st
Bandol is about more than just vineyards. The beautiful sun-filled day I wondered into the harbor town, there was an amazing open air market going on with these little fishing boats as a backdrop. Hmmm…an opportunity to enjoy another warm baguette? This time while sitting on a crate savoring a plate of freshly shucked oysters and a plastic cup of some unknown chilled white wine, which I was told was a "vin blanc". Ah, okay...even I could figure that out. None the less, it was an unforgettable experience and set the stage for another day of visiting the vineyards of the beautiful Bandol region.



Monday, May 21st
This remarkable little historic village sits atop the terraced vineyards in Bandol across the road from Domaine Ott's, Chateau Rosmassan, in Le Castellet. Notice how the vines are trained to grow straight up to minimize the potential for rot as the proximity to the sea, less than a mile or two away, provides moisture not always mitigated by the Mistral winds so prevalent throughout much of the Provence region.



Tuesday, May 22nd
What would a visit to the south of France in May be without a stop in Cannes to see all the "beautiful people"? Cannes really is a beautiful town, but the traffic and hoopla surrounding the festival keeps me away, even though it is only a 12 minute train ride from my apartment. Now if I could have hung out in one of these VIP tents right on the beach with waiter service and the company of the stars, ...well maybe!



Wednesday, May 23rd
Just so you know, there really are seasons here; only which flowers are blooming would be a clue. The pansies below are just one example of why so many of history's renowned artists found their way to the French Riviera and captured the palette of colors so abundant here.



Wednesday, May 23rd
In what is certain to be an ill-fated attempt to ward off the inevitable growth of my "love handles" (merci beau coup to all those magnifique boulangeries), this is where I run or walk a few mornings a week. Actually, I find this to be such an incredible spot, I have to stop running and reflect on as much as I love Naples, Florida, the south of France is one of the more beautiful places on earth.



Tuesday, May 29th
Some might call it reconnaissance. In truth, it's nothing more than impatience. I've been here in the south of France for going on five weeks now and as much as I have enjoyed every Croissant des Amands, Plateau Coquilles and Bouteille de Rose, it is time to move on, so today I took the local train out of Nice across the French border into Italy. Officially, I don't travel to Tuscany until June 2nd, but the lure of the Italian Riviera was too much to ignore, so I found myself sitting in a trattoria, La Sirena, on a pebbled beach looking out at the most incredible turquoise sea, the Mediterranean, in Ventimiglia. Before I could read through the wine list, I had bread (thankfully, not another baguette!) and a bowl of olives placed in front of me. Welcome to Italy! A half bottle of Valpolicella, Insalata Caprese (with warm mozzarella, grazie tante!), and a Pizza Margherita seemed the appropriate lunch. Does it get any better than this? Well yeah it did when I was brought a cruet of the greenest olive oil I had ever seen!

As I assaulted my Insalata, shrieks of school aged children overtook the sounds of the soaring, sweeping seagulls hopeful of a tossed morsel. As relayed by my waiter, the local 6th grade class takes their afternoon recess here on the beach -weather permitting, which I suspect is often. What an incredible sight! They seemed unencumbered by world events as they tossed stones into the azur-colored sea and practiced the Italian art of flirting. All of this took place under the watchful eye of the teacher who sat on a blanket writing, perhaps preparing for the afternoon lessons.

After a fabulous pizza - could the setting have influenced my perspective (?), I ordered the requisite Café, known to the rest of the world as Espresso. For most rational people, all of this would be enough, but hey, I'm on (sort of) vacation! On the way back to the Ventimiglia train station, I couldn't resist stopping at one of the countless opportunities to buy a gelato. Buying gelato in Italy is not unlike trying to find a place to buy a baguette in France -which I actually saw being sold in a gas station! It is everywhere. A double limone, thank you. My eye was on the semi-freddo, but I am trying to exercise some control. I think I'm going to love Italy.


Ventimiglia, Italy

Wednesday, May 30th
Reflections of Provence and the South of France.
What a long, strange trip it's been. No, strike that. It has been everything I expected and more. Granted, I haven't seen all of everything the world has to offer, but I have been fortunate to see a lot of it and Provence is certainly one of the most charming, inspiring, peaceful places on earth. In general, the south of France is unbelievably beautiful, but having had the opportunity to have lived on the coast of northern California for many years, I found a lot of similarities in terms of topography, beauty and especially, the passion for wine and food. The difference as always is going to be the people. Perhaps the biggest take-away from this stay has been that I have found the people of this region to be extraordinarily friendly and accommodating. I had little difficulty assimilating into their culture, thanks in large part to their tolerance of my struggle with their language and customs. This is in stark contrast to the perception of what many Americans think and to a large degree, what I experienced in previous trips to Paris. France, especially Provence, is a great destination for food, wine and culture and I encourage you to visit this part of the world.

The wines are incredible, different, fresh, inexpensive, and above all authentic. There is a unique flavor profile to the wines of Provence, especially the reds, that have a subtle difference to any I have tasted. Rustic but not harsh, distinctive flavors but not over-the-top fruit bombs, and refreshingly, less alcoholic than most of what is coming out of American vineyards. I'll never again disparage Rose` - at least if it's made in the crisp, dry style as it is in Provence. Chateau Sainte Roseline, a vineyard deep in the Var region, where preserving centuries of history and making quality wine is taking precedence over immediate profits, was my most enjoyable winery visit. Given their current direction, I hope we will hear more about this vineyard in America in the future.

The food is phenomenal. Yes, I have spoken at length about the bread and desserts, but the "spinach lady" at the outdoor market in Antibes who sells her farm picked spinach - only if it's ready; the local cheese vendor who offers more than 20 types of chevre - some from farms that have only two or three goats; and the independent rotisseurs, who roast fresh chickens - without the hormones we get in our birds at the big-box grocery stores, seem to in be on every corner in the cities and larger towns. There were literally four rotisseries in the one block I lived in Juan-les-Pins!

There is just so much history here. Every other town has a medieval village dating back to the middle ages. Museums, galleries and cultural venues are everywhere! The French Riviera is so much more than yachts and Monte Carlo. Painters like Renoir, Picasso and Matisse spent much of their lives here and the literary giants who had permanent or summer homes included, F. Scott Fitzgerald, D.H. Lawrence, Oscar Wilde, Virginia Woolf, Dickens, Joyce and countless others. The area around Bandol is where the Greeks first planted grapes in the 6th century B.C.

I would be less than truthful if I said it was complete nirvana, driving is a nightmare! Everyone drives much too fast, particularly the little scooters that are nearly as prolific as the real estate offices and beauty salons. There are next to no traffic lights, but a circle/round-about seems to exist at every corner. I never once saw any semblance of traffic enforcement; it is truly every man/woman for themselves on the roads. And, parking is atrocious; I was told that there are 2.7 vehicles for every available parking space in France - private and commercial! Train service, while inexpensive is very much a hit or miss proposition. One day they run on time and in beautiful, fast, air-conditioned cars, the next day they may not run at all due to local strikes or they run late and the cars are of art-deco vintage, hot and dirty. When they do run on schedule, and you are fortunate to get a one of the newer high speed cars, it is an incredible journey. The tracks are frequently within 100 yards of the Mediterranean often separated only by fabulous, million-dollar seaside villas.

Mass commercialism is yet to have come to the south of France. Now I understand why so many foreigners come to America to shop. Coupled with the favorable exchange rate, all of the stores are small, family-owned operations. There are no malls and everything - government offices, little shops, grocers, all but the restaurants close during midday, which in interesting as that seems to be when most of their customer base is on the street.

And finally, while there are almost as many Internet Cafes as there are Boulangerie's. Apparently there is very little infrastructure for home on-line service,as few people I met have it. That alone, would make it difficult for me to live here. I want to "Google" over my morning coffee, which reminds me, as good as the coffee here is, I can't wait to have a Decaf Vente Cappuccino from Starbucks!

Thanks for listening. It's on to Tuscany, where I suspect the food and wine will be as good, if not better!


Vineyards somewhere in Provence

Monday, June 4th
Three trains, a shuttle bus and a 30-mile car ride from Pisa, I finally arrived from France in Tuscany Sunday evening. La Buca di Montauto is "home" for two weeks and the property is remarkable. Situated less than a mile outside the walled town of San Gimignano, it is a vineyard, an olive grove and a wild-boar rearing farm. From the kitchen window and patio, I overlook the Tuscan hills with row upon row of vernaccia and sangiovese vines. High on the hillside, stand the towers of the 11th century city. The colors and fragrance of the flowers that are everywhere are intoxicating and the sounds of the farm - crowing roosters, the squeals of the baby boar and the barking of a distant dog, are a welcome morning sound. Tomorrow, I meet with the owner, Mauro Ghini, who has invited me to watch as he makes salami for his store in San Gimignano.
La Buca di Montalto - San Gimignano

Tuesday, June 5th
Spent the day here at the farm. The morning was fascinating as I watched the salami making operation. In a little barn, not thirty yards from my apartment, Mauro and three of his employees ground what seemed to be half the Tuscan boar herd, added pine nuts, fennel, peppercorns and a small mix of salt and sugar and encased and hung a few hundred salami to cure. While they do use modern equipment and the whole operation is incredibly sanitary, it all seemed so simple. For lunch today, it was some of Mauro's salami and proscuitto, a wedge of local Reggiano and a glass of his Chianti.
If they only knew where they were going...

Wednesday, June 6th
Complete with requisite digital camera, I spent a good part of the day wondering the medieval streets of San Gimignano. Throngs of tourists aside, it truly is a magical city rich in history, salumeria's (yes, this was a new term for me too - meaning places that sell salami; think deli in America, only really made from scratch), and wine shops. Many of these are owned by the local vineyard owners. The town with its 14 towers and 5 gates became a favorite stopover point for the Archbishop of Cantebury, traveling the main road through San Gimignano, from Rome to France.

San Gimignano is home to the vernaccia grape, the only DOCG Italian white varietal among the many red Chianti grapes. Only a handful of the vineyards here produce enough vernaccia wine to ever see the American wine shop shelves, but it is a delicious wine.

Thursday, June 7th
I spent a few hours this morning at the La Buca store in San Gimignano interviewing Mauro Ghini, who along with his wife Antonella, are the owners of the La Buca domaine. One of most fascinating people I have ever met, Mauro's dedication and passion to his family, the farm, vineyards and the "agriturisimo" or apartments, personifies the quality of life here in Tuscany. The complete interview with Mauro will appear in the June issue of A Nichols Worth of Wine.


Mauro, Bruce and Antonella
@ La Buca

Friday, June 8th
Up and out early today to wander through Montalcino and travel up the "Via Chiantigiana", or Route 222, the Chianti Trail, which runs from Sienna north to Florence, a distance of maybe 40 kilometers as the crow flies. Fortunately for them, the birds don't have the death defying switchbacks up and down the Tuscan hillside nor the distraction of a vineyard offering "vini degustation" every half mile to contend with. The countryside is beautiful, the Brunello's spectacular and in as little as a few miles, another ancient town offers an incredible dining experience. I finally stopped halfway up the trail in Castellina in Chianti for lunch at a little sidewalk trattoria, Il Contuccio, and had a wonderful Insalata Contida, which consisted of tuna, white beans, tomato, olives, and red onion over freshly picked greens. Undressed, it is served with cruets of local virgin olive oil and Modena balsamic vinegar. Accompanied by a small glass of 2001 "Siepidi Fonteruoli", a super Tuscan, from a vineyard I had just passed down the road; hmmm...should I move on or find a place to nap in the warm Tuscan sunshine?

After that fabulous lunch, I headed north to Greve in Chianti. One of the more noticeable differences in my wine experiences in France last month, and now here in Italy, is local wine merchants. Maybe it was just being outside of Paris, but I found wine merchants surprisingly hard to come by in France. Other than Nicolas, the 1400 store French chain, I encountered only a very few true wine shops. You could buy wine everywhere in France, but had little opportunity to discuss it with anyone. In Italy, or perhaps more correctly Tuscany, true wine merchants are everywhere. And they are friendly, knowledgeable and eager to have you sample their wares without any pressure to buy. There are a tremendous number of vineyards here and it seems each has their own label. I have been in shops no bigger than 300 s.f. that may have 50 different Chianti's and some from multiple vintages. I even found one store somewhere on the Chianti trail that had a bottle from the year I was born. Suffice it to say that it was old. I was tempted to buy it until I blew off the dust and saw a price tag of 790 euros. Below are a few of the bottles displayed, one from the 19th century. No, that wasn't my "birth-year" bottle!


Castellina in Chianti


Cellar Selections - the "youngest" here was a 1945

Saturday, June 9th
I never thought I'd hear my self say it, but after a week of living and breathing the vineyards, I was ready for a change of scenery and to see the beach. Naples, (Florida) was a little far to travel, so I set out for Isola d'Elba in the Mediterranean. Elba is one of those places you see on a map and think if you ever had the opportunity, you'd visit it. Maps can be so deceiving. I figured an hour at the most from San Gimignano, through Volterra (another remarkable walled city), and then from Cecina on the coast, a quick ride down to Piombino, where I would catch the hour ferry ride to Elba. Most of the two hour trip was a roller coaster ride to the top of Volterra and then back down the other side. That would have been fine except that for much of the trip, it was not a pretty ride. In fact much of this part of Italy is uninspiring. Even out at the coast, many of the seaside towns were industrial. There was no mistaking this region for the Italian Riviera. The island of Elba (where Napoleon built himself a fortress to hide out while the rest of Europe was hunting him down) was old and tired. Trust me; the picture below does this place a lot of justice!


Isola d'Elba

Saturday, June 16th
Leaving La Buca and San Gimignano was not easy. Tuscany is a very special part of the world, but there were places to see, more memorable meals to enjoy and wines to drink. Valpolicella was calling so off to Verona we went. The drive outside of Florence brought a significant change in the landscape. This was more mountainous countryside. Arriving mid-afternoon at Verona's Grand Hotel, I made reservations at the Ristorante Antica Torretta on the Piazza Broilo based on a recommendation from friends back in New York who raved about the Gnocchi with truffles. Antica Torretta is off the beaten path and not a tourist destination. What it is, is one of the best restaurants in Italy! The Gnocchi, prepared with slivers of black and white truffles, ricotta cheese, balsamic vinegar and shaved local pecorino, were fabulous. A second appetizer, Swordfish Carpaccio with red grapefruit over a rocket (arugula) salad was excellent. Our waiter, who also doubled as the proprietor, recommended a filet of beef to pair with the 2002 Del Forno Romano Valpolicella "Classico Superiore". The wine, 90% Corvina grapes, was like drinking liquid velvet and dried black cherries. Surprisingly the wine did not overpower the other entrée we ordered, Branzino en Papillote, with a concasse of yellow pepper and plum tomato. Not willing to miss the opportunity to sample yet another dessert, I could not resist the Tiramisu. It was good, actually it was very good, but I have yet to find a Tiramisu I enjoy more than Bice restaurant in Naples (Florida).


Duomo in Verona

Monday, June 18th
Verona is a great city and I wish I had planned to spend more time here and in the surrounding wine country, but off to Venice. This is an incredible city! Once you park outside the city and get on a water taxi, you don't see a car, truck or bus. I was fascinated how the entire city's infrastructure is supported on the water. Thankfully all the warnings of trash and unpleasant odors were no where in evidence for our three day stay. Staying at the Monaco Grand Hotel on the Grand Canal, with the gondolas parked at the dock, was fascinating as we watched the gondoliers and vaporetto drivers expertly maneuver around one another and enjoyed a fantastic lunch on the hotel's deck. Staying at the Piazza San Marco afforded us the opportunity to walk to the major attractions, museums and restaurants. The most memorable meal was at Ristorante La Colomba, tucked away in Via Garibaldi, in the heart of San Marco. It took a few tries to find this 40-seat gem, but the menu and wine list and especially the gracious service we received from Alessandro Zulian, Directore di Sala (Maitre'd/Manager). His recommendation of the Monte del Fra Valpolicella was the perfect accompaniment to my Veal Medallions with capers and tomatoes. I avoided Harry's Bar after learning that a hamburger there would only set you back $57. A trip to Café Florian, outside the Basilica, for cappuccino and dessert required a somewhat smaller investment (about $40 for two), and the violinists who play outside on the square until well after dark is a great way to end your day.


Grand Canal in Venice

Wednesday, June 20th
Back on dry land, time to head south to Florence. Staying in the heart of Florence, at La Casa del Garbo, on the Piazza della Signoria, a few steps from the Uffizi museum, is a fabulous location. Florence is about the arts. The Uffizi, the Pitti, Strozzi and the Duomo all needed much more time to visit. The Pitti in particular could easily take a few days to really see the art, sculpture and gardens. The best meals here have been at lunch and usually with the hundred or so choices of Vernaccia, which are never seen outside of Tuscany. Gilli's on the Piazza della Repubblica and Quattro Leone, on the other side of the Arno River across the Ponte Vecchio were favorites.


Pitti Art Galley in Florence

Friday, June 22nd
Arrived in Rome for the last six days after nine weeks touring France and Italy and I am actually looking forward to getting back to Naples, Florida. The last two weeks have been a whirlwind of activity - four cities in 10 days - and living out of a suitcase has become tiresome. Another great hotel location, this at the Spanish Steps, although walking in Rome in 95 degree heat was not on the itinerary. Plus Rome is filthy and crowded. That being said, the Vatican, Coliseum, Forum and museums are amazing. Even the three hour trip down the Amalfi Coast to the Pompeii ruins has been an extraordinary experience. And the single best meal of the entire trip was a block off the Spanish Steps at "Porto", a seafood restaurant, run by eastern Europeans serving great Italian food in addition to the freshest fish I have ever had. The open kitchen format offers an enormous display case where you are taken to personally select your entire meal. The chef is on hand to describe and recommend from the more than 50 varieties of sea creatures. We started with a half dozen of Black Sea oysters followed by unbelievably sweet scallops broiled in their shell. Grilled Spada (swordfish) and a filet of St. Pierre tasted as though they were just caught for our dinner and expertly prepared. I asked the sommelier to select from one of the numerous white wine varieties I was unfamiliar with and he expertly chose a 2005 Costa d'Amalfi Furore from Marisi Cuomo. The two desserts, Frozen Fruits in their shells (walnut, apricot, fig and pomegranate) and the Fresh Fruit Napoleon over a pool of Crème Anglaise were up to the task of complimenting the meal.

In a few days, it is back to America. It has been a great adventure and the wines and food of Provence and Tuscany - and a few stops in between have all been outstanding. I only wish I could carry back a bottle of every wine I enjoyed here to share with you, but the airlines would probably frown on my attempt to bring a pallet of the best these countries have to offer aboard the plane. I did manage to arrange to have a case each of La Buca Vernaccia and Chianti shipped over in the late fall when the temperatures in Southwestern Florida manage to get below 80 and look forward to sharing these Tuscan treasures with you. My biggest disappointment is that the majority of the wonderful wines from these regions never get to America. Fortunately, this country continues to turn out some pretty darn good juice.

Thanks for following along on the trip! See you on the other side of the pond.

Eat, drink and be merry!
Bruce
June 2007


Bruce and the Chef @ Rome's Porto Restaurant

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