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Last week birds timidly started to sing in the nearby wood
It was getting slightly warmer
People thought the long and cold Winter finally decided to leave us
But no, Winter got offended for our impatience
So, four days ago sent terribly strong and cold wind:
The mighty Bora.
I was brave enough and took a walk near the sea.
Instead of birds, 150 km/h was now singing to me.
UPDATE 10th March 2010, around 1 PM
Man against nature. 1h ago I was almost pushed into the sea by STROOONG Bora wind on Molo Audace in Trieste. Pure adrenaline!!! Then, a terrific snow storm came. I almost had two car accident, everybody on the streets was completely lost and frightened. Unfortunately, I took a steep road leading to Carso highland. While the crazy Bora was blowing, I had to mount snow chains on my car – an awful experience but (I don’t know how) I was skilled enough and finished mounting in less than 10 minutes. Ah, what a day. I am feeling so alive now.
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The latest 2008 “Sv. Jakov Malvazija” from Giorgio Clai, the pioneer in biodynamic winemaking in Croatia, impressed me a lot. This is the wine of extremes… The fight between acids, salts, alcohol and fatness is so compelling that, in a glance, you find yourself finishing the third glass.
In the last year a lot has been written about so called orange wines or white wines where grape skins are left in contact (macerated) with grape must for several days, even months – here is an excellent introductory article from Eric Asimov (NYT The Pour), here is a comprehensive list of orange wines tasted by Thor Ivenson and here there are some points of view on the subject from Giampi Moretti.
As I already wrote, Istrian Malvasia is traditionally made in “orange” way until some 15 years ago, when the wine renaissance took place in Istria and this vinification method was abandoned, considered as old-fashioned and wrong by the mainstream winemakers. Now, thanks to Clai and Roxanich the orange Malvasias have been resurrected and they soon proved how delicious and interesting can be.
2008 Clai Sv. Jakov malvazija and roasted duck stuffed with fruits
The latest 2008 “Sv. Jakov Malvazija” from Giorgio Clai, the pioneer in biodynamic winemaking in Croatia, impressed me a lot. This is the wine of extremes that can be hinted from its high alcohol content – 15.1% alcohol (!). I have never tried such a strong white wine, practically on the border between wine and liquors or fortified wines.
Golden yellow in the glass. The nose is mysterious and delicious, not at all fruit-forward like most Malvasias in Istria, but dirty and very earthy. The aromas are so tightly intertwined that it took me some time to recognize dry hay, wet clay, dry figs, Mediterranean macchia, Kaki, Loquat and slight medicinal note similar to Vermouth. Definitely there are plenty of things to smell in this wine, but the real action happens in the mouth. First the acidity bites you, and it is good to have it so strong since it successfully manages to balance out the high alcohol content. The wine is slightly tannic, has a nice silky texture on the tongue, with powerful flavor and body. Exploding mouthwatering minerality improves further the balance and makes the finish moderately long, clean and delicious.
The fight between acids, salts, alcohol and fatness is so compelling that, in a glance, you find yourself finishing the third glass… Which might be dangerous if you have to drive home, otherwise just enjoy the evening in a nice company. A dangerous wine since it is so easy to get drunk with it, it just flows down your throat and 15.1% you don’t feel at all! And don’t worry about tomorrow’s headache – Clai told me that concentration of sulphur dioxide in the bottle is less than 40 mg/ which is ridiculously small compared to over 140 mg/L permitted in other Istrian whites. He does not use it to stabilize the wine simply because his wines have enough polyphenols (extracted from grape skins in prolonged maceration) that protects them from oxidation.
The sweet flavors of duck meat and fruits were contrasted with spiky acidity of the wine
This wine is incredibly friendly with the food, but it needs some heavier stuff since its body is so impressive. Around Christmas I tried it with a roasted duck stuffed with fruits and the pairing was just perfect. The un-fruitiness of the wine nicely contrasts the fruit content in the dish, otherwise the pairing would become too boring and suffocating. The acids successfully managed to clean the mouth from the fat, while the alcohol dried it from excessive juices of the dish. I also see “Sv. Jakov Malvazija” perfect with some white truffles tagliatelle, roasted rabbit and lamb-on-spit.
91pts
Price 115 kn (16 eur)
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If you come to Trieste for the first time and would like to feel how this city breathes go to Osteria Da Marino, right in the city center in a narrow street near Piazza Unità. Whenever you come, Monday to Sunday, the place is never empty and it’s open when all other bars are closed. During the weekends it becomes so packed that you can hardly enter inside so the crowd hangs out on the street.
Counter at Da Marino's
Here you mainly drink wine but, no worries, Da Marino is not a fancy wine bar with minimalist interior design where you find well dressed people who does not know how to have fun and comunicate. No, it is just an osteria – a place with atmosphere of a pub but they serve wine instead of beer. In Da Marino you can go also for lunch or dinner and my friend Milena say it’s very good.
Here you drink wine (but beer is allowed too)
The choice of wine by glass is vast – some great wines from Trieste’s Carso/Kras (my favorites are Terrano from Zidarich and Vitovska from Vodopivec), a lot of bottles from nearby Friuli of course (Ribolla Gialla, Friulano, Refosco, Ramandolo, Picolit) and then some classics like Brunello, Barolo, Nero d’Avola and Chianti. The prices are modest and the waiter fills your glass abundantly. If you come in aperitivo or happy hour period (6-9 PM) you will also get some snacks, like sushi, mortadella, bacon, mozzarella, pickled olives…
Da Marino's wine list
To my great surprise I saw three Istrian winemakers on the wine list – Leonardo Palčić from Dajla near Novigrad with his Malvasia 2008; world famous biodynamic producer Giorgio Clai from Krasica with Malvazija Sv. Jakov 2007, Ottocento Crno 2007 and Ottocento Bijelo 2007; and one of the pioneers of modern winemaking in Istria Moreno Degrassi from Savudrija with his Malvasia 2008 (see an article about Clai here and tasting notes od Degrassi’s wines here).
I ordered a glass of Clai’s Malvazija and enjoyed the rest of evening – passing it in a pleasant meditation (partly because of this exceptional wine, of course).
Actually, it came to my mind how it is difficult to find a similar place in Istria, a simple bar where you can enjoy a good glass of wine (very important!) in an informal, uninhibited, almost party atmosphere, where it is not important how are you dressed, what music do you listen, a place where waiters know a lot about wine but do not ask the same knowledge from you. It comes to my mind only Mali Café in Poreč where the wine choice is excellent, but it is far away from being a real traditional osteria. Please let me know if you can think of some other place.
Osteria Da Marino
Via del Ponte 5
I-34121 Trieste, Italy
phone +39 040 366 596
http://osteriadamarino.com
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Today it’s Mardi Gras, the end of Carnival festivities, the start of the annual Catholic 40-day long fast and the day when fritule are made. All along the Adriatic coast, from Istria to Dalmatia, tradition is very similar – these doughnut-like pastry will be fried and taken outside on the streets, to be eaten still warm in a carnival procession.
Fritule - a traditional Mardi Gras pastry
Fritule are very easy to make. Here is a modernized recipes that includes yogurt and grated apples. No need to use yeast of any kind and wait for the dough to grow. You need:
250 ml yogurt
2 eggs
3 teaspoons baking powder
a bit of salt
3-4 tablespoons of sugar
raisins according to your taste, soaked in warm water or dark rum
10 tablespoons of flour
1 sachet of vanilla sugar (or add a bit of vanilla essence)
2 grated apples
Mix everything thoroughly. Pour enough vegetable oil in a pan so that fritule do not touch the bottom. Heat the oil until very hot (but not burning!). Use a teaspoon to grab a bit of the dough and fry it until golden brown. Put them on the tissue paper so that the excess oil gets absorbed. When you are done with the frying, sprinkle them with icing sugar.
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