Ciao Tutti!

This weekend begins Piazza’s countdown to Easter and we will once again offer a special holiday menu and over the next two weekends we will offer wine suggestions for your consideration to accompany your Easter feast. This weekend we will taste the Etna Rosato DOC Tenuta delle Terre Nere, from one  off Italy’s most exciting areas for exceptional wine, the slopes of Mt. Etna in Sicily. I love Greek and Roman mythology and to the ancient Greeks, the god Hephaestus and the Cyclops Polyphemus labored in the forge of Mt. Etna where the pair made thunderbolts for Zeus, the chief deity who was god of the sky. 

Sicily’s history of wine has grown exponentially from its early reputation for producing bulk wines. The tide began to turn in the early 2000’s, when a Belgian, a Tuscan and an American named Marc de Grazia arrived in this most unique terroir to fulfill their individual visions of high quality wine. Marc de Grazia sought softness and elegance for his wines and he was convinced that soils on the northern steep slopes of  Mt. Etna’s with its mixture of rock, volcanic tufo (ash) and lava, paired with the dramatic diurnal temperature shift could create powerhouse wines. His vision led to his becoming the founder and owner of Tenuta delle Terre Nere  in 2002 and in 2009, he founded Marc de Grazia Imports and became Italy’s most storied exporter of high quality Italian wines. 

Being a doting father, de Grazia’s inspiration for the Etna Rosato was his three year old daughter, Elena. Like many ” ragazzine” (little girls”) she liked the color pink and her father painted the cellar pink to her delight. That inspired him to add a Rosato to his collection of stellar white and red wines. In 2007, he created a Rosato that “has the body of a white and the soul of a red…is joyful without being frivolous; that has tension without being austere” and conveys the joy of a young girl.  His Rosato is 100% Nerello Mascalese, an indigenous red grape of Sicily that pairs well with fish, ham, poultry, soups, salami figs and melon, bread, olives and cheese. 

Piazza Easter Menu: Let Piazza’s Chef Chris’ Easter menu do the cooking for you so you can spend more time hiding Easter eggs and enjoying your raggazzine’s  and ragazzini’s hunt before your Easter feast!  

Visit https://www.piazzaitalianmarket.com/shop-special-meals/p/easter-dinner to order one item or the entire menu by emailing Leanne Young at [email protected].The deadline for orders is 5:00 pm on March 23rd and the pick up time is 9:00 am to  3:00 pm on Sat., March 30th.

Jennifer Martella has pursued dual careers in architecture and real estate since she moved to the Eastern Shore in 2004. She has reestablished her architectural practice for residential and commercial projects and is an agent for Meredith Fine Properties. Her Italian heritage led her to Piazza Italian Market, where she hosts wine tastings every Friday and Saturday afternoons.

Advance-sale tickets are now available for the biennial Talbot County Tour of the Maryland House & Garden Pilgrimage. The May 11, 2024 event is not to be missed!

The Talbot County Tour gives visitors access to seven of Maryland’s most celebrated historic properties, fabulous private waterfront estates, and exquisite spring gardens – all with Easton and nearby Trappe addresses. 

Properties on tour include Canterbury Manor, Ellenborough and a lovely home on Hanson Street (all in Easton) plus Chloras Point Farm, Ferry Farm House, Lloyd’s Landing, and Trappe Landing Farm (all in Trappe). 

Two significant historic sites – Scotts United Methodist Church and Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church (White Marsh Parish) in Trappe – will benefit from facilities preservation and restoration work afforded by tour proceeds.

To purchase reduced-price advance-sale tickets, go to https://buy.stripe.com/cN2eWcc7RexN5207sO

For Talbot County Tour details, visit MHGC.org

For lunch info, visit talbotcountygc.org 

Ciao Tutti!

Piemonte has been our destination for most of February; but it’s no surprise since the region is blessed with delicious reds that are perfect companions during the cold of winter.

This weekend we will explore the Alto Piemonte ,the upper NE part of the region, to taste the Vino Rosso from the Cantina Sociale Coopertiva di Gattinara ($19.50).  Archaeological digs discovered that vines had been cultivated there from the ancient Roman era. “Gattinara” takes its name from the Latin “Catuli Ara”, Altar of Catullus) in honor of the site where Proconsul Lutatius Catillus vanquished the Gauls in 100 BC. Fast forward to the 1700’s when Gattinara’s reputation for producing exceptional wine was well known and caught the attention of Thomas Jefferson, during his tenure as Ambassador to France.  He wrote letters home expressing his great appreciation for this region’s wine and no doubt Gattinara’s wines were well represented in the over 650 bottles that accompanied Jefferson back to Monticello.

In the 19th century, Alto Piemonte enjoyed a period of great prosperity and Gattinara’s reputation surpassed its cousins to the south, Barolo and Barbaresco, and even France’s Burgundy. Prosperity was soon dealt a double punch with the plague of phylloxera that decimated the area’s vines and a ferocious hailstorm in 1905. Gattinara’s vines that once spread over 600 hectares were reduced to 95 vines that exist today. With the economy in ruins, many Piemontese left to work in the cities’ factories or emigrated to America. The region’s fortune changed again with the inception of  modern winemaking throughout Italy and in 1908, the Cantina Sociale Coopertiva Gattinara was founded to sustain small growers of grapes to give them stability and independence. Forty families work their own plots over 15 hectares.

In Joe Campale’s book, “Vino”, he writes about how Alto Piemonte has now become “the hotbed of Italian wine today”

For the Vino Rosso, the grapes are co-harvested and co-fermented. Each vintage varies but the blend of grapes is approximately 60% Nebbiolo, 30% Barbera, 5% Vespolina, and 5% Uva Rara. When Emily and recently tasted this wine with our rep, we found it to be semi-dry and light bodied, fruity with good acidity and great complexity. Pair with risotto, meat dishes, or Piazza’s aged and blue cheeses. This wine is a favorite of the locals in Gattinara, who arrive at the Cantina each night with empty jugs to fill up from the tank for their evening meal -my kind of people! You may not be able to bring an empty jug to Piazza’s wine tasting but I can offer you a taste-come join me at Piazza Italian Market on Friday from noon to 5:45 and Saturday from noon to 4:45.

Cin Cin!

Jenn

Ciao Tutti!

This weekend we will taste the Erbaluce di Caluso DOCG, a white wine from the Cieck Winery in Piemonte. Call me sentimental but I was enchanted by the story of Erbaluce, an ancient white Piemontese indigenous grape. Once upon a time, when people worshipped the Moon, the Sun, and the Stars, they also believed nymphs lived in the woods. One nymph was Alba (Dawn), whose day was night since she became drowsy when the Sun began to rise into the sky. Fate intervened one cloudy day when Alba and the Sun glimpsed each other and instantly fell in love. They were distraught because they knew they were destined to be apart, for they could never meet. Seeing how miserable her brother the Sun was, one night the Moon lingered and did not leave the sky so the Sun could hide behind her to meet his beloved Dawn near the village of Caluso. Nature took its course, and soon, the nymph Albaluce was born. The people of Caluso worshipped Albaluce, and when a flood occurred many years later that caused great damage and deaths, Albaluce shed copious tears. Wherever her tears dropped into the ground, a vine grew that was named Erbaluce.

In 1967, Erbaluce di Causo became Piedmont’s first white DOC wine. Its illustrious history includes winemaker Piero Genta’s being awarded the gold medal for it at the 1855 Paris Exhibition. He also was very gratified that his wine was served at the court of Napoleon III. Soon after, Erbaluce wines became the wine served to important guests by humbler hosts.

The Azienda Agricola Cieck was founded in 1985 by Remo Falconieri. He had left his job designing typewriters for Olivetti in his quest to learn about making sparkling wine in France (where else?!). The Cieck estate is named for an old farmhouse in a nearby village. Their five vineyards are primarily planted in Erbaluce and they still have an original, ungrafted vine  that is around 100 years old. The embossed image of a falcon on the Erbaluce label refers to the translation of Remo’s last name.

Cieck’s Erbaluce is light-bodied, and its taste reminds me of crisp apples that impart just the right amount of minerality.  Pair Erbaluce with antipasti, fish, light creamy entrees and vegetarian or vegan dishes.

Come join me for a taste on Friday from noon to 5:45 or Saturday from noon to 4:45.

Cin Cin!

Jennifer Martella has pursued dual careers in architecture and real estate since she moved to the Eastern Shore in 2004. She has re-established her architectural practice for residential and commercial projects and is a referral agent for Meredith Fine Properties. Her Italian heritage led her to Piazza Italian Market, where she hosts wine tastings every Friday and Saturday afternoons.

The answer to last week’s mystery is turkey tail fungi, Trametes versicolor. Turkey tail fungi grows in rows or clusters of tiered layers on dead wood. It prefers stumps or logs of deciduous trees, mainly hardwood, such as beech or oak.

Turkey tail breaks down the lignin portion of dead wood, leaving behind white, stringy cellulose, hence, it is considered a “white rot” fungus. Fungi belong to their own kingdom and get their nutrients and energy from organic matter, rather than photosynthesis, like plants.

While other fungi fade away by winter, turkey tail endures, and bridges the color gap to spring. Turkey tail’s vibrant contrasting colors makes one pause to admire the beauty.

Mystery Monday is sponsored by the Spy Newspapers and Adkins Arboretum.

All hands on deck as climate change causes sea levels to rise and encroach on low lying roads and properties and inundate local storm management systems. Our leaders on Maryland’s Eastern Shore are challenged to mitigate flooding and design solutions that leverage the best of ideas for protecting our way of life and preserving our connections to the water.

With a panel of local experts, including Kody Cario, Tim Kearns, Roy Myers and Larry A. White, former Horns Point Lab Director Mike Roman will moderate a discussion at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, Van Lennep Auditorium aimed at understanding the efforts underway in Easton, Oxford, St. Michaels and Cambridge. Sponsored by the Garden Club of the Eastern Shore, join us on March 13 at 11 a.m. to learn more about the challenges and solutions being developed and implemented as we adapt to rising sea levels and related climate change events. Admission is free and seating is limited. All donations benefit the Garden Club of the Eastern Shore’s Scholarship Fund.

In addition, the Oxford Community Center will be sponsoring a complimentary three-part series on this topic on April 10, May 1, and June 5.  Check the OCC website for details and to register.

For more information about the Garden Club of the Eastern Shore or to make a donation to the Scholarship Fund, write to GCES, P.O. Box 1924, Easton, MD 21601.

Cutline for the Strand project photo:  Along the Strand in Oxford, a project is underway to reduce erosion and create living shorelines to build up the beach. Grasses will be planted on the berms, hooks and islands to stabilize the eroding shoreline.