To celebrate a friend’s birthday, four of us took an overnight trip to the tiny village of Cormons, nestled in Italy’s upper right hand corner just a few hundred meters form the border with Slovenia. I had contacted my friend Elena Orzan (I wrote about her in this eBook) and asked her to help me set up a wine and food visit to remember.
Elena Orzan is an expert on wines from northeast Italy. In this photo, she is sitting on the border of Italy and Slovenia.
After checking in at the Bed and Breakfast Casa del Riccio (riccio means hedgehog in Italian), Elena picked us up in a bright yellow jeep. First stop was an old favorite, the cantina of Edi Keber. Edi’s son Kristian pretty much runs the show here now, and he led us on a tour through his facility before inviting us into his tasting room.
The view from the Edi Keber winery is into Slovenia, and it is spectacular.
He let us sample three vintages of his white blend called Collio. This is his signature wine, and part of an effort among local producers to brand the wines with the area rather than the grapes they use (think of Chianti or Valpolicella – areas, not grapes). As is always the case with wines from this historic cantina, each was simply marvelous; refreshing, crispy citrus notes with an elegant feel.
We loaded a box of bottles into the jeep and Elena took us to lunch at Osteria La Subida. I’ve eaten here many times and always know I will leave well fed. The kitchen does not skip a beat with my being vegetarian, although I will say the meat dishes others at the table were served also looked delicious. The owner, Josko Sirk also makes his own vinegar, growing the indigenous grape Ribolla Gialla specifically to produce it.
The Osteria la Subida has a simple look but serves an outstanding meal.
Next stop was a winery called La Rajade (a local dialect term meaning the sun ray).
Diego Zanin, owner of La Rajade Winery, met us and offered some excellent wines.
Owner Diego Zanin met us and walked us into his fields. His grapes had already been harvested, so he talked about the importance of good maintenance of the vines during the winter. He took us next on a walk through his production center and led us into his tasting room. Here we sampled his Pinot Grigio, Ribolla Gialla, and Sauvignon. We bought bottles of each!
We then piled ourselves back into the jeep to visit our last winery of the day, called Ronchi Ro. I am not sure how to translate that, but based on our experience it might mean “the nicest place ever.” The owners, Romeo Rossi and his wife Carolina Qualizza called Elena as we were heading there to say they had to leave to take their son to his sporting event. Not to worry, though, the door was open and we could sample whatever we wanted. We did just that, trying his Sauvignon Blanc and his Friulano while sitting on his terrace overlooking his vines. We stopped by the next morning to pick up some bottles and thank him for his hospitality.
Ronchi Ro is both an active winery and a guest house. Yum.
This was our view while tasting wine. Life is very good indeed.
So far, everything was perfect. But we were in for an epic meal at Ristorante Al Giardinetto, right in the center of Cormons. These pictures will give an idea, and each course was matched with an expertly selected wine. Dinner started at 8:00pm and we walked (using the term loosely) out well after midnight. I did not know it at the time, but chef Paolo Zoppolati is so highly regarded in the culinary world he flies to Rome once a week to appear on a national TV show to discuss elegance in dining. Oh yes.
Sautee of raddichio and onions
Fresh porcini mushrooms with pumpkin seeds and sun dried tomato.
Carpaccio of watermelon with wafer-thin almonds.
Potato gnocchi with walnuts and a zucchini puree.
Barley with zucchini, asparagus, and mushrooms.
Some kind of Chocolate Heaven.
Real espresso.
Each of the wineries we visited exports to North America and Europe so ask your local wine shop about them. Even better, if you have a trip to Italy in your plans, you can contact me through my Wine Friends web site or contact Elena Orzan at the Enoteca di Cormons. Either of us would be happy to set you up for a similar fabulous tour.
Cin Cin e Buon Appetito!