The Trouble with Truffles - my visit to Restaurante Zigante, Livade , Croatia (Istria).

 There is only one trouble with truffles as far as I can tell:  you can never get enough.  This was almost true at our truffle lunch at the lovely Restaurante Zigante.  Perfectly prepared and generously doused with perfectly shaved truffles at each course, I think I finally had enough--almost.  The restaurant is owned by Giancarlo Zigante who found the world's largest truffle, an amazing 1.310 kg in 1999.  At the front of the restaurant, there is a replica of that truffle.  It is, literally, as big as your head.

The restaurant is lovely inside with stellar service and delicious cuisine that highlights the delicacy of the truffle, as well as matched and served perfect pairs in the wine.

                                  Restaurante Zigante
                                  Livade 7, Livade 52427, Croatia


Here are some of my favorites:

Beef fillet in truffle gravy

Beef Carpaccio with ricotta salata and truffle oil

Pasta with Freshly Shaved Truffle

It made me curious to know more about truffles.  I hit the jackpot in the treasure trove of information posted by the Istrian Tourist Board.  You can find out more here:

First, truffles are  fungi that grow completely underground.  Truffle is the everyday name and an easier marketing handle than the clinical terms for the actual tasty treat.  Since they are concealed by the ground they grow in, truffle hunters use dogs to locate truffles.  Only 20% of the puppies who set out to become truffle dogs actually make the cut.  Istrians prefer dogs because they are better companions and less competitive for the truffles than pigs.  Pigs know a good snack when they see it.

Truffles vary in color from white to black.   The best way to serve them is to shave them thinly.  Their unique earthy aroma and flavor is best matched with simple fare.  The complexity of the truffle flavor will shine.  My favorite pair is sparkling wine.  I love to start dinner parties with an easy treat.  Pop some corn.  Douse with mixtute made from  half a stick melted butter, 1/4 cup white truffle oil, then sprinkle on black truffle salt.  It's easy and quick, but paired with sparkling wine will start your dinner party right.  Be prepared for people to beg for the "recipe".

Every year Zigante hosts a truffle festival.  This year it will start September 22. Events on weekends will continue through November.  You can plan your visit with information from the Istrian Tourist board.  You can find info here:

It is near the picturesque hill town on Motovun.  Worth visiting on its own and conveniently located near the forests that are home to truffle hunters galore.

I was a guest of the Istrian Tourist Board

Learning about Malvasia at Cattunar Winery, Brtonigla, Croatia (Istria)



The tourist board warns that Istria may enchant you. It's true.  This heart shaped peninsula a little to the right of the cuff of Italy's boot, protected by the Alps to the North with a long coastline is an adventure you should consider.  Biking, diving, etc.  But more than anything else:  Wine!

Well, and food. 

 Not so far from the Hotel San Rocco in Brtonigla, we visited the Cattunar Winery where we got a tasty and informative lesson on the Malvasia grape, as well as tasted through some of the winery's interesting indigenous (Teran) and international varieties (Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon).  

Malvasia is the star white variety in Istria.  It has a lively fruity character and is generally made in a low alcohol style, according to the great Istrian website, where you can find out more about visiting and even get info on a festival dedicated to Istrian Malvasia here  It just passed this June 15th, so perfect time for you to start planning to attend next year ;)

They do something fascinating at Cattunar, which is produce Malvasia wines made from all four unique soil

types and bottle them according to color of soil.  I loved the chance to taste the difference the soil type made given that the producer, variety and year were identical.  Holy terroir, Batman! Tasting all four highlighted the difference between the soil types. 

All the wines were tasty and fresh.  There were subtle difference in color (don't be distracted by the yummy ham)--->

Rouge: You can see the dense, rich red soil in the picture above that I took outside the winery.  In the glass, this wine had round peach and Gala apple aromas.  The mouthfeel was medium, it was less silky than the rest.  And it finished with white peach flavors

Blanca:  Planted in white limestone soils, this wine had dancing aromas of pineapple.  The mouthfeel was soft and smooth.  It had pleasant juicy flavors.  While the finish was short, it had quince and strawberry.

Black: Lots of floral notes of acacia and flavors like acacia honey. Lingering finish.

Grise:  Round full aromas of peach and white flower.  Floral, peachy stone fruit flavors. Medium body mouthfeel. 

Wine Rorschach! They made us list our top two favorites and each of us had different pairs.  All in all a fascinating exercise.  Cattunar also gave us a little history lesson. .  The region was famous for wine back in Roman days.  The Empress Livia boasted that Istrian Teran was her elixir of youth; she lived to be 82, so might have been on to something.   At Cattunar, they informed us that the premium wine industry in Croatia is undergoing a rebirth. Under communism, all wine was produced as bulk wine regardless of quality, so there was little incentive to develop.  With the "reboot" that occurred in the 90's, they have been able to take the raw materials at hand, and grow quickly.  The folks at Cattunar have a redevelopment phase of their own.  Thirty to forty years ago, the winemakers had only 7 hectares.  Now, they are one of the largest producers with 20-30k bottle production.  Their next phase includes building a 20 room guest house, where visitors will be able to experience more Istrian gastronomy side by side with the wine. 

 

It seems to be working!  They have won this local prize two years in a row. 

Be sure to add Cattunar to your itinerary when you go.  And for an easy, breezy vacation planning experience, leverage the great work of the Colours of Istria: Click here to see all the help you can get planning your dream vacation [Unicorns and rainbows not included--but you will likely find them anyway]

We visited as guests of the Istrian Tourist Board.  Here is how to find Vina Cattunar

Z.O. Wine Cattunar
Nova Vas 94, 52474 Brtonigla
VAT: 92198392908 • MBt: 91301564
Tel. 052 720 496 • Fax. 052 774 138
EMail: info@vina-cattunar.hr

2011 Grow Wines Chardonnay: A Great Napa Wine

In the “better-late-than-never” category, this post was intended for #ChardonnayDay. In late May, I popped into one of my favorite local Napa wine bars—Oxbow Wine Merchant—and asked for whatever local Chardonnay they were pouring—in this case, the 2011 Grow Wines Ruhl Vineyard, Mount Veeder Chardonnay (14.4% ABV. $24/bottle at Oxbow Wine Merchant).  The wine had a fresh smell of Meyer lemons with the slimmest hint of oak and a delightfully tart, lively, lemon-bar start with an herbaceous and vanilla middle and finish.  As the wine warmed in the glass, vanilla and petrol became more apparent in the finish and had more baked cookies on the nose.  The wine is fresh, light-bodied, and slightly creamy.

According to their website, Grow Wines makes Chardonnay to match “the fresh foods and mild summer climate of Sweden.”  Husband and wife winemakers Lars Bjorkman and Molly Hill grow their Chardonnay (Dijon Clone 76) in Ruhl Vineyard in the southern-most part of Mt. Veeder, just above the fog line, near Carneros, where the vines get cool breezes off the San Pablo Bay.  With no malolactic fermentation and a lengthy aging on the lees, this Chardonnay is more Burgundian than Californian in style—but more than welcome to pair with the bounty of California midsummer foods. I intend to seek out more of it this summer.  Cheers, Grow Wines!