Umbria

As I drove into Umbria, I was stuck by the stark difference in the color palate of the landscape, from bright greens that surround Etna I had shifted to a darker more lush landscape, less arid though equally sun-filled and emanating a warmth both literally and figuratively.  There is more moisture in the air, it seemed to me, and perhaps that is the inland position of Umbria, right in the center of the country.  The air has a pleasant fertile smell, a little like a greenhouse.

I arrived at the vineyard, set just a few kilometers south of the city center, on a warm, sun-filled morning, having stayed in Montefalco the night before.  If you have the opportunity to stay in this tiny hilltop village, I highly recommend that you do.  It is heaven.  The small stone square that is the town center is always a little busy with locals moving through and saying hello to one another.  There is a warmth here and a friendliness.  The people are smiling, they embrace one another, they say hello to the travelers and to each other. They take the time to linger and just talk and connect with one another.  There is a slower pace, and it is very appealing.

When I arrived at the vineyard, I was greeted by Mr. Bea himself, and he was charming and kind, though I only understood a word or two of the many that he said, but what I gathered was that Mercedes, his assistant was on her way and I should wait.  I took the opportunity to piece together a couple questions in my terrible Italian, and I had to giggle as he answered them with long answers in Italian.  I have no idea the secrets he may have shared with me, but I can tell you this, this man loves his work, his vineyards, and his family.  He is happy.  I asked if I could take a "selfie" with him and he laughed, "si, si."

Theses are the moments that I live for, making a connection with someone that you have only known by way of the product they make.  I have been drinking Paolo Bea wines now for a number of years, these are wines for special occasions, so I have already had a sense of his presence at my table, but now we are friends and when I drink his wine with friends around the table with friends and family, I will welcome him and his family to the table, too.

I will also remember the vineyard and beautiful tasting room.  Paolo's sons now run the vineyard, though he is still involved in the wine making.

And, passing the work on to the next generation is a big part of this family's history. The Bea family has family records in this lovely hillside town dating back to 1500, and Giampiero thinks it goes even further back.  When I asked a few questions about how one knows oneself within such a long and rich history of family and place, he went and retrieved copies of the town papers to show me what they looked like, and I was immediately struck by the way that the document had so clearly influenced his sense of style in terms of the labels for the bottles that he designs.  Giampiero is a trained architect but now runs the vineyard and he has been designing the family labels since they began bottling for commercial sales.  We sat and looked through the old labels (all of which he had painstakingly drawn by hand) as we tasted the wine, and it also became clear that this style that I see in his labels translates into the wine.  It is not modern, and yet it is of this moment and this place, full of a sense of its own historicity, just like the man who I was talking to.

Giampiero also designed their new winery.  It totally blends into the landscape, a modern building that is a natural extension of the land.  The stone walls are 2-3 feet thick and designed to naturally keep the cellar cool and constant in temperature...it is both brilliant and beautiful, naturally and man made, balanced.  And, like everything in it, including the wine, it was thoughtfully produced with an eye for aesthetic quality as well as function.

Even the mats on which they dry the grapes for there delicious passito are designed to look beautiful when they are stacked before and after their use...

and it is with this same care, thought, and precision that the wine is made, and it is so delicious.  The whites are interesting, complex, full flavored, and compelling.  They want food...these big whites are rugged, but not rustic, by which I mean they are like the hills from which they come.  The reds, similarly, are powerful and strong, but also refined and structured.  These are serious wines but also wines that bespeak a warmth and friendliness; they are compelling.  Changing with each sip, they evade simple classification or description; but, they taste so good.

I am honored to have these wines in my shop and to have made these friends on my journey.

The stats, from the importer's website, www.madrose.com: "The entire property encompasses 15 hectares: 5 of which are dedicated to the vineyards, 2 to olives, and the remainder to the fruits, vegetables and grains that are grown. Sagrantino is the predominant grape, covering 60% of the vineyard surface. The remaining 40% is planted to Sangiovese and Montepulciano, with a small parcel planted to several white varieties. The vineyards are cultivated organically, all grapes are harvested manually and all wines are bottled without fining or filtration. "

I have the good fortune of encountering the most interesting and kind people both when I travel and in general in my life.  The trick, I have learned, is being willing to step beyond where you are comfortable.  Comfort is a dangerous thing; we like it (even when it is not pleasant but just familiar), but it never surprises us. Today, as I walked around Florence, my fortitude was challenged.  I had committed myself to a shopping-free trip to Europe, but call it luck or what you will, the strap on my pocket book finally gave out. This has been my "travel bag" for several years. What a place for that to happen?! Florence is the capital of leather bags--the gods were smiling on me today.  So, I set out to find just the right pocket book to replace my favorite travel bag, within a reasonable budget.

I don't know about you, but for me, a travel bag has to work pretty hard, carry a lot, still be comfortable, attractive, day into night (you gals understand), and it has to have classic style to last a long time.  Yes, this is a tall order; once again, I want beauty and function to be as one in perfect balance.

First, I walked through the leather market, but I was not impressed.  Everything looks the same, and no matter what, I get the feeling that I am being hoodwinked.  I want a better experience, something more authentic, but how do you find that?  Well, I just keep walking, ignore tired feet, and watch for it. It is a feeling more than anything else, and I have, over time, learned to trust my instincts.  Admittedly, this can take a while, so it requires patience and a commitment, you cannot give in and just get something because then the opportunity is lost.

So, I walked, and poked, and walked, and politely said, "no grazie, solo guardo, grazie mille...(smile)."

While looking, I also checked out a few wine shops (well, I am working!), and as luck would have it, there are a few of those here as well.   I very happily found Galleria del Chianti, a small but formidable shop in the city center.  The owner, a young attractive Italian man, greeted me and approached to see if I needed help.  I explained in broken Italian that I own a shop and that his was beautiful and interesting.  Seriusly, he has an awesome wine selection in a tiny shop ( I like that). He thanked me.  After I looked for a bit, he asked what I liked.  I said that I like all well made wines, so pick me something local, from a small producer that I have never heard of, that is delicious and not crazy expensive.  He went immediately to a box that had just arrived and said, "35, okay?" before showing me the bottle.  I confirmed that was reasonable, and then he turned to two other customers and explained in Italian about the wine, at some length.  I understood about 25%, which is to say that the wine was very hard top get, the wine maker works independently with his family and is an older man who is very serious about his wine.  The wine is a blend of Sangiovese, Canaiolo, Trebbiano, and Malvasia, and the vines are 70 years old.  There was a lot more that I missed, but it sounded great.  I told him to tell me in English what he has said, he smiled and said, "it is very good, very small, and old vines." I need to speak Italian!

I thanked him, we "friended" each other on Facebook, and I went on my merry way to resume my search, feeling even more confident now that I had made a friend and talked wine with a local shop owner! The shop can be found on Via del Corso...and worth seeking out!

As I turned the corner around Dante's birthplace (perhaps, a sign), I spotted a small open doorway within which I could see some eye-catching leather.  This is not a standard shop front, but there were a few bags within sight of the doorway.  Beautiful leather was calling me...."Maria, Maria..."  You get the picture, right?  There were only a few bags, mostly bolts of leather rolled and stacked around what is a very small crowded work shop, where two men sat working.  I looked in with some trepidation, as I said, this is uncomfortable.  What is this, I wondered: a shop, a work space, an office, a portal for human slave trafficking (okay, too much tv when I was a kid and the recesses of my imagination are ridiculous)?  Marco, the owner, smiled and said, "Si, come in."

He and his employee were busy making the most beautiful bags I have seen all day, the leather is supple and lightweight but substantial. The colors vibrant, rich, and inviting.  I wanted to put my face in the bag and smell it like a fine glass of cabernet, but I resisted that temptation.

Marco did not show me anything.  He just motioned to me to look around, so I did.  The work shop has a somewhat central desk where Marco was answering emails, and another to the back of the space, which was taken by his employee who was hand sewing the handle to the bang with a needle and thread.  I did have a moment during which it occurred to me that I may not be able to afford one of these bags, so I a cautiously asked with a bag in my hands (and some hope) "quanto costo?"

To my surprise and great pleasure the bag was only 108Euros.  I realize this is not cheap, but for what I was holding in my hands, it was a steal.

I had hoped for a lighter color but the shape was exactly what I wanted, beautiful and super functional.  Again, with some discomfort and my terrible Italian, I asked if he had a lighter color.  He thought for a moment, and then put his coat on and said he would be back in a few minutes, I should wait there. (Surely, this is when a back door would open and I would never be seen again, all because I wanted a new bag...I deserved this...ha!) He returned with what is the only bag I will ever need, and I cannot stop smiling.

We got to chatting, which I am inclined to do, and his English is of course perfect. I told him about my shops, at which point he reached into a box of wine and retrieved a bottle.  "This," he said, "is for you, to try a taste." He handed me the bottle with a smile, so I went in for the kiss, both cheeks, "Marco, grazie mille, molto gentile." I was gushing, but had to simply repeat these two phrases over and over again as I walked out of the work shop, repeating "ciao" every other word.

I am excited to sit down now, with a glass of this wine and switch pocket books--some of you understand the pleasure associated with that task, and this time is particularly special.  Questa è Buono Mercato!