Italian Wine Paired Dinner at Glowbal

The food, the wine, oh my!

It was only fitting. I wasn’t able to attend Italian Day on the Drive, but myself and 12 other wine media types were treated to something even better – a dinner at Glowbal restaurant with the Director of the Valpolicella Wine Consortium, Olga Bussinello. We were there to learn more about a recent project designed to further improve the quality of Italian wines while making them more sustainable.

Olga spent five years prior to the project examining what practices were being used in vineyards and wineries throughout the region. She made special note of what proved to be best practice. The goal now is to transfer these protocols to other wineries to improve the viability and sustainability of the region and to produce better quality wines at the same time. The project, supported by the Veneto region, involves 30 wineries per year for three years.

This sustainability project aims to reduce the use of chemicals in the vineyard and additives in the winery. A research institute will analyze soil samples to make sure no chemicals are being used. At the end of the three-year term, the results will be released to the whole country for anyone interested to use. The protocols will be adaptable to the challenges of each region. Wineries who adopt the protocols will be certified as being sustainable and an identifying sticker will help inform the public.

The Veneto region tends to be comprised of small producers and given the terrain of the land crops need to be hand harvested. As a result, these wines are expensive to produce. The consortium saw a need to improve quality in order to raise prices.

Our meeting took place in a private room at Glowbal where we were treated to a wine paired dinner specially prepared for this event by chef de cuisine, Kyle Dampsy and executive chef Ryan Haapa. For those who have never been, Glowbal is a relatively new top-notch restaurant on the corner of Georgia and Seymour.

The wines were impressive as was the food.

Organic Garden Salad with carrots and almonds

Scriani Valpolicella DOC Classico 2015 (chilled) – lots of bright red cherries, a hint of raspberry, floral and briar notes, medium body, and a medium plus finish.

Rabbit Three Ways – Roasted Saddle, Rabbit Sausage, Rillette – caramelized onion and mushroom ‘soil’, spring vegetables, fine herb yogurt and red wine jus

Cantina Valpantena Verona, Valpolicella DOC Superiore 2013 Torre del Falasco – a richer version of the previous wine, dark cherries, round in the mouth and a lingering finish.

Roasted Venison Loin – spiced chocolate puree, sea buckthorn and huckle berries, chanterelles, pea wee potato, stinging nettle pesto

Valpolicella Ripasso DOC Superiore 2012 Campo dei Ciliegi – rich, with dark cherries, vanilla, dark fruit & berries, garnet red with deep intensity, big and round with soft velvety tannins followed by a medium-long finish. Well paired with the venison.

Slow Cooked Lamb Belly – baby BC artichokes, barigoule, baby carrots, lamb jus, fresh chick peas ancient grain salad, black olive mustard

Tinazzi, Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG 2012 Ca’ de Rocchi La Bastia – layered, a symphony of aromas, big and rich in the mouth smooth ripe tannins, dried fruit, walnuts, raisins, dried chocolate and earthy flavours, long lingering finish.

Dessert – chef’s selection – macaron, truffle, petit fours

Many people are under the impression that Italian wines are the same now as they were many years ago, but that is clearly not the case. They have improved dramatically and are only going to get better. Do yourself a favour and try some of the delicious food-friendly wines of Valpolicella.

Sommelier Ed Dino and servers Chris Royal, Kyle Johnson and Matthew Crestohl deserve a shout out for helping make a memorable evening. And thanks to Melisa Tennant for coordinating the event.

Grazie Olga Bussinello, Director Valpolicella Wine Consortium.