We had another test today. I felt more ready for it that I did last week, and I think I passed but I was still didn't have all the answers! We'll find out later this week how I did! I brought some of my chocolate chip cookies with me to school-chocolate makes everything better!
After the test, we started learning about Italy. SO many new varietals to learn. Plus Italy seems to have ever changing rules and regulations. Italy is the second largest wine producer in the world. As far as geography goes(Jordan is SO happy things always come down to geography), Italy is parallel in the north to Portland, Oregon and in the south, to Monterey, CA. It is bordered on one side by the Adriatic Sea and on the other by the Tyrrhenian Sea. Italy has 16 wine regions spread out from the north (Piedmont, Veneto among others) and central (Tuscany among others) and Southern Italy (Campania, Sicily and Sardinia, again among others). The regions we will study are Peidmont, Veneto, Tuscany and Campania.
The Italians have a quality classification system similar to the French. Originally Italy had three levels of classification, then four but instead of using AOCs (appellations), they use DOCGs (Denominazione di Origine Controllata y Garantita). In English, Controlled and Guaranteed Denomination of Origin which is the highest level a vineyard could reach. The next level down is a DOC, then IGT (Indication of Typical Geopgraphy). The IGT level is the level that was added after 1963 to try to appease wineries that felt the system was partial and not based on quality. The lowest level is VdT or Vino da Tavola (Table Wine).
Next was covering the Piedmont region. It is mountainous with steep slopes, terraces and a continental climate. The soil there is glacial moraine, marl, clay, sand and gravel. The red grapes in Piedmont are the Nebbiolo (the most important red grape), Barbera and Dolcetto. The white grapes in Piedmont are Moscato, Cortese, and Arneis. Piedmont has quite a few DOCGs. Asti Spumonte is also made here (that was for Janell-she likes Asti!). They make several dessert type wines as well as full bodied red wines.
Class went til 4pm although all of us were dragging by the end of the day!
I was recently reading "Lunch in Paris" and besides it being a good love story (with recipes), she has a very good explanation of why French women are thin. Here goes-- While sitting on a French beach on vacation, she noticed almost every woman, from 16-60 was wearing a bikini. Obviously not all the women had the body of a model, but she noted very few jelly rolls and VERY few thunder thighs. The women were not perfect but the people she saw did not hate their bodies-they had no reason to. "We've heard it all before: the French eat cheese and drink wine and somehow live longer and look better than Americans. What if the "X" factor was the vacation itself? If every year, EVERY year, you know you are going to spend at least two weeks in a bikini, maybe you pay attention. The five pounds of winter flab disintegrates with a few weeks of well-chosen meals, and by August you can bear to look at yourself in the mirrow again. Think about how many 5-pound winters there are between the average American and a two week beach vacation." French women drink an extraordinary amount of water. They do not drink soda. They do not carry around snacks nor do they eat between meals. French women often drink wine at lunch or have dessert or a square of dark chocolate with their coffee. When the French cook, there is just enough food for everyone (for example: 2-3 oz of fish per person), no leftovers, no seconds. Eating smaller portions keeps them from gaining weight, even though they eat what they want. There is a "slow fullness" that comes from a light meal, lingered over for several hours. For dessert they may eat a small piece of cake over a "normal" piece. In France, eating is a social activity and it is socially unacceptable to be heavy. They do not deny themselves dessert but they do not want to overdo it or be greedy. It is one small choice among so many others, that it keeps things from getting out of hand. "That's the real reason why French women don't get fat: every day they make "petites" decisions that keep the larger weight loss struggle from ever having to begin." --Elizabeth Bard
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