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July 25, 2025

Chestertown Spy

Nonpartisan and Education-based News for Chestertown

Food and Garden Notes

Wine of the Week: De Fermo Rosso 2023

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Ciao Tutti!

This weekend at Piazza Italian Market, we will taste a new wine in our collection, the De Fermo Rosso 2023 ($28.99, 12.5% ABV) from the De Fermo winery in Loreto Aprutino in Abruzzo. This region’s geography is long and narrow and is located between the Adriatic Sea to the east and the snow- capped  10,000 foot high Gran Sasso, which is part of the Apennine range.  

De Fermo is a story about wine but it began as a love story. Proprietors Stefano Papetti and Eloisa De Fermo met while studying law in Bologna. They discovered their mutual love of wine and Stefano was intrigued to learn that since the 18th century, Eloisa’s family had a large farm with a vineyard, but the grapes were only sold to cooperatives. From a very young age, Stefano had been intrigued by the aroma of wine. He even bought bottles of wine to smell the wine’s aroma so he could better understand what he was reading in his mother’s cookbooks!

Stefano’s first visit to Eloisa family farm was in 2007 and soon he was visiting the farm on weekends, which led to their courtship and marriage. The couple abandoned their law studies to become winemakers at the family estate.  Stefano found a long abandoned winery, dating from 1785, on the grounds that was buried under the family’s house. Stefano began restoration of the winery and then began making wine. The couple took over the farm management in 2009 and launched their first vintage in 2010. 

From the beginning, Stefano and Eloisa banned chemicals from their vineyard, adopted biodynamics in 2008 and became certified a few years later. In addition to the 17 hectares of grape vines, the 420 acre diversified estate includes 20 hectares of olive trees, and parcels of herbs, legumes and grazing land for the cows.  De Fermo is now among Italy’s largest biodynamic estates. They neither use nor add yeasts and they don’t control fermentation temperatures. They also do not fine and/or filter their wines.

“De Fermo” translates as “ from a standstill” and is an apt name for the winery’s  trajectory from a source of bulk wine to its reputation today as one of the finest sources of Abruzzo wine. This highest level of quality soon captured the attention of  the legendary wine importer Neal Rosenthal. He had been searching for years for a producer partner in the special Abruzzo terroir and he welcomed Stefano and Eloisa to his family of growers.  

De Fermo’s Vino Rosso is 100% Montepulciano grape and is aged in concrete for 12 months, with aromatics of wild strawberries and dark cherries, juicy and fresh with smooth tannins-enjoy it slightly chilled for its maximum effect. 

Come join me Friday from noon to 5:45 or Saturday from noon to 4:45 to taste this popular grape. 

Cin Cin!

Jenn

Piazza Italian Market is located in the Talbot Town shopping center at 218 N. Washington St., suite 23, in Easton, MD

Contributor Jennifer Martella has pursued dual careers in architecture and real estate since she moved to the Eastern Shore in 2004. She has reestablished her architectural practice for residential and commercial projects and is a real estate agent for Meredith Fine Properties. She especially enjoys using her architectural expertise to help buyers envision how they could modify a potential property. Her Italian heritage led her to Piazza Italian Market, where she hosts wine tastings every Friday and Saturday afternoons.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Adkins Arboretum Mystery Tuesday: Guess the Photo!

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Happy Mystery Monday!  Can you guess what is pictured in photo #1?
The answer to last week’s mystery is magnolia, Magnoliaceae, pictured in photo #2.

Magnolia is a large genus of 210–340 species of the family Magnolioideae. They’re a native evergreen tree or shrub with a straight trunk, conical crown, and very fragrant, large, white flowers. Their flowers are waxy and their oblong leaves are shiny and green with silvery undersides.

In cool locations, the sweet bay magnolia is usually a deciduous shrubby plant with multiple stems, while in warmer zones it tends to be an upright tree that remains evergreen.
Magnolias, especially Southern magnolia, produce seeds that are rich in fats and energy, making them a valuable food source for many animals, including wild turkeys, mockingbirds, and robins, as well as small mammals, like squirrels and opossums. The dense foliage of some magnolia species provides year-round shelter for small mammals and nesting sites for birds, offering protection from predators and harsh weather conditions.
Magnolia flowers produce a sugar-like substance that attracts pollinators. The flowers of many magnolias are considered edible.
Magnolias are an excellent plant for boggy locations or clay soils.
Mystery Monday is sponsored by the Spy Newspapers and Adkins Arboretum.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Second Wind Planting by Nancy Taylor Robson

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Yes, it’s July, and it’s hot (it’s summer after all), but we’ve actually had rain (she half-whispers lest the mention jinx it). So, the ground is friable and a young gardener’s fancy turns to MORE BEANS! And other stuff. You know, the mid-summer renewal for fall harvest.

“A lot of people think about ‘getting their garden in’ once in May and that’s it,” says Jon Traunfeld, Director of the Home and Garden Information Center at University of Maryland here. But there’s a second planting time that can be just as rewarding as the first if we take advantage of it. “There’s still plenty of time to plant warm season crops,” he says. “Bush beans, green beans, cucumbers, squash. Also in late July, there are the fall crops. People can sow seeds for things like beets and kale and mustards, radishes, directly in the ground.”

For those of us who are less than perfect gardeners (sigh, we know who we are) that second shot can be a big help. The extended harvest offers maximum return on investment of money (plants and seeds) and time (all that weeding and worrying), and maybe we’ll also have something to ‘put by.’ Yet even if there’s not enough to freeze or can, fall harvest can be a very satisfying time. But it takes planning – and planting – now.

“I just seeded some more green beans and wax beans this week,” says Theresa Mycek, Production Manager at Unity Nursery nursery in Church Hill. “We also just put some zucchini and yellow summer squash seeds in the high tunnel.”

Even without the protection of a high tunnel, Traunfeld notes that the changing climate has altered our gardening parameters. 

“There’s so much opportunity,” he says. “That’s one of the upsides of warming weather. You can plant things through mid-to-late August. And we may be able to overwinter things like arugula, spinach, and kale, and sometimes collards. With a single row cover [to protect them from frost] they come back gangbusters in early spring.”

“When I worked at Colchester,” agrees Mycek, who for 13 years was the grower and manager of a five-acre Community Sustained Agriculture (CSA) project in Georgetown, MD, “starting in August we’d direct-seed radish and fall brassicas. So, if you want to do Pak choi, turnips, radish, watermelon radish, broccoli rabe are all good seeds to put straight into the ground now.”

Even things that we think of as early spring crops can keep producing, especially if protected. “A lot of these crops – kale, lettuces, spinach, the Asian greens – will take a heavy frost and will overwinter,” says Traunfeld. 

While the luscious but delicate butterheads of spring can’t take much heat or cold, there is now a tougher i.e. more resilient lettuce variety, Batavian summer crisp, which has slightly thicker, more water-retentive leaves that do well at this time, and also does well in summer.

 “I saw some in a community garden yesterday [July 16th],” Traunfeld says. “They’re big and ruffly, and they will grow in warm weather and can really take the heat.”

You can also start transplants of some of the brassicas now for harvest next spring. Traunfeld says that a former colleague used to start broccoli seedlings in early August each year.

“She put ‘em out in the garden in September,” he remembers. “She just wanted them to get well established but not put on a head. And they came to life in spring and had beautiful heads.”

Starting transplants in mid-late summer means paying attention to soil temp. Instead of it being too cool as it can be in spring, now soil can be too warm for some of those seeds to germinate. Seed packets usually specify a variety’s optimum germination temp.

“The leafy greens, lettuces, you can’t germinate them easily in heat,” Traunfeld says. “You may want to germinate it inside or outside under something [like row cover or in shade or indirect sunlight].” The difference between soil temperature in direct sun and shade can be as much as 10 degrees Fahrenheit.

When you plant out your seedlings, mulch them to mitigate soil temps and retain moisture for roots. Row cover can do double duty to help prevent moisture loss in their leaves and to hide new seedlings from pests. Then remember to keep them moist but not sodden.

 “[The starts] can tolerate the heat if they’re young,” Mycek says. “But you have to be on top of watering.” 

When planning late-summer seeding of any kind, bear in mind the waning light. Most things require specific amounts of daylight to reach maturity. 

“If they are planning to sow beets, for example, which have a 55-day maturity date, and you’re thinking: when should you plant before frost? you’d count back from frost,” Traunfeld says. “But we’re going into a period when sun is diminishing, so you’d plant two weeks earlier than you’d think – middle-to-end of July.”

It’s all work, but it’s rewarding. In addition to the satisfaction of fall harvest, the second planting is something of a reminder about the fact that food does not grow in the grocery store or on autopilot. It takes attention and care.

“When you grow your own food, you think wasting food is a sin,” says Kent County Master Gardener, Barbra Flook, who grows greens for the table nearly year-round. “And there’s something [empowering] about knowing what it takes to produce it in a relatively safe manner.”

And it’s satisfying. There’s nothing quite like going out to the garden on a cool misty November day to cut kale for the soup pot or pick the last of the haricots verts (slim little French beans) for dinner. Lovely.

True Leaf Batavian Lettuce

Heat tolerant lettuce mix

Johnny’s Summer Crisp Lettuce

University of Maryland Home and Garden Center

 

Longtime journalist and essayist Nancy Taylor Robson is also the author of four books: Woman in The Wheelhouse; award-winning Course of the Waterman; A Love Like No Other: Abigail and John Adams, a Modern Love Story; and OK Now What? A Caregiver’s Guide to What Matters, which she wrote with Sue Collins, RN. 

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Wine(s) of the Week: Piazza New Additions

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Ciao Tutti!

This weekend at Piazza Italian Market, our weekly wine tasting is postponed until next weekend since tomorrow morning I will be on my way to TN to attend a baby shower for my great niece’s first baby. 

While I will be swilling Prosecco at the baby shower, I offer my suggestions of four new wines we have added to Piazza’s collection for your weekend consideration: a Prosecco, a Rose’, a White and a Red. All of them have cards labeled “NEW,” so check them out and try one or two that appeal to you!  Two of them are from my fave importer, Rosenthal Wine Merchant, founded by Neal Rosenthal in 1977 as a one-man retail operation in New York City. Rosenthal is now a well-known importer and distributor of fine wines and his wine selections are spot-on. 

Sparkling: Adriano Adami “Garbel” Prosecco Treviso DOC ($18.50,11% ABV):

Sparkling: Adriano Adami “Garbel” Prosecco Treviso DOC ($18.50,11% ABV)

Emily discovered this prosecco recently when one of our other selections was temporarily out of stock. “Garbel” in the local dialect means “ a dry, crisp, white wine” and is produced in the hilly vineyards of Treviso in the Veneto. Its nose of complex fruit notes make it a great celebratory wine or makes even a weekday a celebration. The winemaker suggests it is best enjoyed in a white wine glass instead of a traditional flute. 

Rosato’: San Fereolo Vino Rosato “La Lupa” ($38.75, 13% ABV):

Rosato’: San Fereolo Vino Rosato “La Lupa” ($38.75, 13% ABV)

The image of the She Wolf (La Lupa), is a popular subject for Italian winemakers. According to Roman mythology, La Lupa rescued the twins Romulus and Remus who had been abandoned in a basket that was floating along the Tiber River. The twins grew up to found Rome. Take a close look at the label-La Lupa is standing with a glass of wine in her hand, and it is obvious she is celebrating “au naturel”. Winemaker Nicoletta Bocca founded San Fereolo in 1992 and Rosenthal considers her La Lupa to be a seriously made Rose’, instead of a light wine, made from primarily the Dolcetto grape, with a very small amount of Gewurztraminer. Orange pink in color with a fruity taste-La Lupa is definitely unique!

White: Sergio Mottura “Fragugnano” Orvieto DOC ($22.50,14% ABV) :

White: Sergio Mottura “Fragugnano” Orvieto DOC ($22.50,14% ABV) :

Many of you will recognize winemaker Sergio Mottura’s distinctive label of a porcupine in various joyful positions-his La Torre a Civitella, which is my fave Grechetto, is temporarily out of stock. As I wrote when we first tasted this wine, the label pays tribute to the porcupine who re-emerged in the vineyard when the estate stopped using herbicides and pesticides.  “Fragugnano” is equal parts Grechetto and Procanico, so I am quite eager to try this wine that the restauranteur and wine author Joseph Bastianich considers to be the “Master of Grechetto”.

Il Provinciale Langhe Nebbiolo DOC ($22.50, 14.5% ABV):

Il Provinciale Langhe Nebbiolo DOC ($22.50, 14.5% ABV)

Another wine from Rosenthal’s San Fereolo winery, this is a wine that both Nebbiolo fans and newcomers to this grape can appreciate. Its deep ruby hue conveys the wine’s richness; on the nose, a bouquet of ripe cherries and raspberries unfolds with a pinch of spice; vibrant structure, full bodied, with a taste of plums, red berries, and subtle hints of dried herbs with earthy undertones.   Nebbiolo is the progenitor of both Barolo and Barbaresco so if you like a wine with complex aromas, high acidity, and firm tannins, this one’s for you!

Whichever wine you choose, enjoy your weekend and I look forward to seeing you all at next weekend’s wine tasting when we will taste another new wine!

Cin Cin,

Jenn 

Piazza Italian Market is an Italian specialty grocery located in the Talbot Town Shopping Center, 218 N Washington St, Easton, MD 21601.

Contributor Jennifer Martella has pursued dual careers in architecture and real estate since she moved to the Eastern Shore in 2004. She has reestablished her architectural practice for residential and commercial projects and is a real estate agent for Meredith Fine Properties. She especially enjoys using her architectural expertise to help buyers envision how they could modify a potential property. Her Italian heritage led her to Piazza Italian Market, where she hosts wine tastings every Friday and Saturday afternoons.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Coping with Heat and Drought by Nancy Taylor Robson

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Despite the reprieve from the recent three-day scorcher, we are likely to have repeats throughout the summer with an added bonus of drought.

“Climate Change is impacting everything from habitat restoration to land management and invasive plant treatment,” says Kathy Thornton, Natural Lands Project Field Technician at Washington College’s Center for Environment & Society. “And it has impacts on wildlife and plant establishment, too.”

So, what’s a gardener (or any human being) to do? There are both short-term and longer-term strategies that can help. Most people have heard the basics, beginning with increasing their individual landscape’s complement of native plants – particularly native ecotypes, which have evolved in this region along with their pollinators and other interdependent species. Established natives tend to be tougher and lower maintenance than non-natives, especially long term. But even natives need attention initially.

“Native plants are often touted as being more adapted – and they are,” notes Thornton. “But in pots and when they’re getting established, they need water. Once established, they are awesome in terms of creative, resilient landscape.”

So, choosing natives is one strategy. Another is adding shade, which mitigates ambient air temps.

Yucca lilies

“Planting a small tree on the south side of your house or creating a more forested landscape can really make a difference,” says Thornton. (On a 95-degree Fahrenheit day, I’ve measured as much as a seven-degree difference in temp between the sundrenched veg garden and the shaded back yard). Until newly planted trees grow, a temporary canopy of shade cloth, which is used for greenhouses in summer, can help prevent sun scald on tender plants. It can also slightly cool a space in general while allowing rain penetration.

In addition, think: Right plant; right place – long a gardening mantra. Thoughtful location improves survival rate and lowers water needs. For example, full sun perennial beds call for something approaching xeriscape plants i.e. natives that are almost desert-adapted.

“There are natives like Yucca or even Prickly Pear (Opuntia) that don’t require as much water, so it’s less work for the gardener,” says Thornton, “and they still offer ecosystem value and are beautiful, too.”

Watered Oenothera aka Magic Evening Primrose

Other tough-as-nails sun-loving natives include Yarrow (Achillea millefolium), False Indigo (Baptisia), Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia) and Purple Coneflower (Echinacea) that, once established, can take a licking and keep on ticking.

Another strategy – aka being sensible – is to plant in early morning or late afternoon not in the midday sun. (Mad dogs and Englishmen come to mind). Then, water wisely. Consider soil composition (sandy? Or loamy with better moisture retention?), weather conditions – drying wind sucks as much as 25% of the plant’s water from its leaves – and the plant’s root system i.e., how robust and deep each plant’s roots are. Each will be a factor in planting and watering.

“You need to consider how deep you want that water to percolate,” says Miri Talabac, Horticulture Coordinator at UMD Extension HGIC, noting that getting it down to the deepest roots without waterlogging the soil helps plant resilience.

“People tend to over-irrigate in frequency and under-irrigate in terms of timing and depth. If you water too often and not deep enough, it encourages shallow roots, which makes them more vulnerable to drought.”

Talabac urges people to regularly check soil moisture at a depth of 6 inches with fingers, trowel, or screwdriver rather than watering on a set schedule. “Other than feeling the soil, you don’t want to wait until it wilts,” she says. “Plants have to have enough water to draw nutrients in as well as making sure they don’t get scorched. When plants are too drought-stressed, the stomates [microscopic leaf pores] close, and they pause photosynthesizing.”

Water in early morning. Watering in the evening allows water to sit on leaves which can encourage fungal diseases, and watering during the day increases water lost to evaporation by as much as 40%. Drip and soaker hoses can help prevent excessive evaporation, and therefore save on the water bill – or the well pump, whichever.

Rain barrel shed

Another strategy is to install rain barrels, which capture rainwater for later use. Plus, the water retains a tiny bit of the nitrogen that rainwater collects on its journey to earth. (And their use is a recommended Bay-Wise practice). Once properly installed, they benefit the garden and gardener (and environment) for years.

Another strategy that people sometimes forget is mulch, which helps to smother water-thieving weeds, conserves soil moisture and moderates soil temps, which helps to keep roots from frying. There are several good choices for mulch – undyed wood chips, bark, leaf mulch (from your own fallen leaves last fall), newspaper, and straw. (Dyed mulch is usually more expensive than natural and can leach chemicals into the soil). Straw, which is neutral in pH is helpful in vegetable beds. And some people have great results with green mulch.

“We have a carpet of violets,” says Thornton. “They’ve just kinda come in, but they are a beautiful ground cover, and it serves as a living mulch that helps to keep everything from baking.”

And Thornton reminds us to add a fresh water source for animals, who often perish in drought.

“Whether it’s a bird bath, which is well maintained, or something else,” she says. (Mosquito Dunks in the birdbaths or other standing water kill mosquito larvae without harming anything else, including dragonflies, are relatively inexpensive and a snap to use). Thornton has a small pond with moving water in their shaded back yard. “We have birds attracted to the little fountain in our pond, who bath in it,” she says. Lovely.

There’s a wealth of native plants available now, and the more we request, the more garden centers and nurseries will respond. The Maryland Native Plant Society (MNPS) and the beautifully laid out and illustrated US Fish and Wildlife Service’s Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping can help with plant choices.

“There are so many beautiful native shrubs and understory plants that create this sanctuary that’s beautiful but really ecologically important, too,” says Thornton.

See Kathy Thornton at the MNPS September 6&7 conference at Washington College, open to both members and non-members.

To register:

Wash Coll plant conference

Ecosystems conference ZOOM

Vascular Plants of Maryland

https://cdn.wildapricot.com/29048/resources/Publications/VascularPlantsofMD.pdf

UMD Extension page: Watering trees and shrubs: adaptable to native perennials and annuals.

https://extension.umd.edu/resource/watering-trees-and-shrubs/

EPA Watersense Landscape

The Water-Smart Garden: Techniques and Strategies for Conserving, Capturing, and Efficiently Using Water in Today’s Climate by Noelle Johnson. (Cool Springs Press, 2025)

All photos by Nancy Taylor Robson. Lead photo is Opuntia in bloom.

Longtime journalist and essayist Nancy Taylor Robson is also the author of four books: Woman in The Wheelhouse; award-winning Course of the Waterman; A Love Like No Other: Abigail and John Adams, a Modern Love Story; and OK Now What? A Caregiver’s Guide to What Matters, which she wrote with Sue Collins, RN.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Adkins Arboretum Mystery Monday

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Happy Mystery Monday! Can you guess what is pictured in the photo below:

 

The answer to last week’s mystery is yarrow, Achillea millefolium, pictured in the photo below:

 

 

 

 

Yarrow is a herbaceous perennial native to North America. It has feather-like leaves and flat-topped clusters of tiny, fragrant white to pink flowers. Yarrow can be found in cultivated gardens, and beside fields, mountains, and roadsides.

Yarrow is pest- and drought-resistant. Full sun exposure encourages compact growth and many flowers. In partial sun or in shade, yarrow tends to grow leggy. It thrives in hot, dry conditions and does not tolerate constantly wet soil.

Native bees are attracted to yarrow in large numbers. Butterflies are also drawn to yarrow. It makes a nice addition to fresh or dried flower arrangements.

Yarrow’s Latin name, Achillea, comes from the Greek hero Achilles, who was said to have used yarrow to treat wounds of his soldiers during the Trojan War.

Mystery Monday is sponsored by the Spy Newspapers and Adkins Arboretum.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Wine of the Week: Marangona Chiaretto Riviera del Garda Classico

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Ciao Tutti!

Since today is July 4th, Piazza will be closed so our weekly tasting will only be on Saturday. We will be tasting a new Rosato to possibly add it to our collection, the Marangona Riviera Del Garda Classico DOP Chiaretto ($22.25, 12.5% ABV). 

The Marangona winery is located in Pozzolengo, Lombardia, very near the southern shores of Lake Garda, Italy’s largest lake. The lake is a natural heat reservoir and the towering Alps protect the basin around the lake from the cold winds from the north, which produces a Mediterranean climate. “Marangona” was the name of a bell that was rung to signify the end of the workday and the farm still has this bell.  ‘Chiaretto’ is derived from the word ‘chiaro’ (pale) and is required by DOC law on rosato wines produced on the shores of Lake Garda. 

Winemaker Alessandro Cutolo and his wife, Laura, are the fourth generation of the Cutolo family to run the estate, and their organic vineyard covers 30 hectares.

The Marangona Chiaretto is 50% Gropello, 30% Marzemino, 10% Barbera and 10% Sangiovese.   This mix results in classic aromas of rose petals, strawberries, and raspberries, minerality that gives it structure and juicy acidity. A perfect beginning to your July 4th feast that also pairs well with seafood and grilled salmon, chicken or pork. 

The Marangona Riviera Del Garda Classico DOP is a limited production so come join me Saturday from noon to 4:45 to taste this delicious Rosato!

Cin Cin and Happy Fourth of July!

Jenn

Piazza Italian Market is located in the Talbot Town Shopping Center at 218 N. Washington St., suite 23, in Easton, MD

Contributor Jennifer Martella has pursued dual careers in architecture and real estate since she moved to the Eastern Shore in 2004. She has reestablished her architectural practice for residential and commercial projects and is a real estate agent for Meredith Fine Properties. She especially enjoys using her architectural expertise to help buyers envision how they could modify a potential property. Her Italian heritage led her to Piazza Italian Market, where she hosts wine tastings every Friday and Saturday afternoons.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Exploring Garden Solutions with Stephanie Wooton: Chesapeake Bay Herb Society Hosts July 10 Clinic

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Stephanie Wooton, chair of the Chesapeake Bay Herb Society Garden Committee, will present a clinic on garden pests, diseases, and problems at the society’s July 10 meeting.

Now retired, Wooton has worked in several nurseries including Garden Treasures and Unity Nursery here on the Shore.  Born in Germany, she spent her youth in many countries due to her father’s diplomatic career.  She obtained a degree in psychology from the University of Wisconsin before moving east where she married and raised two sons.  Work at a garden center in Frederick led Wooton to pursue her horticulture degree from the University of Maryland, College Park.

These days she says she continues to “play (toil!) in my own garden with two (un)helpful cats.”

The society usually meets the second Thursday of each month at 6 p.m. at Christ Church, 111 S. Harrison Street, Easton.  Meetings include an herbal potluck dinner, a short business meeting and a presentation on an herb-related topic.  The theme for the July meeting is herbs of Argentina (bay leaf, thyme, rosemary, and tarragon).

CBHS was formed in 2002 to share knowledge of herbs with the local community.  The group maintains the herb garden at Pickering Creek Audubon Center.

For more information, call 301-452-2813 or visit the society’s Facebook page.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Wine of the Week: Rouge de Vallee

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Ciao Tutti!

This weekend at Piazza Italian Market, we will bring back a favorite red wine from our Valle d’Aosta wine dinner several years ago, the Rouge de Vallee ($20.50, 13% ABV) from the La Kiuva winery in  Pied de Ville, a small hamlet within the town of Arnad. The French names are indicative of this small region’s first settlers, Celts and Ligures, who were later overwhelmed by the Roman Emperor Augustus. The Emperor gave the region its name  (Valle d’Aosta = Valley of Augustus).  After enduring three other invaders, Valle d’Aosta joined the Risorgimento and became part of Italy. Today, more than 50% of Aostians speak Italian, Aostian French and Valdotain, an ancient Provencal dialect, hence the French names of the region’s indigenous grapes. 

The Valle d’Aosta shares its border with France to the west, Switzerland to the north, and Piemonte to the south and east. Valle d’Aosta is a very mountainous regions that contains four of  Europe’s top peaks, Mont Blanc, Monte Rosa, Gran Paradiso and the Matterhorn.  Valle d’Aosta has a central valley that spans over 50 miles and other individual valleys that branch off the main valley. The mountains surround the plains where La Kiuva is located.

Given the scarcity of land, La Kiuva (lah-kee-OO-vah) is a cooperative of over 50 grower members who tend about 15 hectares of vineyards. They named the winery “Kiuva” which means in the local dialect “sheaf of leaves”. The sheaves are gathered in the fall for feeding livestock throughout the winter. “Kiuva” also playfully refers to the Italian phrase “chi uva” or literally “who grape”. The vineyards cling to the steep slopes of granite and quartz, stabilized by ancient stone terraces.  Every day, the coop members climb up the steep slopes of some of the highest vineyards in the world, harvest the grapes by hand and laden with bins heavy with fruit, they make their way down the slopes to the winery. It is backbreaking work.

The combination of the highest altitude, fresh alpine air currents and streams, subsoils, and the steep terraced pergola vineyards delivers fresh and highly complex wines such as Rouge de Vallee. This red wine contains the region’s indigenous grapes of 70% Picotendro (local Nebbiolo clone), 30% Gros Vien, Neyret, Cornalin and Fumin. 

I looked back at my notes from our Wine Dinner where I had jotted down ruby red color, moderate intensity, bouquet of red fruit and delicate notes of spices, smooth taste and tannin. Pair with Piazza’s cured meats and aged cheeses, grilled meats, pasta with tomato based sauces but its best match is Piazza’s mushroom soup! Emily tasted this wine again recently and wanted to bring it back into Piazza’s collection.

To get your mind off the extreme heat, re-watch Stanley Tucci’s segment on Valle d’Aosta (I remember his getting off the funicular and being surrounded by breathtaking snow-capped mountains) then come join me Friday from noon to 5:45 or Saturday from noon to 4:45 for a  taste of this refreshing red wine!

Cin Cin!

Jenn

Piazza Italian Market is located in the Talbot Town Shopping Center qt 218 N. Washington St., suite 23, in Easton, MD

Contributor Jennifer Martella has pursued dual careers in architecture and real estate since she moved to the Eastern Shore in 2004. She has reestablished her architectural practice for residential and commercial projects and is a real estate agent for Meredith Fine Properties. She especially enjoys using her architectural expertise to help buyers envision how they could modify a potential property. Her Italian heritage led her to Piazza Italian Market, where she hosts wine tastings every Friday and Saturday afternoons.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Wine of the Week: Dardinello Sicilia DOC Zibibbo 2023

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Ciao Tutti!

Last month at Piazza Italian Market, we tasted a dry white wine from one of my fave Sicilian wineries, Cantina Assuli, located in  the far NW part of Sicily. Recently, Emily and I tasted another of their white wines, the Dardinello Sicilia DOC Zibibbo 2023 ( $15.99, 12.5% ABV), which we will be tasting this weekend. “Zibibbo” is Arabic for “raisin” as Sicily is closer to Africa than it is to mainland Italy. In Sicily, “Zibibbo” is the name given to the Muscat of Alexandria grape variety, which is eaten fresh, dried into raisins or vinified into sweet or dry wines. 

Dardinello Sicilia DOC Zibibbo 2023 ( $15.99, 12.5% ABV)

Like Assuli’s other artistic and imaginative labels, “Dardinello” is the brave and courageous Saracen knight who was killed by the character Rinaldo in Ludovico Ariosto’s epic poem Orlando Furioso that was later turned into an opera. 

Assuli’s 130 hectares of vineyards are near Trapani on the Mediterranean Sea

Assuli’s 130 hectares of vineyards are near Trapani on the Mediterranean Sea. Perhaps like no other region of Italy, Sicily’s unique climate relentless sun, breezes scented by the Sea and the intense minerality of the soil combine to impart a distinctive taste to its  wines, under the watchful eye of Assuli’s Winemaker Lorenzo Landi. 

Assuli is now managed by the third generation of the Caruso family. Their portfolio of 100 organic indigenous grape varieties includes Grillo, Insolia, Lucido, Nero d’Avola, Perricone, Syrah and Zibibbo.  

What I like about Zibibbo is its freshness, notes of peach and other citrus fruits, and its balance of both minerality and salinity.  Not surprisingly, Zibibbo’s best pairings are seafood, especially shellfish and grilled fish as well as Piazza’s Brie and Camembert cheeses. Come in from the forecasted weekend heat and join me Friday from noon to 5:45 or Saturday from noon to 4:45 to enjoy a taste of this refreshing white wine!

Cin Cin!

Jenn

Piazza Italian Market is located in the Talbot Town Shopping Center at 218 N. Washington St., suite 23, in Easton, MD.

Contributor Jennifer Martella has pursued dual careers in architecture and real estate since she moved to the Eastern Shore in 2004. She has reestablished her architectural practice for residential and commercial projects and is a real estate agent for Meredith Fine Properties. She especially enjoys using her architectural expertise to help buyers envision how they could modify a potential property. Her Italian heritage led her to Piazza Italian Market, where she hosts wine tastings every Friday and Saturday afternoons.

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