“Each of us is a tile in a mosaic that has taken shape over generations.”
Umberto Cantele
Last week, the Cantele family presented “Twenty Years of Cantele Teresa Manara Chardonnay,” a celebration of the wine named after the cousins’ grandmother Teresa — the woman who inspired it all.
That’s the current generation of the Cantele family above, from left: Umberto, Luisa, Giani, Paolo, and Domenico.
Thank you to everyone who has made this journey possible!
This year marks the twentieth vintage of Cantele Teresa Manara Chardonnay, named after the Cantele family’s grandmother, the woman whose love of Salento inspired her husband to relocate to Puglia.
Rhythms that repeat themselves, over and over, just like the sunrise.
Between ancient olive trees and expert hands, traditions intertwine every evening surrounded by two seas but just one sunset.
Under a hot sun, men and women sing among the vines. Their hands are rough and their movements soft.
Run, Teresa. The earth is warm under your feet. You taught us how color tells us when the moment is right. Run. The fruit is ripe and harvest won’t wait.
Twenty summers, twenty harvests. Winds that blow from the north and dry the dew. A new vintage is ready. It’s ready and it whispers your name.
Paolo Cantele just completed a whirlwind trip through the U.S. working with the estate’s new American importer Winebow.
He literally crisscrossed the country, visiting more than 12 cities along the way.
In Texas alone, he hit three cities, including Austin, the state capital, where he hosted a wine dinner at one of the city’s hottest new Italian restaurants, Il Brutto.
Executive chef Erind Halilaj’s team totally nailed the traditional Pugliese menu they served that night, including the classically prepared housemade orecchiette (above) — one of Puglia’s signature pastas.
Man, this dish was spot on: From the al dente texture of the hand-rolled pasta to the gentle seasoning of the tomato sauce and the coarse shredding of the fresh ricotta, Paolo noted that this one the most authentic Puglisese dishes he’s ever eaten in America. The pairing with the Cantele Chardonnay was only topped by the Salice Salentino with grilled lamb, another Pugliese standby.
General manager and wine director Charity Sadoy’s Italian list is so thoughtful and balanced, remarked a wine writer who attended the event, with selections that reflect her deep knowledge of and inspired passion for Italian wine. So many sommeliers go for the funky and the off-beat these days. Charity’s program captures what’s great about Italian wine today — from the traditional to the experimental. And the bar makes a pretty mean Negroni, too!
Thank you, Il Brutto, for one of the best nights of the trip!
Il Brutto
1601 E. 6th St.
Austin TX 78702
(512) 580-8779
Google map
Octopus was just one of the spectacular dishes served as part of a southern Italian menu created by Evo Kitchen + Bar this week in Portland, Maine.
The occasion was a wine dinner featuring the wines of Cantele and Librandi (from Calabria).
From left below, that’s Paolo Librandi, Paolo Cantele, Gianni Cantele, and Kelly Nelson, Evo’s general manager Kelly Nelson.
What an amazing night between the flavors of Calabria and Puglia, a wonderful group of food and wine lovers, and the superb staff at Evo where the food (as you can see from the photo above) was as beautiful as it was tasty.
Thank you, Evo, for such a wonderful night in Portland!
We just had to share this lovely note from the Murray Family in Spring Lake, New Jersey, owners of the Bottle Shop, a second-generation wine shop.
“When we eat pizza, arugula salad and meatballs in the summertime,” they write about the Cantele Rosato from Negroamaro, “this is the wine we crave!”
“We were impressed by the complexity, consistency and value across the board,” they write. “Another interesting fact he shared with us is that Cantele adds even less sulfites than allowed by the legal organic limit. The estate is not organic, per se, but the vineyards are farmed sustainably.”
Click here to read their review of the Cantele winery and the wine.
Thank you, Murray family!
The Cantele story begins in black-and-white, like a Neorealist film. WWII was at its peak and Italians listened in secret to American radio. They couldn’t make out the song lyrics but they could understand the words love and hope.
When the fighting was done, Giovanni Cantele set out from his home in war-torn northeastern Italy in search of a better life. He landed in the city of Imola (in the region of Romagna, north-central Italy) where he found steady work in the wine trade and where he would meet the love of his life, Teresa Manara.
Continue reading Cantele history: A black and white story with a Technicolor ending
The Winebow/Leonardo LoCascio Selections (LLS) Vini d’Italia (Wines of Italy) tour is one of the American wine trade’s major traveling tastings and features hundreds of Italian wines and their producers.
Both Paolo and Gianni Cantele will be pouring and talking about their wines on the tour this year. Click here to view the LLS Tasting Booklet and/or click the links below to register.
Paolo will also be in Texas the following week, including consumer events in Austin and Houston. Click here for more info (or email our Texas-based blogger if you’d like to connect with Paolo while he’s in the state).
Minneapolis MN
Monday, May 6, 2019
12 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Hilton Canopy Minneapolis Mill District
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
Durham NC
Tuesday, May 7, 2019
1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
JB Duke Hotel
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
Portland ME
Thursday, May 9, 2019
12 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Westin Portland Harborview
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
Paolo Cantele will be coming to Texas next month.
He’ll be speaking and pouring at a number of public events (see below).
And he’ll also be attending a private party in Houston hosted in his honor. Click here to email Cantele’s man in Texas, Jeremy, for details.
We hope to see you at one of Paolo’s events!
Jimmy’s
DALLAS
Monday, May 13
6:30 p.m.
tasting and wine dinner
Il Brutto
AUSTIN
Tuesday, May 14
details TBA
wine dinner
Vinology
HOUSTON
Friday, May 17
6-8 p.m.
in-store tasting
Image via the Jimmy’s Facebook.
Thanks to everyone who stopped by our stand to taste and meet this year in Verona!
It was another great Vinitaly. Looking forward to next year.
Taste with the Cantele family at Vinitaly in Verona this year! Paolo, Gianni, and Umberto are looking forward to seeing you in Hall 11, Stand E2. Click here for more info.
When you attend a wine tasting at Cantele’s tasting room and test kitchen iSensi, you don’t just taste wine — you experience wine.
Guests at iSensi, like the group of Swedish journalists and restaurateurs above, not only taste the wines but also have the opportunity to pair them with classic Pugliese dishes and foods.
And as these recent visitors did, they also get to lend a hand in making the food.
No food and wine trip to Salento is complete with rolling out a few orecchiette!
Interested in creating an event for your party at Cantele? Please visit the iSensi page for details and reservation info.
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