For those Italian food lovers who live in Los Angeles or Southern California area, today Friday June 6 there is an LA event you simply cannot miss, TASTE Italy.
Organized by Academia Barilla partners Learn About Wine, TASTE Italy just found new event locations where food culture merges with architecture and design, Los Angeles’ A+D Museum (Architecture and Design Museum) and LACMA, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
TASTE Italy is one of the few wine events in the US where the selection of Italian wine producers and wineries not only is excellent, but also very consistent, with more than 50 premium and super premium wines to explore and discover each particular wine region or style in Italian wine making. Here is a partial list of the wines you can taste this evening at TASTE Italy:
Michelle Chiarlo, Barbera d’Asti, Piedmonte, Italy 2006
Pighin Estate, Pinto Grigio, Grave, Italy 2006
Nozzole, Chianti Classico Reserva, Tuscany, 2005
Guidalberto, Tenuta San Guido (Sassicaia producer), Toscana, 2004
Tenute Silvio Nardi, Rosso di Montalcino, Tuscany 2005
Tor Calvano, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Tuscany 2004
Saia, Feudo Macari, Silicy 2004
Livio Felluga, Pinot Grigio, Grave 2007
Castello di Monsanto, Chianti Classico Riserva, Toscana 2004
Capezzana “Carmignano” 2003
Il Poggiale Morello Toscano Rosso 2005
Lasorda Pinot Grigio del Veneto 2006
Abbazia Prosecco Spumante Gold 2007
Santi Valpolicella Ripasso 2005
Ca’ Bianca Gavi 2006
Rapitala “Campo Reale” Nero D’Avola 2006
Nino Negri Sfursat Valtellina 2004
San Leonino Chianti Classico 2004
Castello di Volpaia Chianti Classico 2005
Castello de Volpaia Borgianni 2006
San Felice, Tenuta Perolla Vermentino 2007
San Felice, Tenuta Perolla Rosso 2006
San Felice, “Il Grigio” Chianti Classico Riserva 2004
Villa Jolanda, Moscato Rose’ NVMaioli, Dolcetto di Ovada, Piedmonte 2003 (LearnAboutWine Cellar)
Antinori, Santa Cristina, Sangiovese, Toscana, 1999
Vietti, Barbera D’Asti “La Crena”, Asti/Piedmonte 2001
Santa Martina, Rosso, Toscana, 2005
Canalegrande, Daniela Rigamonti, Barbera & Bonarda, 2005
Gaia, Ca’Marcanda, Promis, Toscana, 2004
Il Poggione, Brunello di Montalcino, 2001
Serpico, Dei Feudi Di San Gregorio, 2003
Palazzo Della Torre, Veronese, Allegrini, 2004
Terredora Greco
Terredora Falanghina
Terredora Aglianico
Argiano non Confonditur (Tuscan blend)
Ceuso Scurati (Nero Avola)
Maso Poli P Grigio 2006
Cantele Negroamaro Rosato 2007
Castrelvero Cortese 2007
Colosi Rosso 2006
Cantele Primitivo 2005
Castelvero Barbera 2006
Taburno Falanghina, Taburno 2007
Caggiano Tari Aglianico, Campania 2006
Molletieri Aglianico Cinque Querce, Campania 2005
Bisol Prosecco
Lasorda GM Chianti Classicoadd
Val di Suga - Brunello di Montalcino Spuntali 1999
Ermacora Tocai Friulano 2006
Rocca di Montegrossi Chianti Classico 2005
Tenuta Garetto Barbera d’Asti Superiore”Fava” 2003
Vigne e Vini Schiaccianoci Negroamaro del Salento IGT 2005
Ca Berti Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro “Amabile” sweet
How can you taste all this great wines and not get drunk? Well, here is some great advice from the wine experts at Learn About Wine: you shouldn’t actually drink the wines you taste and, after visual, olfactive and mouth tasting, wines should be spit, as professional sommeliers and wine tasters do. Then, at the end of your tasting round, you can focus on the one or two wines that appealed most to your personal taste, and have a glass of them to fully enjoy the experience.
Other good advice is to actually get some food in between wines, and this is where Academia Barilla gets in at TASTE Italy. Italian Culinary Specialist Francesco Zimone will be at the event with a food tasting booth where you can explore Academia Barilla’s Italian regional food selection that matches the wine regions, with traditional gourmet specialties from Emilia Romagna, Liguria, Tuscany, Sardinia and Sicily - the best way to taste Italy (and balance the drinking)!
Other appetizers and desserts will be also provided by Angeli Caffè, one of LA’s best Italian restaurants, and Acadie Crepes, who will offering Mediterranean crepes both sweet and savory, another good way to match the different wine styles.
TASTE Italy opens today June 6 at 7:30 PM, and will close at 9:30 PM. The address to the A+D Museum is 5900 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, California 90036 (right across from LACMA). Admission is 55$ advance purchase, 70$ at the door, with proceeds benefiting both A+D and LACMA Museums. For more info call Learn About Wine at +1 (310) 451-7600.
We provide here a Google Map for driving directions but allow us to suggest not to drive, so you can indulge (responsibly) in the wine tasting experience and don’t worry about going back home safely. Or, you can always have a designated driver who won’t be tasting wine, and still enjoying the event hanging out at the Academia Barilla booth for a great gourmet food tasting!
TASTE Italy is the first appointment of this new Friday Night Wine Tasting series at A+D, the next scheduled events will be TASTE Paso and BBQ on July 11th, TASTE Sonoma on August 1st, and TASTE ABC and Tango (Argentina, Brazil, Chile) on September 5th. Save the dates!
Final non-culinary suggestion? If you plan to attend the TASTE events at A+D, try to get there a few hours in advance, so you can also enjoy the great exhibitions at both the A+D Museum and LACMA.
The A+D Museum currently features “After the Flood“, an architecture exhibition presenting proposals for replacement housing and redevelopment in New Orleans Louisiana in the aftermath of the Hurricane Katrina.
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art features several parallel exhibitions and events, such Phantom Sightings, a selection Chicane video art, the photo exhibition of LA artist Philip-Lorca Dicorcia (through September), or the painting exhibition of artist Ernst Ludvig Kirchner.
