Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/97133
THE MESSAGE KARL���S KORNER Balancing Flavors��� in the Kitchen and the Vineyard Thoughts from Wente Vineyards��� Fifth Generation Winemaker, Karl Wente PHOTO: ERICA BARTEL I Gaia Gaja, the princess of Piedmont. Photo taken on the rooftop at the Montage Beverly Hills. Barbaresco Royalty t was like having breakfast with a principessa. I met Gaia Gaja, the daughter of one of Italy���s most innovative wine producers���Angelo Gaja���at luxury hotel Montage Beverly Hills. Not to drink wine, but to chat about the virtues of Piedmont, with a little shopping therapy talk thrown in. It���s dificult to imagine that this world-wise 33-yearold woman lives in the Langhe hills of southeastern Piedmont, in the town of Barbaresco, with a population that doesn���t exceed 600. ���I left at an inopportune time,��� says the dark-haired beauty, who, I thought, was referring to leaving during harvest. But she continued: ���This is the time of year when trufles perfume the air . . . it permeates every restaurant. We even have a big trufle fair in Alba that I am missing.��� (See our article on trufles in Alba on page 82.) But Gaia is not at home very much: She travels one week a month and has a sense of responsibility (and passion) to follow in her famous father���s footsteps. ���This is a delicate time for dad, who has turned 72,��� she admits. ���But he still has so much energy; he is always fully focused.��� Gaia helps run the business side of the GAJA brand, while her sister Rossanna works in the technical and winemaking side of the operation. ���We are his future,��� she states. Preaching the gospel of Barbaresco, the Nebbiolobased wine that GAJA put on the world wine map, Gaia insists that while Barbaresco is a more graceful expression of the variety, it is not a step below its Nebbiolo-based counterpart, Barolo. ���Less is more,��� she points out. ���That���s the beauty of Barbaresco: It���s more loral, elegant and ages beautifully.��� ���M. M. 22 / the tasting panel / december 2012 PHOTO: SARAH ALESSI I love working with chefs from all culinary backgrounds and all walks of life. The primary reason is that chefs, more than most people, understand lavors and textures and how they integrate to deliver a memorable and impactful palate experience. When it comes to making wine (as with music, cooking and pretty much anything else I do), I follow the mantra Good artists borrow, great artists steal. This means to me that great artists are willing to draw upon the best ideas and methods of those that came before them.�� In my collaboration with Chef Matt Greco, the Executive Chef at The Restaurant at Wente Vineyards, I have seen this same way of thinking. Chef Matt Greco with Fifth His approach draws upon all Generation Winemaker Karl Wente. cooking traditions; he appreciates and delivers high-impact food, yet knows the importance of balance.��This parallels my winemaking philosophy, where I try to achieve the same effect: impactful lavors that are well balanced. If I were to have an over-arching philosophy on food and wine pairing, it would be to maintain diversity and be open to new things���that���s what makes life divine. An example of this would be Chef Matt���s lamb pastrami. The thinly sliced meat has mind-blowing lavors cured with a mid-eastern spice combo. I���ve had ���Oh wow!��� moments with this dish and several wines, including the 2010 Wente Vineyards Riva Ranch Chardonnay and the 2008 Domaine Gresser Grand Cru Wiebelsberg from Alsace. Food and wine can balance each other so beautifully, and I love the adventure of seeking out great pairings that create fond memories. PLEA 1ON Impo 1ON Salv