A few blocks away from the touristy turnabout of Plaza Serrano in Palermo Soho, SIPAN, of the same well known downtown eatery, has added a second location in the Palermitano Hotel.  Peruvian-Japanese mouthgasmic delights, a full sushi bar, a carefully chosen wine list, and top of the line cocktails including an impressive selection of pisco ideal for the perfect drunkeness, all make SIPAN a Buenos Aires classic for a reason.

Upscale Peruvian seems a bit oxymoronic to me, finding it difficult to drop a hefty amount of plata for a plate of ceviche when it tends to be half the price in a traditional Peruvian restaurant.  But, apparently a lot of people consider SIPAN to be a pretty big deal, as it is known not only as one of the best Peruvian restaurants in Buenos Aires, but also won the Guia Oleo award “Revelación 2011″ for the best new restaurant in Buenos Aires of 2011.  Given the constant rave reviews, it was time to check it out.

Here’s a history lesson for you (aka copied and pasted from Wikipedia): The restaurant is named after the famous Lord of Sipan’s tomb, dating back to 100AD, that was recently found intact at a Moche archaeological site in northern Peru and considered to be one of the most important (and stinky) discoveries in the last thirty years.  Sipan’s decor is a reflection of the Moche’s adobe style construction and artwork, with a modern pop art spin reminiscent of a Mexican taqueria with the bright fluorescent color theme.  The outdoor loungy patio should make some top ten list of the best outdoor eating areas in the city, while inside the loud graffiti-like art keeps customers visually stimulated (especially since it includes the word CHOTA, written in massive shiny bold letters, which is probably referring to the city in Peru, but I can’t stop giggling while thinking it means a less appropriate slang word).

Summertime is pretty much a synonym for wine-time, so despite the fact it was a Thursday afternoon, a boozy bottle of wine was absolutely necessary.  Using the Entaste digital menu iPad application made it easy and oh-so-trendy-with-a-dash-of-pretentiousness to pick out the perfect wine. I corked into a Doña Paula Estate Sauvignon Blanc from Mendoza, Argentina like it was nobody’s business.  

If there was an Olympics for day drinking, I probably wouldn’t win any medals, but at least honorable mention for weekday sloppiness.  Taking tasting notes while intoxicated is pretty awesome and read something like this “Crispaay, fruitaay, limaay, grapefruitaay with peachay flaverzzz.” Who says writing tasting notes has to stay formal?

First thing to be dropped off at the table was a crunchy, bite sized bouche of deliciousness.  A killer one-bite wonder, this wonton filled with tasty salmon was smothered in a sweet and savory passion fruit tamarind sauce – pure pleasure in just one bite.  Next up, Tiradito Nikkei: thinly sliced white fish doused in nikkei sauce, a dressing made from oysters, sesame oil, soy sauce and lime.  Sexual indeed with bright citrusay flavor accompanied the super-fresh fish quite nicely.  Another house favorite is the Tiracuyá de salmón, thinly sliced piece of salmon in a passion fruit honey and dijon sauce, it’s seriously the absolute hotness in food form.

It’s a bit blasphemous to head to SIPAN without ordering a massive portion of ceviche.  Despite the Asian invasion of flavors prominent on the menu, it still is a cevicheria specializing in insanely well made ceviche.  I mean just look at those plump pieces of heaven.  The Ceviche Mixto contains fresh octopus, white fish, huge chunks of salmon and clams, all showered in some special sauce, poured table side.  In fact, all the sauces are poured by the mozo right at the table – talk about being serviced.

The menu also includes about four different types of sushi rolls, each with a different Peruvian spin.  The first roll that stood out on the menu had ají de gallina incorporated in some way, a super interesting way to fuse the two cuisines.  Just my luck that the shipment of ají didn’t make it to Buenos Aires this week due to the heat (#TIA), so no ají de gallina at all.  Plan B: the Roll Costa Verde.  The roll was filled with a salmon tartare, a dash of sesame oil, lettuce and avocado wrapped with thin slices of salmon marinated in salsa nikkei, and I mostly chose it because it did not include the infamous Buenos Aires sushi no-no of philadelphia cream cheese.  While pretty good, I still wish that damn shipment didn’t F me over, since mixing the creamy and spicy flavors of ají de gallina in a sushi roll is bordering on genius.

Bottom line: Sipan deserves all the hype.  While it may be more expensive than other standard Peruvian restaurants in Buenos Aires, the interesting flavors of Peru-Japo fornication, extremely high quality fish and bomb-licking cocktails and wine bring it up to the major leagues.
Sipan Cevicheria Peruana 
The Palermitano Hotel
Uriarte 1649, Palermo Soho
Tel: 4833-9383
Monday – Sunday: 12pm – 4pm, 8pm – 1am
Average price per person: AR$220

Indaba Shiraz 2010: A Spunky Wine

After the holidays, my kitchen is a burial ground littered with the glassy bodies of fallen soldiers – the graceful green-gold Argentine Torrontés, the sweet topaz Royal Tokaji‘s of 5 and 6 puttony (necessary at any Hungarian family gathering), multiple Carmenères left over from a trip to Chile, a flowery Perrier-Jouët popped open during the New Year’s countdown and finished off in mimosa-form during the Sunday brunch which followed, and some harsh Russian champagne (-insert Cyrillic here-) which was bought out of curiosity and swiftly poured down the drain after the first sip.

Only one bottle remains uncorked, a 2010 Indaba Shiraz, a South African red that somehow landed on a Hungarian Christmas dinner table in Boston, Mass. Reading the label, I am intrigued. “Indaba is the traditional Zulu forum for sharing ideas…” it reads, ”…In this spirit we collaborate to produce great wines.” I’m interested.

Pouring out an initially humble portion, I first notice deep, dark red-purple, tooth-staining taint of the wine and take in its earthy, spicy aroma. The flavor has a mineral depth with a peppery twang that cuts the fruit preserve acidity. It’s great but the first sip tells me that it’s a wine I’d enjoy even more between bites of some hearty meat dish. I check the back label for pairing recommendations and stop at #1 on the list…bacon cheeseburger.

Indaba Shiraz on Entaste

Fully committed to consuming this last liquid vestige of the holidays the way it is meant to be consumed, as suggested by winemakers in the South African Cape wine-lands (…with a bacon cheeseburger…), I run to a nearby diner and get one to go. The pairing turns out to be completely on point, the peppery, earthy spices from wine harmonizing with the meat, its acidity cutting the grease perfectly.

As I chomp away happily, I read up a bit on the Shiraz and learn that the creation of the brand represents a part of the celebration of the democratization process of South Africa in 1994 and that the sales of Indaba Shiraz helps fund the Indaba Scholarship Program, which supports wine-related studies for students from formerly disenfranchised communities in South Africa.

What a cool wine to start 2012 off with!

Class is in Session: The Tasting Room at Lo de Joaquin Alberdi

A few weekends ago, I popped into one of my all-time-fave wine boutiques in BsAs, Lo de Joaquin Alberdi, in the beating heart of Palermo Soho, just a few blocks from the always-busy Plaza Serrano. 90% of their customers are tourists who, checking the mate, leather gaucho belt, “artisanal” alfajores and fileteado bathroom sign off the obligatory Argentine souvenir list, flow out of the plaza, straight into Lo de in search of that last item, the famous Malbec, to take home to the fam. Señor Alberdi and his three expert sommeliers work tirelessly in educating (mostly re-educating) these customers, explaining that the Malbec is not ONE specific wine, falsely implied by the what-to-buy section of many travel-to-Argentina magz, that there is in fact a grand variety among the Malbecs with the unique traits of each depending on the region it hails from. Gathering info about the tastes of their customers through personalized and thorough (sometime a half an hour to an hour long!) wine-tastings, conducted in their colorful tasting room, the team at Lo de makes sure that each customer leaves smiling and satisfied with not just any-old generic “Argentine Malbec”, but one specifically geared to his or her preference.

“1 sommelier, 2 very different Malbecs”

Sommelier Gastón Silva

I was helped by one of the boutique’s newest sommeliers, Gastón Silva, who gave me a run-through of the tastings, what customers are after and the list of bodegas whose wines the boutique carries. Perusing this list with excited, thirsty eyes, I asked Gastón to show me two Malbecs, which he thought were notably different from one another, to give me a sense of regional variety, a concept the boutique strives to hammer in with their foreign clients. He chose the Malbec de Angeles 2008, a 100% Malbec from the very ancient Viña 1924 in the Vistalba Valley of the Luján de Cuyo region of Mendoza and the A Lisa 2010, a 90% Malbec, 9% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot variety from Bodega Noemia de Patagonia in the Río Negro Valley, an oasis in the freezing desert of the Patagonia region. Although both are young with a violet shade and a lightness on the palate, I noticed great differences between them in flavor and aroma.

“The Malbec de Angeles: A fruity Mendoza fave…”

The Malbec de Angeles (front) and its famous big bro, the Gran Malbec de Angeles

The Malbec de Angeles was pretty delicious, marked by deep fruity flavor and acidity from cherries, but with not too much oaky barrel flavor. Gastón explained to me that while the Gran Malbec de Angeles, which spends a whopping 14 months in the barrel and is known to have a deeper, more concentrated and complex flavor with shades of vanilla, caramel, black fruit and all that good stuff, is more sought after in their boutique than its little bro (which only lives in the barrel for 8 months), the Malbec de Angeles nevertheless occupies an important place in the world of Argentine Malbecs, offering its consumers a less complex, yet still very interesting and fruity-delicious flavor. Personally, I didn’t really miss the “subtle caramel tones” in my glass and was perfectly content with this younger Malbec.

“…and its funky Southern cousin, the Patagonian A Lisa”

The Malbec de Angeles (right) and its funky southern cousin, the Patagonian A Lisa

The A Lisa struck a wildly different chord with its pungent, musky aroma which Gastón generously referred to as “más animal” and which I can best describe as “earthy funk.” While my taste buds were flooded by tart black fruit flavors at the beginning of each sip, the wine went down with a mineralized, oaky, fungal flavor which I definitely did not care for in the beginning, but which actually ended up blending in a shockingly great way with the acidity to provide cool contrast and an interesting complexity of flavor. Gastón explained how this unique flavor (I’m talking about that funk…) is influenced by the graphite and sulphite content (high!) of the Neuquén y el Limay rivers which form this oasis in the desert, as well as the cold, dry climate which characterizes the area. This is one of those wines that shocks you at the first sip (not necessarily in a good way) but which grows on you with each following gulp. Definitely an eyebrow-raiser, and a great example of how different a Malbec can be when produced under certain conditions.

They took his precious too...Not cool. (Photo by Rgs_)

“Preciousss!” Remember Gollum, that creepy, desperate little junkie thing from “Lord of the Rings”? Remember how into that little golden ring he was? And remember what he turned into when it got taken away from him?

Well that’s kind of how I was looking a few weeks ago, as I stood at the security checkpoint of American departure gates in Munich and watched, speechless and dumbfounded, as the TSA pulled my own golden treasure out of my sealed (!) Hungarian Duty Free bag and threw it in a box full of shampoo, Listerine and lube bottles. I’m referring, of course, to the 6 puttonyos Royal Tokaji Szt. Tamás that I convinced myself to splurge on in Budapest’s Airport on my way back to the States, as a gift for work-mates back in Buenos Aires. I had told myself that getting such a perfect Hungarian souvenir, labeled “bottled and sealed in Hungary” is much cooler than buying some bottle at the Russian store on 84^th and 2^nd in New York, not to mention the fact that 6 puttonyos is pretty darn difficult to find across the pond anyway.

Royal Tokaji 6 Puttonyos Szt. Tamas (Photo from www.royal-tokaji.com)

“100 mL or less,” was the portly, mustached gentleman’s only response to the look of horror on my face.

“But it’s duty-free!” I yelled.

“Don’t mattah. Has to be from this airport.”

I hung my head and walked away, completely defeated, not even caring that much about the 5 and 4 puttonyos 2001 Tokaji’s safely stuffed into my Uggs in my checked-in luggage. My eyes and fingers twitching in a very Gollum-esque fashion, I fantasized about past Royal Tokaji’s I’ve tasted at my grandfather’s house on Christmas Eves past. I dreamed about the voluptuous, sexy, maddeningly sweet ripened apricot and plum flavors and that bit of bitter chocolate essence lingering at the end of every sip. I thought about the Hungarian goose liver (Rex Ciborum Gänseleber) it would complement so perfectly at the beginning of the meal and the walnut crepe it would wash down so majestically at the end. Just the bottle itself is stunning, like a phial of liquid gold ready to palate-please.

Not a fan of the TSA right now... (Photo courtesy of http://www.thenewsburner.com/2011/09/24/petition-to-abolish-tsa/)

Interesting enough, they let me keep the two lighters and a <100 mL tube of very combustible oil-based makeup remover, which I also had floating around in my carry-on. But of course, the only classy way to blow up a plane is with a sealed $80 bottle of Tokaji dessert wine – everyone knows that!

So enjoy the preciousss souvenir from my homeland tonight, portly TSA man. Tell the wife, it’s best served at 12-13°C in a sherry glass. Tell her also to savor it and, so that I can sleep better at night, show it the respect it deserves.

Flyer for the event

Well, actually, there are two nights… in which more than 400 wines are available to be tasted at the “Salón Conrad del Vino”, a wine event that has become a favorite of wine lovers in the summer season. One of the classic images and representations of Punta del Este is the Conrad Hotel, where on the last weekend of January this major event is always held. The focus, as you may imagine, is placed on the wines of the region, with Uruguayan wineries as well as Argentinian and Chilean being the most representative.  But, as Punta del Este is a magnet for international tourism, the most important wine importers of the country also present a selection of wines from other regions around the globe, both New World and Old World wines.

Giant paella!

It starts at 9:00 p.m., giving you plenty of time to come back from a beach day and get ready to walk around the exhibition. With your Riedel glass in hand you can participate in the tastings while enjoying the wonderful food the hotel prepares for the event. So definitely don´t fill up on dinner before! I´m not just talking about a dinky cheese plate (which they also have a ton of, of course) – they also serve plenty of finger-food, sushi, meats and paellas! You will even find a variety of dessert options paired with the sweet wines.

A special tasting

Moreover, some of the exhibitors offer the opportunity to do special tastings. For example, you may enjoy a vertical tasting of a winery’s flagship wine along with the winemaker, taste the different single-vineyard wines that will yield a future blend of wine, or taste a wine directly from the barrel. These are some of the things that I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing in the past few years.

Wine Expo at Punta del Este's Conrad Hotel

My recommendation is, first of all, to look out for those cool things you are not familiar with and are willing to taste, in order to experience new flavors. At the entrance of the expo a brochure with all the wines featured at the event is given to the guests, so that with a quick peek you may know right away what you are interested in checking out. Uruguay is famous for its Tannat, but pay close attention to the whites as well. This year Argentina will be present with its Malbec and the Autochthonous Torrontés. Chile has always had its Carmenere, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blancs to show off. In order to complete the major wine regions of South America, Brazilian wines will also be available and wines from France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, the United States, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand will also make an appearance.

This year the tenth annual “Salón Conrad del Vino” will take place on Friday, January 27^th to Saturday, January 28^th, so save the date!

I, for one, am eagerly looking forward to seeing which wines will surprise us all this year!

Cheers!

Martin Krawczyk Pardo
Certified Sommelier by the Court of Masters Sommelier and member of the Argentina Sommeliers Association.

Oops, Bitch

Fat Bastard

Despite Mike Myers’ Fat Bastard character in Austin Powers and his affinity for fine wine, the namesake for this wine brand has a different story.  Started by the wine winning duo Guy and Thierry, these two guys are all about the sweet nectar in all its fat bastardness glory.

Oops

Guzzle down a Voluptuous Beauty, open up your throat for a Cheeky Little White or Red, get hot and steamy with a Bodacious Blonde or spice up your life with some Spicy Splendor.  The name, (Oops), is based on a true story of the history of the Carmenere grape, dating back centuries, as it was thought to be extinct until it was discovered to be masquerading as a Chilean Merlot.

Bitch

Finally, time to drink wine and bitch your heart out without having any of your friends calling you a miserable negative Nancy!  Targeted to a female wine drinker (and self-proclaimed male queens), it’s perfectly acceptable to be a massive biyatch face while drinking this wine.  If enjoying a regular Bitch sounds too tame, try other wine brands that have hopped on the Bitch bandwagon: Sweet Bitch, Sassy Bitch and Happy Bitch are all trying to compete for the ultimate bitch spot.

Gnarly Head

According to the makers of Gnarly Head, it’s all about the old gnarled and twisted vines that have been around for a while.  Just because the vines are gnarly, doesn’t make this wine out of date.  The vines that produce small grape clusters may be tiny, but produce an intense, bold, deep flavor, since “old vines make bold vines.”

Some Young Punks

It was so hard to decide which wine name we liked best, we had to post the whole collection.  Just take a look for yourself and tell us that these aren’t the most original, low brow, Pulp Fiction inspired bottles you’ve ever seen.  Take your pick if you’re in the mood for Monsters, Monsters Attack!, Passion Has Red Lips, The Squid’s Fish, Quickie or our personal favorite, Naked On Roller Skates.

Cat’s Pee On A Gooseberry Bush

Fun wine fact that the Entaste drink team learned in our weekly office wine tastings: not all sommeliers are stuck up when it comes to describing wines. Honesty is the best policy, especially when it comes to Sauvignon Blanc, which is classically described as smelling like cat’s piss. This New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc has moved on up from bottling the nectar of a bunch of pissing kitties, to becoming one of the most popular white wines in the UK.

The Gundel House

Budapest is not the most cheerful place on a December afternoon. Dark after 4:00 p.m., the city is blanketed by a dismal, gloomy gray mist, which seems to echo the collective cranky mindset of its inhabitants at this dejecting time of the year. Amidst the shadows of dead-tree-strewn City Park, one monument towers out, the Gundel Restaurant, the shiny crown jewel of Hungary’s food scene. At its swanky bar I am greeted by Sommelier Mihály Fabok, who walks me through how he pairs wines to dishes, highlighting examples of both harmony (smoked fish paired with smoke-y white wine kept in cured Barrique oak barrels) and contrast (tart, funky blue cheeses matched with delicate, honey-sweet Tokaji).

He also speaks of regional pairings – e.g.: a pike-perch from the Balaton lake matched with a 2008 Csopaki Olaszrizling, a very mineral-y white typical of that region but for the most part unknown outside of Hungary.

Poached Goose Liver with Gundel Tokaji Jelly (Photo courtesy of gundel.hu)

Since most of the restaurant’s clientele is foreign, he is always busy explaining the stuff that might seem a little crazy to foreign eyes. For example, many of their guests find sipping super-sweet, dense Tokaji wine with their goose-liver as an appetizer at the beginning of the meal (instead of with dessert, at the end) bizarre. Fabok explains that the course following the appetizer, usually a spicy-savory soup, erases the sweet flavor from the palate and prepares it for the following savory courses.

Another oddity at the Gundel is the pairing of halászle, a traditional spicy Fisherman’s soup, with a light, dry, Kadarka wine. Soup and wine? Yes- the high acidity cuts the oils in the fish and the peppery, spicy finish of the wine echoes the spices in the broth. Trust the guy; he knows what he’s doing!

The Famous Crêpe à la Gundel (Photo courtesy of gundel.hu)

No surprises, however, with the wine paired to the most famous dish, the magnum opus of the Gundel, the gundel palacsinta, a sweet crepe filled with chopped walnuts, raisins, lemon rind and rum, topped with a warm dark chocolate sauce – this sinful treat is paired with the famous Tokaji, a super-sweet dessert wine. For the crepe Fabok recommends an aged Tokaji (usually the 1993), as these are characterized by walnut, caramel and dried fruit flavors which complement the dessert beautifully.

Sommelier Mihály Fabok and bartender Dániel Horváth at the Gundel bar

Pairings are the responsibility of the sommelier, who represents one of the pillars of fine dining. As Fabok and I discuss this, a smartly-dressed bartender named Dániel Horváth stops by at our table and whispers something about a falatka menu. They explain to me that starting in January, the bar will be serving bite-size, small-plates, each with its own signature cocktail – e.g.: a goose-liver truffle sprinkled with a few golden raisins and paired with a Chambord-Champagne-Tokaji cocktail. Gundel will be one of the first restaurants in Eastern Europe to embrace and incorporate wine service in the modern gastropub trend, mixing it up with their century-old fine-dining traditions.

vinodivino in Brookline

“Wine is already intimidating. In many cases less is more.”

Rodolfo Neirotti, VP of strategy and innovation (and general wine guru) at vinodivino is referring to the chief axiom of his business, the idea that sets it apart from all those stuffy, dusty, over-cluttered wine boutiques you’re forced to visit 5 minutes before your married friend’s snobby dinner party. At vinodivino, you do not need a PhD in wine to select the perfect bottle, nor do you have to spend hours poring over hundreds of bottles of Burgundy to match your pot roast (or decide which Shiraz to drown your love-life problems in) – their knowledgeable and super-friendly staff has already done this for you.

Rodolfo Neirotti at the vinodivino tasting counter

Walk into either of the store’s two locations (Newton and Brookline, so far…) and take a peak at the display – you’ll know exactly what’s going on right away. Bottles are grouped according to grape and, what’s most refreshing, there is only one type per price-point/style. The staff has done the dirty-work for you, going through and selecting only the best values, in other words only 1 New Zealand Sauv Blanc in the $20 range (the best one!) instead of 10 seemingly identical ones. “Having a million equally good wines of the same type in the same price range is redundant; it confuses the customer less to just have the best of everything,” says Rodolfo. Most wine-shoppers don’t really know the difference anyway. Think about it: How many times have you stood around in the Spanish reds aisle for ages, only to choose the one with fiercest looking bull on the label? If you even had to think about that one, you should probably hit up vinodivino soon.

Besides not making the customer’s head spin, having a relatively small, super well-edited bottle list (only around 220 at a time) also means that the staff knows each type intimately. They’ve tasted and rated each one. They can tell you which bottle you want just by looking at you as you walk through the door. Well maybe not, but the point is, they know their stuff.

The Sweet Spot

Looking for a downside? Well pricing is definitely not it. Half of the wines at vinodivino are less than $25 and about a third are in the mid-teens. Conspicuous bright green shelf-cards indicate whites under $12.50 and the red ones point to reds under $12.50. There is even a shelf marked “90+ points, Under 20: The Sweet Spot,” making it super easy to find the deals.

And to make sure customers find exactly what they need, the store offers daily wine tastings, weekly wine-socials (with cheese and charcuterie from the amazing Formaggio Kitchen) and a special Saturday wine tasting built around a weekly theme.

Rodolfo’s bias- “Coming from an Argentine family, I’m extra-critical about Argentine wine. I’ve always considered Malbec a blending grape – Argentina produces better Cab Sauvs.”

Result – Only the best bottles on the Argentina shelf. Definitely no complaints there.

Red Nek Wine Glass (US$13.00 per glass)

Who ever said drinking wine has to stay classy?  Ditch the pretentious wine tools that you pretend to know how to use, strap on a pair of overalls, and go country.  Whether it’s wine or good ole’ fashioned moon shine, Red Nek wine glasses make the perfect present for the modern-day drunkard on the go.

Happy Man Bottle Stopper (US$12.95)

Have extra wine that needs a good shtupping? WHIP out your handy Happy Man Bottle Stopper and stick his cork into your open bottle.  This functional gag gift design also comes in the form of a corkscrew (insert joke here) and bottle opener.

Bicycle Leather Wine Rack (US$29)

Eco-friendly wine lovers on the go, this one is for you.  Not only are you a total hipster inspiration for reducing your carbon footprint, but now you can look even trendier doing so, riding with a wine bottle in between your legs. If you didn’t think this contraption could get any more awesome, guess again – it’s made from scrapyard metal and chemical-free leather.

Wine Diaper (US$14.99 pack of 3)

The dreaded plane flight has taken the lives of too many wine bottles in transit.  Suitcase wine spillage is no fun for anyone.  Clothes get ruined, stranger’s luggage becomes drenched in bright red alcohol, and most importantly, byebye vacation wine.  The solution: wrap up your bundle of joy in the Wine Diaper, keeping it protected from smashing or against leakage if the bottle does happen to break.

Corkcicle (US$29.99)

The wine, Broncone Bordolese Deco IGT 2001 is made by Dr. Gianfrancesco Paoletti with the aide of Dr. Giacomo Taschis. On the nose the wine shows dusty cherry,  dried raspberry, clove, dried oregano and rosemary with a bit of earth, leather and chestnuts.   On the palate the balance is incredible, tart cherries, dried cherries and an elegant structure and long finish.  This is drinking beautifully now but could age for at least 10-15 years.  Textbook example of the true character and potential of Sangiovese.

The wine is not cheap nor easy to find, 2000 numbered bottles of the 750ml  and 1515 bottles of 1500ml were produced although the artwork on each is different.

And that of course is what takes this wine (besides my Sangiovese-centric praise) to a collectible level.  On each bottle there is artwork created and certified by the Museo Ideale Leonardo da Vinci, and of course, I have bin scuffs on the one now on display at Rothmann’s due to the largish size of the bottle and the eager aggressive way this sommelier pulled it from the rack (let that be an expensive lesson to me).

http://www.lafucinadileonardo.com/inglese/semplici/cultura.html

Worth searching for this wine, despite the price -for the traditional and superb expression of fruit inside of it, the artwork and uniqueness of the bottles themselves and to reclaim Leonard Da Vinci for the rest of us from a airport paperback.