Chiara Ferraris came to visit us at Inoteca (Italian for Wine Bar) on Rivington Street, the Lower East Side and this is the first wine tasting where we had a woman talking to us which was quite exciting. The Luca Ferraris Vineyard are a family owned vineyard from Castagnole Monferrato in the region of Piedmont. The Ferraris Family loves America and feel gratitude to our Country because their Grandfather came here way back when, during the gold rush and sent his earnings back to Italy. This helped the family to expand their property and develop the vineyard so they have a special love and feeling for our Country which I found very touching. They make 12 wines and export only 4 to the United States. I tasted all four and they are all exceptional, fragrant and delicious to experience!Chiara Ferraris is vivacious and charming. I enjoyed her presence as much as the family's wines. The bottles have stunning art which are mosaic images from Churches in Ravenna, central to what was the Western Roman Empire. I was most taken with Luca Ferraris Monferrato Rosso Il Re 2006 with the mosaic of Bacchus, the Roman god of wine, most appropriate!
Some of the wines have the word "Ruche" meaning rock but it sounds melodious when spoken in Italian because these specific grapes grow in rocky terrain. A best seller is Ruche Di Castagnole Monferrato which I bought at September Wines. You can find their wines around town, so ask when you visit your favorite Italian eateries ask or you can find Luca Ferraris wines at September Wine, 100 Stanton Street, 212-388-0770 and Vino 121 East 27th Street, 212-725-6515 (Vino will ship wines to you!)
The wines are not organic but Chiari delighted me and made me laugh, telling us that Italy is not strict with rules for driving on the roads but when it comes to wine, they are very strict and police the vineyards...my words, not hers! I just laughed. The beautiful red wines, thoughts of the vineyards, and Italian country side was such a pleasant way to enjoy Italy and I did it all from the Lower East Side!
