Above: what else would I pair with home-smoked ribs? 2004 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco (classico), of course. I’ve tasted this wine a number of times since I first tasted it in NYC at a Vias portfolio tasting with Alfonso, Alice, and winemaker Aldo Vacca early last year. Over the last few months, it’s been in what I call a “state of grace”: a period of sensational drinkability before it shuts down again for the long-term. The bottle we opened on Sunday night in Austin showed signs of tightening up again but was delicious nonetheless.
Italian wine bloggers — me, Tracie B., Alfonso, and Wolfgang — converged on Austin last weekend for the Austin City Limits music festival and some general honky-tonking.
My festival highlight was Erykah Badu: man, that lady is one bad-assed mother… (and I mean that on multiple levels: played an amazing show, rocked a great percussion solo on with her digi trigger, and how many months pregnant is she?). We watched her set with my friend, roomate, and licensing agent Michael Nieves. He and I raised a beer to toast the phat placement he did for our song Fille Atomique on Gossip Girl on Monday.
Alfonso, Tracie B., and I were the guests at the home of Misti and Nathan, Tracie B.’s good friends. Nathan smoked pork ribs — one rack with a spicy rub, one with a bbq sauce finish, and one plain. He began smoking them in the morning, keeping them at about 200° F. all day long, using chips from old whiskey barrels (Franco would agree with me that this would be an excellent use for barriques! Nathan said, however, he prefers pecan). Misti made steamed corn with jalapeño rounds and a great potato salad (with olive oil instead of mayonnaise). Lena and Dean were there, too. Nathan’s a pretty mean guitar player and so we traded some riffs and played Beatles and Bruce Springsteen into the night (on the ladies’ request).
Above: what do Italian wine bloggers drink when they get together? Mexican beer, of course! Wolfgang and Alfonso at Güero’s Taco Bar in Austin. I wasn’t sure about getting fish tacos in a land-locked taco joint so I went with the roast pork, which was very good, but the sides were just so-so. The salsa bar was excellent if meager and I love the way they serve the beer with small, old-school glasses, like the ones you find in Mexico.
Above: Tracie B. at Ginny’s Little Longhorn, my new all-time favorite honky tonk. The night we were there, the caliber of the playing just made me want to go sell my geetar at a pawn shop. Tracie B. moved back to Austin earlier this year from Ischia where she wrote her fantastic blog, My Life Italian, about Italian food and wine and the life of a Texana in Campania, Italy. She’s a little shy on camera but, man, that girl’s got the prettiest eyes this Italian wine blogger’s ever seen!
*****
Post scriptum
Strappo and Marco: we missed you at the Italian wine blogger summit, Austin, 2008 edition.
Do Bianchi 
the Bado voodoo was good stuff, Maynard. That weekend was one heck of a way to kick off the Italian Wine Bloggers Festival! Auguri tutti!
My God, Tracie B’ eyes (and all the rest) are absolutely charming! This is the kind of wine & food blogger we like, congratulation Jeremy!
Too bad I missed it. It might have been a historic moment. The Detente between Flyover Country and (ptui ptui) New Yawk.
Hap-py New Year, everybody!
sounds like good times. thanks for turning me on to produttori – i LOVE the 2004 you drank here. I grabbed a bunch to put down for the long haul. and i love the fact that we’re talking about $28 or so (on the east coast). i’m having trouble finding the single vineyard wines, if you have any advice…
We enjoyed having you over and want to thank you, Tracie, and Alfonso again for supplying all the wonderful wine! You are welcome any time although next time please try not to be so generous…I was feeling it all day Monday. Better yet, let’s do it on a Saturday so I have recovery time. :)
also enjoy this wine–when first released it had a little rubber on the nose that blew off–now, smooth funk and fruit ,like a serge gainsboro song.
Ok, so after reading a bunch of reviews that said Erykah Badu rocked ACL, and then your post, I finally checked out her site. That video for Honey is the best I’ve seen in years!!!!! The references to all my favorite old albums from high school and the spoof on Outkast … oh my god.
http://video2.umrg.com/erykahbadu/default.aspx?vid=01
Request for 2009: Erykah World Tour with Nous Non Plus opening!
Hi everyone and thanks for stopping by Do Bianchi. Produttori is just such a great wine, all around, and when you get to drink it old, it can be phenomenal.
Brooklynguy: for vineyard-designated Produttori, try Vino Italian Wine and Spirits on 27th St. and/or Rare Wine Company in Sonoma.
Misti: thanks so much for having me over to your house! Super fun times… Really enjoyed playing guitar with Nathan, too.
Terry: L’shanah tovah!
And Tovah Feldshuh to you, boychik.
@Brooklynguy
The single vineyard riservas from Produttori will be available soon next year, I am told. They didn’t release one year because the harvest wasn’t up to the riserva -single vyd standard.
(That, and Jeremy and his band drank them all last month)
Wish I could have joined you wine, food and music lovers. I would have come just for the smoked pork and wine.
don’t you go pawnin’ off that geetar, 2B! you’re gonna need it.
Sounds like a great time was had by all. Californian life seems to agree with you. Ever try the Michele Taliano Barbaresco?
cool. it’s been good reading your blog. we have a couple mutual connections… john mastro is an old friend… and david rosoff is one of my good friends. i found your blog while following some links on winnie’s page. she’s not my friend, but she’s certainly cool. rosoff gives you praise too. hope to eat and drink with you one of these days. peace, anthony wilson
Too bad prod. goes for high $30’s in MD, and the ’04 is to go up a few bucks as well. Still a mighty fine value. And yet some ppl. still knock on co-op’s. Love this wine.