Holiday 2022

To Our Customers:

It is to you that Corti Brothers gives thanks. You speak with us, buy from, question us and stand by us. For this, Corti Brothers gives you our thanks. As the Holidays approach, I would like to invite our customers to consider slowing down a bit, savoring moments, family and friends. Take it a bit easier!

Our Best Wishes for a serene Holiday season and a wonderful New Year.

DOMAINE COSTA LAZARIDI MALAGOUZIA 2021

MALAGOUSIA is probably the most famous of the Greek white varieties that almost became extinct. Due to the work of Evangelos Gerovasilliou from Porto Carras, in resurrecting it, this variety took off. An analogy in French varieties is that of Viognier, which wasn’t exactly extinct, but grown in only two appellations in France before the late 1960s. Curiously, Malagouzia has some of the characteristics of Viognier: it makes a full bodied white, has a special scent and was not very much planted. In Malagouzia’s case, in the late 1960s, it was almost extinct. Gerovasilliou managed to bring it back into cultivation, and now it is found in many Greek appellations. The Lazaridis version is from Drama, in northern Greece, an hour away from Thessaloniki. It has a lovely fresh character, is lightly scented with a spring flower, muscat-y scent with good body. It also comes in a flint bottle with a glass stopper for a closure that, once the bottle is emptied, and label removed, makes a lovely decanter.

First written about in 1888 and then in 1943, the variety is also used in the blend of white grapes making up the PDO of Rhodes. It is not a highly productive variety, since it makes few clusters and is subject to vine diseases. It is also one of the earliest varieties to ripen in the country. The Costa Lazaridi estate, founded in 1979, grows it on a high altitude vineyard which lowers productivity but increases quality.

When I tasted this wine at a customer’s home with the importer, it really spoke to me, and I thought here was a white wine that had all the markings of a lovely, medium full bodied white, to fill in the blanks for other white varieties more commonly seen. One does not often see a wine “Jurassic Park” element be so delicious.

COSTA LAZARIDI MALAGOUZIA 2021 13% $19.99 750ml (#5600) Cs/12 $215.00 (#5600C)

Note:The un-linked items in the newsletter are not available for purchase on our website. If you are interested in any of those items, please phone or email us your request. 916-736-3800 or 800-509-Food cortibros@sbcglobal.net

IL CANZONIERE CABERNET FRANC RISERVA 2017

This is a delicious red wine in anybody’s book. It is an unblended Cabernet Franc under the CORTI BROTHERS label from the Veneto from 2017 vintage. This was bottled from a unique 500 liter puncheon and is exclusive to us. It is also going to be rare since there is not much to be had and at a recent wine soirée, was the only bottle of red wine finished among 6 people with other lovely wines. I would like to think that in any tasting, the wine that is finished first is the best. With a lovely red color, actually red, not purple-ish, a scented aroma, now developing bottle bouquet and a silky finish, this would be a fine holiday red right now. It also has some stuffing that shows it is not all done developing and will further delight with more bottle time. If we just had a little more of it! It will make a lovely accompaniment to a roast turkey or to Prime Rib.

IL CANZONIERE CABERNET FRANC RISERVA 2017 $39.99 750ml (5601) Cs/12 $431.00 (5601C)

PANETTONE FOR CHRISTMAS:

Loison and BardiPANETTONE is the holiday bread for Italians. It is celebrated as the Christmas treat and has become necessary for a traditional celebration. Here are our selections for this Holiday Season. Due to the strength of the US dollar, we have maintained the exact same prices as last year.

PANETTONE LOISON: All are in kilo size unless noted.

LIMONE: with raisins, candied lemon peel and lemon cream, boxed $32.19 (#5602)

AGRUMATO: (Five citrus fruits) replaces Chinotto, boxed $33.99 (#5603)

CLASSICO A.D. 1476: with raisins, orange and citron peel, Manara vanilla, boxed $31.29 (#5604)

MARRON GLACÉ: with marron glacé pieces and cream, boxed $34.29 (#5605)

CLASSICO: with raisins, orange and citron peel, wrapped $27.99 (#5606)

MANDORLATO: with almond glaze, wrapped $28.99 (#5607)

REGAL CIOCCOLATO: with chocolate, boxed $31.99 (#5608)

FICO di CALABRIA: with raisins and Calabrian white Dotato fig, boxed $36.29 (#5609)

AMARENA: with large black cherries, boxed $31.99 (#5610)

ALLE ROSE: with Ligurian rose syrup, raisins and rose cream, boxed $35.19 (#5611)

A.D. 1476 LATA: In this year’s decorative tin, 750g $29.99 (#5612)

CREMA: with vanilla cream, wrapped $28.99 (#5613)

MANDARINO di CIACULLI: with raisins and late mandarin from Sicily, boxed $32.99 (#5614)

NOËL: with raisins, candied pear, cinnamon, clove and star anise, boxed $33.49 (#5615)

A.D. 1476: boxed, 500g, with raisins, candied orange and citron peel, Manara vanilla, $24.99 (#5616)

PANETTONCINO: boxed 100g, the smallest made $9.99 (#5617)

CLASSICO MAGNUM PANETTONE

3 KILO $79.19 (#5618)

5 KILO $125.69 (#5619)

10 KILO $239.00 (#5620)

VENEZIANA is less buttery and fluffy in texture than panettone, drier textured but spiced reflecting Venice’s long tradition on the Spice Road. Panettone is Milano, and Veneziana is, well, Venice.

VENEZIANA AMARENE e CANELLA: Cherries and cinnamon, wrapped, 550g $23.99 (#5621)

VENEZIANA CIOCCOLATO e SPEZIE: Chocolate and spices, wrapped, 550g $24.99 (#5622)

VENEZIANA ALBICOCCA e SPEZIE: Candied apricots, ginger, spices, wrapped, 550g $24.99 (#5623)

VENEZIANA ALL’ALPIANE: with Vignalta Alpiane Passito, wrapped, 1 kilo, $29.99 (#5624)

LOISON FILONE: Filone is a sweet bread similar to panettone, but in a loaf shape. Its name FILONE is also used for the “baguette shape” of bread. Filone comes from the traditional “panfrutto” created by Dario Loison’s father. Filone are all 450g in size. Perfect for slicing and toasting in the morning or as a snack in the afternoon.

FILONE FRUTTA: with raisins and orange peel, boxed $16.49 (#5625)

FILONE UVA: only raisins, boxed $16.49 (#5626)

FILONE PERA E SPEZIE: candied pear, raisins, spices, boxed $16.99 (#5627)

FILONE LIMONE: Amalfi lemons, Piemonte hazelnut icing, boxed $16.99 (#5628)

FILONE MANDARINO: Ciaculli mandarin, raisins, Piemonte hazelnut icing, boxed $16.99 (#5629)

BARDI PANETTONE: All are in kilo size.

PANETTONE ALTO: traditional tall shape, boxed $23.99 (#5630)

PANETTONE BASSO: low shape, boxed $26.99 (#5631)

PANETTONE SENZA CANDITI: with raisins, no candied fruit. Alto shape, wrapped $24.99 (#5632)

PANDORO: the New Year’s cake, without candied fruit, boxed $25.99 (#5633)

Vintage Madeira for upcoming birthdays:1934-44-54-64

It has become more and more difficult to get birthday wines. To insure some upcoming birthdays, I am offering Vintage Madeiras which we have held. They all end in “4.” Which means that in quickly upcoming dates, they will be for wine lovers born 90,80,70 and 60 years ago. We may think that we are not old at these ages, but we are. And Vintage Madeira is probably the only wine that at these “mature” ages is still really good and interesting. It takes a very special kind of wine to go this long haul, and since everything that can be done to wine has been done to Madeira, it is probably the most apt to be in near perfect condition.

So, to this end, Corti Brothers is offering some bottles of the “4" ending dates that mark significant birthdays. If you want to drink these during the fateful year, I would suggest buying them now to insure you will have them. Madeira is also one, if not the only, wine that does not have to be finished in one go, but can be kept open for some months so that the enjoyment of it will last, making a bottle a “real time” bargain. As to storage also, the bottle just needs to be kept standing upright and can be sipped on until empty. There should be some deposit and this can either be filtered though a dampend coffee filter or used for cooking. In fact, a spoonful or so, lends marvelous character to sauces and such. But to be able to have these venerable wines, you must buy them when offered. Otherwise, they just keep going up in price and rarity, finally becoming extinct.

These wines are offer on a one bottle per customer basis, to stretch out the number of bottles available. But please do not wait too long to order them because they will be gone! Please phone us directly to secure your
order.

We have: Malvasia 1934 Henriques & Henriques $2,034.00 each (#5634)
Verdelho 1934 Henriques & Henriques $2,034.00 each (#5635)
Sercial 1944 Henriques & Henriques $1,540.00 each (#5636)
Terrantez 1944 Henriques & Henriques $2,500.00 each (#5637)
Boal 1954 Henriques & Henriques $980.00 each (#5638)
Malvasia 1954 Henriques & Henriques $1095.00.00 each (#5639)
Terrantez 1954 Henriques & Henriques $1,434.00.00 each (#5640)
Malvazia 1964 Henriques & Henriques $946.00 each (#5641)

A 50 year old Birthday Madeira for this year: BLANDY BUAL 1972

A just arrived Madeira from the stock of the family firm of Blandy is here and I cannot think of a better wine for celebrating a 50 year anniversary. 1972 is not a felicitous year for wines. There are very few successes in that vintage. Most areas in Europe were a wash out, literally. Barolo and Barbaresco simply declassified the entire vintage, Chianti Classico the same. California and Bordeaux are not worth talking about. But here you have a really splendid wine which is stunning.

Bual is the name of the white grape variety that makes the wine and is in a medium range of sweetness for Madeira. In fact, I think that if all Madeira could, it probably would be Bual. There is a certain discreet balance to the wine which makes it perhaps the easiest to drink of the five varietals that make up most of the island’s production.

However, if you want a 1972 to celebrate with, here is your chance. But do not dawdle!

BLANDY BUAL MADEIRA 1972 21 % $492.00 the bottle (#5642)

SOULSIDE COFFEE: A Tale of Two Coffees

We do a lot of foraging work on our travels. Sometimes we don’t have to look further than our own backyard. Once in a while someone near our own backyard just happens to come to us. Enter Cher Grosse.

Cher has been operating a business collecting, restoring, and selling vintage coffee machines from her Sacramento home. The business was born out of her love of coffee. She was introduced to us by a long time customer and friend. Her first coffee roasting experience came at age 20 in the David mountains outside Panama City, Panama where she was living at the time. The experience of that first roast on an iron pan over a wood fire would become ingrained into her coffee soul. She has traveled through many of the world’s coffee growing regions over time allowing for her to develop very high roasting skills. Cher wanted more from coffee, so she began the Soulside Coffee Company in Sacramento dedicated to the art of Hand Roasted Single Origin Coffee. If you would like to see a video of Cher’s collection, Just click on the “Corti TV” icon below

BALI KINTAMANI WHOLE BEAN COFFEE $19.99 12oz bag (#5643)

This rare coffee comes from the island of Bali in Indonesia. It is only the second time in 75 years we have been able to offer a coffee from Bali. A true micro lot purchase, this coffee is family owned, small farm grown, on volcanic soil at 1200 - 1600 meters. It is a full natural coffee that is dried on raised beds and is a Bourbon variety. Irrigation is sustainable, developed by Hindu priests approximately 1000 years ago. The coffee grows with citrus trees to provide shade, which gives additional income to the family. Cupping notes; exotic nose, cognac, fine chocolate, smooth finish.

MONSOON MALABAR AA WHOLE BEAN COFFEE $13.99 12oz bag (#5644)

Monsoon Malabar is actually a process. The process of being “ Monsooned.” In the coffee growing region of the Malabar coast of southwestern India, coffee beans are harvested and naturally processed then exposed to the monsoon rain and winds of the region for a period of about three to four months. This causes the beans to swell and lose their original acidity, resulting in a flavor profile with a practically neutral pH balance. The resulting beans can range from a very pale green to almost pale white. Cher sources her Monsoon Malabar from small farms that have been in operation for almost 100 years. This coffee shows flavors of creamy chocolate and spice with low acidity. It is very good for using the French Press system.

SOMETHING NEW MADE IN PARMA, ITALY: Firelli Hot Sauce

Here is one of our newest in-store-customer favorites: FIRELLI hot sauce from Parma, Italy. Recently launched in the U.S., its founder, Elwyn Gladstone, and his team set out to create an Italian hot sauce apart from typical hot sauces on the market. They focused on the appetite for pizza in the U.S. to formulate their recipe. Tabasco® Hot Sauce from Louisiana is almost as common as Ketchup in America, but Italian cuisine doesn’t have such a hot sauce. That might change. The goal was to create more of a flavorful, slightly sweet, mildly spicy, condiment rather than a full on, fire-y hot sauce, used to embellish food and made in Parma, the heart of food in Italy. We think that they have succeeded!

Made from all natural ingredients, Firelli Hot Sauce is composed of a base sauce made from roasted red peppers rather than tomatoes. The addition of Calabrian peppers, Aceto Balsamico Di Modena IGP, porcini mushrooms, lemon juice and spices yield a hot sauce that offers a truly flavorful “zing” to your dishes.

It is a perfect addition on pizza and pasta. This sauce goes so much further. Try it on eggs, hash browns, deli sandwiches, and even in salad dressing. Our visiting customers seem to be hooked. We think you could be too.

FIRELLI HOT SAUCE

5 oz bottle $6.99 (#5645)

Case 6 $37.75 (#5645C )

THE SIGNATURE WINES OF SUPERIOR CALIFORNIA:
A new California wine book by Mike Dunne

First off, I wrote the Introduction to this work, self published by Sacramento’s former Bee Wine and Food editor, D. Michael Dunne. We have been friends for a long time. Mike Dunne has, without a doubt, the best exposure to the vineyards and wines of the area surrounding Sacramento than anyone I know. He has lived the experience and has written about the area for almost fifty years

The half title of the work is “50 wines that define the Sierra Foothills, the Delta, Yolo, and Lodi.” And it does just that. It is a particularly nice blend of tasting information and actual history, both of a specific winery and the region it is in. Mike has lived most of the places, people and wines he writes about, making this a real treasure of information for the novice, and also for the well read and traveled wine knowledgeable drinker, who doubtless will find nuggets of information that were probably unknown. I know I did! It is a very lovely production in paperback, with an immensely readable text, which merits your attention. So far, nothing similar is on the market.

THE SIGNATURE WINES OF SUPERIOR CALIFORNIA 348pp. $24.95 plus tax/shipping (5646)

TERMS OF SALE: This list supersedes all others. All taxable items, such as wine, beer, spirits, books will be taxed at the rate of 8.75%. This is for all sales since we sell in California. Foodstuffs are not taxable. Shipping will be charged at prevailing rates. PLEASE NOTE: In extreme weather, either hot or cold, please give us a shipping address where your order may be properly received and stored. Corti Brothers cannot be responsible for items left without protection.

Please order early for best selection. Shipping times increase during the busy Holiday season.

WHITE TURKISH DRIED FIGS IN A VERY SPECIAL PRODUCTION

Several years ago, Corti Brothers offered some very special Turkish, white Smyrna figs that had been trimmed of their stem end and then the”eye” or bottom end and rolled into a cylinder, wrapped in cellophane and then in foil. They were luxurious and, for fig lovers, almost spellbinding. We have now found a producer that has shipped another order to Corti Brothers for this holiday season. If you like figs--if you adore figs--these are for you. There is no other elegant production of figs to be enjoyed by simply unwrapping them and putting them in your mouth. All the work is done by hand and is really elegant. Even if you thought you didn’t like figs, this preparation may change your mind. It is literally enjoying a dried fruit that has been carved into perfection.

The Incir Evi figs are handcrafted, dried fruits which are truly exceptional. Golden skinned when dried, the Smyrna fig has a pretty ruby color on the inside, with tiny, yellowish seeds. This is the variety’s natural color. All natural with a balanced sweet/not sweet flavor, it is a dried fruit which is satisfyingly sweet tasting yet not sugary. Tasting these figs, you can see why figs were and are considered such a great delicacy. These are Smyrna figs literally from Izmir, formerly Smyrna.

WHITE TURKISH DRIED FIGS 20 wrapped figs in a 500g box $29.99 (#5647)

MONASTERY COOKIES AND PRETZELS

Using the name MONASTERY BAKED GOODS, the community of Benedictine nuns in Ferdinand, Indiana, produce and package an interesting line of traditional cookies and pretzels. The nuns arrived in the U.S. in 1852 from the Benedictine abbey of St. Walburga in Eichstatt, Germany to minister to the German speakers in the Midwest. In 1867, they established another foundation in Ferdinand, Indiana. They carry on the German tradition of monastic baking.

I am particularly taken with their GINGERSNAPS, which I find delicious after a simple meal, when you really don’t want more to eat, but there is still some red wine in your glass. I find the gingersnaps really lovely as an accompaniment to the remaining wine, since, not overly sweet, and crispy textured, they complement the tannic character of the wine by tingeing it with a slight sweet and slightly peppery character. I prefer them with dry wine rather than something like Port, since the snappy ginger character goes better with a dry wine. At least for me! (They could be used with a lot of other wines also.)

Pretzels, broken pretzels, have recently been added to the line up. They are called PRAYERFUL PRETZELS, coming from the traditional crossed arm shape of whole pretzels. The coating of the pretzels is what changes and flavors the pieces. There is HONEY MUSTARD, with a kick of tangy mustard and then sweetness from honey. The SWEET pretzels are coated with a mixture of cinnamon, sugar, and nutmeg. SPICY pretzels are hot with a hint of sweetness. They come in 12 ounce resealable bags.

Put in a bowl for holiday entertaining, they will disappear in no time.

MONASTERY GINGERSNAP COOKIES 8oz bag $7.29 (#5648)

MONASTERY PRAYERFUL PRETZELS 12oz bag $10.49

SPICY (#5649)

SWEET (#5650)

HONEY MUSTARD (#5651)

CALLIPO TUNA VENTRESCA GOLD RESERVE

CALLIPO is a tuna production based in Italy’s Calabria region in a town called Pizzo historically known for tuna fishing and processing in what is called “Tonnare.” We have been after this company for about 20 years. Now they are registered with the U.S. government and the Callipo products are here. The most important tuna they pack is the YELLOWFIN VENTRESCA IN OLIVE OIL, Gold Reserve. The tuna ventresca or tuna belly is the most select part of the fish and is a silky, tender and delicious can of tuna. Unfortunately, not a lot is produced since the belly meat is a rather small part of the tuna body.

VENTRESCA OF TUNA, is not like what is found in a normal can of tuna fish. It is really special and since 1913 Callipo has produced tuna from the Gulf of Sant”Eufemia along Calabria’s Mediterranean coast. The tuna caught there was trapped in a net cage system when the tuna move en masse for egg laying. This is in the May-June period. Callipo tuna is made exclusively from raw fish at the Pizzo plant.

If you have never tried Ventresca Tuna, you should. It will change your mind on the attractiveness of canned tuna.

CALLIPO YELLOWFIN TUNA VENTRESCA Gold Reserve, Limited supply.

125g tin $12.99 (#5652)

Case/6 $70.00 (#5652C)

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