Archive for June, 2013

Third Anniversary Celebration and Giveaway

Posted June 24, 2013 By Adri


Solerno Cocktail


My site is three years old this week. It has been an endless source of enjoyment and enrichment far beyond what I imagined. I have made friends and through them more friends, a real network – gli amici degli amici .

As a thanks and to celebrate, I’m having a giveaway, of what else, Italian food products! The winner will receive a gift certificate for Olio2go valued at $100.00 from AdriBarrCrocetti.com. And, Olio2go has generously added a 5 bottle Fonte di Foiano Sampler Gift Set (retail value of $55.95.)


The contest is now closed.

Read more… »

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Fonte di Foiano Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Posted June 17, 2013 By Adri

Maccheroni alla Chitarra with Roasted Tomatoes


Fonte-di-Foiano -Olive-Oil


Extra virgin olive oil is the new wine. Like fine wine, it is a delicate thing, its quality a function of the olive varietal or cultivar (type of olive) from which it is made, the area and conditions under which the fruit is grown, and harvesting time and technique. Factor in the art and skill of the makers who press and blend the oil, and you will get a sense of what I mean.

Just as wine nerds took over the table conversation with a new vocabulary forty years ago, so olive oil enthusiasts are introducing food lovers to the limitless variety and nuances of extra virgin olive oil. From personal experience I can say that even if you grew up consuming olive oil every day, until you have tasted a fine extra virgin olive oil, you don’t know beans.

Fonte-di-Foiano-Olive-Oil

I have been tasting and cooking my way through extra virgin olive oils sent to me for review from Olio2go, a retailer of Italian extra virgin olive oils. Most recently I have indulged my every whim with a collection of five oils from Fonte di Foiano, a producer in Tuscany. The Fonte di Foiano oliveta is in Castagneto Carducci where the rich limestone and clay soil and briny air combine to produce particularly flavorful fruit. In the 1970’s the di Gaetano family breathed new life into the ancient groves, keeping some of the older trees and introducing newer, younger ones. Read more… »

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Alba Rosa – Cocchi Americano Rosa and Grapefruit Juice

Posted June 1, 2013 By Adri

Rosa Dawn – an aperitivo in rose colored glasses


Cocchi Americano Rosa


When I first wrote about Cocchi Americano Rosa in March of this year, I heard from some readers who simply could not find it. Dear Readers, this spicy, fresh little sister of Cocchi’s stalwart Cocchi Americano is available now.

This vino aromatizzato (aromatized wine) is made from red varietals from Piemonte, a region in northern Italy. Vini aromatizzati (plural) have been with us for millennia and are made by infusing wine with spices, herbs and roots. Vermouth is perhaps the best known among this class of wine. China (cinchona bark or quinine) with its beloved bitter bite is often used in vini aromatizzati, and is the final note in this wine. Read more… »

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