Cesare
Cesare Giaccone, whose vinegars AGF is honored to have introduced to the United States, has been cooking at his stove in the Alps-ringed Piedmont hamlet of Albaretto della Torre since he was a child. Cesare Giaccone's restaurant, da Cesare, was singled out as one of the world's 10 best by respected food writer Patricia Wells in the International Herald Tribune. Jeffrey Steingarten, Vogue Magazine's food writer, wildly sings Cesare's praise in both his books, The Man Who Ate Everything and It Must Have Been Something I Ate. Despite this acclaim Cesare, made a Cavaliere of the Italian Republic a few years ago, remains a humble artisan at heart and soul. His range of vinegars, made from local Piemontese wines like Barolo and Moscato, grew out of his dissatisfaction with the commercial vinegars available in Italy. Famously insistent on only using the very best local ingredients-much like Alice Waters and Thomas Keller-Cesare experimented with vinegar making by taking Bruno Giacosa's Barolo, transforming it into vinegar in large chestnut botte (oversized casks), traditionally used to ferment the Langhe's greatest red wines. We are proud to carry all of the vinegars Cesare produces (in his vinegar cellar): two white wine vinegars, the Moscato, based on the seductive, peach-perfumed Moscato wine; and the Arneis, a soft and rich aperitif wine; as well as a complex red wine vinegar, the Cesare, blended from 4 local red wines; Cesare's first vinegar, made from the masculine, firmly structured Barolo; and his aceto di Barbera, the bold, acidic "runt" of Langhe wines. Learn more about Cesare Giaccone and his famed vinegars here.
Piemonte
In Italian, pie means "foot" and monte means "mountains," an apt name for this landlocked region at the foot of the Alps. Sharing a border with France on Italy's northwest edge, Piemonte is a land of high mountains, soft hills, rich cities, gentle farmers, and picturesque vineyards. Piemonte was part of the royal House of Savoy until middle of the 19th century, and the French occupation left a rich and indelible mark on the region's cuisine--characterized by both the opulence of the nobility and the simplicity of the peasant. With its low, flat fields, Piedmont is one of the most important rice-growing regions of Italy, and in this region risotto certainly outshines pasta. Dairy products are another important component of this cuisine, including robiola and ricotta. Alba's world-famous delicate white truffles, sniffed out by trained dogs, are shaved over all manner of things. Meat and game dishes also figure prominently and are often stewed in rich red wines. Antipasti is a hallmark of Piemonte cuisine; there may be as many as 20 antipasti served at a restaurant in the city. The area's most famous antipasto dish, bagna cauda (vegetables dipped fondue-style into a "hot bath" of oil, anchovies, and garlic), combines both the Piemontese passion for garlic and their love of vegetables. While most of Italy is not associated with sweets, Piemonte is a hotbed of small artisan candymakers, including Leone of Torino, Laboratorio Artiginale del Giandujotto of Torino, and Davide Barbero of Asti. Puddings, cookies, and cakes also play a large role in Piemontese cuisine, with krumiri, crema cotta and zabaglione among this region's culinary claims to fame.
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