Fattoria Betti is a small winery in Tuscany that embodies everything you’d expect a small winery in Tuscany to embody: the grapes are picked by hand; the landscape is dotted with olive groves and cypresses; and according to their website, you can even feel the “discreet hover of the genius of Leonardo Da Vinci.” Perhaps most charming though is that instead of trying to sell as much wine as possible, Fattoria Betti focuses on producing a small number of bottles at the best possible quality.
Like most food and drink events, this one started off with some mingling and pre-dinner aperitifs. White wine of course—but not just any white wine. We got a preview of the 2018 Bianco di Toscana IGT “Creto di Betti,” which hasn’t even been bottled yet. I will say, as someone who’s not really into white wine, I couldn’t stop sipping. It tasted like summer, pure and simple. By that I mean that this wine was meant to be consumed on a big wraparound porch before dinner—preferably on a swinging bench, as the sun shimmers through the trees. Probably not surprisingly, it carried us right through the first course of arugula and avocado salad as well.
Next up was ricotta and spinach ravioli paired with Chianti. It was delicious, as you might expect. I mean, you can’t really go wrong when you pair Chianti with pasta. Given the prominence of Sangiovese grapes among Fattoria Betti’s production, however, this one felt a little special. A beautiful ruby color, it tasted like black cherry and plum, with tannins that were present but not too overwhelming. I tend toward red wines that are fruity but balanced, and this one fell right in line with those preferences.
While the Chianti was my favorite wine of the evening, my favorite moment actually involved Merlot, because it was served with SESAME CRUSTED SALMON as the main course. Never in a million years would I have paired these two things together, because hello, Merlot is heavy and salmon is light and if you’re like me and absolutely must pair salmon with red because you don’t like white, you ALWAYS go with something light, like Pinot Noir. As it turns out, all of that is crap—the pairing totally worked. In fact, I’m now a little obsessed with it, the way you get obsessed with a secret that’s so cool you feel cool just for knowing it. Of course, now that I’ve told you it’s no longer a secret, but it’s still super cool, trust me. The combination will surprise and delight you.
I should also note that the sesame crusted salmon was incredible even outside of the pairing. I eat salmon often enough that I generally don’t get excited about it. This dish, however, excited me. Between the sesame crust and the unexpected base of warm lentils, it felt like an entirely new experience in and of itself.
Finally, we ended the night on a romantic note, with rose and chocolate soufflé, and it was as beautiful as it was delicious. Made from 100% Sangiovese grapes, the Rose di Toscana IGT was a perfect shade of salmon, and tart enough to provide a nice contrast to the richness of the soufflé. I love a good palette so I of course took 20 pictures of it for the color alone. When placed next to the Chianti and Merlot, it made the most perfect rainbow of hues.
Overall, between the delicious wine and food and the chic ambiance of the event, this was one of the best evenings out I’ve had in a while. Etceteraetcetera is officially on my list of restaurants to book for a pre-theater meal, and Montalbano—the province where Fattoria Betti can be found—on my list of wine vacation destinations (I keep a lot of lists). For those who are looking to create the Tuscan experience here in New York, in turn, Fattoria Betti wines will be coming to the city soon. Keep an eye out for them at restaurants near you in the coming months.
Thank you Fattoria Betti and Perle & Perlage for a wonderful evening!
By: Reagan Daly
Follow Reagan’s oenological adventures on Instagram at @corkdorknyc!
Jessica Tiare Bowen lives in the juicy Big Apple with her adorable pink-nosed chihuahua, Gillman. He’s the inspiration for her first published children’s book, “Park Avenue Pound Puppy.” The book is the combined result of her two greatest passions: pooches and penning stories.
Her passions include art, urban hikes through Manhattan, drinking coffee with 3 creams and 6 sugars, making extremely detailed itineraries and traveling to far away places, singing along to Broadway shows, Netflix movie nights, discovering incredible treasures at Goodwill and thrift stores, and listening to stories from little people under 7 and big people over 70.
She started her career as New York City Teaching Fellow, teaching elementary school and theater arts at a special education school in the South Bronx for 6 years. She is now a Special Education School Improvement Specialist working in public schools throughout New York City. She is the Editor-In-Chief of the online New York City travel magazine, Used York City. The magazine focuses on finding the best of New York…as used by New Yorkers. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and an ASPCA Ambassador.
