The Piaggio brand name is known internationally by aficionados of two wheeled motorbikes and personal aircraft, but there is another group of aficionados in Italy who highly prize another commodity produced by the Piaggio family, Tuna! This group will undoubtedly grow in number and range because Darrell Corti has just acquired the exclusive right to import Consorcio, their tuna, anchovy, and sardine products for Corti Brothers. This will be the first U.S. offering of these premier products.
Consorcio---The Caviar of Tuna
The Consorcio Brand— Consorcio Español Conservero—was founded in Santoña, in 1950, a village on the coast of northern Spain facing the Bay of Biscay. Consorcio’s production is based on white tuna, “Bonito del Norte”, yellowfin “Atun,” and anchovies all caught in the Bay of Biscay.
The richly flavored anchovies from the Bay of Biscay, caught in the annual spring fishing season, are salted “alle vera carne,” aged, filleted, and tinned in olive oil for the demanding Italian market. Now you can experience them at your own table.
Bonito del Norte (Thunnus or Germo alalunga), the most prized species of tuna, takes its name from its long pectoral fins. This tuna has a large head, large round eyes and a brilliant body color with dark blue on its back and lighter grey on its sides. Its circulatory system is similar to that of mammals, having a body temperature of 75-83 degrees fahrenheit and can only live in waters of moderate temperature. Consorcio Bonito Del Norte is fished only with rods and hooks, never with nets. In this way it is Dolphin Safe.
Since the fishing season extends from July to October, only a limited amount of product is produced. For aficionados, Bonito del Norte is the most flavorful and soft textured tuna. Its color is the palest of the tunas, while blue fin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) is darkest. Yellowfin, or “Atun” (Thunnus albacares), is just slightly darker than Bonito del Norte and is called “light tuna.”
Bonito del Norte rarely exceeds 30 pounds (compared to the blue fin from the Mediterranean which can reach 1,000 pounds), and, unfortunately, is at risk because of over fishing.
Corti Brothers has long waited to be able to offer Consorcio tuna and anchovies to our customers. Now you can experience the “caviar” of tuna never before seen in our market. Consorcio is quite simply the highest quality available, perfect for those special times when a unique product is called for.
Extremes de Bonito is a delicious pate made from pieces of Bonito del Norte, capers, spices, and good olive oil.. A chilled tin, good bread toasted and a chilled aperitif make a delicious tapa or hors d’oeuvre. Once tasted, you’ll want to keep a supply on hand for easy entertaining.
The word tuna itself comes from the Phoenician “than,” meaning a big animal. For the Etruscans, symbolized an ability to stay afloat with one’s own strength. Salted tuna, still produced, was a common food staple throughout antiquity. Aristotle writes about salted tuna preserved in large terracotta jars, sold to the Carthaginians.
Throughout the Medieval period, tuna was much sought after, placed on ceremonial tables for important dinners.
The first appearance tuna preserved with olive oil of olive was noted in Seville, Spain in the 1400s. It was here that tuna belly, “ventresca,” was preserved in olive oil after first having been boiled in sea water, then allowed to dry. The olive oil enriched the ventresca, keeping it soft and flavorful.
The rudimentary technology of food canning began in Europe during the period of Napoleon’s wars. This had the effect of making food staples available for consumption in a state in addition to salt or dry curing.
The first tins of canned tuna in oil appear in Genoa, Italy, in 1868. Ten years later, Genoese producers had adopted this procedure to all the tuna processing plants they ran in Spain, Portugal & Tunisia. It is from this period that quality tuna and Genoa become synonymous. Consorcio tuna is the most highly prized tuna in Genoa and in Italy.
With a changing consciousness about diet in today’s world, many are turning toward food rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, memory loss in aging, as well as help mood stabilization. Fish and olive oil are both rich in omega-3 fatty acids, so Consorcio is a perfect way to combine a refined palate with a good healthful diet.
For the ultimate pairing, try Uvaggio, an Italian wine. UVAGGIO 2004, Coste della Sesia PROPRIETÀ SPERINO
Internationally known as one of the most influential winemakers in Italy, Paolo DeMarchi is the proprietor of the famous Chianti estate, Isole e Olena, in Tuscany. His fame has been built in Tuscany, but his roots are in Piemonte. He has been transforming his family's estate, Sperino, in Lessona, which lies at the foot of the alps in the northern Piemonte
UVAGGIO 2004 is the first red wine to be sold under the PROPRIETÀ SPERINO estate name. Blended with nebbiolo, croatina, and vespolina grapes, the local varieties which make up the classic wines of northeastern Piemonte, PROPRIETÀ SPERINO UVAGGIO is 75% nebbiolo, the remainder vespolina and croatina. UVAGGIO in Italian means a blend of grapes, generally done before fermentation as opposed to a VINAGGIO, a blend of already made wines.
PROPRIETÀ SPERINO UVAGGIO is the first red wine since 1952 to come from this old property in the village of LESSONA, one of the villages producing nebbiolo based appellation wines in northeastern Piemonte. LESSONA must be aged a minimum of two years, beginning no earlier than January 1 of the year after the harvest. UVAGGIO has a slightly different appellation, COSTE della SESIA, (the banks of the Sesia river) for those wines watered by the Sesia river, which flows from Monte Rosa in the Italian Alps. This part of Piemonte has seen a dramatic reduction in cultivated vineyards over the last 100 years. The area used to stretch from the border of the Val d’Aosta to Lago Maggiore, with more than 40,000 hectares (roughly 100,000 acres) of vines. Today, only 800 hectares (less than 2,000 acres) are under cultivation. In the 1830s, this area produced what was recognized as the best red wines of Italy, or as they were then called, “vini da rosto”(roast wines). They are now on their way back.
Nicely dark in color, with a lovely, spicy scent, great flavor finesse, not thin bodied nor coarsely heavy, PROPRIETÀ SPERINO UVAGGIO 2004, shows what careful grape selection, exacting vinification and the moderate use of wood can achieve in the sandy, granite soils of the Alps. This is the first offering of UVAGGIO 2004. If you are a fan of Italian wines, you cannot afford to miss PROPRIETÀ SPERINO .
UVAGGIO 2004, Coste della Sesia, PROPRIETÀ SPERINO $29.99 750ml $161.00 for a case of 6.
For more information on where to find Consorcio or Uvaggio, click here.
