Merrimack Valley Magazine

Infinite Zest

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Salem-Based Fabrizia Spirits and the Search for the Perfect Lemon 

It has happened to all of us. Friends or family sample something whipped up in our kitchen or at our bar and say, “Wow. This is terrific. You should sell this stuff.”

We thank them, and do nothing about it.

This happened to Phil Mastroianni, too. But he did do something about it. And now the Salem, N.H.-based company he co-owns with his brother Nick, Fabrizia Spirits, is the leading limoncello producer in the United States.

Fabrizia Spirits has been around since 2008, and though limoncello is its core product, the company has branched out over the years to also offer a blood orange liquor, a creamy limoncello liquor, and a line of canned cocktails that includes Italian margaritas, hard Italian lemonade, and the new Italian Breeze with vodka and berry juices.

 

If passion for his products counts for anything, Mastroianni’s company should be just fine for years to come. For example, in my decades as a restaurant critic and food writer, I have never had such a long and detailed conversation about lemons … just lemons … only lemons.

But the funny thing is, it was fascinating.

Brothers Phil and Nick Mastroianni (top right) own Fabrizia Spirits, a company that makes, among other things, traditional limoncello. Based in Salem, N.H., Fabrizia imports Italian lemons to give its products a distinct, peppery taste. Aside from the classic flavor, they offer creamy and blood orange-flavored spins on the original, as well as Italian Margaritas (left) — made with real lemonade and yes, more lemons.

Limoncello (about half the time he pronounces it LEE-mon-cello) is made with a basic recipe that includes just four ingredients: lemon zest, 190-proof alcohol, filtered water and cane sugar. According to Mastroianni, everything is natural, with no artificial colors, ingredients or preservatives.

For years, his lemons came from various sources in the United States and South America. But about five years ago, Mastroianni had an epiphany.

The lemons coming out of Mexico and Chile began showing up with a petroleum-based wax. It was legal and not harmful … but it turned his limoncello brown.

Ugh.

About the same time, he realized that the U.S. makes lemons “like Holiday Inns. No matter where you go in America, a Holiday Inn is a Holiday Inn.” Those standardized citrus fruits weren’t bad. He rates them “8 on a scale of 10.”

But he knew he could do better — he could make “an even more compelling product.” So now, he imports all his lemons from four regions of Italy.

Despite being a small, family owned company, the people at Fabrizia Spirits like to innovate. Their ready-to-drink cocktails (upper left) come in three styles: Italian Margarita, Lemonade and Italian Breeze. During the pandemic, they’ve also started making hand sanitizer, which is available at 7-Elevens throughout the region. None of these products distract from their core focus: the celebration of all things lemon.

That’s right, he uses only Italian lemons for his limoncello because they deliver “a zestiness, a pepperiness I’ve never tasted anywhere else.”

Mastroianni was on a roll now. “The biggest misconceptions people have about limoncello come in two categories,” he says, “and have nothing to do with each other.”

The first is that limoncello is basically like “rocket fuel” and “indigestable.” Those people, he says, sampled inferior products and have never tasted quality limoncello.

The second? “It’s too sweet … and that’s a fair assessment for some people,” he says. “It is sweet.”

Like countless other companies, Fabrizia got body slammed during the first desperate days of COVID-19. “No one was buying anything, the sky was falling, so we made a decision out of necessity and demand.” The company began making hand sanitizer in mid-March following Food and Drug Administration guidelines and regulations.

“It’s easier than making limoncello,” he says, “and it allowed us to keep our employees and not lose our business.” The hand sanitizer is, of course, lemon scented, and it became insanely popular in short order. Since many hand sanitizers smell like they came from the oil pan of a ’67 Chevy, that was no great surprise.

The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, 7-Eleven, and most major Boston hospitals were among his clients. But Mastroianni also felt “a moral obligation” to donate nearly 14,000 bottles to more than 260 hospitals, health care facilities, and fire and police departments. 

The insatiable demand for hand sanitizer “ended overnight” in June, so Mastroianni and his 20 employees are back to making his precious limoncello and related beverages, including the creamy limoncello and canned cocktails.

“Our whole company is based on limoncello,” he says with the certainty of someone who believes it should never be any other way. 

Still thirsty? Check out our candid interview with Phil Mastroianni on The 495 in which we discuss hand sanitizer, family and the search for the perfect lemon. Find out more at mvmag.net/podcasts.

Wine Notes – Walking the Streets of Gold

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My grandparents on my mother’s side were poor immigrants who left Italy in their teens. My grandfather would say, “They told me the streets were paved in gold. I was disappointed to find cobblestones,” but this was still a better life than the one they left behind.

Nanna and Nonno shared with us many of the traditions of Italian culture and cooking, but not wine. So, when Easterseals hosted its annual Winter Wine Spectacular in Manchester this January, I was totally focused on learning more about Italian wines.

While I was there, I was able to spend some time with Cristina Mariani-May, the president and CEO of Banfi Vintners. Her family entered the wine business in 1919 as wine importers. In 1984, Banfi Vintners was born as they began winemaking operations.

 

I expected a thick Italian accent from the leader of this renowned producer of Brunello di Montalcino. However, Banfi is an American company that’s headquartered in the village of Old Brookville on Long Island. Banfi controls nearly a third of the wine production in the Montalcino DOCG. Now, the company’s holdings include a 7,100-acre agricultural estate, Castello Banfi, in Montalcino, Tuscany.

Mariani-May alternates her time between Long Island and Montalcino, where she manages the company’s winery, which produces 300,000 cases a year. The wine is distributed in 90 countries, but sales remain strongest in Italy. “We are very proud that the local Italian consumers endorse our wine,” Mariani-May says. 

Mariani-May’s grandfather, John Mariani Sr., was born in Connecticut but partly raised by Teodolinda Banfi, his aunt, in Milan. Upon returning to the U.S., Mariani opened a successful wine and food importing business in New York, that Mariani-May’s father, John Jr., joined in 1959 after graduating from Cornell University and subsequently studying viniculture in Italy and France. Then, in 1978, when many Italian American families were putting down roots in California to make their mark in the wine business, John Jr., along with his brother, Harry Mariani, orchestrated a bold move. They teamed up with an old friend, winemaker Ezio Rivella, and began purchasing contiguous land and single vineyards in the sleepy town of Montalcino, which at the time had only 10 wine producers.

Mariani and Rivella experimented with the various clones of sangiovese grapes and how they responded to the 29 different soil varieties and microclimates on their estate. Together, they established Banfi Vintners and began winemaking operations in 1984.

Top of page: Christina Mariani-May, CEO of Banfi Vintners, with Steven Goddu. Above: Despite its popular and vanguard status in Italy, Banfi is an American company, headquartered on Long Island. Banfi began life in Manhattan’s Little Italy neighborhood, and its founder’s grandchildren maintain ownership. The founder’s aunt, Teodolina Balfi, inspired the name — she served in the prestigious position of head of household staff for Pope Pius XI, according to their website.

Banfi also successfully petitioned the government to reduce the requirement for oak barrel aging of the wine from three to two years. This change enabled the company to produce an approachable style of wine that was ready to drink when released. Nearly all of the other Brunello producers followed suit.

 “We are the pioneers in Montalcino,” Mariani-May says. “We document all of our research so that it can be shared. We host educational classes and open our doors to the winemaking community two times per year. We bring in winemakers from all over the world, but particularly in Italy, and primarily focus on the cultivation and vinification of the sangiovese grape. We host think tanks and scholarships, and have great relationships with the other Brunello producers, allowing them to see exactly what we are doing. This is an evolution.”

Patented 4,600-gallon hybrid fermenters are the most recent innovation under Mariani-May’s guidance. Most winemakers need to choose between fermenting in oak for flavor and aeration or fermenting in stainless steel for freshness and sanitation. After seven years of experimentation, Castello Banfi now operates 24 of these composite fermenters — one-third stainless steel and two-thirds oak — in the production of its estate wines. 

It would seem that the Mariani family found those streets paved in gold that my Nonno was looking for. All of the wines tasted great at the Winter Wine Spectacular, but to experience what makes Banfi special, try serving their Brunello di Montalcino at your next Italian American dinner. Salute!    

 

Bocce

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Did you know Methuen is a hotbed for bocce? On June 23 through 29, Methuen Sons of Italy will host the 2019 USA Bocce National Championships for the second time. We look back at our article on modern enthusiasts of this ancient game…

Eight years ago, Merrimack Valley residents Ralph Bagarella, 60, and Joe Quartarone, 42, played in a national bocce tournament in San Francisco. They had fun. They made friends from all over the country. And they had a dream.

“I had been playing bocce for a long time, but there were no courts for tournaments on the East Coast,” Quartarone recalls. When the Sons of Italy property in Lawrence, home to three indoor stone dust bocce courts, was purchased by Commonwealth Motors in 2011, he and Bagarella saw an opportunity. Why not build a new lodge with regulation, synthetic-surface indoor courts that could be used for national or international competitions? 

“We went to several Sons of Italy board meetings to speak about the right bocce courts to host official tournaments,” Quartarone says. The board and members of the organization got behind the plan, and as a result, the Sons of Italy moved into a new home at 459 Merrimack St. in Methuen two years ago that boasts four regulation-size indoor bocce courts. With the new facility, interest in bocce in the region has grown, and the Sons of Italy host league and open play that attracts aficionados from around New England. Unlike outdoor grass or stone dust courts, which require a lot of maintenance and can show signs of wear over time, the indoor courts can withstand the rigors of skilled competition and recreational play. And, of course, they can be used year-round.

Players from the Methuen and Rhode Island teams practice for the nationals. L-R: Joe Quaterone, Ralph Bagarella, Guy Gozzi, Robert Ferraro and Lucio Andreozzi. Photos by Deborah A. Venuti.

“Our courts in Methuen are unique,” Bagarella says. “Built to international standards of at least 84 feet by 12 feet, the [poly-resin] surface was brought from Italy by skilled installers. We have the only facility on the whole East Coast with these courts.” 

History was made in June because of this dream come true. The 2015 U.S. Bocce National Championships were held at the lodge in Methuen. Competitors came from all over the country to show their skill and vie for the American titles. While the Merrimack Valley region is well-represented in leagues and daily play at the Methuen courts, the Nationals attracted 150 top-notch players. 

In the United States, bocce is most popular in the Midwest and Florida and on the West Coast, according to Jerry South, president of the United States Bocce Federation. The East Coast, by far the smallest group with just 10 percent of the country’s total players, according to South, is trying to catch up, and the Methuen event could lure more participants. “We have 400 bocce players at Sons of Italy,” Bagarella says. “More and more are getting involved. We have a really nice function area, bar and restaurant, so people come to functions like weddings, see the bocce courts and get interested.” Nonmembers can enjoy all of the facilities, and Italian heritage is not required.

The popularity of bocce is growing in the United States, but this country is hardly a powerhouse in the sport the way Italy, Switzerland — where many Italians live —  Argentina, Brazil and San Marino are. The mecca is Italy, where Rome was the site of the World Singles Bocce Championships in April. For the first time, an American placed higher than fourth. The three 2014 U.S. singles champions — men’s, women’s and under-21 players — all performed extremely well. Jose Botto of Rochester, Mich., placed second. Women’s singles champion Navina Bernardi of Pleasanton, Calif., placed fourth, and 2013 U.S. under-21 champion Drew Page, from Stockton, Calif., placed eighth. (Due to economic conditions in Europe, there was no world championship in 2013. The 2015 rules were changed to allow players age 22 as of a certain date to compete, so Page was 22 when he participated this year in the under-21 event.)

The official gold, silver and bronze U.S. National Championship medals. Photos by Deborah A. Venuti.

South says such results are especially noteworthy since the American competitors were up against players who are often able to practice for several hours each day and whose teams are often government subsidized. Botto teaches bocce and is immersed in the sport professionally, but Bernardi is a college student whose ability to participate in competitive bocce involves weekend flights home to Livermore for practice, and fitting in the sport among classes and exams. Having just started an internship, the rising University of Southern California senior wasn’t able to come to Methuen, although her father/teammate Dario Bernardi did. Page did not compete, either; the finances just didn’t work for him to come East.

Botto, of Italian heritage and raised in Argentina, plays in many tournaments from California to Toronto and beyond. He was excited to play at the tournament in Methuen. “It’s fantastic,” he says, “the first time ever at a beautiful club, with lots of teams and lots of potential at a new location.”

Quartarone and Bagarella are delighted that their dream has come true in just four years. But they’re not resting on their laurels. “Maybe,” Quartarone says, “we could host the Internationals someday.”

For more information, visit MethuenSonsOfItaly.com or call (978) 688-2258.

Wine Notes – Allegrini Vive! ( Part 1)

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During New Hampshire Wine Week in January, I met with several winemakers, including Marilisa Allegrini of Allegrini Estates in Italy’s Valpolicella region. Allegrini flew from Milan to Boston and was directly escorted to the wine cellar at the Tuscan Kitchen in Salem, N.H., where we conducted our interview. This was Allegrini’s first visit to New Hampshire Wine Week and, as it turns out, I became her de facto ambassador to the “Live Free or Die” state. Hopefully I made a good impression.

Allegrini is the CEO and global brand ambassador for her family’s business. She and her brother, chief winemaker Franco Allegrini, represent the sixth generation in this family tradition. Franco’s son and Marilisa’s two daughters are also involved in the business. 

Italy is one of the most complex wine-growing countries. More than 2,000 grape varieties are produced there. Tuscany cultivates the sangiovese grape. In Piedmont, we find nebbiolo; in Valpolicella, varied expressions of the corvina grape. Dark cherries are one of the dominant flavor notes of corvina. Amarone is the premier wine produced in this region. 

Amarone is made from dried corvina grapes that are cultivated at the highest elevations of Valpolicella. Different from the plump cultivations of fruits and vegetables that we generally consume, grapes make the best wine when the plants are stressed and produce smaller berries and a lower yield. In the late 1970s, Giovanni Allegrini, Marilisa’s father, was a pioneer in changing cultivation techniques from the traditional Guyot trellising to a double pergola trellising. The Guyot method of vine training extends the vines to the left and right of the main stock along a foundation of posts and wires. The double pergola method raises the vines 6 1/2 feet on the sides of each row and extends them across a pergola, creating a canopy that shades the berries. This double pergola reduces the vine density from 2,000 vines per acre to 1,000 vines per acre. The result is half the yield and smaller berries. 

Drying grapes in the region’s high humidity can make them susceptible to infection from the botrytis fungus. Allegrini Estates has figured out a way to manage the issue. “You can make wine with botrytis, but you get this port-type flavor that sometimes reminds you of over-oxidation,” Marilissa Allegrini says. “We want an Amarone with no oxidation and also not an extremely high alcohol content. In 1998, after a few years of experiment, we built a facility where we can control the first stage of the drying process, which is the most critical one, and by doing this we prevent botrytis. The style of Amarone we make is very intense, with an alcohol content of 15%. The body and structure are in balance and we don’t have this port-like flavor.”

The Gambero Rosso, Italy’s most influential guide to Italian wines, has awarded Allegrini Amarone their highest award of “Tre Bicchieri” fifteen times since 1997. Photos by Kevin Harkins.

Allegrini continues, “We have a facility that has big windows and doors. When the humidity is at about 60%, we open the doors and let the air circulate. Even on a sunny day we can have 90% humidity. When the humidity rises to 90%-100%, then we close the windows and doors and we don’t let the humidity come in. Big fans circulate the air, along with a dehumidifier that reduces the humidity to normal. Thanks to this, I think we started a new trend in Valpolicella production because Allegrini Amarone is recognized as an Amarone that is suitable for food. It’s not a wine to drink after a meal in front of the fireplace. Instead, it is an intense wine that you can enjoy with red meat and enjoy with your meal.” 

A second-tier wine made in Valpolicella is referred to as Ripasso, which is made when the winemaker produces a regular wine and then introduces pomace, leftover Amarone grape skins, for a second fermentation. In 1990, Giovanni Allegrini modified this method for their single vineyard Palazzo Della Torre wine. Instead of using pumace to start the second fermentation, he introduced the same dried grapes used in the Amarone production. The resulting wine is an affordable yet intense “Baby Amarone” that has made Wine Spectator’s coveted top 100 wine list six times. In 2018, it was included in Wine Enthusiast’s top 100 list. Palazzo Della Torre is the only wine made with dried grapes instead of pomace, but I suspect other producers will follow.

Allegrini’s Valpolicella Classico and Valpolicella Superiore are made without the use of dried grapes. Each uses 70% corvina blended with 25%-30% percent of the rondinella varietal. These wines are similar, but the Superiore is aged for a longer time in oak. The Classico is aged in stainless steel. These are quality wines from Valpolicella that you can buy at a lower cost. I am officially a big fan of Allegrini wines, and you should look for their name when shopping. They are widely available and will be a big hit with your guests. Salute!   

[Watch for the second part of this series on Allegrini wines in the July/August issue of mvm.]

Wine Notes – Raising the Bar

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Managing your expectations is an essential task in ensuring happiness and pleasure.

If you set the bar too high, you will be constantly disappointed by the outcomes. In general, I have learned to set the bar a bit lower because I enjoy being happy … except when it comes to wine. I can’t help myself. I expect every glass I drink to bring with it a feeling of enjoyment and the acknowledgement that I have made a good selection. I don’t expect to have an “Oh my God!” moment with every wine I choose, like the first time I experienced the complexity of a fantastic Napa cabernet sauvignon, or the structure and finish of a top-notch Barolo, or the flowery bouquet of a great sauvignon blanc from the Marlborough region of New Zealand. I do, however, expect that I will enjoy every wine I choose more than a mass-produced beer or a margarita. Finding new wines takes a lot of time, so I turn to the area’s wine retailers for direction, and they recommend wine that is available locally. 

 

Recently I asked Andrea Lewis, the wine and store manager at Andover Classic Wines, to point me down a new path. She suggested that I try white wine from the Piedmont region of Italy. The Piedmont is located in northwest Italy in the foothills of the Swiss and French Alps. The region is famous for the production of nebbiolo wine from Barolo and Barbaresco, as well as barbera and dolcetto wines. I had never tasted a chardonnay from the Piedmont, never heard of arneis, and had traditionally shunned moscato for its sweetness. Lewis helped me by selecting seven bottles of these white varietals from her Piedmont collection, but had to place an order for one more that she said was the best of the region.

My sister-in-law’s 60th birthday party was that weekend, so I hosted a tasting in her honor, knowing that I would have adequate participants to consume all that wine. We opened all seven bottles at the same time and sampled each. I encourage you to open multiple bottles when you have suitable company. It’s a great study in contrasts, and also serves to introduce new people to the joys of wine tasting. 

It turns out that the Piedmont region produces crisp and refreshing white wines. We settled on three favorites, but there was no “Oh my God!” moment. Have I mentioned that I’m a bit of a wine snob? Since I mostly drink red wine, the bar is set very high for a white that excites me, and I was seriously looking forward to the Roero arneis produced by Bruno Giacosa that Lewis told me was the best in the region. 

Left: 2016 Roero Arneis. Right: Andrea Lewis, the wine and store manager at Andover Classic Wines.

Arneis is a white grape that originated in the Piedmont. Its name means “little rascal,” which gives you a sense of how difficult it is to cultivate. Arneis is naturally low in acidity, which isn’t good for white wines. It also oxidizes quickly and is prone to infection by powdery mildew. Such qualities brought this varietal to the edge of extinction, but the grape’s popularity has grown despite them. Only two producers bothered with it in the 1970s. Today, multiple producers make over a million gallons of wine from it annually. 

Bruno Giacosa’s Roero arneis is among the finest white wines I have tasted. The nose is fragrant with notes of pineapples, melons and pears, and it exhibits a good balance of acidity. This translates to a crisp, clean finish and a drink that pairs well with seafood and rich buttery dishes. To be fair, the other selections I tried ranged in price from $15.99 to $26.99. This wine will set you back $33.99. In my opinion, it’s well worth the added expense. The 2016 vintage was bottled on Valentine’s Day, so it would be fitting to share a bottle with your white wine lover this year instead of chocolate … or maybe in addition to chocolate. 

Bruno Giacosa passed away last January. His daughter Bruna Giacosa, a fourth-generation winemaker, has been at the company’s helm since 2006, after her father suffered a stroke. The 2016 Roero arneis is her creation, so I am looking forward to tasting her Barolo and Barbaresco offerings even though they will set me back about $100 per bottle. Some people spend their money on boats or golf. My hobby is seeking out and drinking great wine. 

Find purveyors of fine wine that you can trust and are able to guide you through the different stages of your personal wine journey. Don’t be afraid to raise the bar or to open your wallet for special opportunities. Doing so, you will discover wines that will excite your palate — plus, you might make new friends to travel with along the way. Salute!             

Andover Classic Wines
Andover, Mass.
(978) 470-0500
AndoverClassicWines.com

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