Cin Cin!  That is the sound our glasses make when we toast with a Bellini Tropicale.  Welcome.  What is a Bellini Tropicale you ask?  It is a mixture of Prosecco, a sparkling white wine from the Veneto region of Italy and guava juice.  Guava, a small greenish/yellowish fruit with a smooth sweet flavor, grows in abundance around our home in Florida and we thought it appropriate to mix our local fruit with the more traditional Italian aperitif.  Like the Bellini Tropicale, we hope that this blog will be a bridge between the traditional flavors of Italy and the local flavors and ingredients in our home.

It is a Venetian tradition to welcome a guest with a special aperitif called a Bellini.  The traditional Bellini is a mix of Prosecco, and white peach juice.

Prosecco is a fairly inexpensive, dry white sparkling wine made from grapes of the same name that grow in the hills of the Veneto.  The grapes were supposedly cultivated since the times of the Romans.  The second fermentation, which gives the bubbly effect, takes place in steel tanks, in a method called Charmat. The Charmat method is significantly less time intensive than the bottle turning that raises the cost of champagne.  Prosecco is a very accessible, fresh and fruity wine.  It is drunk young, is low in alcohol and is enjoyed on most festive occasions.  Giuliano and I served it at our wedding, and always welcome our students in Italy with it.

Like the Bellini, created by Giuseppe Cipriani who named it in honor of the great 15^th century artist, our blog will serve to be an entrée point to the wider realm of genuine Italian cuisine, culture, and history.  We have been privileged to know Italian artisans who come from generations of producers proud of their work, as well as entrepreneurs who are redefining food sources.  With this blog, we will introduce you to them, as well as show you what it is to live a life, married to food and food production.  We hope to bridge Italian sensibility with American organization; mostly, we hope to give you something to enjoy!

After all the guests have been served, we hold our flutes high, touch the rims together twice and say, “cin, cin”. It’s the informal welcome given to friends with whom you hope to spend a bit of time.

Cin Cin

BELLINI TROPICALE

Lael and Giuliano Hazan, copyright 2009

Serves 8

One bottle Prosecco

Guava juice.

Pour two parts Prosecco to one part guava juice into a pitcher serve in Champagne flutes.

CIN CIN