Chefs are all about flavor, but not all of them work in restaurant kitchens their whole professional lives.
Case in point: Donato Loperfido, who has introduced Gondolino, a new prosecco (Italian sparkling wine) made by Vini SERI, a company he formed with two Italian-based partners. Loperfido serves as managing general partner.
SERI stands for Selezione Enoteca Regionale Italiana, or, roughly, a seller (enoteca) of regional wine selections from Italy.
Why prosecco?
"The reason we decided on prosecco is that it is a festive wine for any occasion," he said.
It is refreshing "and everybody likes it," he said.
Prosecco is often likened to Champagne, but they are made by very different processes that usually make prosecco a more affordable option.
The first shipment "just arrived" in Hawaii as well as New York, he said.
Prosecco is the first of many wines Loperfido plans to make with partner-winemakers Giacomo Sensi and Michele Contartese.
Loperfido’s prosecco is bottled just 20 days before shipping, meaning it should be on store shelves or ready for restaurant service within 60 days of bottling, he said. "Everything we ship …is fresh, shipped at the right temperature and stored at the right temperature, which is very important," he said.
A good prosecco should have a shelf life of 16 to 18 months, said Loperfido.
Gondolino will sell at retail for under $15, and retailers are lined up for sales, including such usual suspects as Fujioka’s, R. Field Wine Co. inside Foodland Super Markets, and Tamura’s.
Restaurants offering Gondolino include Town on Waialae Avenue and Waikiki restaurants such as Il Lupino, Wolfgang’s, Roy’s, the Outrigger Canoe Club and others.
Up next for Vini SERI are other single-varietal wines including sangiovese, Chianti and primitivo.
"There are hundreds and hundreds of grape varietals, and a wine drinker should never get stuck on just one; they should be more adventurous and try different wines," he said.
Loperfido’s CVâincludes the eponymous Donato’s restaurants, first in Kahala, then Manoa; Pearl Ultralounge, for which he served as culinary development director; the former Elua restaurant, run with Philippe Padovani; Pasta et Basta at Waterfront Plaza back in its Restaurant Row days; and leader of a 10-day oeno-gastronomic tour of Italy.
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On the Net:
» flavorsofitalyhi.com
Aloha Crate launches
A new locally based subscription box service called Aloha Crate has launched to sate the cravings of loved ones who live elsewhere.
Started by Lauren Victoria and Kimo Smigielski in time for the holiday season, they differentiate themselves from other local services primarily based on price.
"We’re charging a much lower price, $14.95 a month," which includes the shipping cost for five to six products in each box, Victoria said. Other local offerings are about twice the price or more, she added.
"We worked really hard to get shipping costs down, which was interesting, but we’ve been able to do that."
Hearing the words "I need mochi crunch or li hing mui" and that the far-flung one will "die and fall off the planet" without them, often sends isle residents to one or more stores to assemble a care package and then to the post office to get the emergency supplies to the family member or friend in need.
Each Aloha Crate will contain "a little something from home, every single month," but the contents won’t all be edible.
"We might also have local stationery, or, I found this girl that does the cutest buttons and magnets, and we’re talking to her about putting those in the box," Victoria said. "If I wouldn’t buy it for myself, I wouldn’t send it to a customer."
If the concept of receiving a new box each month full of Hawaii goodies is new to you, you should know that subscription box services are an industry unto themselves and include other local players.
They’re kind of huge deal, given the hundreds of types of boxes listed on multiple online subscription box review sites, and the types of boxes run the gamut.
Birchbox calls itself the "leading discovery commerce platform for beauty, grooming and lifestyle products." There are many other beauty supply subscription box services, and services for every taste, hobby and whim.
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On the Net:
» www.alohacrate.com
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Reach Erika Engle at 529-4303, erika@staradvertiser.com or on Twitter as @erikaengle.
