Food and Wine

Regarding food, as mentioned briefly, Trieste is a great place to take advantage of the Austro-Hungarian and Slovenian influences. At Bier Stube, for example, a recommended restaurant, I had a delicious pumpkin Spätzle (perfect for the late fall season). This dish is featured in the cover photo to this post. It is so fun to order this delicious dish, often defined as ‘German egg noodles’ that we appropriately associate with Germany and Austria in comfortable Italian, and of course in the best country in the world! (This is a personal website, so objectivity is not required, hehe!)  In addition to Spatzle, you should try Jota (a thick soup made with sauerkraut and beans), also a staple of Slovenian cuisine and the popular goulash as well. Trieste has excellent seafood as well, and Osteria di Mare alla voglia is truly special; definitely go for the antipasto platter; one of the best I have ever had.

 Wine

Happy with a bottle of Jermann pinot grigio on New Year’s Eve

Friuli Venezia Giulia is a region for pinot grigio, and Jermann is a celebrated maker of pinot grigio. I think it is one of the best expressions of a grape that is very popular around the world, and in the United States, particularly. In the year 2000, an Italian journalist for the “Civilta del bere” magazine wrote: “Silvio Jermann is the winemaker that is most representative of Friuli Venezia Giulia.”  I love this wine. My uncle who is very wine literate recommended it to me, and I recommend it to you, especially while in this region of Italy.

Friuli Venezia Giulia is also the Italian region at the forefront of the natural wine scene. A number of the most notable and ‘original’ producers are from this region; namely, Gravner and Radikon. Find more information about the wines of the region, including the production of some natural or orange wines in the Carso area, read this article.  I have not converted as an exclusively natural wine drinker, but I am genuinely interested in the movement, tasting and researching (and tasting!) quite a bit.

The neighboring country of Slovenia is also receiving some love in terms of wine production. There are some excellent natural wine producers here too. Read more about them in this article.