The Molise Conspiracy 

Whenever I have the bad idea to generalize about Italian wine, I end up paraphrasing Rick describing Captain Renault  in Casablanca - Italy is just like any other wine destination, only more so. More grapes, more regions, more history, more passionate  arguments conveyed via florid hand gestures. Impossible to pin down, sum up or exhaust, Italian wine presents such a vast and variegated world of its own that we have to narrow our focus just to make it manageable. So in IWC we depict  a different region each month. There are 20 in total and during the years I’ve been selecting wine for the club we have visited them all — except one.  The good news is we are finally headed there this month. The catch is that it may not actually exist. 

Materially and administratively, Molise consists of 1,722 square miles of mostly mountains in south-eastern Italy, bordering Abruzzo to the north, Apulia to the east, Lazio to the west, and Campania to the south. It is Italy’s newest region, having been a part of Abruzzo until 1963, and definitely its most ontologically unsteady. In the past decade or so, Il Molise Non Esiste (Molise Doesn’t Exist) has become kind of a cultural phenomenon in Italy, starting as a hashtag before spawning books, songs, videos, theatrical monologs, news articles, slogans (Molisn’t) and merchandise. A YouTube video from 2015 — IL MOLISE NON ESISTE!! – has 1.6 million + views, more than five times the 305,000-strong population of Molise itself. 

This is progress, according to some residents: “Ten years ago, when I would tell other Italians that I was from Molise, they would give me a blank expression. They literally had never heard of us,” said one local. “Now when I mention Molise to them, they laugh and say Molise doesn’t exist.” 

I suggest everybody go there and decide for themselves. Though not easy to get to — there is no airport or major highway — I bet it's worth the effort. Made up of picturesque villages, mountains, lakes and the Adriatic coastline, it boasts the oldest continuously operating bell foundry (est. 1339) in the world, which is also Italy’s oldest family business (it supplies the Vatican, which is quite an endorsement, bell-wise); A Rejecelle which, at 34 cm wide, is Italy’s narrowest street; and this Narnia-ish fairy-tale cathedral, which should star in the movies. 

There’s also wine, though it is appropriately difficult to locate outside Molise. I’ve made occasional efforts over the years and even carried a Tintilia (an autochthonous red grape) once, but nobody’s ever put a white in front of me (though they exist, apparently.) Rather than wait any longer, this month I decided to go with a white selection from next door in Abruzzo which, despite being totally delicious, is frustratingly one-dimensional in terms of its consensus object permanence. The red is actually from Molise though, originating from the village of Monteroduni in the Isernia province (Molise has two provinces: Campobasso and Isneria, the latter is the least populated of Italy’s 110 provinces.) The grape is Montepulciano, one of Italy’s most planted red varietals, most notably next door in Abruzzo, but with a unique richness, density and mineral character born of the mountainous marly soil where it starts. 

Salut!

Alan Hicks

Wine Buyer - PlumpJack Noe Valley 

Cavatelli with Broccoli

Molise, like the rest of Italy, apparently has great food pretty much everywhere you go. It is the birthplace of Fusilli pasta and cavatelli (pronounced ‘cavetiell’ locally) is also quite popular and this is a classic simple and delicious version w/ broccoli and red pepper flakes.

Ingredients

3 tbsp light olive oil (refined, not extra virgin)

1 pound broccoli

4 cloves garlic (minced)

1 pound cavatelli

Kosher Salt

½ tsp black pepper

2 tbsp parsley

4 tbsp Parmesan

Instructions

• 1. Using a sharp knife, cut off the broccoli florets where its stem meets the stalk. Then cut the florets into bite-sized pieces and set them aside.

• 2. Peel the stalk, and cut it into ½-inch slices. Set aside separate from the florets.

• 3. Cook cavatelli in a large pot of salted water until just under al dente. Reserve a half cup of pasta water before draining and set it aside.

• 4. Heat the oil in a deep skillet with the oil, over medium heat.

• 5. Add the broccoli stems to the pan with the oil (leaving the florets behind) and saute until tender with a little bite, then add the florets to the pan with a pinch of salt. Toss together, and cook until the florets are just underdone.

• 6. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant (about a minute).

• 7. Add the cavatelli, pepper, parsley, and grated parmesan cheese. Toss to coat, adding the reserved water as needed to loosen the mixture.

• 8. Cook until the pasta and broccoli are cooked to your liking. Taste for seasoning and add more salt as needed before serving.

• 9 Serve with more grated cheese.