CHARDONNAY RENAIO, TREROSE, 2001

Renaio is a blend of 95% chardonnay and 5% trebbiano grapes grown in the sandy soil (“rena”) near the town of Montepulciano. This dry white wine has just the right balance of crisp, fresh acidity and mouthfilling ripe fruit flavors. Its long lasting finish make it ideal with the calamari, risotto and branzino.
bottle $24 glass $6.50 1/2 glass $3.25

MORELLINO DI SCANSANO , LE PUPILLE, 2001

This medium-bodied red is produced from primarily morellino (also known as sangiovese) with alicante and malvasia nera grapes grown in the southern, warmer area of Tuscany, Scansano. It is full of ripe cherry aromas and concentrated flavors of ripe berries and spice. It’s a great match for the panzanella and pollo.
bottle $32 glass $8.25 1/2 glass $4.50

ROSSO DI MONTEPULCIANO, FATTORIA DEL CERRO, 2000

Produced from a variant of the Sangiovese grape known as prugnolo gentile blended with canaiolo nero and mammolo, this is a full-flavored, full-bodied red wine with rich cherry and red currant aromas and explosive flavors of ripe berries and spice. Its excellent balance makes it the perfect complement to the pappardelle and tagliata d’agnello.
bottle $28 glass $7.50 1/2 glass $3.75

CHIANTI CLASSICO, IL FORNAIO, 1999

This single-vineyard Chianti Classico has been carefully selected from grapes grown in Il Fornaio’s own vineyard, Casanuova. Located in the beautiful hills above Siena in the heart of Tuscany, our vineyard’s low-yielding vines produce a medium-bodied dry wine brimming with rich, earthy aromas complimented by cherry, violet and vanillin flavors. The perfect complement to the insalata and pappa.
price varies by location

Born and raised in Pistoia, Italy, Alessio Giannuzzi grew up on his family’s farm less than 50 kilometers from Florence. The oldest of four children, Alessio helped tend the family’s 400 olive trees, sangiovese vineyards and countless farm animals. Young Alessio spent most summers in Puglia helping out at his uncle’s gelateria, a young boy’s dream summer job if ever there was one.

At 13, Alessio’s first real food service job was in the Tuscan mountain town of Abitone. Though still a small boy, he worked the rotisserie and learned the gamut of Tuscan poultry, meat and game preparations. He loved the excitement of the kitchen and was eager to increase his knowledge of Italian cuisine.

Alessio graduated from the prestigious Instituto Alberghiero di Montecantini Terme at age 17. After the required military service, he felt ready to be a chef – and his parents were first in line to hire him. The Giannuzzis opened a pizzaria on the Tuscan seaside in tony Forte di Marmi where Alessio and his brother manned the ovens. During the off-season, Alessio honed his skills at the world-famous Grand Hotel La Pace in Montecatini. Vacationing Italian chefs who had worked in the United States quickly noticed this young talent. Alessio was recruited to Rafaello’s, a tiny yet renowned Italian restaurant in Carmel, California that was recently named to Nations’ Restaurant News Hall of Fame.

Seeking a larger challenge, Alessio moved on to The Covey at Quail Lodge, one of California’s few Mobil Guide five-star resorts. While there, he met the Managing Partner of Il Fornaio in Carmel. The more he learned about the Italian restaurant and bakery, the more he wanted to work there. After a series of meetings and cooking sessions with Executive Chef Maurizio Mazzon, Alessio was offered the position of Chef-Partner.

“I am very excited about being here in Carmel,” Alessio says. “It reminds me in so many ways of Tuscany – the beautiful land, the best fresh produce, the nearby ocean and its treasures. And with our wood-fired rotisserie and pizza ovens, I have the perfect place to create authentic Tuscan food!”

Tuscany is probably the most well known of the twenty regions of Italy. It was the cradle of the Renaissance, the home of Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, the famous di Medici family. The Tuscan people have always had an adoration of quality and luxury; you will find here an ongoing pursuit of the good things in life. Tuscan food has a straight-from-the-garden flavor about it – the herbs are always fragrantly fresh, the salads often hand-picked wild greens. You can eat well in most any little country trattoria.

Tuscan cooking begins with careful attention to the selection of raw ingredients of the best quality, then prepares them with a minimum of sauces and seasoning. The epitome of this philosophy is Pollo Toscano. This chicken from the wood-fired rotisserie is so popular and so essentially Tuscan, that we offer it on our menu every day.
Olive oil is one of the ingredients of Italian cooking in which Tuscany excels - it is generally considered to produce the finest olive oil in Italy. While it is a flourish in many dishes, it is a standout in Panzanella (fresh tomato and toasted bread salad with cucumber, onion, basil, extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar).

The Tuscans eat a variety of meats, including sausage, veal, rabbit, lamb. Pasta dishes are simple but flavorful. And the wines of Tuscany are superlative in quality and variety. So have a taste of Tuscany and share a Tuscan’s love affair with food.
Buon Appetito!