I’ve long been seduced by the cured meats of Italy. Indelibly etched are my first memories of Prosciutto Crudo from Parma, Felino Salami from Lombardia and Cacciatore from Tuscany. In recent visits to Italy, I’ve been wooed by Bresaola from Valtellina and Crema di Lardo, a deliciously rich and savory product made from pure pork fat, salt and herbs. For years, Dario Sattui and I had talked about making our own charcuterie for the Winery.
To accomplish our goal of making authentic Italian cured meats in the Napa Valley, we needed the help of a
master or two. In 2008, by happenstance, I met Stefano Masanti at his restaurant in Madesimo, Italy. The name may be familiar. He’s a famed Michelin-starred chef, the guest chef at our 125th Harvest Ball in 2010
and this year is returning to V. Sattui for our biggest event ever, the 30th Anniversary of our Harvest Ball this
September. Stefano is also a master of charcuterie and the owner of MA!
– Officina Gastronomica, a salumeria specializing in the production of Bresaola, a cured beef product famous in the Italian Alps. Did I mention he also won the award for the best Bresaola in all of Italy? With the help of Stefano, along with his friend and master butcher, Walter Tenca from Lake Como, our dream has been realized. I am proud to announce the opening of the V. Sattui Salumeria!
Under the direction of Gianfranco Ghiringhelli and under the guidelines and supervision of the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), we are producing cured meats and sausages exclusively for sale in our deli and at our weekend BBQ.
Our signature product is Bresaola, from the beef round of the leg, carefully trimmed and artfully massaged with a dry rub of coarse salt, garlic, pepper and spices. After a curing, the pieces are hung to air dry between one and three months. Our Bresaola Classico is ready in 40-45 days and loses up to 40% of its original weight during aging. Its soft texture and smooth taste is balanced by a delicate aroma. For connoisseurs of cured meats, we also produce a limited amount of Bresaola Riserva. This artisan meat is punctuated by great aromatic complexity, firm texture and unmatched intense flavors from its minimum aging of 90 days.
With our salumi production, choice cuts of fresh pork shoulder and belly fat are coarsely ground and mixed with salt, spices, VSW Sauvignon Blanc (Vittorio Classico) and hand-stuffed into a natural pork casing. The slow aging in our curing rooms contributes to its sweet taste, distinctive flavors and delicate aromas. The Vittorio Rosso is made with VSW Zinfandel and carries a more robust flavor and body. If Vittorio Sattui were alive today, this would be his favorite salami!
Not to be outdone by our cured meats, our fresh Italian spicy sausage production is a huge hit at our weekend BBQs. Like our salami, fresh pork shoulder is ground with pure-white pork fat along with salt, spices, garlic and white wine. The sausages can be enjoyed in a panino or served in the classic coil shape.
Another unique product to our Salumeria is Crema di Lardo. Salt, pepper, garlic and dried herbs are added to finely-ground pork belly fat to create an exotic, spread-like product that is perfect on a toasted crostini. The fat is absorbed by the warm crostini and the resulting flavor and richness is hog heaven!
All our house-cured meats are hand sliced to order on an Emiliomiti slicer, modeled after the classic Berkel meat slicer from the early 1900s. This high-quality Italian slicer, made from cast aluminum and stainless steel, features a cutting blade from Solingen, Germany, and is known for its ability to thinly cut meat without heating and smearing the fat.
Whole cuts of Bresaola and Salami are available for sale at the winery and direct shipment with 1-3 day shipping time anywhere in the U.S.
More specialty meats are being developed and another fact-finding mission back to Italy this Spring will surely bring home more great recipes!
Tom Davies, Winery President
