Did you know The Lombok Lodge Signature Rock Salt & Organic Ground Pepper are a perfect mix with the delicious Tuscany of Virgin Olive Oil we serve at The Lombok Lodge Hospitality Concept?  Not to forget; a great match witch Chef Jiwa Raga delicious dinner breads and a delicious Italian bottle of Wine.

So much deliciousness in Lombok!

FORMICA ALTA – EXTRA VIRGiN OLIVE OIL BY ‘CARMA’

‘Carma’ is an organic permaculture project established in 2000 in the valley of Civita di Bagnoregio.  The company was created initially by Giulio di Gropello and Gianluca Pizzo who purchased the first abandoned plot of land with 600 olive trees, Giovanni Bulgari joined in 2008. The common trait of Giulio, Gianluca and Giovanni was that they all love nature and that they are the most passionate consumers of their products.

The mission of the 3 G’s – Giulio, Gianluca and Giovanni – is to produce excellence – ‘ . . Excellence is not an Accident … #HorzSchultze #TheLombokLodge – and to preserve nature. Today ‘Carma’ nurtures 7,000 olive trees and 80 hectares of cropland in three different regions: Lazio, Umbria and Tuscany, that compose their ‘Olive Oil Triangle’ Logo.

‘FORMICA ALTA’ SPECIFICS

Estate Owner: Paolo Bulgari – Delicious Tuscany Blend – Olives: Blend of mainly Frantoio Olives with Moraiolo, Leccino Maurine and Autochtone Olives – Harvesting System: By hand – Geological Area: Mostly sandstone and marl of the Tuscan autochthonous series – Soil: Clayey, tuff sand – Harvest period: October or November, depending on the season – Production: 2200kg per hectare – Hectares: 7 – Milling: Continuous cycle – Type: Medium fruity – Character: Intense gold colour with hints of artichoke, fresh grass, rosemary, bitter almonds and lettuce. Harmonic olfactive notes and taste.

The products of ‘Tenuta Di Carma’ are the result of their philosophy: Carma Estate is among the 100 best oil producers in Italy – Atlante degli Oli Italiani -, among the 300 best producers in the world  -Flos Olei Guide – and among the few who obtained the highest score in the guide Gambero Rosso Oli d’Italia.

MORE DELICIOUSNESS IN LOMBOK

THERRA & NICOLEA, BY PODERNUOVO A PALAZZONE

Giovanni Bulgari, managing director of Podernuovo in Palazzone and inspiring soul of the company, naturally brought to the attention for the environment, has set as a starting point for the creation of his wines, the minimum environmental impact by controlling carbon dioxide emissions and the processing of the grapes in total respect and harmony with nature.

From diamonds to grapes, Giovanni Bulgari now lives his winemaking dream amidst Tuscany’s magnificent landscapes. The grandson of jewellery and luxury brand founder bottles wholly organic wines out of his Podernuovo a Palazzone vineyards in Tuscany.

The urban lifestyle doesn’t resonate well with Giovanni Bulgari. The wine connoisseur worked for eight years at Italian luxury jewellery house Bvlgari before calling it quits in 2004. He then teamed up with his father, Paolo, to venture into the age-old art of winemaking. Armed with invaluable skills he gained from his previous tenure, he and his father resurrected an abandoned vineyard in Tuscany, Italy, to materialise their winemaking dream.

The passion for excellence and for nature that characterizes the history of the Bulgari family has led to the search for a reality still little known in the Italian wine scene, so as to be able to fully develop the potential of this still genuine land.

PODERNUOVO A PALAZZONE

The Podernuovo estate is located in the hamlet of Palazzone in the municipality of San Casciano dei Bagni , on the border with Lazio and Umbria.The 3,500 m2 environmentally friendly winery runs on a geothermal heating and cooling system that brings the winery’s carbon footprint close to zero.

In the past, Palazzone was a post office along the famous Via Cassia, which later became a commercial outpost of the Castello di Fighine, which owned the agricultural property. The winemaking history of Podernuovo a Palazzone has its roots in the past, already in the 1950s, weight grapes were grown, mainly Sangiovese. Today Podernuovo is located in a still authentic part of Tuscany, where the countryside is lovingly cultivated and man fully respects the natural rhythms and its ancient agricultural history.

The Estate is responsible for producing three red wines: Therra, a Tuscan blend of Montepulciano, Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot; Argirio, a single-variety wine derived from Cabernet Franc grapes; and Sotirio, a pure Sangiovese wine that is named after the founder of the luxury jewellery label, Sotirio Bulgari, father of Paolo and grandfather of Giovanni. Aged in French oak barrels, Sotirio has a strong, robust character and is billed as the grand cru of the estate.

Therra and Nicolia at The Lodge selection of Quality Luxury Wines. the Therra sells from $56, Argirio, $77 and the flagship Sotirio, $92.

TRUE CALLING / TRUE LOVE

Dad is still chairman of the company and sits on the advisory board of LVMH, says Giovanni, who had an eight-year stint with the luxury brand house. He joined it straight out of university when he was 22, and worked from jewellery creation right up to production in the company’s Rome headquarters. But his soul was never in the city. The countryside had been tugging at his heartstrings and he left the Italian capital for Tuscany in 2005 after buying an abandoned vineyard the previous year near his new home.

“I really had a nice job at my father’s company, but sometimes you have to follow your passion,” says Giovanni. “I can only stay in the city for three or four days and after that I feel sick. I need to have the sky, soil, grass and animals and my passion since I was a kid was agriculture. Making wine is the best expression. “I love growing grapes because it started in ancient times and is always in our culture. Wine is special and is anthropomorphic, like a human. I see the bottle as the body, the wine is the soul and it is something alive.”

ALL IN THE DETAILS

Giovanni says he brings to the vineyard an important skill in his years as a Bulgari jewellery maker. “I still have an eye for gem stones and have quite a collection,” explains the Italian. “My knowledge comes from that world. I worked with my father for eight years and learnt many things.

“He used to tell me that when working with jewellery I need to be obsessed with ‘details, details, details’. The customer may not realise this aspect about jewellery making and don’t really know why something is so beautiful.”

It is this attention to detail that Giovanni directs Podernuovo from the moment grapes are seeded, seedlings pruned and harvest time to when extracts are aged in vats and then bottled. He is partial to oaks from France and Eastern Europe, and is now experimenting with clay.

Despite the Bulgari heritage, Giovanni does not want his wines to hang on to the name to make its mark globally. He is confident they can do so on merit alone and like his family’s jewels has positioned them at the top end of the market. In Singapore the Therra sells from $56, Argirio, $77 and the flagship Sotirio, $92.

It is a simple strategy, says Giovanni. “My vineyard is organic because I don’t use chemical products. I try to respect the environment to grow my grapes and sometimes we need to talk to the wine and understand what it wants.

“We produce a maximum of 150,00 bottles a year and this is the right amount to control the quality of our wines. They are also only sold at top establishments and when I travel around the world I see them only in the best restaurants and hotels.”

After more than a decade of carefully nurturing the vineyard and paying attention to tiny details, Giovanni says he is beginning to see the payoff. Like his grandfather before him, he hopes it will be the growth of something special.

Discover The Lombok Lodge brand new OFYR TABL’O CHEF”S TABLE MENU
> https://www.flavorslombok.com/thisweek-private-ofyr-grill/

Enjoy Lombok at its Purest!

Ben Olaerts
Founder & Owner of The Lombok Lodge Hospitality