Getting Ready for http://www.marthastable.org Event...by Filippo BartolottaFinally we got the wines delivered at Ed Calvert Wines: D.C. best wine and gourmet shop.Thanks to Mr. Ed Sand we managed to have all our wines delivered on time for the charity.Now is time for Liz and Benedetta and Anders and all the volunteers to take them to the 14 houses and it's 24F!!!Today we had lunch at Paolina, Frank Ruta's place! Perfect place to catch up again with Jan Buhrman of the Kitchen Porch!Great to see Jan again with her never ending energy and positive mood. Joan Nathan and Jan have been friends for many years. Today we all meet up again for the great Charity event. But of course with all the thousand things to do Trillion-Tasking Joan and Jan turned up a little later, so I have been temped by a Sazerac drink by the very kind bartender: Old Overholt Rye, Syrup, Bitter, Absynth. Just what's needed in this weather conditions.Before the 14 dinners and the Sutarday Sips we are going to be having a Shabbat dinner at Joan's place. Christopher Lee, chef at Chez Panisse, is cooking right now as we speak!Jan Buhrman, Joan Nathan, Christopher Lee.Jan is doing the vegetable stew and looking for an oyster knife! Meanwhile Joan is preparing the Challah and I got to help with that:)David Gerson's with the Challah breadEveryone is doing something while waiting for Alice Waters to arrive.Meanwhile we try the soft delicious fluffy challah!Italy at Your Table "storage place":)Martha's Table Head Quarter!This are the menus for Sunday, but today is all dedicated to Saturday Night Sips...To see the full list of the Sunday night Suppers Menu with Italy at Your Table Wine Pairing,please click here:THE SUNDAY NIGHT SUPPERS MENUSI look forward to seeing our 250 guests tonight at Greg Nelson and Jos Cunningham residence to take everyone for a Fine WineandFoodjourney to Italy's most delicious regions: click here for a full view of them: http://www.lebaccanti.com/blog/?p=2218The Gourmet Pit Stops of our Journey Tonight wills start with:-We start from Lake Iseo with Italy's most refined bubbly: the refreshing, zesty and creamyBellavista Franciacorta Cuve.-Then we move to Venice withGraziano Pra's wonderfully oily and floral Soave- Half an hour drive and we are in RomeandJuliet's home: Verona. WithRomano Dal Forno ultimate luscious, cashmere dense Amarone and Valpolicella.- Going west we will taste one of the world most famous wines: Barolo. And not just any Barolo, but Luciano Sandrone's Le Vigne - a true long lasting artisan gem, made in Langhe, near Torino- An hour drive north of Langhe, still in Piemonte isPropriet Sperino. Luca De Marchi makes Italy's Nouvelle Vague Nebbiolo with the silkiest touch.-Let's move down to Modena for a Balsamic vinegar Pit-Stop: the extra dense Balsamic vinegar of Modena by theGran Deposito Aceto Balsamico Giuseppe Giusti.This isn't just your regular vinegar, but Modena oldest one, started in 1605.- Now is time to head towards Tuscany to visit one of Florence most important art galleries: the Galleria Frilli. Here Anna Marinelli will welcome you with her enthusiasm to her sculpture art studio opened in 1860.- Still hanging around Florence, only 20 miles away in Chianti, there's Isole e Olena with Paolo de Marchi's Cepparello: Sangiovese to it's best!-Another few miles south, going towards Siena is Fontodi producing a wonderfully dense and modern Sangiovese: the famous Flaccianello.-The journey still heads south of Siena to Montalcino, forCastello di Romitorio wonderfully crafted Brunello by Sandro Chia.- From Montalcino, the coast of Tuscany is only 30 miles. Near Suvereto is the outstanding Petra winery making a classy Super Tuscan: Petra IGT.-From Suvereto, we get the boat to Elba Island for the new Pier Mario Meletti Cavallari's project: Fattoria delle Ripalte, releasing a savory Red dessert wine to die for.-Going inland in Umbria, near Perugia in the beautiful town of Montefalco is Marco Caprai of www.arnaldocaprai.it winery. He make one the most consistent and longest leaving central Italy elegant Reds: Sagrantino di Montefalco.- Our last wine comes from the most beautiful winery in Southern Italy:Feudi di San Gregorio. In Washington DC we will taste the mineral and zesty Fiano di Avellino, made just off a few miles the Amalfi Coast.-This will be the end of our Italian Wine and Food journey withBonajuto 'chocolate from Modica: one of the purest and most crystalline artisanchocolate experience.All this will happen in a few hours Down Town in Washington D.C.I look forward to seeing you all,Filippo