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THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2011

thespec.com

SERGE RAMELLI, SPECIAL TO THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR

In a magical suite at Hotel Seven, the bed and translucent furniture appear to be floating.

Take your decor into the light

Creative use of up lighting can dramatically change the mood of a room
that come from both the floor and the sides of the room making you feel you are levitating. To complete the picture is a beautiful sky mural painted on the ceiling. Tucked under a fluffy white duvet, I was in heaven. The experience gives a whole new meaning to up lighting a design trick I thought was mostly for illuminating indoor trees and plants. It reminded me to design the lighting in a room first and make use of advances in lighting. Now that green living has become the central focus in building, decorating and design, more products are available to help us feather our nests responsibly. Mood lighting, task lighting and ambient lights come in LED and fluorescent fixtures, and these cost-effective forms have seen great advances in the quality of light. Experiment with light in your living space by trying up lighting. Because you cant see the fixture or the source, light coming from behind a panel or under a shelf is a great effect. Ceiling spots provide focus for artwork as well as overall ambient lighting and are particularly effective with a dimmer. You will be amazed at the difference creative light design can produce, and it will lift your spirits. Q: We have just purchased a small condo as a holiday home. It needs some sprucing up but is in good condition. The kitchen has almond cabinets and light beige countertops. Too bland for my taste. Is it possible to refinish the counters? We have stripped wallpaper from the ensuite bathroom and the walls are not in good shape. Would you suggest a textured finish or something else? A: You can paint your kitchen counters after some preparation. Sand and clean with a heavy-duty detergent to rough up the smooth surface. Apply a high-stick primer designed for slippery surfaces. Let dry completely. Give it a day. Apply any paint effect, including granite or marble that are full of pattern and will add life to the room. Use acrylic or melamine paint for durability. A simpler solution is to add some pizzazz to the backsplash. Update with stylish tile, and keep the cost low by using plain tiles with accents of glass, metallic or colourful ceramic in various sizes. A textured plaster finish is a good idea for the bathroom walls. The plaster will fill in the imperfections and you can apply a smooth or slightly broken texture with a trowel. Another option is paintable embossed wallpaper. Available in modern and traditional patterns, you will love the effect. Paint any colour and accentuate the pattern by rubbing a little ochre over the paint and wiping back.

DEBBIE TRAVIS
On a recent visit to Paris, I discovered an enchanting new hotel that celebrates the magic and power of illumination. The owner of Hotel Seven has used technological invention to transport guests into a blissful environment filled with emotion. Each room is designed to come to life and carry you into a dreamlike world simply by turning on lights

This column is produced by Debbie Travis and Barbara Dingle. E-mail questions to house2home@debbietravis.com. debbietravis.com

Abruzzo triumphs with taste and price

BY DAN KISLENKO

Italys lesser-known regions are having a wine boom, certainly in the hilly province of Abruzzo. While the wines of the famous vineyards in Tuscany, Veneto and Piedmont continue to escalate in price, those of Abruzzo remain bargains. One of the leaders of Abruzzi wines is also one of the last familyowned producers Dragani. Dragani Emanuele was given permission by the authorities of Caldari almost 200 years ago to sell wines grown in what were considered two of the finest vineyards in the region, the Selva dei Canonici and Fonte Melata. The wines were immediately successful, and soon Dragani was official supplier for the bishop of nearby Ortona. At the end of the Second World War, the area lay in ruins but Gabriele Dragani steered the company to rebuild. He replanted the vineyards, expanded the winery, introduced modern techniques and equipment, built the first bottling plant (now Abruzzos biggest) and began selling wine across Italy for the first time. Dragani continues to make outstanding single vineyard and reserve wines but none are sold here. We can buy two gems that definitely fall into the steal category. I tasted several Dragani wines, including the two available here, with the companys export manager, Vincenzo Gaeta. The Don Gabriele Terre de Chieti and the Gune Riserva Montepulciano dAbruzzo are most impressive but unavailable. The two available here knocked my socks off if for nothing else than the rock-bottom price of less than $7. They both far exceeded
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what I expected. DRAGANI PINOT GRIGIO TREBBIANO ($16.95 for 2 L, code 620583). If you do the math, this is the equivalent of $6.35 for a standard bottle. The wine gets a simple IGT (typical style of the region) designation as Pinot Grigio is not an officially approved grape variety in Abruzzo. Doesnt matter. This is a good white wine by any standard, the varieties fermented separately in steel tanks to preserve freshness. Its floral on first impression, clean and inviting, fruitdriven with the Trebbiano lending surprising depth, coming across with lemon, lime, green apple and kiwi flavours and an underlying note of mineral and stone. A particularly fine choice with shrimp or calamari. DRAGANI MONTEPULCIANO DABRUZZO ($6.95, code 134890 or $16.95 for 2 L, code 384511). Abruzzo makes a lot of wine from the Montepulciano grape, which is indigenous and the second-most planted grape after Sangiovese. Montepulciano is a late-ripening variety, so at its best in the warmer climate of southern Italy. This wine has DOC or controlled denomination status. This red is all one variety, again fermented in steel to emphasize the fruit. Again, its surprisingly complex, quite gutsy and has a rustic aura in smell and taste, with bright cherry, raspberry and juicy pomegranate flavours and a whiff of fresh herbs and spice. How about a grilled hot Italian sausage with it? zzz The annual California Wine Fair rolls into Toronto on April 4, offering tastes from more than 400 wines from 150 producers. There will be wines unavailable here, along with familiar names. The fair is 7 to 9:30 p.m. at the Royal York across from Union Station. Tickets are $70 by calling 1800-558-2675 or visiting calwine.ca. The website also has a list of participating wineries and wines being poured. zzz The Toronto Wine & Cheese show is next weekend, featuring wines, spirits and beers from around the world, and a wide selection of food creations. It is at the International Centre, 6900 Airport Rd., Mississauga.

Parking is free. Hours are Friday and Saturday, noon to 10 p.m. and Sunday noon to 6 p.m. Admission is $15 if you buy tickets online (towineandcheese.com) or $18 at the door.

dkislenko@thespec.com 905-526-3450