Italy has a never ending supply of indigenous grape varieties. Some have world renown such as Aglianico, Sangiovese, and Nebbiolo while most are little know outside of their own region. This is the case with the next two varietals, Alionza and Ancellotta Both Alionza and Ancellotta hail from Emilia Romagna, a region in the center... Continue Reading →
Raising A Glass To Toast Senator Ted Kennedy
I have been away for a few weeks and have been somewhat remiss about writing on this blog. I will rectify that in the days to come but for today, I want to raise a glass to Senator Ted Kennedy who died late last night at the age of 77. I come from a very... Continue Reading →
Enjoying Summer With Sparkling Wines of All Stripes
I love sparkling wine in any season. I find I never tire of it and actually like to drink it throughout the whole meal. A dear friend with dreaded allergies to wine can only drink dry sparkling wines. We deduced that perhaps it is really an allergy to sugar. When fermented dry, some sparklers have... Continue Reading →
SWE Conference – A Worldwind of Wine, Old & New Friends
It's been almost one week since the end of the Society of Wine Educators 2009 conference in Sacramento. I think I have finally recovered and have gathered at least some of my thoughts on what I gleaned from three intense days of wine seminars with the incomparable Jancis Robinson as the keynote speaker. This year... Continue Reading →
Professional Tasting Is Not Only For Wine But For Chocolate and Tea As Well
I wrote this article for I-Italy about the Italian fine chocolate association, Cioccolati d'Italia. Tasting cioccolate, I learned during the interview, is an extremely complex process, much like tasting wine. I was lucky enough to taste many chocolates from four regions of Italy: the Veneto, Tuscany, Sicily and Piedmont. Each one was a work of... Continue Reading →
