I have friends coming over for dinner and I have been thinking what to make for Halloween. Then it came to me, Penne alla Zucca (Pumpkin) one of my favorite all time dishes paired with Ribolla Gialla, a fabulous grape from Friuli. I make the pasta with white wine but sometimes I add a dollop... Continue Reading →
Italian Indigenous Varieties: Arneis From Piedmont
Piedmont is quite renowned for its red wines such as Barolo, Barbaresco, Ghemma, Gattinara and Dolcetto. In fact, Piedmont has the most wines that have received the Denominazione dOrigine Controllata e Garantita or D.O.C.G. designation of any region in Italy. That said, a few white grapes are also well known. Among them are Gavi which... Continue Reading →
Portugual’s Wines & Wine Tasting Friends
Since my return to the United States from Italy four years ago this December, I have been very lucky to meet lots of new friends with similar interests. You guessed it, wine friends of all colors, strips, ages and most importantly, palates. A font of these new friends have been the schools where I have... Continue Reading →
Luca Maroni in Town At Altacucina
Italian wine expert Luca Maroni is in town for a tasting today at Altacucina at 3pm. I'm running over there to taste some of the new fruit driven wines that he will be showcasing. I look forward to trying a great pecorino from Farnese winery in Abruzzo as well as a DOCG Colline Teramane from... Continue Reading →
Spanish Wines Take US By Storm
Spanish wines are getting a lot of attention these days and with good reason. The country offers a host of delicious wines and many in affordable price points. Additionally, Spanish food is also a growing component of the restaurant scene. In New York City alone, I have noticed at least five new wine bars with... Continue Reading →
Italian Indigenous Varieties: Ansonica/Inzolia
I wrote this article for Altacucina as part of my Italian grape dictionary. It is amazing that I am still in the first letter of the alphabet. I feel like I have been writing about grapes that begin with the letter "A" for months. Ansonica Bianca, also widely known as Inzolia, has very different expressions... Continue Reading →
Super Teaneck, Getting Better By The Day
Shocking but true, the wine I made three years ago using a blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon is actually drinkable. There really is something to be said about aging wines to let the tannins soften and the alcohol diminish. I was pleasantly surprised this evening when I opened a bottle. My wine label, I... Continue Reading →
Ravi Shankar, Indian Wine, Dad & I
This evening I was lucky enough to see Ravi Shankar play the sitar with his youngest daughter Anoushka Shankar and the amazing tabla player Tanmoy Bose and other band members. My father thought it would be wonderful to see this father and daughter duo. It was a truly memorable event and an unbelievable concert at... Continue Reading →
Wine Guides – Which One To Use, If Any
I rarely chime in on the debates raging in the wine world these days. I read about them and think about them but this blog is more informational than polemical. Of course I have an opinion but I don't always feel the need to voice it loudly, until I do... On the subject of guides... Continue Reading →
Three Little Known Italian Indigenous Varieties: Arvesiniadu, Avana’ & Avarengo
Italy’s indigenous grape varieties include a host of little known varieties which are essentially used as blending grapes. In the interest of completeness, I decided I would mention these on my blog instead of adding them to my dictionary for Altacucina. This is because they are not widely available in the United States nor in... Continue Reading →