Umani Ronchi is certainly one of the most famous producers in Le Marche. In fact, it came as no surprise to me to see that they won a Tre Bicchieri award for their Castelli di Jesi Classico Verdicchio Plenio Riserva 2010. This was also a great occasion for me to once again taste some of... Continue Reading →
Italian Indigenous Varieties: Corvinone Nero from the Veneto, Wine Sites of Interest, News from Italy
This week's variety is Corvinone, not to be confused with Corvina. They are two different grape varieties, although both are from the Veneto and used in many of the wines from that region. Corvinone is a red grape that is used in blends such as those of Valpolicella and Bardolino wines. It is said to... Continue Reading →
Winery of the Week: Capitoni Winery in the Val d’Orcia – Tuscany
The beauty of the Val d’Orcia in Tuscany has been celebrated since the Renaissance, earning the region its World Heritage Site status by UNESCO. I had the good fortune to sit down with one of the wine producers from this area that is blessed with such beauty, Marco Capitoni. The Capitoni have been farmers in... Continue Reading →
Italian Indigenous Varieties: Corvina Nero from the Veneto
Corvina is a red grape that hails from the Veneto, specifically the area around Verona, the beautiful city in the photo. It was first mentioned in the 1820a. The signature of this grape is its acidity. It is a light to medium bodied grape with a thick skin. The thick skin allows this to be... Continue Reading →
Italy Slated To Change Its Premier and Government – Again
I know this is a wine blog but I can't help but veer off topic at times when issues or situations that I care about take place. One of the great interests of my life for the past 23 years has been Italian political life. I studied this subject in graduate school at Johns Hopkins'... Continue Reading →
A Look At the Anteprime Toscane – Buy Wine, Montepulciano and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano
Tuscany is for many the image of Italy. It was definitely that way for me at the beginning and in many ways remains the core of my Italian experience despite the fact that I lived in Milan for three times as long as I lived in Florence. This week, Tuscan wine producers are putting on... Continue Reading →
Wine of the Week: Solagi from Caparra & Siciliani – Calabria
Last week was a busy one for the Italian wine world in New York City. Two major events took place,the Vinitaly/Slow Wine tour on February 3, 2014 and Tre Bicchieri on February 6, 2014. I was lucky enough to be able to attend both events where I saw many old friends among the US wine... Continue Reading →
Italian Indigenous Varieties: Cortese Bianco from Piedmont
I've spent the last hour looking for a good photo of the Cortese grape, the provinces of Asti and Alessandria in Piedmont and bottles of Gavi di Gavi D.O.C.G. because we all know that pictures are fundamental on Social Media. I have found nothing that I can use shockingly so am opting for the map... Continue Reading →