I know this picture is very blurry but in addition to having tried many wines that afternoon, I also had just seen Sting sing two of his songs in what felt like my living room so perhaps I was overcome with emotion. All of this took place during the first day of my trip to... Continue Reading →
Wine Wednesday: Lis Neris Cabernet Sauvignon
This is an old photo of Alvaro and his daughter Federica from Lis Neris at Vinitaly in 2008. The stand looks the same and I like to think we all do too. This year for the first time I had one of Alvaro's wines in Milan at a dinner with friends the night before Vinitaly.... Continue Reading →
Happy (Almost) Passover: Kosher Chianti from Terra di Seta
I am reposting this blog which has always been one of the most popular on this site. I never would have thought that a Kosher Chianti would get so much play but it does and since it’s almost Passover….
Today is the first night of Passover and I brought a bottle of Kosher wine to my family gathering. I brought the wine all the way from Italy in fact, it’s the 2009 Chianti Classico Riserva from the Terra di Seta winery. I just met with Daniele and his life wife Maria at Vinitaly. They gave me a bottle of this wine to try at home and I thought I would save it for tonight.
I wrote extensively about them on this blog last year. They are a lovely couple that make a really nice Chianti at Italy’s only all Kosher winery.
Many in the States know other Italian wines but most are made by teams of religious Jews who work in an otherwise none Kosher winery. Today as my family celebrates the Exodus I know my Dad will tell the story of when his two relatives showed up after…
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Sometimes, it takes little courage to survive VinItaly
VERONA – Day one VinItaly 2016 and Happy 50 years of VinItaly. Under sunny skies and mild temperatures, the 50th edition of the world’s largest wine fair opened Sunday with Italian president Sergio Mattarello among the thousands of enthusiastic wine lovers in attendance.
The opening day was a Sunday, which may account for the late-arriving attendees, but you still found the expected boisterous jam around many of the stands. Of course, having the President here, with his large contingent of security men and advisors, simply added to the general hysterics.
If you’re experienced at VinItaly, negotiating the crowds is no problem and if you are particularly fortunate you’ll find a friendly booth where you might escape for a few minutes to rest and learn about a new wine region or more about an old fave.
Susannah Crociani holds a bottle of her Vin Santo, a sweet wine made only in…
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Monday Musings On Wine Education – Vinitaly International Academy
Wine study is the topic of my Monday posts on Avvinare. Last week I wrote about a couple of French wine programs that I have undertaken and today I want to emphasize the new Italian wine certificate program run by Vinitaly International Academy. I was not able to do the progam this year because of... Continue Reading →
Vinitaly Day 1 – Toscana, Liguria, Abruzzo, Sicilia, Lombardia
Today is the first official day of Vinitaly which is celebrating its 50th edition. As usual there are so many events and seminars and wines to taste that one can be overwhelmed. I am lucky enough to be able to spend time in the relatively calm press area where WIFI, bathrooms, coffee and computers are... Continue Reading →
Wine Wednesday: Tokaji from Hungary
Unfortunately this photo is very blurry but the wine was perfect. Perhaps the photo is a sign of how much I enjoyed the evening at the Hungarian Embassy with Les Dames d'Escoffier. I was inducted this past year into this extraordinary group of women and one of the perks is invitations to exciting events around... Continue Reading →
Monday Musings On Wine Education: Studying French Wines
There has been a lot of talk in the blogsphere and in wine magazines of late about the importance or necessity of getting a degree in wine. I have always been on the side of that debate that opts for education, formal and informal. I firmly believe that at all levels of the industry from... Continue Reading →
A Brief Look at the Wealth of Italian Indigenous Grapes from Puglia
Puglia or Apulia as we would say in English is a beautiful part of Italy. This long region is among the top wine producing regions in Italy. A large part of the wines are made with indigenous varieties such as Primitivo and Negroamaro, two red grapes that many people know and have tasted in various... Continue Reading →