Years ago, 13 to be exact, I took a trip to Argentina to experience both its tango scene and its wines. I spent time in Buenos Aires and in Mendoza. The news of Maradona's passing this week at the early age of 60 made me sad and I remembered so well when I saw a... Continue Reading →
Italian Indigenous Varieties: Durella from the Veneto
This is a grape variety I will be speaking about tomorrow am on Instagram at @vignetocomms. I was speaking about it the last time I was on live but then did a Women in Wine Chat with my friend Tina Williford who owns a distillery in North Carolina.
This week’s Italian indigenous variety hails from the Veneto and is called Durella. The grape variety ends in an “a” while the wine in an “o.” I was introduced to this grape variety by Antonio Fattori. He makes a wine which I adore called I Singhe Lessini Durello D.O.C. from 100% Durella. It is a sparkling wine and Durella is perfect for these types of wines. This wine is made in stainless steel without the use of any sulfur dioxide which I find interesting. Every year during Vinitaly, Antonio hosts a party for his importers and Italian agents. I used to work with these wines so I have been able to go to the parties for the past three years at Vinitaly. I always end up spending most of my evening drinking this sparkler which I find appealing throughout a meal. Durella makes wines with a refined bouquet…
View original post 141 more words
Delightful Sweet Wines from Bordeaux
Sweet Wines These wonderful wines showed up at my home some weeks ago and it seemed a gift from heaven during these hard times. I love wines made from these three grapes - Semillion, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadelle, in all of their forms in Bordeaux and these four are such exceptional examples. Sweet Bordeaux is often... Continue Reading →
10 Reason Why I Love Beaujolais
I am a big fan of Beaujolais of all kinds so today is a celebration in my book, it's Beaujolais Nouveau Day. Why am I such a fan? Here are 10 reasons: It was one of the first French wines I tasted.It is a friendly, easy drinking wine that will appeal to many and it's... Continue Reading →
Wines from New Mexico Paired with New Mexican Style Beef Chile
This month, our #WinePW blogging group is exploring “Under the Radar US Wine Regions” in time both for Thanksgiving and to celebrate American democracy. Thinking about which region I wanted to write about, I immediately thought of New Mexico for a couple of reasons. First off, the state is home to a very large population... Continue Reading →
Vermentino Outside of Italy
Vermentino Grapes I wrote an article about Vermentino in the World outside of Italy for Civilta del Bere, an Italian wine magazine of long renown. It was published this week. It's in Italian and I am proud of it so I am putting it up here. They publish long issues around grape varieties and other... Continue Reading →
Check Out these Under the Radar US Wine Regions –
American Flag @istockphoto This month, our #WinePW blogging group is exploring "Under the Radar US Wine Regions" in time both for Thanksgiving and to celebrate American democracy. We've all voted, and we can come together to agree at least on one thing, America is making loads of great wine across all 50 States and that's... Continue Reading →
Wine Wednesday: Venissa made from the Dorona Grape
I spoke about Dorona and Venissa today on my IG Live series on Italian Indigenous Grapes and decided to repost this article from last November. The winery seems to have recovered just fine. I wonder what it has been like to be in Venice with the pandemic. I can imagine staying there in isolation for a long time. An enchanting location that really stole my heart.
This week’s Wine Wednesday is dedicated to Venissa, Venice’s vineyard which I visited this summer and which has had dramatic flooding these past weeks with the high water levels in the lagoon of Venice. I spent about 10 days in Venice this summer. Part of it on the Dorsoduro and part in Murano. I have been to Venice many times in my life but had never stayed as long as this summer. It was a wonderful and magical experience that gave me a different feeling about the city. I also showed it to my son for the first time. He asks to go back all the time. I highly recommend it as a destination with a young child. I pulled the below photo from their instagram feed.
Getting back to Wine Wednesday, I first heard about Venissa from Roberto Cipresso, a well-known winemaker and a friend, who worked on the…
View original post 1,160 more words
Tasting Primitivo di Manduria – #ItalianFWT
Primitivo is a grape variety that you can find in the Italian region of Apulia or Puglia as it is called in Italian. Primitivo is related to the Croatian grape Tribidrag and California's Zinfandel. Tribidrag was held in high regard throughout the history of Croatia, praised by poets in the 15th century and widely exported... Continue Reading →
Election Sips 3: Amaro Montenegro
Amaro Montenegro Tonight’s election sip is Amaro Montenegro from Italy paired with a Kit Kat. I know it’s not a perfect match but it’s helping me to wait out the results of our all consuming election race. This widely available Amaro is from Bologna and was first made in 1885 by an herbalist named Stanislao... Continue Reading →