Today's post is dedicated to Mirto, one of my favorite Italian digestivos. On Sundays I try to write about beverages that I like that aren't wine. Whenever I'm in an Italian restaurant and they offer Grappa, Limoncello or Amaro after dinner, I ask if they have Mirto. Many places do and many do not, I'm... Continue Reading →
Italian Regions – Calabria – Terre di Cosenza DOC
As 2013 begins, I have unfinished business from 2012 to attend to, none more than three articles which never got written in 2012 thanks to too much work, too little time and life in general. I was happy to see a post bemoaning similar pieces almost not written in 2012 by Alice Feiring who is... Continue Reading →
Wine of the Week: Rosso di Montepulciano
My wine of the week is Rosso di Montepulciano. This denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) wine has been woefully underrated in my view with very few people even aware of the location of Montepulciano, often forgotten or seen as a poor relative of Montalcino or worse, thought to be in Abruzzo and made from the... Continue Reading →
Back In The Eternal City – Roma
I'm back in the eternal city and too excited and overwhelmed to sleep. I've in fact been up reading since 400am but no matter life is to be enjoyed "anche durante le ore piccole" or the wee hours of the night. I've been in town just two days staying with riends from Italy and hanging... Continue Reading →
Italian Regions: Emilia Romagna On My Mind, Modena DOC
I've finally had more time to read the news and look at the devastating pictures of Emilia Romagna. Scary. According to this story published yesterday on the Wine Enthusiast's website, much of the damage has been to the cheese industry rather than the wine industry although some producers have naturally been impacted severely. Here is... Continue Reading →
Vinitaly Day 1: Old Friends, New Friends & Vivit – Natural Wines Debut At Vinitaly
My Vinitaly over the last four years has always started in the same way, with Susanna Crociani, my dear friend and producer of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. I have written about her wines numerous times so today, all I will say is if you are at Vinitaly, go to pavilion 8, stand B14 and try... Continue Reading →
Upper West Side At Christmas Time
I don't know about you but the last week of the year always seems like summation time. What you've done, what you haven't done, what has changed and what has remained the same. It also tends to bring up all of the Christmases of the past and the memories of those who are no longer... Continue Reading →
Indigenous Italian Varieties: Caddiu Nero from Sardinia
I am skipping over one grape variety this week because I am a bit rushed but next week will report on that all important one: Cabernet Sauvignon. For today however, I want to talk about Caddiu Nero, a little known grape from the beautiful island of Sardinia. This grape hails from the region around the... Continue Reading →
Viognier & Crab in Maryland
As I sit in my office and work feverishly to bring to fruition seven wine events in the next two weeks, I'm of course, fantasizing about vacation. Last year, I took a beautiful trip to Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia where I encountered these utensils that I hadn't seen since I was 15 and visiting... Continue Reading →