I had the occasion to stop by at the Benvenuto Brunello tasting in New York this past week. As I was trying to stay away from alcohol for a few days, I tasted very little but what I did do was taste some Rosso di Montalcino's. I am about to go to Montalcino next week... Continue Reading →
Nectar of the Gods: Antonelli’s Montefalco Sagrantino Passito DOCG – #ItalianFWT
Umbria, known as the greenheart of Italy, is an incredible lush and verdant part of the country. In this great region, Sagrantino grows, a complicated and profound grape variety, that makes some of the best passito I have ever tasted. As a sweet wine lover, passito is always on my radar. I can't remember when... Continue Reading →
Lugana Webinar Tomorrow for #WineWednesday
I'm hosting a webinar on Lugana tomorrow for the Society of Wine Educators. Here is some information if you want to join in. Hope to see you there. #WineWednesdayWebinar: Lugana: The Liquid Gold of Lake Garda winewitandwisdomswe.com Tomorrow evening—January 30th at 7:00 pm central time—we are pleased to offer a new webinar, entitled “Lugana: The Liquid... Continue Reading →
Italian Indigenous Varieties: Negro Amaro 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 Negro Amaro, two red grapes that many people know and have tasted in... Continue Reading →
“Italian Wines for Cold Winter Nights” Twitter Chat Today, January 5th At 11:00 EST #ItalianFWT
If you are thinking about how cold it's getting outside and want some ideas to warm up, follow the #ItalianFWT group's chat this morning on Twitter. The group is focusing on “Italian Wines for Cold Winter Nights.” Join the conversation on Twitter Saturday, January 5th at 11:00 am ET following the hashtag #ItalianFWT. For more Italian... Continue Reading →
Italian Indigenous Varieties: Negrara nero
This week's Italian indigenous variety is called Negrara. There are two different Negrara's though, one is that of the Veneto and the other of Trentino-Alto Adige. The former is an essential component in wines from the Veneto such as Amarone and Valpolicella which is why I put a picture of Verona at the top of... Continue Reading →
Ringing In the New Year with Berlucchi
Franco Ziliani met Guido Berlucchi in 1961 and they created the first sparkling wine in Franciacorta, hence the name of this Brut Franciacorta '61. Legend has it that Ziliani saw a fireplace made with white Botticino marble and wondered why they couldn't produce wines similar to those of Champagne when they had so much limestone.... Continue Reading →
Italian Indigenous Varieties: Nuragus Bianco from Sardegna
This week's indigenous variety hails from Sardinia and it's called Nuragus Bianco. It's the most widely grown grape on the island, particularly in the provinces of Caligari and Oristano. It is thought to have come to the island with the Phoenicians. Nuraghi is the name for the stone constructions that one sees on the... Continue Reading →
Italian Indigenous Varieties: Notardomenico Nero
This week's variety is called Notardomenico Nero. I've skipped around in the N varieties not going completely in order but I will correct that before the end of the year. I have 8 very important grape varieties that start with N, maybe I can finish before the end of the year. Let's see. Today's variety... Continue Reading →