Today I want to mention an area of Lombardy that I love, Bergamo and its wines from the Valcalepio, still quite unknown in the US but also in many parts of Italy. The Consorzio Tutela Valcalepio was founded in 1977 by 22 members. Today, the consortium has 85 members, or about 98% of the producers... Continue Reading →
Exciting to visit third Home – Lombardy Soon
I am about to embark on a new adventure in Lombardy and I have to say, I'm excited. I know people will think I am crazy, Milano in July, but I am really excited to see my adopted city. I had the pleasure of living in Lombardy, in Milan, for 10 years from 1995 to... Continue Reading →
Wine Wednesday: Tintilia del Molise DOP 2012 from Colle Sereno
Tintilia, Molise - Names that are perhaps not on tip of your tongue. Understandable, but a shame. Molise is truly the stepchild of Italian regions. It never gets mentioned and doesn't get the love it deserves. I'm culpable of this too. The past two years at Vinitaly however I have tried to remedy that situation... Continue Reading →
Italian Indigenous Varieties: Manzoni Bianco
\\ Manzoni Bianco was created by Professor Luigi Manzoni in the years 1930-1935 at the Istituto Tecnico Agrario di Conegliano. It's a cross between Riesling renano and Pinot Bianco. At first it was only found in the area around Treviso but thanks to good results was introduced into the Trentino and eventually into all of... Continue Reading →
Italian Indigenous Varities: Mammolo Nero from Tuscany
This week's variety hails from Tuscany and is called Mammolo. It tends to be mostly found in the province of Siena, Lucca and Grosseto. When I think of Mammolo, I think of Susanna Crociani, a producer and friend from Montepulciano. She always reminds people that Mammolo is also the name of one of the Seven... Continue Reading →
Italian Indigenous Varieties: Malvasia Nera di Basilicata
While this latest variety, Malvasia Nera di Basilicata, has some of the same origins as the other Malvasias that I have written about, it is said to be less ancient than the white grape versions of Malvasia. This one probably came to Basilicata from nearby Puglia and has a lot in common with Malvasia di... Continue Reading →
Italian Indigenous Varieties: Malvasia Istriana Bianca (Friuli)
The first time I tried Malvasia Istriana Bianca was with the owner of Tenuta di Blasig in Friuli. My visit to that winery was also one of my first winery visits for my women in wine blog posts and thus remains close to my heart. Malvasia as we know can be a white, red or... Continue Reading →
Italian Indigenous Varieties: Malvasia di Schierano Nero from Piedmont
This week's indigenous grape variety is called Malvasia di Schierano Nero. This aromatic grape comes from Piedmont and produces either frizzante or spumante red or rose style sweet wines. The grapes are occasionally dried and made into a passito style wine as well. The wines are said to be of low alcohol and to pair... Continue Reading →
Italian Indigenous Varieties: Malvasia di Casorzo Nero (Piedmont)
This week's variety hails from the province of Asti in Piedmont and is known as Malvasia di Casorzo Nero. This Malvasia belongs to the same family of grapes that we have been visiting each week but this one is a red grape. This Malvasia can be made into sweet wines, either frizzante or spumante versions... Continue Reading →
