Mardi Gras or Carnevale as they call it in Italy always reminds me of how and when I really fell in love with the country. I went to Florence on the last day of Carnevale, Fat Tuesday, over 25 years ago and fell madly in love with the country. I was studying French in Dijon,... Continue Reading →
Wine Wednesday: Celebrating Mario Draghi
Once upon a time I was a financial journalist in Italy after I finished my Master’s program in economics and political science and the recent news about Mario Draghi becoming Prime Minister has absolutely cheered me. So much happens in Italian politics and with the economy but years go by and it often seems that... Continue Reading →
Monday Musings: What Does Sustainability Mean in Wine
Prosecco Hills Today's Monday Musings is all about Sustainability. I am think about the topic because it seems that we are all speaking about it these days and that many wineries use the term more often. While I am super happy about the renewed attention to our environment and sustainable practices in the vineyard and... Continue Reading →
Italian Indigenous Varieties: Frappato from Sicily
Frappato is a red grape variety that hails from Sicily. You may have come across it in your tasting or wine travels when tasting Cerasuolo di Vittoria, a denominazione d’origine controllata e garantita (D.O.C.G.) wine from Sicily. The grape produces wines that are light in color with good body and cherry fruit aromas and flavors.... Continue Reading →
Macallan Single Malt To Celebrate Burns
While I missed the exact date, I thought I would use the occasion of Burns Night to write about an amazing evening I had some years ago tasting Macallan Single Malt. Before I go any further, let me just mention that January 25th is considered to be Burns night. An occasion to celebrate the life... Continue Reading →
Exploring Legendary Winery Marqués de Riscal
Spanish-Wines.org Our new blogging group, #WorldWineTravel is having it's inaugural Saturday twitter chat tomorrow, January 23, 2021. We've decided that we are going to explore Spain throughout the year. I drink Spanish wines generally outside of the home rather than have them at home. In the days pre-Covid and really pre-Niccolo (my son) I used... Continue Reading →
Biden/Harris Inauguration Celebration With Val D’Oca
Val D'Oca I have been celebrating with bottles of Val D'Oca sparkling wines for the past couple of days. Last night I opened a couple of bottles of the Extra Dry. Today, reading about the first 10 Executive Orders and seeing Dr. Fauci freely speak about the Covid-19 pandemic was such a relief that we... Continue Reading →
52 Years Since MLK’s Murder
It's hard to believe it's 52 years since the murder of Dr. Martin Luther King. He is my hero. I often wonder what life would look like today if he had lived. Such a waste and such a tragedy. I wonder what he would say about what he would see if he were alive today.... Continue Reading →
Wine Wednesday: Chateau Purcari Rosu de Purcari
This week's Wine Wednesday is about Rosu de Purcari from Chateau Purcari in Moldova. Purcari is an historic winery in Moldova and "in 1827, Emperor of Russia Nicholas I issued a special decree granting Purcari the status of the first specialized winery in Bessarabia." They make many wines among them, this one which is a... Continue Reading →
Wine Wednesday: Brazil’s Miolo
Today's post is dedicated to a winery I visited last year in Brazil, Miolo. It was also the first winery I had ever heard about or tried a wine from in Brazil, starting back in 2013. It always stayed in my mind because of the Italian heritage of the family. The founder Giuseppe Miolo, immigrated... Continue Reading →