A wine blog by Susannah Gold
I had never heard of Renata Fonte until this past weekend. I watched a movie on YouTube that was part of a four part series that ran in 2018 called Liberi Sognatori. I was stunned that I never heard of her since I have avidly been reading Italian news since 1991. Infact, I learned Italian... Continue Reading →
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 →
Once upon a time, in 2009, I started to write a column for an online website called Alta Cucina. I wrote about Italian indigenous grape varieties because I was amazed at how many there are and their link to individual terroirs and the stories behind them. Fast forward 11 years and I am on the... Continue Reading →
I confess, I have always been a sweet wine lover. I almost never pair the wines with a dessert but usually just sip them as my dessert. I also have to admit, that when I think of sweet wines, especially from Italy, my mind always went to wines made with white grapes rather than red... Continue Reading →
My wine of the week for wine Wednesday is from Apulia, from Tenuta Chiaromonte. It is a Primitivo from Acquaviva delle Fonti in La Murgia which is near Bari in Apulia. The winery started in the 1800s with 3 hectares and now has 32 hectares. I tried this wine at the Gambero Rosso tasting earlier... Continue Reading →
This Malvasia hails from Puglia or Apulia as we say in English. It tends to grow around Lecce, Taranto and Brindisi. Malvasia Nera di Brindisi which is also sometimes called Malvasia Nera di Lecce, Malvasia di Bitonto and Malvasia di Trani is usually used in rose wines for which the Salento is very well known... Continue Reading →
I discovered Castel del Salve one year at Vinitaly. I was tasting Aleatico that year in Puglia and I was very attracted to their modernist labels. I then discovered that they are from a small town in the Salento, Depressa, which oddly enough was home to a woman I had been working with. Of course,... Continue Reading →
I know this picture is very blurry but in addition to having tried many wines that afternoon, I also had just seen Sting sing two of his songs in what felt like my living room so perhaps I was overcome with emotion. All of this took place during the first day of my trip to... Continue Reading →
While today's weather hasn't been perfect, it does remind me of many Easter Monday picnics I used to have when I lived in Italy. Traditionally a holiday, most Italians go out for a picnic with friends and/or family. There is a saying in Italian, "Natale con i tuoi, pasqua dove vuoi" which translated actually means... Continue Reading →
This week's variety is called Impigno Bianco. The name is clearly a family name and is thought to be that of the person who brought this grape to Italy, specifically to Puglia near the town of Ostuni. A white grape it is used for blending generally with other indigenous grapes such as Verdeca, Bianco d'Alessano... Continue Reading →
