This week’s Italian indigenous variety hails from the Veneto and is called Durella. The grape variety ends in an “a” while the wine in an “o.” I was introduced to this grape variety by Antonio Fattori. He makes a wine which I adore called I Singhe Lessini Durello D.O.C. from 100% Durella. It is a sparkling wine and Durella is perfect for these types of wines. This wine is made in stainless steel without the use of any sulfur dioxide which I find interesting. Every year during Vinitaly, Antonio hosts a party for his importers and Italian agents. I used to work with these wines so I have been able to go to the parties for the past three years at Vinitaly. I always end up spending most of my evening drinking this sparkler which I find appealing throughout a meal. Durella makes wines with a refined bouquet…

This week’s Wine Wednesday is dedicated to Venissa, Venice’s vineyard which I visited this summer and which has had dramatic flooding these past weeks with the high water levels in the lagoon of Venice. I spent about 10 days in Venice this summer. Part of it on the Dorsoduro and part in Murano. I have been to Venice many times in my life but had never stayed as long as this summer. It was a wonderful and magical experience that gave me a different feeling about the city. I also showed it to my son for the first time. He asks to go back all the time. I highly recommend it as a destination with a young child. I pulled the below photo from their instagram feed.

Getting back to Wine Wednesday, I first heard about Venissa from Roberto Cipresso, a well-known winemaker and a friend, who worked on the…

Should there be a victory that makes me extremely happy tomorrow, I will be drinking Giulio Ferrari, Riserva del Fondatore from Ferrari, the well known Italian sparkling wine producer from Trento. It is a blanc de blanc made from only chardonnay grapes from a single vineyard called Maso Pianizza.The wine rests on its lees for 10 years before it is released. It is extraordinary and would be a great way to begin a new phase of the country’s life and my own….Some years ago I interviewed Camilla Lunelli from the family that runs Ferrari. I need to search for my notes. However, since I am extremely superstitious and scaramantica, I have not yet bought it. Alternatively, I may have to buy a large bottle of 12 year old Bowmore peaty scotch to drown my sorrows if there is a victory that makes me very sad.

If that happens, I will…