I was speaking about this grape variety today so I thought I would repost this article from some years ago. This week's indigenous grape variety entry will be a short one because I could find very little information on this variety on the internet or in other sources. The variety, Cornarea Nero, hails from Piedmont... Continue Reading →
Sunday Sips: Barbera – Italy’s Most Underrated Grape
I used to be a Barbera snob. I wouldn't drink it. I thought it was too acidic without being serious. Many people I know in Italy still feel this way about Barbera. Luckily I realized the error of my ways a few years ago and am now a very happy drinker of this Piedmontese wine.... Continue Reading →
Wines of Lombardy: Azienda Noventa, Botticino DOC – Brescia
I'm reposting this article I wrote about Alessandra from Azienda Noventa in the Botticino DOC area, in the province of Brescia. I met Alessandra in July 2017 at her winery. I had met her husband at Vinitaly in April and arranged to visit them. I gave a seminar on the Wines of Lombardy at the... Continue Reading →
Wine Wednesday: Nizza D.O.C.G. La Court from Michele Chiarlo
Today is Wine Wednesday and I am writing about a wine I tasted at a recent seminar on Barbera d'Asti from the Nizza DOCG area specifically. This wine is from Michele Chiarlo. The wines are brought in by Kobrand. I did a few projects for Kobrand years ago and am quite familiar with their amazing... Continue Reading →
Italian Indigenous Varieties: Nebbiera Nera
This week's variety is one I had never heard of called Nebbiera Nera. As you might expect from the name, its a cross between Nebbiolo and Barbera made by Professor Giovanni Dalmasso at the Istituto Sperimentale per la Viticoltura in Conegliano in 1938. The idea was to incorporate some of the rustic qualities of Barbera... Continue Reading →
Buona Pasqua, Happy Easter
Today was Easter, a holiday I love actually. In the past on this day I have gone to hear gospel music in churches throughout Manhattan or a particular Pastor speak and often I have been visiting with friends in Italy sharing a particularly spectacular meal. Today I was in Pennsylvania with different generations of my... Continue Reading →
Italian Indigenous Varieties: Nigra – A Cross Created by Italo Cosmo At Conegliano
This week's indigenous variety is called Nigra and is a cross between Merlot and Barbera created by Italo Cosmo in the 1960s in Conegliano. The idea was to increase the acidity in Merlot which at times has a lack of it. It is only grown on some hectares around the city of Treviso. It is... Continue Reading →
Wine Wednesday: Azienda Agricola Quaquarini’s Sangue di Giuda
This week's Wine Wednesday is dedicated to a winery from the Oltrepo'Pavese. Few people think immediately of Oltrepo' when thinking about Italian wine but that is a mistake. The area has 179 wineries plus 1300 growers that are members of the consortium Oltrepo'. The area has 13,269 hectares and constitutes some 55% of Lombard viticultural... Continue Reading →
Wine Wednesday: San Colombano Al Lambro Frizzante from Azienda Agricola Panizzari
This week's Wine Wednesday is dedicated to Panizzari's San Colombano Al Lambro wines. San Colombano al Lambro is Milano's only DOC wine region. There are 13 wineries that are part of the Consortium which was created in 1987 and they are located in the provinces of Milano and Lodi. The reds which are the ones... Continue Reading →
Italian Indigenous Grapes: Ervi Nero from Emilia Romagna
This week's grape variety is from Emilia Romagna, a lovely region with great food and interesting wines. The variety was created in 1970 as a cross between indigenous grape varieties Barbera and Croatina, locally called Bonarda as well. It was created at the Universita' Cattolica di Piacenza by Professor Mario Fregoni, Professor of Viticulture, as... Continue Reading →