A wine blog by Susannah Gold
December 7th is always a strange day. On the one hand, I think of Pearl Harbor, the day that will live in infamy and how the USA got into World War II and all that that meant and all the lives that were lost on this day. My great Uncle was at Pearl Harbor. It... Continue Reading →
Today's wine Wednesday is dedicated to Il Chiaretto from the Azienda Agricola Pasini San Giovanni. The wine is made from a blend of indigenous varieties: Groppello, Marzemino, Barbera and Sangiovese. To be a Valtènesi some 50% of the blend must be from Groppello (either Gentile and/or Mocasina). As a grape, Groppello has a thin skin... Continue Reading →
This week's women in wine is Alessandra from Azienda Noventa in the Botticino DOC area. I met Alessandra in July 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 Society of Wine Educators conference in Portland... Continue Reading →
Guido Berlucchi has always been one of my favorite Italian brands. When I lived in Milan, this was one of two wines on every single restaurant and bar list. If I asked for a sparkling wines, the baristas would always say Berlucchi o Ferrari. I celebrated every occasion with one or the other and got... Continue Reading →
This week's indigenous variety hails from Lombardy, from the province of Brescia. I found it mentioned in a couple of places and a white wine made from the grape called Vino Pusterla. I also found this interesting blog reference to the grape. I have never had a wine made from this white grape but I... Continue Reading →
Today is an Italian national holiday known as la Festa della Repubblica. It celebrates the day in 1946 when Italians voted to become a republic. In Italy, most people go on holiday for a long weekend, affectionately known as il ponte or the bridge. Most took yesterday off to make it a four day affair.... Continue Reading →
Vinitaly ended last week but I tried so many wines there that I can probably keep writing about them for the next two months. One building where I spent a lot of time is the Lombardy area in the Palaexpo building. It is the closest one to the entrance, has the sala stampa (press room)... Continue Reading →
Some years ago I had the occasion to interview Pia Donata Berlucchi, CEO of Fratelli Berlucchi and President of Le Donne del Vino, an Italian association of women in wine started in 1988. She was extremely intelligent, very professional and really impressive with sharp and piercing blue eyes. I remember being a little intimidated by... Continue Reading →
