Exploring Italian Wine One Grape at a Time
On a summer day at the end of June, Nadia, my partner in wine, came to pick me up in the morning to go to Montefollonico and Montepulciano. We had decided we would tour a couple of wineries in the area, and one of them was Tenuta Valdipiatta just outside Montepulciano. In an earlier article … Read more
A summer evening in mid-July, I was invited to a wine and olive oil tasting dinner at Villa Cora in Florence by the San Gervasio winery and the olive oil producer Eleonora di Toledo. It was a lovely evening where we could get to know the wine and olive oil producers better in the sofas … Read more
’Twas the…end of April, and together with my friend Paola Dentifrigi, we were out touring a couple of wineries in Tuscany. We had an appointment with Fattoria di Fibbiano in the afternoon like between 3 and 6 pm. We were slightly late for the appointment but thought that was not a problem. Then Giuseppe Cantoni from … Read more
… and now, fair Italy! Thou art the garden of the world (…) From Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, Canto IV By Lord Byron So I know I always return to the poets of the Romanticism and Nationalist period in 19th century Europe, but, after all, that is the period I studied in my historical research. Have patience … Read more
On April 25th we had been told that the rain was going to pour down all day long, but me and my friend Paola Dentifrigi decided to challenge the weather and go on a wine tour anyway. It was a national holiday, as April 25th in Italy is a very important day being Liberation Day, i.e. the … Read more
Last Wednesday, March 30th, I was invited to a lunch in Florence with other wine writers to meet with the owner of Valdonica winery in Maremma, Martin Kerres and his oenologist Tim Manning. Furthermore, two of Martin Kerres daughters were with him at the lunch too. The lunch took place at the Residence Villa Cora which is located on … Read more
“She walks in Beauty, like the night” from She Walks in Beauty, by George Gordon, Lord Byron Even though it is still somewhere between winter and spring, and on the hills surrounding Livorno last weekend it was fairly rainy and grey, it is still a place that “walks in beauty”. Livorno is known as one … Read more
As you have probably understood by now, February is the month when you can get all the sneak peeks of the Tuscan wines being launched during the year. Together with my friend and fellow sommelier Nadia Padrin, we have so far covered the sneak peeks of Nobile di Montepulciano (covered by Nadia), Tuscany Taste, (the … Read more
This month is the period of the so-called Anteprime, i.e. the wine events organized by the different wine consortiums here in Tuscany, Italy, in order to taste the new vintages being presented for the present year. It is a great opportunity both for buyers, sommelier, journalists and people in general to taste the wines the … Read more
Exploring the Treasures of Umbria: Grechetto, Sagrantino & Olive Oil “A thing of beauty is a joy for ever” (from Endymion, by John Keats) Now you might wonder why I begin this article with a quote by Keats when you probably think I should start directly to talk about wine. Well, it is all connected. Beauty, … Read more