The London International Wine Fair that took place recently in London is the occasion in which the winners of the largest and most prestigious international wine competitions are announced. Some of the award-winning wines were available for tasting at the fair so everyone got really excited.
On the first day of the Fair, everyone was curious to know the competitions’ results. Importers, retailers and producers were keen to see if their wines scored a medal and to discover new champions. The booths of the International ...
Apulia is very well known throughout the world both for its particular constructions called trulli, its beautiful beaches and towns as well as its rich culinary tradition. It has also been making great wines for centuries.
Viticultural in Apulia has been helped along by the waves of occupiers including the Greeks, the Romans, Hannibal, Arabs, Normans, the French, the Germans and the Spanish and many other waring tribes in ancient times. Apulia was also ...
Organic Italian wines, an umbrella category which include sustainable, organic and biodynamic wines are coming to New York thanks to Italian marketing agency Wine Dreamers Communications.
Berebio, the New York stop, is part of a larger roadshow for these wineries and will be held at Altacucina’s Epicurean Center on May 24 from 3pm to 8pm.
An organic wine show is somewhat rare when speaking about Italian ...
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Vitiviniculture or grape growing in Lazio, formerly called Latium where the capital city of Rome lies, dates back to the Etruscans, a people who preceded the Romans. Grapes flourished under the Roman Empire although what they drank is quite different in style to what we are used to drinking.
Grapes grew very well on the volcanic soils of the Castelli Romani (Roman Castles) area and were mentioned early on by the reigning poets of the day Tibullo, Orazio and Catullo as well as by Pliny the Elder in his Naturalis Historia ...
Barbera, long a grape that has been overlooked or at least underrated, is making real headway in the United States marketplace this year. The reasons are multifaceted. Key to this renewed focus on Barbera is the continuing global recession.
Barbera on the whole is more economical than wines made with Nebbiolo such as Barolo, Barbaresco and Gattinara. Additionally, better quality Barbera is now widely available and there are more styles to choose from too. Add to this the ...
Asprinio Bianco is a little known indigenous Italian white grape variety that hails from the Campania region in Southern Italy. Asprinio wine has very particular viticultural and vinification traditions The grape variety is grown on local poplar trees and can rise up to 30-45 feet in the air.
Asprinio's origins are not entirely clear and two different hypotheses have been put forth. The first places Asprinio in the pinot family of wines which includes Pinot Grigio, Pinot Nero and Pinot Bianco. The second sees the ...
Piedmont is quite renowned for its red wines such as Barolo, Barbaresco, Ghemma, Gattinara and Dolcetto. In fact, Piedmont has the most wines that have received the Denominazione dOrigine Controllata e Garantita or D.O.C.G. designation than any other region in Italy.
That said, a few white grapes are well known in Piedmont. Among them are Gavi which is making a comeback, Erbaluce di Caluso making its debut and Moscato d’Asti the well known dessert wine but Arneis is the white grape variety ...
Ansonica Bianca, also widely known as Inzolia, has very different expressions in its two home areas, Tuscany and Sicily. This medium sized grape variety which is yellow green in color is quite vigorous and grows well in hot, arid climes. It can be vinified as a mono-varietal which is what generally happens in Tuscany or as a blend, a more common practice for this wine in Sicily. It is also used as the base wine to make the aperitif Vermouth as well as the sweet wine called Marsala from Western Sicily.
In Tuscany, this grape grows on the Monte Argentario coastline, a gorgeous location in lower Tuscany. Some of the well known towns in the area are Manciano, Orbetello and Capalbio. Capalbio is the local hangout of well to do left leaning ...
Italian viticulture has seriously started its invasion of the international market as new vineyards are in production, producers own more and more modern and well-equipped cellars, each and every one of the 20 Italian regions is capable of reaching absolute peaks of excellence and all native varietals in production are the result of rigorous and efficient clonal selection.
The Renaissance of viticulture and oenology that began in the early 1980s has been accomplished; the development of production techniques and the consequent improvement/mutation of compositional characteristics, meaning of the ...
Italy has a never ending supply of indigenous grape varieties. Some have world renown such as Aglianico, Sangiovese, and Nebbiolo while most are little know outside of their own region. This is the case with the next two varietals, Alionza and Ancellotta
Both Alionza and Ancellotta hail from Emilia Romagna, a region in the center of the country well known for its fabulous food, charcuterie, cheeses and the like. Its’ wines are not quite as well known although Lambrusco was ...
Aleatico is one of those mysterious grapes that you have heard of but arent really sure of where it grows or what type of wine it produces. There are good reasons for this. First of all, Aleatico grows in a variety of Italian regions, among them Apulia, Tuscany, Lazio, Le Marche, Abruzzo and Sicily. The first three regions are more widely known for this enigmatic variety but little of it is brought into the United States.
By Susannah Gold
Aleatico is also an enigmatic red grape because it is hard to find precise information about its origins or its parentage. Most agree that it is in the family of the Muscat grapes. Some say it is related to the Muscat ...
Albarola is one of the local grape varieties from Cinque Terre, the area of Liguria famous for its beauty. Albarola, with Bosco and Vermentino, two other local grape varieties, is part of the blend that produces Cinque Terre DOC and Schiacchetra, the Cinque Terres most famous wines.
By Susannah Gold
Liguria is a long and thin region which borders on France in the West and runs to Tuscany in the East. Renowned for its extremely picturesque landscapes and closely huddled mountain towns, Liguria also produces a number ...
Albana di Romagna from Emilia Romagna became a DOC wine in 1967 and a DOCG in 1987. It is made into a variety of styles including secco, amabile, dolce, and passito. Albana can also be a made into a sparkling wine but it can use only the DOC denomination for the sparkling version. Very few of these wines are sold outside of Emilia Romagna and they have not been that widely imported into the United States. The passito version of the Albana is renowned for its honey, apricot, spice and magnolia flavors. It ages very gracefully and can keep for anywhere between six to 10 years.
By Susannah Gold
Emilia Romagna, a region in Northern Italy, is home to a significant number of indigenous grape varieties, many of which are largely unknown to the American public. Among them is Albana di Romagna which is made into a ...
Aglianico del Vulture is considered one of the best Southern Italian wines. A rich red wine from Basilicata, Aglianico del Vulture has notes of blueberry and cherry as well as chocolate and coffee. Aglianico del Vulture is a very long lived wine and can take some years to open up.
By Susannah Gold
Basilicata, a region in Southern Italy, is considered by some to be Aglianico’s true home. While exact evidence is difficult to uncover, experts agree that the grape was found in this region as early as the 6th ...
Aglianico is the most famous grape in the southern regions of Italy. Together with Sangiovese and Nebbiolo, it is considered one of the three noble grape varieties in Italy. It is sometimes called the Barolo of the South.
By Susannah Gold
This is the first entry of our grape varietal series. We are going to try to go through the whole alphabet although surely we will miss one or two grape varieties. We start our journey with Aglianico, a grape variety ...
We are beginning a new series of articles about Italian grape varieties and the Italian wines that are produced from them throughout Italy.
Some basic facts are needed before we continue. Italy has 20 regions. Each of these regions has numerous zones which are planted with grape vines. Just like in France, the Italians have a classification system which applies to their ...
Now its the right time to pick a bottle of Vino Novello, the Italian version of the French Vin Nouveau. Vino Novello, by law, is a wine that must be bottled within the year of the harvest, but in reality is bottled only within a few weeks. It is often paired with Roasted Chestnuts or a flavorful dish like the Grilled Pork with Cabbage.
It’s a new custom, very recent.
Vino Novello, a wine that must be bottled within the year of the harvest, but in reality is bottled only within a few weeks, should not be confused with Vino Nuovo. The latter used to be ...
The Principe Pallavicini winery, owned by the Pallavicini noble family, has a number of different properties near Rome. They produce an array of high quality Latium wines from the classic Frascati DOC to their own Amarasco, a blend of grapes from different Cesanese clones. This high quality red wine, with its velvety finish, is perfect with a traditional Roman recipe: Baby Lamb Chops Roman Style (Abbacchio alla Romana).
The Noble Family of Pallavicini makes outstanding Latium wines
By Susannah L. Gold
A couple of years ago I had the occasion to interview the Princess Maria Camilla Pallavicini from the Principe Pallavicini ...
The region of Lazio is not the most well known of Italy’s 20 regions. In fact, many people have only heard of Lazio because of its capital city, Rome. This region which lies in the center of Italy, bordered by Tuscany, Umbria, ...
Cesanese del Piglio awarded DOCG status
Lazio, a region in the center of Italy whose capital city is Rome, is one Italian wine region that hasn’t yet had its day in the sun in the United States but that will surely change thanks to improvements in winemaking, clone ...
Luca Maroni introduces Mario Bisceglias Vulture. A wine maker ready to conquer restaurants wine lists worldwide
Mario Bisceglia is a restless and passionate soul. In his accent, there are deep roots and strong ties to his homeland of Basilicata. In his voice is the confidence earned by years of managerial experience and a strong will to achieve, ...
This best seller wine is now available in a sparkling, fun version: Tosti Pinot Grigio Sparkling. Another great way to experience an Italian aperitivo
Italian wine is famous and appreciated worldwide and Pinot Grigio is probably the bestseller Italian white wine, with its typical straw-yellow coloring and greenish reflections, its delicate fragrance with a trace of fruit and yeast. It ...
The unrivaled prestige of Brunello di Montalcino showcased in New York
The event
It’s a favorite of all wine connoisseurs…and when it comes to town, nobody can ignore it. The Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino has held Benvenuto Brunello, the annual tasting event that always ...
Enjoying high quality wines and gourmet charcuterie is everybody's dream
Just a few years ago the typical picture of eating in Italy portrayed a little table in a nice, cozy, possibly rural piazza (square) where a couple was comfortably seated while leisurely sipping a cup of espresso…the variation was ...
In addition to more than 19 wines of DOC and DOCG, Sardinia has 16 IGTs, the most of any region.
Once I’ve completed my cooking classes in Verona and Sicily, I usually take some quality time for a little R and R…rest and research. As it turns out, not as much rest as research. This gives me a chance to visit ...
Terre d'Alteni: Pinot Grigio O.P.D.O.C. and Barbera Le Piane O.P.D.O.C.
Located south of the Po River, in the Pavia region, the Oltrepo' Pavese is an ancient land of wine.
Terre d'Alteni: Pinot Grigio O.P.D.O.C. and Barbera Le Piane O.P.D.O.C.
Wines from Oltrepo’ PaveseBy Laura Caparrotti
Located south of the Po River, in the Pavia region, the Oltrepo’ Pavese is an ancient land of wine. ...
