Puglia has an amazing food culture going back centuries. This, and three UNESCO sites, 500 miles of coastline and upwards of 45,000 olive trees mean it has a lot to capture hearts. And it has a slew of wine grapes, many indigenous to Puglia. It also has wine philosopher Francesco Dibenedetto at his l’archetipo winery in the Taranto province. Dibenedetto… Read more »
I recently visited the southern Italian region Puglia with a handful of others to discover its wine, food, and cultural offerings. Based in the port town Bari, we set off each of five mornings with a packed agenda. This article focuses on Olio De Carlo, an organic Olive Oil producer just outside Bari. Wondering where Puglia is? This narrow and… Read more »
If you like white wine and want to change things up this fall try the Turbiana grape. It’s from the inter-regional DOC Lugana shared between the Italian Lombardy and Veneto regions producing mostly rich, fuller-bodied wines. While in southern Lake Garda last year I spotted Lugana at a wine shop. Then visiting Pratello winery they poured their Lugana- my first… Read more »
Picturesque Cochem in the upper Mosel Valley is a perfect place to rendezvous with friends and explore Riesling. That’s what we did on a recent trip with an added hike to the Cochem Castle.
Grower Champagne is the smaller producer deciding what he or she wants to make and how. This is the essence of grower Champagne and two fourth-generation grower producers: Pierre Péters Champagne and Champagne Bourgeois-Diaz.
Italy has upwards of 590 officially recognized wine grape varieties to date. Here’s one you might not know that you know- Cannonau.
Fresh sardines grilled with lemon and garlic or stuffed are tasty. We reach for our favorite pairing, a Spanish Rosado wine. Here’s a perfect summer recipe to try them both.
Many styles of rosé come in mass-produced and boutique quantities, the later are more difficult to find. Both are good, but it’s the obscure French rosé that excites me.
“Let her sleep, for when she wakes, she will shake the world.” ~Napoleon Bonaparte If you’ve been to Bordeaux chances are you made it to the right bank. There you’ll find several famous appellations vying for attention including Pomerol, the smallest of Bordeaux’s most esteemed. And in this AOP (Appellation d’Origine Protegee) where there are lots of families who own… Read more »
Northern Italy is full of (wine) surprises. It’s not just about Milan and the Cinque Terre, and Venice or Tuscany. Lots of people don’t explore outside of these destinations. So for those folks wanting fewer than a zillion tourists and interesting wines made with grapes native to Italy, head to Bardolino on Lake Garda. This area is making some of… Read more »