The sparkling wine enjoyed was fresh with a delicate creamy mousse and just enough brightness balanced with light toast and length. My curiosity was piqued, questions were asked. This is how I met Domaine Slapšak.
Italian wine is diverse. Its cultures, food, landscapes and weather are too. You can observe this diversity in the twenty unique wine regions of Italy. Big and complicated, yes, but here is your intro to Italian wine made simple.
One of the most enthralling forms of Chenin Blanc comes from the Loire Valley. The castles are enthralling too. Pair them together and you won’t want to leave. Grown from the Pays Nantais on the western most side of the valley (known as the Lower Loire) to the Touraine district (known as Middle Loire), the Chenin Blanc grape thrives in… Read more »
Nero Buono is a grape native to the Lazio wine region that’s within easy reach of Rome. Marco Carpineti makes organic wines there including a Nero Buono we tasted.
Lazio might fly under the Tuscany radar now but the area rich with history, lush with hillsides, and satisfying palates with its wines is making a statement with Cesanese.
This is not any wine. Nope… nor a regular duck confit dish. Prepared with potimarron and duck from a local producer, the dish and Rasteau AOC wine combo could be one of our favorites.
Klaus Lentsch makes the most amazing Lagrein. For those who don’t know him, he’s an Italian winemaker and businessman in the Alto Adige region of northern Italy. And if you’ve never heard of Lagrein, it’s a grape native to this area, where 97% of it grows. Where is Alto Adige? It’s where the Southern Alps descend becoming the Dolomites, and… Read more »
Minervois La Livinière is where you find the small producer Clos Centeilles specializing in almost lost grape varieties. Cécile Domergue has a huge heart and passion for the land her mom Patricia and her farm.
For me, cheese is like caviar or a Michelin starred restaurant- I partake on special occasions only. It’s not that I don’t like it, quite the contrary. There’s nothing like slathering young and creamy Gorgonzola on a cracker. Or a crostini topped with aged Mimolette or Manchego, a walnut then drizzled with honey. But sadly, cheese doesn’t like me. I… Read more »
Stefano Petrini’s grandparents were farmers in a small mountain community rich with history in Italy’s Abruzzo region. Paleolithic cave paintings and Roman ruins were fuel for young, energetic boys to explore. And explore he and his brother did. But it was the contact with nature and vineyards that set their current stage: producing organic wine in Abruzzo’s Pescara and Chieti… Read more »