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 »
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.
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 »
A year ago I wandered into a favorite wine shop in Bordeaux and discovered Vermentino again. It’s a grape that grows in many places. France, Italy, Australia, California and Oregon are prime areas. I’ve tasted some from each place but the one that stands out is the Vermentino from the Corsican Arena family. A Family Business in Patrimonio Antoine Arena… Read more »
Vermentino is the flagship wine of the Gallura region in the north east of Sardinia. Gallura is a specific area where the grape has a striking personality. Today it’s becoming one of the Island’s most successful wines.
There’s a white grape in the Marche region of Italy that some say produces one of Italy’s prized white wines. In fact, it’s been called one of Italy’s greatest native white grapes. Its best expression comes from Verdicchio del Castelli di Jesi but growns in other areas of the Marche too. Today I’m sharing information about two lovely Verdicchio from the Umani Ronchi estate.
I didn’t know much about the Italian wine grape Aglianico. In fact I can’t remember tasting such a wine. Italy has a staggering number of grape varieties native to the country. It’s likely near impossible to have an exact number but as of 2016, the national registry of grape varieties catalogs 511. As you probably guessed, Aglianico is one of… Read more »
We recently spent a few days in Napa Valley on a California trip to visit friends and family. After two years in living Bordeaux, what a fabulous and interesting experience being back in Northern California. Our amazing vacation rental was cozy and relaxing, close to Oxbow Market and CIA at Copia, and the base of the Silverado Trail, situated perfectly for a stay in Napa.
Two appellations lie within the Languedoc-Roussillon: the Corbiéres and Minervois AOPs (Appellation d’Origine Protégée). Both are focused on red wines made from Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Carignan, Cinsault, and Lladoner Pelut in differing proportions. They deliver a small amount of noteworthy whites made primarily from Grenache Blanc, Bourboulenc, Marsanne, Roussanne, Viognier, Vermentino (Rolle), and Maccabeu (Viura). Several other grapes grow there too. Read on to learn about defining characteristics of these areas.