The Italian Food, Wine, Travel Group Uncovers the Pecorino Grape This month our #ItalianFWT group of writers highlight the white wine grape Pecorino, looking to find examples in the Italian regions where it grows most: Le Marche (it’s native home) and Abruzzo. Pecorino vines exist in Liguria, Lazio, Tuscany and Umbria too. This group virtually visited Le Marche last spring… Read more »
Pantelleria floats off the southwest corner of Sicily. With nowhere near the number of visitors anyone wanting a quieter wine trip is in luck. Zibibbo is the wine temptress.
The last time you enjoyed a bottle of Italian wine was it organic, or produced by natural methods? Biodynamic? Perhaps you don’t know or don’t care. Does making wine without chemicals really make a difference? Organic agriculture is a hot topic these days owing to growing consumer concern about where their food comes from, how it’s processed, and what’s in… Read more »
Sagrantino, a thick-skinned grape with off-the-scale color and body is where you find the red prize of Umbria. Montefalco is perched high up in Umbria, in the foothills of the Central Italian Apennines. These lush, green hills are the historic home of Sagrantino yet it’s not well known outside of Umbria. Say Italy and wine in a sentence and many… Read more »
The world of Italian sparkling wine is diverse in variety and cost, yet many style varieties can be overwhelming. Here is an overview of what Italy has to offer you.
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 »
Italy has upwards of 590 officially recognized wine grape varieties to date. Here’s one you might not know that you know- Cannonau.
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 »
Soave is one of the most important white wine appellations in Italy. Although it’s name was tarnished for years, they now produce single varietal, distinctive “cru” wines from the Garganega grape. The Veneto region in northern Italy where the Soave hails is worth the visit, great food too!
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.