Felidia is the fabulous venue for our Wine Media Lunches — it is owned by PBS star Lidia Bastianich — – and you can imagine the pleasure in being invited to join Felidia’s Executive Chef Fortunato Nicotra, along with Michelin-star Sicilian chef Patricia Di Benedetto and Azienda Agricola d’Alessandro for a Sicilian Food and Wine [...]

  Do you like sulfates in your wines? No one does … Last night at Eataly (the new Italian food specialty megastore in Manhattan) I discovered  Domodimonti,  a boutique winery located on the picturesque countryside of Montefiore dell’Aso, in Le Marche Region, Italy. In addition to Domodimonti we tasted other specialty items from Marche, as [...]

“Welcome!” exclaims affable Emanuele Rabotti, his exuberant and expressive face lighting up at the appearance of long lost (very lost!) visitors. Perhaps the first thing you should know is that Emanuele i(beyond being a very nice and fun guy) is that he is the owner and winemaker behind Monte Rossa winery, one of the oldest [...]

  Very excited to visit Brescia, Italy for the wine blogger’s conference! I have been reading a lot about Bellavista and hope to visit the winery. While i have not had every Franciacorta wine, the ones I have enjoyed from this DOCG appelation have been the equal of Champagne in terms of finesse and elegance. [...]

  Imagine yourself in a seminar with two delicious looking glasses of sparkling wine in front of you. One, you are told, is from Champagne. The other, Franciacorta a DOCG region in Northern Italy famous for its sparkling wine using the traditional method. You taste the sparklers and one seems much more elegant than the [...]

  Today I received three bottles of Pinot Grigio, all at different price points, from Northern Italy. I think that this shipment is interesting because Pinot Grigio is one of the most popular wines in the world. In fact, I’ve heard sommeliers say people walk into restaurants and just demand a bottle of PG no [...]

  We’ve all heard the story of Cleopatra’s legendary powers of seduction over Julius Caesar and later, Mark Antony. Yet consider this. What if the tool of seduction wasn’t Cleopatra’s famed beauty, but her secret stash of a bright ruby red sparkling wine with a bouquet of roses and violets? Ancient historians write of a [...]

  Vino Nobile di Montepulciano With just seventy producers making the classic Vino Nobile di Montepulchiano in the Tuscan region of Italy, continuing the tradition of this wine is a labor of love for winemakers and consumers alike. Frequently confused with the Montepulchiano grape, it is important to remember the main grape here is Sangiovese, [...]

"You need a valet!" remarked a trio of friends from Manhattan’s Wine Media Guild on a very cloudy and rainy March 10th, as I stepped into the Metropolitan space on 18th street. I had come from several appointments and among the several books, bags, ipad, and set of glasses from my morning tasting glass were [...]

  Imagine …. Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti Classico, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, and Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore all in one room! That was the scene today at the Hilton New York, where presidents of the above named four Consorzios met with journalists in a private room to talk about their regions and vintages. What’s up [...]

Brian Freedman … great title for a panel on social media, yes? The panel was one of many fabulous seminars held at the Waldorf hotel in connection with Vino 2011 in New York, sponsored by the Italian Trade Commission. Moderator Tom Wark and a team of crack social media specialists spoke authenticity, the power of [...]

  Anthony Giglio, also the official blogger at Vino 2011, is always a fun wine educator/entertainer and mesmerizing speaker. I attended the Prosecco seminar, which introduced the new quality wine laws and gave a sampling of Prosecco from many quality levels and price points.    

Ugo Chiola Mr. Chiola, producer of Barolo and an incredibly delicious rose wine made from Nebbiolo grapes, was energetic and lively during the 10 – 2 session of producers looking for American distribution. His wines were incredibly crafted, yet his personal story is larger — he owns a spa and hotel adjacent to his winery, [...]

Daniele of … a few years back, I was blind tasting Italian wine and came across a delicious white I later discovered was Vernaccia di San Gimignano. This is an incredible wine made from grapes grown in the special soil of the area, and  a deep golden color produced by compounds in the grape skins. [...]

So Bill Nesto MW lead the very popular seminar "Diversity of Lombardy" today. It was called ‘the ten faces of Italian wine’ and sure enough ten producers showed off their wines, all from the Lombardy region. Some of the grapes were obscure, but delicious. Other grapes, such as the Pinot Nero Oltrepo Pavese DOC "Pernice" [...]

Angelo Cotugno … so I spent my morning at the Waldorf meeting the different producers who were here looking for distributors. This 1- – 2 event was an exclusive tasting of cutting edge and traditional producers. I was drawn to Angelo’s table as he had three types (and price points) of Nero D’Avola – one [...]

  Cantina di Soave … I’ve had the occasion to taste some interesting whites this week, and all four of them would be perfect for to accompany dishes for a Thanksgiving dinner. Let’s go to Italy for the first. Cantina di Soave produces two "Soave" wines, both with very different taste profiles. If you are [...]

  So I just received two wines today from producer Arnaldo-Caprai. The Grecante, a white, is 100% Grechetto from Dei Colli Martani.  This is a delicious white wine with a light straw color and intense nose of very ripe golden melon and a spritz of yellow grapefruit skin. On the palate, medium body with refreshing [...]

  Curious, isn’t it, the way that wine drinking in America goes through phases? Decades ago "Soave" was a very popular imported wine due to its mass market television advertising. Many wine geeks today recognize that Soave is a DOC in Northern Italy, and that the grape is garganega, but thirty odd years ago its [...]

"If your winery is biodynamic," asks a woman of Nicola Rossi, University professor and board member of the Azienda Agricola Cefalicchio winery in Puglia, "doesn’t that mean you have to plant according to the setting of the moon … or something like that?" Handsome and well spoken Rossi laughs the question off with a shrug, [...]