“All this Prosecco DOCG, so little time!” As journalists from various points of the world sauntered into the elegant Hotel Le Betulle in the Congegliano Valdobbiadene region of NorthEast Italy, all eyes were upon the gorgeously laid out bottles of Prosecco in various iced buckets, the foiled necks of the bottles a surprising rainbow of [...]
“This looks like the Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco” I exclaim, coming upon the incredible structure that rises from out of nowhere in the Maremma wilderness. This state-of-the-Art winery was designed twelve years ago by Mario Botta (who incidently also designed the SF museum) and is a curious balance of new and old. [...]
Do you spend much time thinking about the sparkling water you enjoy with your meal? Maybe you should. Ferrarelle, the most popular sparkling water in Italy, brought World Champion Sommelier Luca Gardini to the elegant The Leopard at des Artistes (one of Manhattan’s top restaurants) to show the city’s most influential wine journalists what to [...]
Curious about what wine to bring for Thanksgiving dinner? The most important consideration is to find a good “food wine” — especially wines that will pair well with thanksgiving foods like turkey and sweet potatoes that also have that elusive quality of “balance.” Below are three wines, a white and two reds, that you [...]
Winemaker Merz in white shirt Perhaps there is something ironic about a young, white, fresh-tasting wine called Frascati, meant to drink in its youth, that tastes fabulous at 14 years (1997 vintage). Frascati is blended white wine of a specific style: high in minerals, refreshing, and with some citrus and floral characteristics depending on the [...]
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, [...]
“I’ve never had a wine that could be altered in so many ways!” said a bewildered friend after blind tasting three different versions of the Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio grape. And it’s true … some might even call Pinot Gris/Grigio the multi-personality wine because of the way it takes on so many different expressions. This is [...]
"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, [...]
Very excited to introduce you in this email to the lovely and very passionate Egle Armani, the wife (and spokeswoman) for the Albino Armani winery she owns with her husband. A few other journalists and I gathered together to taste her wines and hear her story at Dan Meyers new Maialino restaurant in Gramercy Park. [...]
… so very excited to go on my first trip with the Association of Wine Educators (ASE). I have already met a few of them at UK related events and am curious to learn more about the Valpolicella region Also very excited that Michelle Shaw is leading the group – I had last seen [...]
Review of Collio One of the more indulgent pleasures in today’s frenzied world (especially when it comes to the tiny kitchens of Manhattan) is to buy a glossy cooking magazine with mouth-watering photographs of incredibly decadent cuisine, and just sit there, savoring a glass of wine as you read the recipe and pretend you [...]
Light Fruity Reds "They do all seem so similar!" says a friend, known as the "supertaster," sniffing the mystery wine inside bag #2. In front of us are three opened bottles of wine, each of their identities covered by sleek silver bags. All we know is that one is a Valpolicella Classico 2007, a Gamay [...]
Think of Calabria and what is the first thing that springs to mind? For me (a classic film buff) it is the Fellini film The Nights of Calabria. So you can imagine my surprise at an invitation to taste wines…
Think of a Ferrari and you think of a gorgeous sports car, right? A sleek, sexy icon of pleasure that personifies quality and luxury. So when I was first poured a glass of sparkling wine called Ferrari, I made the…
“My grandfather started the winery in 1960,” says the handsome and quite charming Massimo Zorzettig, co-owner and sales director for La Tunella, a winery located in the northeastern region of Friuli, Italy. I am sitting with Massimo, his translator, and…
… now you might be wondering why this blog has been so quiet … and the reason is I just got back from a trip to Italy. In any event, one of the towns I visited was Cinque Terre. The…
