Category Archives: Italy

Authentic Wines from the Indigenous Grapes of Sicily and Southern Italy

Posted on January 21, 2021 by don

Italy has many indigenous red grape varieties used for making wine including several lesser known ones in Sicily, Campania, and Molise reviewed here: Perricone, Corinto Nero, Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio, Tintilia, and Aglianico.  These are wines of character and a … Continue reading →

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Vermouth’s Resurgence as Aperitif: Dry and White Vermouths from Europe and America

Posted on December 7, 2020 by don

Vermouth is enjoying growing popularity, including a number of American producers of attractively packaged, premium bottlings.  As shown in the graph below, sales in the US are on a strong upward trend (a 21% increase in US Vermouth imports in 2018 … Continue reading →

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Cottanera’s New Releases from Sicily’s Mt. Etna

Posted on November 2, 2020 by don

Mt. Etna is one of the world’s most unique wine terroirs, as we discovered on our trip there for our report on The Wines of Sicily.  In this article, we review the current releases of one the most prominent producers, Cottanera. Located … Continue reading →

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Tezza: Current Releases of Amarone and Ripasso from the Valpantena Valley

Posted on October 26, 2020 by don

100% organic certified, the Tezza winery in the Valpantena Valley northeast of Verona is now managed by the third generation of the family.  They undertook a major renovation of their 28 hectares of vineyards in the towns of Poiano, Nesente, and … Continue reading →

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Roero’s Malvirà in Italy’s Piedmont: New Releases of Single Vineyard Arneis and Nebbiolo

Posted on October 5, 2020 by don

Tasting the single vineyard Arneis and Nebbiolo wines from Malvirà brought back pleasant memories of our visit to the winery in Canale while working on our Roero report. That’s when Roberto Damonte presented the wines at the Hotel Villa Tiboldi … Continue reading →

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Barbera d’Asti and Barbera d’Alba: Fresh, Fruity and Outstanding Value

Posted on August 20, 2020 by don

The Barbera grape variety is high yielding, relatively easy to grow, and makes fresh tasting fruity, high acid wines.  Thought to have originated in Italy’s Piedmont region, today it’s grown throughout the world.  However, it’s still mostly grown in Italy where the … Continue reading →

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Fine Wines from Roero in the Piedmont: New Releases from Negro Angelo e Figli

Posted on August 1, 2020 by don

Located in Monteu Roero not far from Canale in the Piedmont hills, Negro Angelo e Figli is one of the oldest winemaking families of the Roero.  The family has cultivated vines since the 17th century and today has vines in Monteu … Continue reading →

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Bibbiano Chianti Classico: New Releases

Posted on June 30, 2020 by don

Located in the commune of Castellina in Chianti, the 220 hectare Tenuta di Bibbiano is one of Chianti Classico’s historical wine properties. We’ve visited the estate and tasted several vintages of Bibbiano’s wines over the years. And we recorded an … Continue reading →

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2019 Vintage Rosés from Around the World

Posted on June 19, 2020 by don

Today, good quality rosé wines are made all over the world. In this article we focus on some of the most popular 2019 rosés on the market in the US.  The wines reviewed here are from Provence and other areas … Continue reading →

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Tenuta Santa Maria: New Valpolicella and Amarone Releases

Posted on May 23, 2020 by don

The sixth generation of the Bertani family maintains the family tradition of producing quality Veronese wines at their Tenuta Santa Maria estate.  They make a range of wines from Soave to Valpolicella Classico Superiore, Ripasso and Amarone della Valpolicella.  The Gaetano brothers … Continue reading →

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