February. It's the month to love, right? Well people love to hate Valentine's Day. Did you know the day after is officially National Singles Day? As if in revolt! I don't mind it. I don't really care actually. What's wrong with a day (or a month) to think about how much you love the special … Continue reading I heart Italian Pink Bubbly
Category: Veneto
Ca’ di Rajo Raboso del Piave
I thought I had a handle on all of the red grape varieties of northeastern Italy. There are the Valpolicella grapes in Veneto: Corvina, Rondinella, Molinara, as well as Croatina, Oseleta, and Corvinone.† And the neighboring regions are full of indigenous grapes: Lagrein and Schiava in Alto Adige,‡ Teroldego in Trentino, as well as Refosco, Schioppettino and … Continue reading Ca’ di Rajo Raboso del Piave
Marion Teroldego 2005
"Thought to be a relative of the still rarer Marzemino, a grape of Greek origin, Teroldego has been famous in the Trentino area since the fifteenth century. At present it is more or less confined to the towns of Mezzocorona and Mezzolombardo, an area known as Campo Rotaliano, which comprises the Teroldego Rotaliano DOC zone."† … Continue reading Marion Teroldego 2005
Italian Rosato
When I was a kid, I loved pink. But it didn't take long for me to realize my uncanny resemblance to Strawberry Shortcake. And in less time, I realized that image really wasn't one I was going for. I ruled pink completely out of my wardrobe by age 12, along with red, yellow, purple, and … Continue reading Italian Rosato
Recent Standouts: Hofstätter, Le Bèrne, Chiarli, Tabarrini, …
I recently had a glass of fabulous Pinot nero at Cantinetta Luca, one of my very favorite Italian restaurants within reasonably close proximity to where I live. On perusing the by-the-glass list, my eye was immediately drawn to the Pinot nero from Alto Adige but then I saw all kinds of other interesting stuff: Gaglioppo, … Continue reading Recent Standouts: Hofstätter, Le Bèrne, Chiarli, Tabarrini, …
Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG
Un poco di storia personale My second real wine love was Amarone. It happened on the same day I discovered and fell in love with Nebbiolo. But my relationships with these two have played out quite differently over the years. While Nebbiolo and I have increased the frequency of our rendezvous as of late, Amarone … Continue reading Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG