Every author feels that she or he is unique. I haven't seen a series of articles quite like mine. I love Italian wine and food and I writing a series on the wines and foods of Italy's twenty regions. That should keep me busy for some time, and I hope you'll join me on this journey. You may even find some bargains, I have. I am adding articles from time to time. Be sure to visit my two companion series on French wine and food and on German wine and food.
A Barbera d'Alba" ...This single-vineyard Barbera gives you a taste of the latest vintage from Piedmont, and for a song!... "
A Really Inexpensive Montepulciano d'Abruzzo" ...I remember a similarly priced one from March, 2005 that kept me from purhcasing a potential twin for several years... "
A Southern Italy White Fiano Under $15" ...This is one of the first times that I remember a back label in Italian only... "
An Abruzzi, Chardonnay Under $10" ...But the good news is that the wine is a Chardonnay rather than a... "
A Better Italian Soave Under $15" ...more expensive and presumably higher quality Soave made from organically grown grapes... "
A Sicilian Grillo Under $10" ...Grillo is a favored component for the famous Sicilian dessert wine, Marsala, that is sort of making a comeback... "
I Love Upscale Wine - A Barolo (Piedmont, Italy)" ...The Italians simply call it 'The king of wines and the wine of kings'... "
A Vino Nobile di Montepulciano" ...Even with the plebian meatballs the wine was... "
I Love Upscale Wine - A Tignanello Super Tuscan Red" ...A $100 bottle of wine may be quite a memorable experience. Or... "
A Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Under $10" ...These organic grapes were grown near the medieval village of... "
A Central Italy Sangiovese Under $10" ...Talk about microclimate. The Farnese vineyards are... "
A South Italian Falanghina White Under $15" ...This particular wine was made from 100% Falanghina grapes. So we are home free. Or are we?... "
A Fine Tuscany White Under $15" ...But white wine? Does Tuscany come to mind for white wine?... "
A Ligurian Red" ...And then unexpectedly my supplier offered two wines from Liguria... "
A Ligurian White" ...And then unexpectedly my supplier offered two wines from Liguria... "
I Love Organic Wine - A Piedmont, Italy Biodynamic White" ...La Raia has been certified organic since 2005 and certified biodynamic as of the 2007 vintage. It is one of only... "
I Love Organic Wine - An Italian Dolcetto" ...Dolcetto means sweet little things in Italian and is the most popular red grape in Piedmont. There are... "
A Wine Lover's Weekly Review Of $10 Wines - A Soave From Veneto, Italy" ...The original zone included volcanic hills, and that's a good sign. Much of the soil was poor but well drained, another good sign for fine wine. But... "
I Love Organic Wine - An Italian Chianti" ...This Chianti has broken with tradition; it is made from organic grapes and... "
A Wine Lover's Weekly Review Of $10 Wines - A Basic Red From Southern Italy" ...This may explain the price. What about the quality? Keep reading. "
A Wine Lover's Weekly Review Of $10 Wines - A Fizzy Low-Alcohol Kosher Italian Red" ...Given its rather special qualities, many people buy this wine without concern for its kosher status... "
A Wine Lover's Weekly Review Of $10 Wines - A White Orvieto From Central Italy" ...The sweetness of the Orvieto blended well with the sweetness of the chicken. With the other dishes... "
A Wine Lover's Weekly Review Of $10 Wines - An Inexpensive Chianti" ...Times have changed and Chianti now boasts Italy's top wine designation... "
The Aosta Valley" And then there was one. Over the past two and a half years I have tasted wines from eighteen of the twenty regions of Italy. All that was left was the Aosta Valley and Liguria, the Italian Riviera,... "
A Wine Lover's Weekly Review Of $10 Wines - A Venetian Rosé" ...What better way to hasten springtime than to drink a bargain rosé wine? "
A Wine Lover's Weekly Review Of $10 Wines - A Red Sicilian Blend" ...What can be better than the right $10 bottle of wine? We help you find the right ones. "
A Wine Lover's Weekly Review Of $10 Wines - A Venetian Pinot Grigio" ...Wouldn't it be great to finish this unfortunate year with a bargain?... "
" I have a confession to make. I really thought that I had finished our series I Love Italian Wine and Food, and even wrote two articles drawing conclusions, one for the red wines and one for the white wines. And then I was tempted by a bottle of amarone, a specially made wine from the Veneto region of northern Italy. Why not do one last wine for the series?... "
Amarone And FriendsRiserva Wines" ...I’m not convinced that it should be cellared until 2015-2020, which at this point seems a long way off. But for now... "
Reviewing The Whites"...And now for the question that you’ve been waiting for; what about the quality, and in particular the quality as a function of price? That too varied widely, there were both positive and negative surprises. We sometimes overpaid and there were definitely some bargains. Which was which?... "
Reviewing The Reds"...And now for the question that you’ve been waiting for; what about the quality, and in particular the quality as a function of price? That too varied widely, there were both positive and negative surprises. We sometimes overpaid and there were definitely some bargains. Which was which?... "
Aosta Valley Region, Piedmont Wine" As stated above, little if any wine from the Aosta Valley region is available in North America. We had to settle for a Piedmont wine produced only a few miles away from the Aosta Valley. For some reason I can’t get out of my mind the 1905 George M. Cohan Broadway title tune (Only) Forty-five Minutes from Broadway, think of the changes it brings. Given that this is a DOCG... "
The Bascilicata Region"This was a wine that I was rooting for, prior to opening the bottle. It is a hard life for many people in bascilicata_fine_italian_red_wineilicata; perhaps that’s why the residents live longer than in most other Italian regions. But... "
Liguria Region, Tuscany Wine"...Just when I was thinking that the wine was a chameleon, changing itself to match the food, I tried it with fresh pineapple. The pineapple... "
The Marche Region"The best-known cheese in The marche_fine_italian_red_winehe is Casciotta d’Urbino, made from a combination of sheep’s milk and cow’s milk. None is available in my part of the world, so I settled for... "
Tasting A Noble Sicilian Wine"Personally, I would rather drink wine with food than without food. There were only a few sips left in the bottle but I was able to squeeze out two pairings. First I tried... "
Vino Novello (New Wine)"What is exactly is new wine (vino_novello_italian_new_wine novello in Italy; vin nouveau, often Beaujolais nouveau in France)? New wine is... "
The Veneto Region"Montasio cheese is a specialty of the Veneto region. It is made from cow’s milk and can have a sharp flavor when it ages. I was happy when ... "
The Sicily Region"...The producer chooses this approach to retain the bright fruitiness and racy crispiness of the wine... "
The Friuli-Venezia Giuli Region"I first tasted this wine with sesame seed covered... It was... "
The Tuscany Region"I remember when Chianti came in straw-covered bottles. In fact, I remember... "
The Molise Region"...I added too much cayenne pepper sauce, which was too harsh for the wine and for the fish itself. However, even with a deadened palate... "
The Trentino-Alto Adige Region"The wine was round, mouth-filling, a bit complex. The dominant taste was tobacco. But... "
The Apulia Region"The wine was mildly acidic and refreshing, and ... "
The Campania Region"The best white wines often come from cold climates such as Germany and northern France. Who would have thought that... "
The Lombardy Region"I first tasted this wine with beef ribs. It was round... "
The Abruzzi Region"I didn't have the feeling that I was drinking a regular Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, but instead... "
The Sardinia Region"...Some will say that such a humongous estate is unlikely to produce an outstanding wine. Such a claim may be incorrect, but this wine... "
The Piedmont Region"I found the wine very powerful, perhaps too strong for ... "
The Latium Region"The marketing materials for this wine mentioned raspberry, plum jam, leather, sweet spice, and tomato leaf. When looking for them I found ... "
The Umbria Region"I haven’t always been happy with Italian Pinot Grigio, or for that matter with non-Italian Pinot Gris. These wines often are weak. However, I thought that this... "
The Emilia-Romagna Region"Everybody has prejudices. I approached this bottle with several of them. It seems to me ... "
The Calabria Region"Some claim that Ciró is the oldest existing wine. It is said to come from a wine consumed by victorious Calabrian athletes on their return from the Olympics well over 2500 years ago. This DOC wine grows in the low hills near the Ionian Sea in eastern Calabria not far from the Sila Massif plateau. If you ask me, ... "
Launching a Series"Did you know that Italy is divided into twenty regions? Each and every one produces wine, its own distinctive style or usually styles of wine that accompany its regional food specialties. Almost all regions produce wine for export to North America. Of course some regions are doing better than others, but in many cases regions that were once known for their bland, and perhaps baked wines, have turned the corner and are now making some excellent wines. Because the public is not yet generally aware of these wine-making regions, there are still bargains to be had. Keep posted, I’ll be making ... "