Instead of reaching for red wine this winter, why not try an Italian white? Fun, versatile, and approachable, Italian white wines brighten even the gloomiest winter day. Plus, they pair well with everything - from holiday celebrations and Sunday brunches, to cozy aprés-ski fondue and evening firesides. Not sure where to start? Consider these five Italian white wine styles to share with your friends and family this winter:
Read moreUNESCO World Heritage Wine Regions in Italy
From the north to the south, Italy’s staggering 55 natural and cultural wonders, will amaze you: Venice and its lagoon, the proud Baroque towns of Sicily, cave dwellings in Matera… But, perhaps the sites that will astound all of your senses are its three World Heritage Wine Regions. Where else can you actually taste the traditions and natural beauty?
Read moreWine of the Month | Enduring Durella!
Alberto and Dario Spezzamonte of Estro Vino e Cucina in Venice, Italy.
The eve before I left Italy this fall, I stopped into Estro Vino e Cucina in Venice to say goodbye to my friends Dario and Alberto Spezzamonte, the owners of this contemporary Venetian bistrot, wine bar and wine shop. Over a glass of sparkling garganega, I asked Dario, the sommelier brother, to select December’s wine-of-the-month; he accepted, we said ciao, gave our do’ bazi (“two kisses” in Venetian dialect; a typical greeting in Italy), and I left. Four days later, on November 12th, Venice suffered from an acqua alta just two inches shy of the record-setting flood in 1966, which reached six feet and four inches.
Read moreWine of the Month | A Mushroom Risotto's Best Friend
After island hopping the past couple of months, November’s wine-of-the-month hails from Piemonte in Northern Italy. It is not only a stellar pairing for a mushroom risotto, but it’s also a delicious Thanksgiving wine and goes well with autumnal fare in general, making this the ideal month to showcase (drum roll, please):
Read moreWine of the Month | Summer Vacation in a Bottle
Sardinia’s stunning coast
Last month’s wine was from one of Italy’s two regions that are islands, Sicily; this month’s wine hails from the other, Sardinia!
Read moreWine of the Month | Coastal Flavor
A couple of weeks ago, I was hanging out in coastal Maine, visiting a a good friend who I met the first week of our freshman year at Sarah Lawrence College and has been a pen pal—with REAL letters!—ever since. (Heart eyes emoji.) On my last night, we stopped in at Maine & Loire, a curated natural wine shop in Portland which celebrates, as the owners put it, “alive and soulful” wines. This month, I really wanted to feature a red wine that would be delicious chilled, so Peter Hale, one half of the husband-and-wife team, directed me to this juicy, adult-fruit-punch kind of Sicilian wine that would be perfect on its own (as my friend and I tried it), or paired with chicken on the grill and vegetable salads. Your call!
Read moreA Weekend in Matera: What to see, do, eat and drink in the city of caves
If you haven’t heard of Matera—a small town carved into a canyon in Southern Italy’s region of Basilicata (the instep of the boot)—you will soon. This year, the city of caves is waking from a long hibernation and making a splash as the European Union’s Capital of Culture. For good reason too:
Read moreItalian Sparkling Wines
As the end of the year approaches, and heartfelt toasts abound, I thought this would be a good moment for this friendly reminder: France isn't the sole producer of fine sparkling wines, and Italy's sparkling wine industry is not just about prosecco. Here are some of my favorite classic-method sparkling wines coming from northern Italy that will sparkle and shine in your raised glass and dance the night away on your palette!
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