Verdicchio has been the shining star of white wine from the Marche since Fazzi-Battaglia hit the market with its fish-shaped bottle over thirty years ago. Lesser-known whites were pushed even farther …
Verdicchio is the sole white varietal of note in a region whose lush, well-crafted red wines are slowly garnering adherents. Of the two DOC zones producing Verdicchio, Castelli di Jesi hard …
The Colline Novarese DOC is located in the smaller cluster of designated zones in northern Piemonte, including Gattinara and Ghemme, two familiar names for devotees of Nebbiolo. The regulations for both …
Now and then, I come across a bottle that can only be described as an Al Pacino wine – you know, an experience that moves you to say “..hooo ahhh”, like …
Along the Dora Baltea river in northwestern Piemonte is the town of Caluso, center for the Erbaluce di Caluso DOC. The eponymous grape, named for the goddess Albaluce, takes on a …
The Tuscan Maremma is becoming the place to go for lighter, softer reds, contrasting earthy Chianti Classico and brooding Brunellos. In the airy hills of Grosseto province, Sangiovese is known as …
French varietals have a long history in Italy, most notably in Friuli. Commitment to producing monovarietal white wines has put a uniquely Italian stamp on those grapes and reflects the cross-cultural …
The wines of the Emilia-Romagna have always been pushed to the background by the gastronomic delights of Bologna, Parma, and Modena. Understandable when you factor in that for decades, the region’s …
During the 1970s winemakers in Friuli proved the aesthetic and commercial viability of monovarietals that showcased the region’s unique mesoclimates and cultural influences. One of the most succesful was Tocai Friulano, …
By now, most oenophiles know about the Primitivo-Zinfandel connection. And most would be able to sniff and sip the differences in North American zin and a dark, spicy, mildly tannic Salento …
Of the seven sub-zones of the Chianti DOCG outside the Classico area, Rufina is the most highly regarded. Tucked into the foothills approaching the regional border with Emilia-Romagna, its production is …
Cataratto is one of the most widely planted grapes in Italy. It accounts for over half of Sicily’s vineyard acres and is known primarily for use as a bulk wine grape …
One of the fascinating aspects of Italian wine is the number of varietals under the radar, especially in renowned areas such as Tuscany and Piedmont. It’s hard to acquire cachet when …
Sicily is developing a reputation as the “California” of Italian wine, a region where ambiguous regulations allow winemakers latitude regarding production and freedom to experiment.The inclusion of non-Italian grapes to the …
The volcanic soils of the Etna DOC, like those created by the ancient activity of Campania’s Vesuvio, impart to its wines an expression of southern Italian power and flavor. The zone’s …
Those Sardinian wines that don’t compromise cultural fidelity have a feral, not-for-everyone quality that evokes their rocky and wind-swept terroir—a sense of mystery, intrigue, the unknown – which is a translation …