Agricola Punica 2005 “Montessu” Isola dei Nuraghi IGT
The southwest corner of Sardinia has provided a welcome home for the Carignano varietal, the most notable versions being in the Carignano de Sulcis DOC. The use of up to 40% …
Wine
The First Great Pennsylvania Wine Vintage
Lost in the ValleyEric really should have told me to take a right in front of the Amish lass picking flowers. She was there every time I sped past. Eric Miller’s …
A Career in Wine?
From Radio to WineIf you jumped back in time to 1996, you would find me pounding back espressos in a glass-enclosed office at a National Public Radio station. If it were …
Pio Cesare 2006 Piodilei
This is definitely a wine that needs some rebranding. ‘Piodilei’ literally translates to ‘Pio for the ladies.’ It is so named because the family’s women found this wine particularly appealing–though there’s …
Ruffino 2006 Modus
What better wine to workout with than a Super Tuscan? This one, though still young, has enough depth to give pleasure now or 5 years on…when we’ll be benching 350-lbs each.
Sicilian Wine Reviews
A recent trip to Persephone’s island allowed tasting dozens of wines made from indigenous varietals, all of which captured Sicily’s sun-drenched, arid landscape and gave evidence of the cultural and ecological …
Perfect for Pairings: Grower Champagne
Late last week, I was fortunate enough to attend a grower-champagne dinner. This is a category of bubbly that’s unfamiliar to many people, though, in all honesty, it shouldn’t be: The …
Feudo Maccari 2005″ReNoto” Sicilia
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 …
Terre Nera 2005 “Calderara Sottana”, Etna
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 …
Italian Wine for Sommeliers
What is Italian Wine? Recently, our Advanced Sommelier students finished a seven-week Viaggio through the often bewildering but fascinating demimonde of Italian wine. Along the way, they tasted, analyzed, and discussed …
Mesa 2006 “Buio”, Carignano di Sulcis, Sardinia
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 …
Pio Cesare 2004 Barbaresco
With truffles, roses, and perhaps violets on the nose, this wine has a sense of perfumed levity that’s just irresistible. There’s a freshness here, though the fruit is far from the …
In Praise of Cheap White Wine
And now the time has come to praise cheap white wine. Or, to be accurate, green wine. I recently returned from a trip to Portugal, and much to my wife’s chagrin, …
Sella & Mosca 2004 Cannonau di Sardegna Riserva
Located in the northwestern part of the island, Sella & Mosca has become Sardinia’s signature winery. Its vast acres of vineyards have made it, and Argiolas is synonymous with wine from …
Italian Wine Reviews
While the member of the Wine School team laying waste to Spain’s porcine population, yours truly was engaged in exhaustive research concerning patterns of wine consumption among Italians. Specifically, what will …
Naia 2006 Naia Des Verdejo
What makes this wine unusual isn’t where it’s from but the grape variety itself. Verdejo, after all, is still sadly underappreciated by too many wine-lovers. But this one, hopefully, will start …