Orisi

Hot, dry winegrowing seasons and low altitudes define the tart, sometimes heavy, wines around the small town of Vittoria in Sicily. Nestled in the island’s southeastern corner, far from the preeminent …

Timorasso #3

In the calcareous and clay soils of Colli Tortonesi, nestled in northwest Italy, Timorasso has slowly — but stunningly — reemerged. Once drank by da Vinci and tasted as a table …

Pugnitello

I was recently hit with the wanderlust bug and convinced 37 of my family members to travel to one of the most beautiful places in the world: Tuscany, Italy. In early …

Pignolo

Pignolo is an Italian grape found in Colli Orientali Del Fruili DOC, located in the Friuli Venezia Guila region, near the border of Austria and Slovenia. While sometimes mistaken for other …

Prié Blanc

In a tiny wine region of Italy, one very French-sounding grape is being saved from the brink of extinction: Prié Blanc. Prié Blanc is also known by the even more French-sounding …

Slarina

When one mentions the word “extinction,” two things generally come to mind: dinosaurs and Donald Trump. But wine grapes? Extinct? Absolutely. History is replete with documented accounts of grapes morphing into …

Timorasso #2

Timorasso is a white grape found in the southwest corner of the Piedmont region of Italy, particularly the Colli Tortonesi Appalachian, which borders Liguria to the south and Emili-Romagna and Lombardy …

Susumaniello

Susumaniello is an ancient red grape native to Apulia in Southern Italy. Traditionally, grape production was limited to the small province of Brindisi, extending into Italy’s boot on the Adriatic coast. …

Ruchè

Ruchè (pronounced Roo-Kay) is a red Italian grape from the Piedmont region. This grape has risen from entirely non-existent to having its own recognized DOCG. Ruchè is grown in Castagnole Monferrato, …

Timorasso

If you Google “Italian grapes that were almost extinct,” the volume of results is overwhelming. While other indigenous grapes have flourished in Italy for centuries, all of these near-forgotten grapes make …

Maturano

To love Italy is also to loathe Italy. And those of us familiar with loving and hating something at the same time know that some traits of our beloved can be …

Forastera

Forastera is mainly grown on the island of Ischia, part of Naples, off the coast of Campania. Initial research told of these grapes from the Canary Islands and brought to Italy.I …

Vien De Nus

Several grapes are nearing extinction in the mountainous area of the smallest wine region in Italy, Valle D’Aosta. These grapes have grown there for years, yet only a small percentage of …

Grignolino

Vines and vineyards are plentiful in Italy, growing vivaciously through the country’s microclimates. Of all the wine-producing countries in the world, Italy produces the most by liter production each year. To …

Timorasso

In the early 2000s, I was part of the opening staff of a new restaurant, Penne, at the Inn at Penn located at 40th and Walnut. It would be an Italian …

Pallagrello Nero

In Italy, countless grape varietals have been lost in time, never to be tasted again. But occasionally, a variety long thought extinct reappears, offering a glimpse into the past and a …

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