Calabria at Sotto
Our friend Rory Harrington (@captainwine) put on another of his wonderful wine tasting events at Sotto (the one Italian restaurant in Los Angeles that Joe …
Calabria: Le Puzelle Pitcher
Our introduction to the wines of Calabria is epitomized by our welcome at La Puzelle, a wonderful agriturismo near the small hill town of Santa …
Effervescent Emilian (Yes, Lambrusco!)
Lambrusco, the sparkling red wine from Emilia-Romagna, deserves better than the reputation Aldo Cella saddled it with here in the States. It really can be …
Wanderings: Emilia-Romagna
Emilia-Romagna lies along the northern slopes of the Appennino Settentrionale (The Central Apennines). Geographically and gastronomically, this is the heart of Italy. Its cities, strung …
Two Sicilian Summits
As we wrap up our focus on Sicily, we have saved the best Sicilian wines for last. As we have seen, Sicilian wine is not …
Sicilian Surprise!
When I think of bubbly wines I think of northern climates — Champagne, the Veneto — so the last place I expect to find a …
Planet Sicily
Sicily is a wine-and-food planet; Planeta is a name to remember for easy-to-find Sicilian offerings at your local wine merchant. Planeta is a big producer …
Nero d’WHAT? Judgment Day
First things first: how did I manage to spell incorrectly the greatest of Sicilian varietals in my first Sicilian post? I wish I could blame …
Accessible Sicilia
Trying to find wines from Friuli-Venezia Giulia at most wine stores in the states can be a hopelessly frustrating task. Not so Sicily! So, as …
Wanderings: Gentle Friuli
As we prepare to say arrivederci (for now) to Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and wander off to some new region (stay tuned to see which one!), it’s …
Verduzzo Friulano: Sweet Surpise
Only two bottles of the wine we brought back from Friuli-Venezia Giulia in 2010 were left in the wine fridge. I thought they were both …
Guerra Albano: A Friulian Find
One night during our stay in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, our host at Borgo Floreano prepared a wonderful wine-pairing dinner for us, and a few days later …