Sometimes I wonder if what I read and hear is actually true – especially about wine. It seems that the line between subjective and objective, between opinion and fact, between authenticity and artificiality has been blurred, even rubbed out, at times. And even on this, opinions very. WSET standards are intact to codify taste and…
Category: #ItalianFWT
Ancient + Native: Rural Festival Emilia
Isidoro and Giovanni Lamoretti cultivate indigenous Italian grapes on their hillside farm near Parma, Italy, neighboring the Torrechiara Castle. They maintain dedication to a particular varietal, Lambrusco Maestri, known for soft creamy bubbles. Ancient documentation shows that Lambrusco grapes have been cultivated in the region since 160 BC. To call them ancient is, well, obvious –…
Winemaker Rendezvous: Ivan Giovanett from Castelfeder
Today we welcome Ivan Giovanett, winemaker at Castelfeder located in Cortina, Italy in the Alpine region of Alto Adige. Castelfeder History Ivan Giovanett works in one of the world’s most beautiful spaces, Alpine Italy. The winery was founded in 1970 by Ivan’s grandfather, Alfons Giovanett, an attendee of the renowned wine school in San Michele…
Climb to the Top: Alpine Wines of Italy
Earlier this year, I interviewed Lucio Matricardi, Ph.D, of Mezzacorona Group, where he is the winemaker for Rotari Trentodoc, Mezzacorona and Stemmari. Rotari Trentodoc is located in the Dolomites, in Northeastern Italy, part of the southern limestone Alps. It was this conversation with Matricardi that churned up my enthusiasm for winemaking and grape-growing in the…
Alpine Wines of Italy
Several years ago my husband and I drove through the Alps of France and Italy, leaving me with a sense of admiration for the natural abundance as well as the man-made influences of the mountains. We drove through the Fréjus Road Tunnel which connects Modane, France to Bardonecchia, Italy under massive Col du Fréjus. 80%…
Fresh Wines from Lazio and Umbria: Falesco
When I wrote in my notes… Create curiosity and knowledge. …I knew I’d come to admire Dominga Cotarella. Dominga (I’ll use first names throughout, to avoid confusion) is a second-generation owner in the Cotarella family winemaking business, Falesco, originated in 1979 by her father Riccardo Cotarella and her uncle Renzo Cotarella. Dominga and her cousins Marta…
5 Italian Easter Dishes and Wine Pairings
A robin made a nest in the wreath on our front door. She’s been out there, fluttering from the edge of the roof, to the twigs in the planter, to the shrub…constantly moving about. My husband called it: she’s going to lay eggs. New Life and A New Season Now there is one delicate blue…
Winemaker Rendezvous: Lucio Matricardi Ph.D. of Stemmari
TODAY WE WELCOME A RENDEZVOUS WITH WINEMAKER LUCIO MATRICARDI, Ph.D. WINEMAKER AT STEMMARI ON THE ISLAND OF SICILY. LUCIO IS ALSO THE WINEMAKER AT ROTARI TRENTODOC AND MEZZACORONA IN ITALY. I’ll tell you what I was thinking, in the days leading up to my call with Lucio. Have you ever heard someone say to a young mother -several…
The Test in Life is Unity: G. D. Vajra Langhe Nebbiolo
“We produce Barolo and wines of our land, the Langhe. We believe in beauty, in work well done, attention to detail, creativity which respects the tradition.” “We are the most modernist of the traditionalists and most traditional of the modernists.” “Layers flipping one on top of the other. This is the story of [the land]…
The Terraced Vineyards of Liguria
The first time we visited Liguria was on a drive along the French Riviera from Provence. This particular route is one of life’s travel pleasures. One the one hand, there are the stunning beaches, white and sometimes rocky skirts for the glittering Mediterranean sea. On the other hand are the cliffs and towering outcroppings, often…
5 Italian Christmas Dishes and Wine Pairings
When I was a child, I was always fascinated to hear the stories of Christmas traditions in foreign lands. Holiday magic in my own home was often peppered with imaginings of what children in other places would eat, do and see in their homes. When Santa Claus came to our door with an orange and…
Harvest in Italy
This article captures a moment in time, fall grape harvest 2016, through the comments from Italian grape-growers and wine-makers. Italy has produced wine since antiquity. Each year the vineyard follows a similar, steady pattern of planting, pruning, harvesting. Fall brings the harvest of grapes and with it new promise for the just-in vintage. I’ve asked a…
Fall In Italy
This article drops the reader into Italy during the cooling and beautiful months of fall. Food, wine, harvest, travel, culture, methods, tradition… the #ItalianFWT group decorates their blogs with this fascinating setting: Fall in Italy. In a sweeping set of lifetime memories, some stand out clearly: harvest-scent. the touch of a turtle-neck. home-warm. early-night. smoke from…
Rosé or Rosato? Is there a difference?
In this story we discover that flavor is more than color-deep by learning about pink wines from Italy: Rosato. This will not be a post about Provençal rosé. It won’t. I promise. This is a post about Italian Rosato wine. It’s pink too. Seriously, it is. Let me finish. It’s pink and it’s Rosato and it’s from…
What Your Madre Never Told You About Orange Wines
#ItalianFWT group uncovers skin-fermented, or orange, wines from Italy. When I was a kid, what they’d call a tween now-a-days, I overheard some older kids talking about the finer points of teenage dating. It was in the cafeteria, from the end of a long line of students waiting on lunch. Most of what was being…
