Tenute Silvio Nardi Brunello di Montalcino Brunello di Montalcino is one of Italy’s most prestigious red wines. This Tuscan region surrounds the hill town of Montalcino, 25 miles south of Siena. Brunello (along with Barolo) became the first Italian wine region to achieve the top DOCG status in 1980. Since then, the global reputation of Brunello has soared. Tenute Silvio …
Masi Tupungato Passo Doble 2011
Masi Tupungato Passo Doble, Malbec/Corvina, Mendoza, Argentina, 2011. 13.5%, organic Masi is a heavyweight Italian producer making a superb range of wines. These include classics such as Soave, Valpolicella, and Amarone. The company expanded into Argentina and created Passo Doble in 1999. It comes from the Mendoza region at their high-altitude Vigneti La Arboleda vineyard; 140 hectares overlooked by the …
The Anteprima Amarone in Verona
The Anteprima Amarone, February 2016 In February 2016, I participated in the Anteprima Amarone for the first time. This event occurs annually and is arranged by the Consorzio di Tutela Vini Valpolicella. Held for the thirteenth time in beautiful Verona, this featured the new 2012 Amarone vintage. However, there was an opportunity to discover the Valpolicella region and its various …
Fasoli Gino – doing the right thing right
Fasoli Gino – doing the right thing right I love discovering less well-known producers that make exciting wines. Excitement for me is about wines that express terroir and the personality of the winemaker. Fasoli Gino is one. Amarone is an elegant and powerful dry red wine made with dried grapes. Now famous, its success has driven the resurgence of the Valpolicella …
The Premium Gin Renaissance, Part 2 of 2: Gin Reviews
The Premium Gin Renaissance, Part 2 of 2: Gin Reviews Part 1 covered the history and renaissance of Premium Gin. Now for the Gin reviews. Gin says something about you. Premium Gin is about three elements that should combine to create a great and memorable drink. The botanical ingredients, painstaking artisanal production, and an exquisite presentation because the style is …
The Premium Gin Renaissance, Part 1 of 2
The Premium Gin Renaissance, Part 1 of 2 Gin has a chequered history. No other drink shows such a polarity of style and fashion versus intemperance as Gin. Italian monks were the first to distill wine into a crude spirit. Juniper berries were added to mask the raw taste. Drunk for medicinal purposes, it was even tried as a remedy …
Tenuta di Valgiano, Palistorti Rosso
Tenuta di Valgiano Palistorti Rosso, DOC Colline Lucchesi, Italy Welcome to Lucca Laura di Collabiano welcomed me into the kitchen of Tenuta di Valgiano. This sixteenth-century estate is some 250 metres above the river Sérchio, and 10 km north of Lucca in Tuscany. On a cold February night, a fire burned brightly within an enormous open hearth, giving the room …
Cotswolds pub: The Wild Duck Inn at Ewen
Cotswolds pub: The Wild Duck Inn at Ewen The Wild Duck Inn is a quintessential Cotswold country inn, dating from 1563. It’s found near to the source of the River Thames, at Ewen, just three miles from Cirencester. Having walked along the River Thames National Path (some 184 miles from source to sea), I was keen to return. So the …
The bucolic delights of the Cottage in the Wood
The bucolic delights of the Cottage in the Wood If there’s a restaurant with rooms that can offer a better Lakeland view than the Cottage in the Wood, then I’d like to know about it. Sitting on a terrace surrounded by trees, with a glass of Champagne and the mighty Skiddaw in the distance is my idea of perfection. At …
Ravenstone Lodge weekend break, Bassenthwaite
Ravenstone Lodge weekend break, Bassenthwaite Ravenstone Lodge is a small hotel in the northern Lake District on the shores of Bassenthwaite Lake, some five miles north of Keswick. Nestling at the foot of the mighty Skiddaw mountain range, this was once a Victorian coach house and occupies five acres of unspoilt countryside. It’s a three-star hotel with an AA Rosette …