Agroforestry, in Search of Tomorrow’s Viticulture – Mosnel 190 April 2026 marked the 190th anniversary of the Mosnel winery in Franciacorta. A major part of the celebrations was attending a conference about Mosnel’s Agroforestry project, which is the subject of this article. Ten years ago, I was privileged to attend the celebrations of Mosnel’s 180th anniversary 1 This time, their …
Carminium by Inama – The French Connection
Carminium by Inama – The French Connection Carminium is a dry red wine from the famous Inama estate, and is 100% Carmenère.1 That’s a rare cuvée in Italy, as we shall see. In 2017, while visiting the Colli Berici DOC, I spent a memorable August afternoon at Inama’s Oratorio vineyard, though at that time, Carminium was still in the future. …
Vilosell – Tomàs Cuisiné, Twenty Years On
Vilosell – Tomàs Cuisiné, Twenty Years On Twenty years ago, an encounter Spanish red wine called Vilosell inspired me to visit Catalonia, and I have been back many times since to visit its various wine regions. Meanwhile, Vilosell has been an annual companion ever since. This all-new article is about the current release (2022). However, it is also compared with …
Susumaniello by A. Mano – the Donkey of Puglia
Susumaniello by A. Mano – the Donkey of Puglia Susumaniello is a red grape native to Puglia, grown mainly around the major southern port of Brindisi, in the heel of Italy’s boot. Like some other Italian native grapes, Susumaniello became rediscovered in the late 1990s. Modern wine-growing has enabled it to make a significant comeback in this area, with around …
Titolo by Elena Fucci, Aglianico del Vulture
Titolo by Elena Fucci, Aglianico del Vulture Welcome to the final Part 3 of a feature on Italy’s three greatest red grape varieties. These three were written in honour of Burton Anderson, the best writer about Italian wine in the English Language. So far in the series, we’ve covered Nebbiolo in Part 1 from Barolo DOCG in Piemonte (north), and …
Les Crêtes – Petite Arvine – An Ode to Joy
Les Crêtes – Petite Arvine – An Ode to Joy You could be forgiven for assuming that the Les Crêtes winery, run by the Charrère family, is French. In fact, this is an Italian producer based in the Valle d’Aosta, the autonomous Italian region bordering France and Switzerland. For many, the Aosta Valley provides the first experience of Italy when …
Ronchi di Castelluccio in Romagna
Ronchi di Castelluccio in Romagna Ronchi di Castelluccio is a boutique winery at Modigliana, on the hillsides of Romagna in Italy. When the opportunity to try their flagship wines arose, no further encouragement was necessary. This wasn’t just because of high-quality or because the wines of Romagna deserve better recognition abroad. In fact, it was a way to revisit this …
Vegetarian Haggis – It’s Not so Offal
Vegetarian Haggis – It’s Not so Offal Vegetarian Haggis? A contradiction in terms. Hold on, not so fast. In the early 1990s, while staying in the Bruntsfield area of Edinburgh, we happened by chance on Macsween’s butcher’s shop. It was there that the late John Macsween built his reputation as a premier Haggis maker. On entering, we discovered his Vegetarian …
Ben Ryé Meets Westmorland Pepper Cake for WOTY 25
Ben Ryé Meets Westmorland Pepper Cake for WOTY 2025 Welcome to the Wine Alchemy Wine of the Year (WOTY) award for 2025. This year, it is also part of the occasional series that pairs Wine with Cake. This year’s WOTY is Ben Ryé, one of the world’s greatest sweet wines, and a true masterpiece. Here it pairs with Westmorland Pepper …
Peace for Christmas 2025
Peace for Christmas 2025 An alternative Christmas Carol wishing you Peace for Christmas 2025 As I walk through this wicked world Searching for light in the darkness of insanity I ask myself, is all hope lost? Is there only pain and hatred and misery? And each time I feel like this inside There’s one thing I wanna know What’s …