La Farra – Truly Superior Prosecco La Farra is a winery established by the Nardi family in 1997 at Farra di Soligo, in the heart of Prosecco Superiore Conegliano-Valdobbiadene DOCG. This DOCG is the larger of the two high status appellations responsible for the best Prosecco sparkling wine, as suggested by the addition of the name Superiore.1 This is a …
Sacello – Chianti Classico from Arillo in Terrabianca
Sacello – Chianti Classico from Arillo in Terrabianca Arillo in Terrabianca is located in the Radda commune of Chianti Classico in Tuscany. This article is devoted to just one of their wines, namely Sacello, a Chianti Classico DOCG made only with Sangiovese, grown at Tenuta Terrabianca. The estate was originally a medieval farm. Winegrowing began in the 1950s. It was …
Carlo Petrini – Be More Carlo
Carlo Petrini – Be More Carlo On May 21 2026, in the town of Bra (Piemonte, Italy, where he was born), Carlo Petrini died at the age of 76. Who was Carlo Petrini? Carlo Petrini was an Italian writer and activist. He founded what became the Slow Food movement in 1986 and was President until 2022. Subsequently, he also established …
Four Facets of Domìni Veneti
Four Facets of Domìni Veneti Looking back to the beginning of my wine journey, I quickly found that the best way to get an overview of a wine region and its wines was to visit the local cooperative winery first. That was certainly the case with Cantina Valpolicella Negrar in Valpolicella Classica, with its wide range of wines from across …
Agroforestry, in Search of Tomorrow’s Viticulture – Mosnel 190
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. …
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 …