Vino Santo from Cantina Toblino – WOTY 2021 The Wine Alchemy WOTY (Wine of the Year) 2021 is the extraordinary Trentino Vino Santo DOC 2004 from Cantina Toblino. A worthy winner As usual, the Wine Alchemy WOTY is an exceptional wine. It’s also sustainable and available to buy in the UK. There were plenty of close contenders! Sweet wines make …
Christmas 2021 – a dozen delights
Christmas 2021 – a dozen delights Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year to you all! Thanks for reading, supporting and encouraging me during this incredibly challenging year. Here’s my present to you all – the pick of the wines for Christmas 2021, together with a Christmas Card. This year there are a dozen delights. All come highly recommended for …
Off the beaten track – some lesser-known Italian wines
Off the beaten track – some lesser-known Italian wines Despite the smaller harvests reported this year, Italy remains the biggest wine-producing country globally. Many readers will know that this massive volume of wine is also incredibly diverse, whether in quality, price, style, terroir, business or winegrowing philosophies. The last time I looked, there were 569 grape varieties registered, with 377 …
Bentu Luna is where the old ways are new again
Bentu Luna is where the old ways are new again. Bentu Luna is a new wine project located in the centre of Sardinia, based at Neoneli, in the Province of Oristano. It’s led by the Moratti family from Castello Cigognola in Lombardy and managed by CEO Gian Matteo Baldi, who grew up and worked in Sardinia. They have been featured …
Nas-cëtta, Part 2 – twelve Novello producers and their wines
Nas-cëtta, Part 2 – twelve Novello producers and their wines Nascetta, Part 1, looked at the rediscovery of Nas-cëtta. Local producers rescued this semi-aromatic white grape variety, which survived only in Novello in Piemonte. In 2010, the Langhe DOC exclusively authorised the production of white wine in Novello using only 100% Nascetta grapes, creating a dedicated subzone called Langhe Nas-cëtta del Comune …
Le Fraghe – a delightful Bardolino, any time
Le Fraghe – a delightful Bardolino, any time Regular readers will know that recent articles have been exploring the shores of Lake Garda – virtually, of course, as travel hasn’t been possible. Those wanting to catch up with these can find pink wine from Chiaretto di Bardolino and whites from Custoza and Lugana, all of which are DOC wine regions. But what …
Slow Wine Coalition – Good, Clean and Fair Wine
Slow Wine Coalition – Good, Clean and Fair Wine The Slow Wine Coalition is a new collaborative wine network established by the Slow Food movement*. For years, leading wineries worldwide have recognised that we must build a wine industry on solid environmental, ethical, and social values. As a result, many sustainable initiatives are now happening at the winery, appellation, and …
Tintilia – drinking the Hilltop Grape of Molise
Tintilia – drinking the Hilltop Grape of Molise. Tintilia is an Italian native red grape variety that comes from the region of Molise. Despite this variety being of high quality, it became abandoned because it had low productivity when quantity was vital to survival. Besides, constant rural depopulation and the second world war’s devastations helped hasten its demise. However, now that …
The Knot of Love and Custoza DOC wines, Part 2
The Knot of Love and Custoza DOC wines, Part 2 Part 1 of this article looked at Custoza DOC and the reasons influencing the taste and quality of its dry white wines. Now Part 2 puts that to the test with six representative Custoza DOC wines presented by the Consorzio. An interactive map below shows the locations of the featured producers, while …
Custoza celebrates its 50th Anniversary, Part 1
Custoza celebrates its 50th Anniversary, Part 1. The Custoza DOC covers the white wines made on Lake Garda’s eastern Venetian shore. It’s centred on the small village of Custoza, which is just to the west of Verona. This DOC overlaps and shares some boundaries with the Bardolino (red) and Chiaretto di Bardolino (rosé) DOC. It dates from 1971, renaming it …