Brunello di Montalcino Terroir: Tenute Silvio Nardi 2015’s Tenute Silvio Nardi has just released their three 2015 vintage Brunello di Montalcino DOCG wines. This article is about how each one expresses their particular Montalcino terroir. Let’s begin with a little more about Brunello and why Nardi is a classic producer. Then we can see how these wines express their environments and …
Italy’s Native Wine Grape Terroirs – Book review
Italy’s Native Wine Grape Terroirs – Book review This article reviews a new wine book by Ian D’Agata, entitled Italy’s Native Wine Grape Terroirs. It follows on from his indispensable previous book, Native Wine Grapes of Italy. Here D’Agata continues his focus on Italian native grape varieties. This time he shows how these can communicate a unique “somewhereness” in the wines made from them. …
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Le Pupille – delicious summer drinking
Le Pupille – delicious summer drinking For many lovers of Italian wine, the Fattoria Le Pupille winery and founder/owner Elisabetta Geppetti will need little introduction. The name Le Pupille derives from the two farmhouses, (the Pupils), located on the top of the hills near the village of Pereta, in the deep south of coastal Tuscany. We are in the Maremma, in …
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Lyme Bay Chardonnay 2018 for English Wine Week 2020
Lyme Bay Chardonnay 2018 for English Wine Week 2020 This year’s English Wine Week is a little later in the year than usual. It runs from Saturday 20 June to Sunday 28th June. To tie in with this year’s event here’s my English wine recommendations. The principal feature is the newly released Chardonnay 2018 from the Lyme Bay Winery in …
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Txakoli: The Drunkard, Zarauz, by Joaquín Sorolla
Txakoli: The Drunkard, Zarauz, by Joaquín Sorolla Most of the time, it’s the wine itself that inspires the desire for writing about it. However, at other times inspiration comes courtesy of an entirely different subject. This time is one such, where Art has inspired the desire to write about a less well-known and unique Spanish white wine called Txakoli. The Drunkard, …
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MonteRosola, an emerging Tuscan star
MonteRosola, an emerging Tuscan star MonteRosola is a contemporary winery in the hills close to the hilltop town of Volterra in Tuscany. Volterra may be less familiar to some, so let’s start there, to get a sense of how MonteRosola and their wines fit into this delightful Tuscan landscape. Volterra lays claim to the title, “the oldest town in Tuscany.” …
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Lockdown Linguine – a recipe for social distancing
Lockdown Linguine – a recipe for social distancing Lockdown Linguine is a delicious, simple pasta recipe, which also happens to be brilliant with a bottle of white wine, and it only takes 10-15 minutes to make. It’s Italian-style, though I don’t know if there’s an Italian name for it. Here it’s called Lockdown Linguine, as much for the alliteration as anything. …
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Senses Working Overtime – how we taste wine
Senses Working Overtime – how we taste wine We call it wine tasting, yet a glass of wine can engage with all our five human senses. Moreover, it uses up more of the human brain than most other behaviours. Most of us have these senses in working order, and normally we take them for granted. Other animals may have different …
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Pedro Ximénez: Discover the Joy of PX
Pedro Ximénez: Discover the Joy of PX Pedro Ximénez (PX) is both a Spanish white grape variety and a particular style of super-sweet dessert wine. PX (the grape) is grown in many Spanish regions and occasionally elsewhere. However, the most outstanding examples of PX (the wine) are arguably from the inland Andalusian wine region of Montilla-Moriles DO. It’s some 45 …
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Serving temperature – what’s ideal for my wine?
Serving temperature – what’s ideal for my wine? “What’s the ideal serving temperature for my wine?” is one of the questions I get asked often. That’s usually followed up with “and what’s the best way to achieve it?” Both questions are important because the smell and taste of any wine are dependent on serving temperature. Consequently, getting that right heightens drinking pleasure …
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