Harry’s Bar in Venice. After Hemingway and Moorcock “The Cipriani family ran Harry’s Bar in Venice for 81 years. Many of the great and the good graced the tables at Harry’s Bar, which invented the Bellini cocktail and Carpaccio. Ernest Hemingway had his table in the corner as a regular patron. He made frequent reference to it in his book, Across …
Dievole: an authentic Chianti Classico is reborn
Dievole: an authentic Chianti Classico is reborn Here’s the new release of Chianti Classico from Dievole. This 2014 vintage featured at VinItaly 2016. I have tried Dievole wines before, but not recently. My old tasting notes say they were right. However, I found their Chianti Classico was a modern style; Sangiovese with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in new French oak. While …
Franco Manca Revisited – great authentic pizza
Franco Manca Revisited – great authentic pizza. Where can you find great pizza? Originally from Napoli, Pizza has travelled the world as a street food staple. However, in doing so, it became much traduced. Napoli finally introduced a law protecting traditional pizza by specifying the ingredients and cooking methods. Fortunately, there is also great pizza in the UK. One such purveyor …
Espresso Martini – Up All Night
Espresso Martini – Up All Night I love good coffee and fine alcohol, so unsurprisingly I adore Espresso Martini, first created by the legendary Dick Bradsell at London’s Soho Brasserie in the Eighties. It was originally called a Vodka Espresso. It has become known as an Espresso Martini although that is a slight misnomer because there isn’t any Gin used. …
Silvio Nardi Brunello di Montalcino 2010
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 …