The story of Tai Rosso in the Colli Berici, Part 1 Last year I spent some quality time in the Colli Berici in northern Italy. These are the hills that rise out of the flat plains, between Vicenza and Verona. Here, in central Veneto, the Colli Berici was my countryside base for visits to these historic cities. As usual, the local …
Book Review: Italian Wine Unplugged, Grape by Grape
Book Review: Italian Wine Unplugged, Grape by Grape Italian Wine Unplugged brings something genuinely new and refreshing to wine books. In this review, I’ll explain why. For me, Italian wines are a treasure trove of history, culture, food, language, colour, scents and flavours. There’s no denying that Italy makes great wines; in every region, in every possible style and at …
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Feudi di San Gregorio – all about heritage and innovation
Feudi di San Gregorio – all about heritage and innovation Welcome to Campania, in the Mezzogiorno, beautiful southern Italy. It’s where Feudi di San Gregorio is, in the “shin” of Italy’s boot, some 50 km inland from Napoli. This wine producer became, in just a few years, an icon of the modern Italian winemaking renaissance. It remains one of the leaders in restoring …
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Spike Milligans Tape Recorder – wines that won the war
Spike Milligans Tape Recorder – wines that won the war I have before me a torn-out page from the Independent on Sunday, from 24th November 1991. It’s page 65. There, below an article extolling the culinary charms of the chestnut (chestnut flour available from Valvona & Crolla in Edinburgh, priced at £6.99 per kg), is a weekly guest column called …
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The secrets of Champagne Billecart-Salmon
The secrets of Champagne Billecart-Salmon Billecart-Salmon is in Mareuil-sur-Aÿ in the Montagne de Reims, in the heart of the Champagne region. They make excellent Champagnes down on the rue Carnot and are most famous in the UK for their Rosé. As their labels proudly state, the House dates back to 1818, created by Nicolas-François Billecart. It’s still family owned, one …
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A fabulous visit to Domaine Orenga de Gaffory
A fabulous visit to Domaine Orenga de Gaffory Domaine Orenga de Gaffory covers 56 hectares in the appellation of Patrimonio in northern Corsica. This family-owned wine estate is also undergoing organic conversion. It owns many small plots in five different communes. It means they have a broad range of red, rosé and white AOC Patrimonio wines. They also make the nearby …
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Etna terroir, the Burgundy of the Mediterranean – the Lava Lout Returns, Part 2 of 2
Etna terroir, the Burgundy of the Mediterranean – the Lava Lout Returns, Part 2 of 2 The Etna Terroir Part 1 of this article described how a Sicilian volcano bestows natural gifts to create the Etna terroir. But Etna isn’t one terroir; there are many variations. Welcome to the Burgundy of the Mediterranean. Etna’s volcanic soils are free draining, and low …
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Etna, or why I’m a Lava Lout – Part 1 of 2
Etna, or why I’m a Lava Lout – Part 1 of 2 It’s how the Earth was made. At 3,343 metres (10,968 feet), Mount Etna (Mongibello) spits, snarls and smokes. All around is ash, black as death. Above us, the summit has four active craters, caked with yellow sulphur. Etna erupts almost continuously. As we climb to 3,050 metres, it’s …
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Une Table Corse – authentic eating in Corsica
Une Table Corse – authentic eating in Corsica Une Table Corse is a restaurant perhaps like no other. In an ancient and isolated farmhouse, Pauline Julliard, its owner, provides one of the island’s most fabled dining experiences. You’ll eat authentic Corsican cuisine in small converted dining rooms. Pauline learned all the recipes from her mother and grandmother. She is now …
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Rosé Champagne for summer drinking
Rosé Champagne for summer drinking In his book, The Pleasures of Life, Sir John Lubbock wrote this. “Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time”. To which I add, …
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