Le Fornaci – an exciting Lugana white wine from Tommasi Le Fornaci is an ongoing wine project by the Tommasi family. It’s in the Lugana DOC on the southern tip of Lake Garda. Gradually, this project has come to fruition, and the latest 2020 release is a beauty. (Update – so is 2021). Here’s why. Tommasi Tommasi is arguably so …
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 …
Ushas – Rosenmuskateller and visions of the Divine
Ushas – Rosenmuskateller and visions of the divine The Kellerai Kurtasch (Cantina Cortaccia) is one of those magnificent Alto Adige wine co-operatives, focusing on sustainability in the vineyard and the winery. Founded in 1900, its 190 hectares of vineyards rise to 900 metres in this alpine terroir on steep slopes that welcome the sunrise. As is usual in these parts, …
Roero – white and red wines in my Glass
Roero – white and red wines in my Glass The Roero DOCG region is on the northern (left bank) side of the Tanaro river in Piemonte. This river divides Roero from the likes of Barolo and Barbaresco on its southern side. Roero’s territory isn’t a monoculture; while vines have been grown here since Etruscan times, the 1,180 hectares of vineyards …
Chiaretto di Bardolino – Anteprima 2021
Chiaretto di Bardolino – Anteprima 2021 Chiaretto di Bardolino is a crisp, dry, pale-pink wine made in the Bardolino DOC on the Venetian shore of Lake Garda. The Italians never refer to this wine as a Rosato or Rosé, though that’s what it is. Instead, it’s always known as Chiaretto, meaning “the little light one”. Lake Garda is to Italy …
Pojer e Sandri Merlino – an Italian Unicorn
Pojer e Sandri Merlino – an Italian Unicorn Pojer e Sandri is a Trentino winery owned by oenologist Mario Pojer and viticulturalist Fiorentino Sandri. This famous boutique estate started in 1975 with just two hectares. Four decades on, they have 26 hectares of organically certified vines. They make a wide range of acclaimed wines and also have a distillery. This article …
Cantina Tramin and their path to Alpine wines
Cantina Tramin and their path to Alpine wines Cantina Tramin is one of the leading wine producers in the Alto Adige (Südtirol) region of northeast Italy. This co-operative is in the village of Tramin (Termeno), comprising some 300 members and 270 hectares of vines, some of which are now organic. In this mountainous region, individual family holdings are frequently tiny, …
Passorosso – the quintessential Etna Rosso
Passorosso – the quintessential Etna Rosso Mount Etna, while never quiescent, has recently had the most violent eruptions of the past fifty years. Yet, as my previous articles about Etna demonstrate, this destructive power is also life giving. Today, Etna produces magnificent wines from its unique vineyards. Etna’s reputation has been re-established over the last twenty years and now ranks with …