Parusso 100 Mesi Extra Brut – Ancient Yet Contemporary The Parusso estate is at Monforte d’Alba, with a stellar reputation for great Barolo DOCG, one of the world’s greatest red wines. Meanwhile, Monforte d’Alba is one of the major wine villages of the Barolo DOCG. It has previously featured on these pages several times, and is one of my favourite …
VentiVenti – The Razzaboni family’s 2020 Vision
VentiVenti – The Razzaboni family’s 2020 Vision VentiVenti is a young start-up venture producing exceptional organic Lambrusco and other wines, particularly through the use of the Metodo Classico method. VentiVenti (2020) is named after the year it was founded. However, the name applies just as aptly to the shared vision of the Razzaboni family, namely Vittorio and his sons Riccardo, …
Mosnel Franciacorta Brut – their landmark 44th Edition
Mosnel Franciacorta Brut – their landmark 44th Edition In 2016, it was an honour to be one of the guests at Mosnel’s 180th birthday celebrations. While there, a unique tasting of their flagship Franciacorta Extra Brut, called EBB, was special. You can read all about Mosnel and that superb sparkling wine here. A return to Mosnel via these pages was …
Borgo Maragliano – Bubbles that Touch the Sky
Borgo Maragliano – Bubbles that Touch the Sky The Galliano family own Borgo Maragliano, a wine estate in Piemonte. It sits 450 metres above sea level (asl) on a natural terrace of the southern Langhe, surrounded by hills reaching over 600 metres. Their glass and steel tasting room seems suspended mid-air and offers breathtaking panoramic countryside views, while the roads here …
Cantina Toblino Vènt project – a different kind of tension
Cantina Toblino Vènt project – a different kind of tension Cantina Toblino was recently awarded the Wine Alchemy WOTY 2021. This was for their sweet dessert wine, Trentino Vino Santo DOC. You can read all about this here. However, as we’ll see, this isn’t the only terrific wine they make. Thanks to their Vènt Project, there are several new wine stars, all …
Moratti – Creating the Champagne of the South?
Moratti – Creating the Champagne of the South? I recently took part in a 1-1 online wine tasting with Gian Matteo Baldi, of Castello di Cigognola. The Castello’s Metodo Classico sparkling wine project is from the Oltrepò Pavese area of Lombardy, south of Milan. We tasted four brilliant DOCG sparkling wines; all made from Pinot Noir under the Moratti brand …
Lessini Durello – Exciting Fizz from the Veneto
Lessini Durello – Exciting Fizz from the Veneto Between Verona and Vicenza in Northern Italy lies a currently obscure DOC, based on a little known Italian white grape variety called Durella. Eclipsed by Venetian vinous heavyweights such as Valpolicella, Soave and Prosecco, the tiny enclave of Lessini Durello nevertheless makes unique sparkling wines. Now, some thirty years after becoming a …
Mosnel EBB – White Gold for the 180th Birthday
Mosnel EBB – White Gold for the 180th Birthday Recently, Franciacorta winery Mosnel celebrated its 180th Birthday, and I was privileged to be invited to take part. In the course of their celebrations, they had a very special treat. It was an opportunity to taste every release of their vintage Franciacorta called Mosnel EBB, back to the very first vintage of …
I’m forever making Bubbles
I’m forever making Bubbles. Making Bubbles is a popular Wine Alchemy event; how different ways to create sparkling wines. Each has advantages and disadvantages. Wine comes from the alcoholic fermentation of freshly picked grape juice. We regard this as straightforward chemistry nowadays. However, that understanding is relatively recent. We know now that yeast digests the sugar in the grapes, producing alcohol and …