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 …
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 190 member families farming 260 hectares of vines, some of which are now organic. In this mountainous region, individual family holdings are frequently …
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Peter Zemmer, “Giatl” – A Unique Pinot Grigio Riserva
Peter Zemmer, “Giatl” – A Unique Pinot Grigio Riserva Heading north on the A22 (Autostrada del Brennero), you’ll arrive in the Alto Adige (Südtirol) region of NE Italy. In this southernmost part, fruit trees and vines flank the motorway. Here lies the pretty and tranquil village of Cortina ssdv, or Cortina sulla Strada del Vino. It’s the smallest village on …
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Valpolicella – Discovering Diversity Part 2
Valpolicella – Discovering Diversity Part 2 Part 1 of this article was about the diversity found in Valpolicella; in grapes, styles, designations, terroirs, winegrowing, and philosophies. This Part 2 features a dozen great examples of Valpolicella wines designed to illustrate these points. They are also arranged in pairs to compare and contrast. Such is the strength-in-depth within Valpolicella that on another day, …
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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 small enclave of Lessini Durello nevertheless makes unique sparkling wines. Now, some thirty years after becoming a …
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The Verdicchio of the Castles of Jesi
The Verdicchio of the Castles of Jesi In my first article on Verdicchio, (Part 1: Matelica, fifty shades of green), I mentioned that the Marche region of central Italy is where the best Verdicchio grows. Here it proves to be one of Italy’s finest native white grapes, capable of outstanding longevity. This Part two is about Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi, Matelica’s more …
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Fifty Shades of Green: Verdicchio di Matelica
Fifty Shades of Green: Verdicchio di Matelica The Marche in central Italy is where the Verdicchio grape shows that it’s one of Italy’s finest native white grapes. As well as making highly distinctive and characterful wines, it’s also versatile. It makes a range of wine styles; from fizz through to sweet wines. However, the best examples are the dry still …
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I Veroni Chianti Rùfina Riserva – verticale
I Veroni Chianti Rùfina Riserva – verticale Chianti has seven subzones besides Chianti Classico, the best-known region. Chianti Rùfina, (pronounced, in my best London accent, Roo-fina) is the best of these. It’s a small enclave of 1,000 hectares at most and probably accounts for only about 3% of all Chianti production. Perhaps it’s the only Chianti subzone to rival Classico …
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