VentiVenti – The Razzaboni family’s 2020 Vision

Paul HowardArticles, Blog, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, Organic, Sparkling Wine, Sustainability

VentiVenti Famiglia

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, …

Borgo Maragliano – Bubbles that Touch the Sky

Paul HowardArticles, Blog, Italy, Piemonte, Sparkling Wine

Borgo Maragliano vineyards dawn

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 …

The Wines of Conegliano Valdobbiadene (Pt.2)

Paul HowardArticles, Blog, Italy, Organic, Sparkling Wine, Sustainability, Veneto

The Wines of Conegliano Valdobbiadene

The Wines of Conegliano Valdobbiadene (Pt.2) This Part 2 features the Wines of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG. Part 1 of this article told the story of this DOCG and why the Prosecco from here is Superiore. Now it’s time to see if the wines to live up to that billing. Winemaking The DOCG regulations allow the sparkling Superiore to …

Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG (Pt.1)

Paul HowardArticles, Blog, Italy, Sparkling Wine, Sustainability, Veneto

Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG

Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG (Pt.1) As nearly everyone knows, Prosecco is an Italian success story that’s now an international phenomenon. The total production of all Prosecco is vast and still growing. Most of it comes from the colossal DOC, some 24,000 hectares of vines in Italy’s northeast, namely in the Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions. The DOC is now …

Sella & Mosca, a unique winery in Sardegna

Paul HowardArticles, Blog, Italy, Sardegna, Sustainability, Travel, Wine Business

Sella & Mosca

Sella & Mosca, a unique winery in Sardegna Erminio Sella and Edgardo Mosca founded Sella & Mosca in 1890. They came from Piemonte, transforming a poor sheep-farming area into an extraordinary vinous landscape. These rich men were also amateur Egyptologists. It’s commemorated in the winery logo, showing ancient Egyptians pressing grapes, from the tomb of Mereruka in Saqqara. The origins of …

Pignoletto, Part 2: a Grechetto Gentile shopping list.

Paul HowardArticles, Blog, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Abbazia di Monteveglio. DOCG Colli Bolognesi Pignoletto. Grechetto Gentile

Pignoletto, Part 2: a Grechetto Gentile shopping list. Part 1 of this article explained Pignoletto and its transformation. However, (as explained as a postscript in part 1), in 2023, the newly named Pignoletto DOC was renamed again as Emilia-Romagna DOC, while Colli Bolognesi Pignoletto DOCG continues to exist. Part 2 is a companion piece focusing on examples of wines that …