Bellone from Lazio – Anthium by Casale del Giglio Bellone is an extremely high-quality autochthonous white grape variety from the Lazio region of Italy. A stunning example is made by the Casale del Giglio winery in Lazio, 50 km south of Rome. Called Anthium, it’s 100% Bellone, designated as a Lazio Bianco IGP. All this deserves better recognition here in …
Lison DOCG – In the Shadow of the Lion
Lison DOCG – In the Shadow of the Lion You may never have heard of Lison DOCG, as despite its lofty status, there are only 44 hectares of vineyards and around 180,000 bottles made each year. Yet the excellent wine quality fully deserves such an appellation, which even contains a Classico subzone. There is a long history of winemaking here, …
Cadgal and Moscato d’Asti DOCG
Cadgal and Moscato d’Asti DOCG Moscato d’Asti DOCG covers a vast area of some 10,000 ha in Piemonte, spreading across the historic regions of Langhe, Monferrato and Roero. It produces and sells about 36 million bottles yearly, 90% of which are exports. That’s a lot of wine, yet it remains less well-known in the UK, dwarfed by the ubiquitous Prosecco1. …
Rossese Bianco from Josetta Saffirio is WOTY 2024
Rossese Bianco from Josetta Saffirio is WOTY 2024 Wine Alchemy’s Wine of the Year (WOTY) 2024 goes to Sara Vezza in Piemonte, Italy. This is for the rare white wine Josetta Saffirio, Rossese Bianco, Langhe DOC, 2022. As is usual, the Wine Alchemy WOTY is inspirational. Exceptional taste is a given. But, in addition, the winning wine must be genuinely …
Le Monde Wine Tasting Dinner in Cumbria
Le Monde Wine Tasting Dinner in Cumbria At a recently held Le Monde wine-tasting dinner in Cumbria, we imagined ourselves in Italy, specifically the area of Friuli known as Friuli Grave. This territory is sandwiched between the Alps to the north, with Venice and the Adriatic coast to the south. It’s an enormous flat plain created over millennia by alluvial …
Rivera – Three Stunning Puglian Wines
Rivera – Three Stunning Puglian Wines On a recent visit to Apulia (Puglia) in Italy, I was honoured to attend the prestigious annual Radici del Sud competition, judging the wines of Southern Italy. While there, visiting the Rivera winery was a real highlight. Rivera is located in central Puglia, near Andria. Nearby is a famous local landmark, Castel del Monte. …