Populism is all around us these days. Expertise is out of fashion. Your friend who manages a small business is just as able to balance the national budget as any so-called expert economist. And your palate is just as good as the palate of any so-called wine expert.
Campania – Travel Tips
If I had to guess what you think of if I say the name Campania, your initial thoughts might revolve around the prized mozzarella di bufala or margherita pizza, or the beauty and charm of Capri or the Amalfi Coast, maybe Mount Vesuvius or Pompeii. But just outside of those areas, a rough countryside sharply contrasts the aforementioned beauty of …
Marche and Abruzzo – Travel Tips
For those of you who love travel and appreciate the more off the beaten path and non-touristy experiences, I have decided to chronicle my cultural and culinary adventures around Italy as we search for all the special selections for our wine club members. The blog posts will feature wineries visited, short restaurant reviews, places and sights worth visiting and local …
Montalcino – Travel Tips
Two months back in the US and I left feeling full on friends, family and familiarity but craving what I love so much about my life in Italy—the spirit of Rimessa Roscioli, the real flavors in the food and wine, the extensive culture and diversity from village to village, the immense history, the richness of life here. Ironically I was …
Wine’s Silver Medalist
In the beginning, France was blessed with good growing conditions for wine grapes—as were some locales to the south, including Italy. Wait, I’m getting ahead of myself. More recently, in the beginning of a sit-down with my daily wine news site, I came across an article in which the central claim was that Italy is catching up to France in the fine …
Israel’s Maddeningly Modern Wines
If you’ve read any of my previous articles, you might suspect that I’m a lover of old-world and traditionally styled wines. Well, it’s true. I can admit it.
Sweet Sicilia – Come taste the meaning of Terroir with me
It was my favorite scene from Willy Wonka when I was a child. The scene where they enter into the chocolate factory after that terror of a boat ride, to find a paradise of all the most sweet, succulent, edible delights. Everyone galavanting around savoring and sampling the finger-licking goodies, ravaging and shaking trees of candies and not afraid to …
The Sandy Koufax of Wine
In many of life’s artistic and skilled pursuits, you’ll find a singular enigmatic figure who follows a less traveled path and forges something unique. This person is often something of an iconoclast, plainly marching to the beat of a different drummer.
Another Wine Paradox
When I’m in Rome, I occasionally go to mega-tastings where you pay 200 euros and up to sample some of the world’s greatest wines. I don’t do it often, but such events provide once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to taste otherwise inaccessible bottles. For example, at Bibenda Day 2013 the organizers poured, among other notable wines, ’77 Valentini Trebbiano, ’90 Pergole Torte, ‘98 …
The Wine Gods
I’ve been wondering about the wine gods lately. Are they good? Mostly good? Indifferent? Do they believe in Karma?
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