The World of Sicilian Wine, by Bill Nesto MW and his wife Frances di Savino, is an excellent survey of an important wine region of Italy that is all too often overlooked by wine writers. Both authors claim Sicilian roots, Nesto directly and di Savino by way of her ancestors who came to Campania via […]
Posted February 17, 2014 The anticipated new premium level for the wines of Chianti Classico DOCG — Gran Selezione (Great Selection) — has cleared its final hurdle and is now officially part of the Chianti Classico portfolio. Gran Selezione is a new classification above Riserva, made using grapes harvested only from the winery’s own vineyards, […]
Posted November 8, 2013 Trebbiano is the second most planted grape variety in Italy. Or is it? The answer depends on how liberal your definition of Trebbiano is, because there are several different subtypes of Trebbiano around Italy—and it appears that most of them are not really related. [Ed. note: Since this article was written, […]
What is this delectable drink we call Amarone? And how is it made? Amarone is a dried-grape wine made using the appassimento (ah-pah-see-men-toh) method—a process whereby grapes are left to dry for several months and then pressed once they have lost between 40% and 50% of their original weight. Grapes are picked while they still […]
After frenetic jockeying for position in 2011, the music stopped Posted July 31, 2013 In 2008, the European Union officially began the process of “normalizing” agricultural policy throughout the EU. Translation: Regulatory control of agriculture was to be taken away from the member countries and consolidated within the European Commission instead. For the wine industry, […]
Posted July 31, 2013 Well, not everything. But if you spent a lot of time studying Italian wine in the past—for a certification, perhaps—you might need to hit the books again. A great many of the wine laws changed in 2011 (see related article), and most reference sources have not yet caught up. And the […]
