Viticulture did survive and improve from the Middle Age to modern times thanks to the Monasteries. In Tuscany a place where you can still breath the Monks’ tradition is Badia a Coltibuono (Abbey of good harvest), that was founded in the XI century. The family Stucchi Prinetti, current owner of the Badia, has improved viticulture…
Brunello di Montalcino is a beloved wine, it takes 5 years to be released and can be really long-lived. But there’s another wine coming from the same hill, the same vineyards and the same grape variety (i.e. Sangiovese): this wine is Rosso di Montalcino DOC. Rosso di Montalcino comes from exactly the same territory as the Brunello…
The estate was founded in the territory of Bolgheri (Tuscany) with the redemption of the land belonging to the Count della Gherardesca, that used to be worked in sharecropping until 1945 by the family of Giulio Batistoni, grandfather of the current owner, Stefano Billi. With its roots in the Bolgheri countryside, the family has always…
Etna Rosso DOC is a red wine made on the largest volcano of Europe: Etna (Sicily, IT). The main grape variety grown here is Nerello mascalese, that has firm tannins and intense flavors. Torre Mora is an estate with vineyards on the slopes of the volcano and the property belongs to the tuscan family Piccini. The Etna Rosso Scalunera, made…
Only in special vintages certain wines are made, one of this is Vigna dell’Impero by Tenuta Sette Ponti. It is a 100% Sangiovese wine, that is only released in very special vintages, when the season allows for perfectly ripe and sane grapes. The vintage 2015 was hot in Tuscany and made some cooler area like…
Poggio Antico is a medium sized winery on the southern side of the hill of Montalcino. The vineyards are very high in altitude, over 500 m (1640 ft) and benefit of important diurnal temperature variation. Limestone in the soil enhances both flavors and fenolics in the grapes. The winery produces several labels. “Altero” is a…
In this moment of the year, wine awards and ratings are going to be presented to the public and wine books of the year will be soon available. According to some Italian wine blogs and wine reviews, Bolgheri Sassicaia 2015 is likely the best Italian wine of the year! It comes from Tuscany, more precisely from…
La Prevostura is a traditional small winery in the north of Piedmont, at Lessona, where they use to blend Nebbiolo grape with other local varieties (i.e. Croatina and Vespolina). Yesterday night I jumped into this Rosé wine made mainly with Nebbiolo grape. The name is Corinna and on the label it is Piemonte DOC. The…
Made with Sagiovese 90%, Canaiolo 7% and Colorino 3%. Bright and transparent garnet red. It affects the nose with petals and a certain austerity. It reminds candied cherry and orange peel, then adds nutmeg, tobacco, humus and goudron. It’s great and dynamic in the mouth, it has very fine tannins that create volume and melt…
A Sangiovese Cru under the Village of Radda in Chianti. Together with the restyling of the historic brand of the Black Rooster, five years ago the Chianti Classico introduced a new category in its denomination, placed at the top of it: the Gran Selezione. According to the modification of the regulations, Gran Selezione is configured…
There is no wine bar in Italy that does not have great Tuscan labels on display, but the presence of Tuscany is a constant even in several wine lists worldwide. This popularity is the result of a fairly modern conquest, although from a historical point of view the region has a world record; in fact,…
Although facing seasonal climate change, Tuscan wine reacts constantly with greater definition and personality while maintaining its strong red vocation. In central Tuscany, especially in Chianti, Sangiovese increasingly takes on the role of absolute protagonist and often also solo (the tradition has been that of blending it with other varieties). There is a strong desire…