Red Wines
Tastings, reviews and insights on the best Italian and international red wines.
Occhipinti: the Frappato of the Natural Woman
I have always loved Sicily – it is a beautiful, evocative region full of history: a land that has embraced many peoples who left their indelible mark on it. There are excellent Sicilian wines, but this region can still do so much more, especially in terms of communication and the promotion of a truly wonderful territory...
Le Pontare Zanotti: another Ripasso never hurts
Veneto is a truly beautiful region, often penalized by prejudices and people who, while boasting great attachment to their land, do nothing but damage its image. Veneto is also the land of great wines, tied above all to Amarone and ...
Pinot Noir: Ottin's Proposal from Valle d'Aosta
Elio Ottin, originally from Saint Denis, an agricultural expert, fruit grower and winemaker like many in Valle d'Aosta, has been making a name for himself since 2007 thanks to the quality of his wines. Refined, elegant labels, without too much fuss but beautiful....
Cantina Pira: Barolo di Serralunga d'Alba
We are in Serralunga d'Alba, in the south-eastern area of the Barolo production zone. From a geological standpoint, the territory emerged from the sea in an earlier era, during the so-called Serravallian period, approximately 15 million years ago. On the wes...
La Pranda Cantine del Nebbiolo: a Squeeze of Piedmont
Having Piedmontese friends has many advantages, even if for a Neapolitan, eating at 12:30 or even at 1 o'clock could be a problem! Piedmont is a region that, from an oenological point of view, needs no introduction, but you can find yourself lost if you're looking for a wine perhaps less known than the usual ones...
Pignolo Friulano Colli Orientali doc 2005 riserva
Who finds a Pignolo finds a treasure: Colli Orientali del Friuli DOC 2005 Riserva L'Azienda Agricola Viarte (spring in Friulano) was founded in 1973 with 35 hectares in Prepotto (UD). In 2003 a further 6 hillside hectares were added and since 2013 it is with...
Barolo Riserva Borgogno: the time machine
Vinitaly, the largest wine fair in Italy, perhaps in the world. You can meet producers there, drink their vintage wines. It is already more difficult to come across a vertical tasting of Barolo Riserva by Borgogno. To then taste a Barolo Riserva Borgogno that is over thirty years old is practically impossible. And yet that is what we will try to tell you about.
Barbera d'Asti Tradizione Cantina Saccoletto: Carpe Diem
I can still distinctly recall the buzz of the many attendees curiously crowding around the producers' tables: noses in glasses, smiles, questions and banter; all amid the aromas of the fantastic wheels of pecorino from the Valle Scannese farm...
Dolcetto d'Alba Terre D'Aleramo: galloping through Monferrato
Anyone who knows wine – or thinks they know at least a little – always wants to choose what to drink: the type of wine, the winery, the vintage, and so on. The choice is often complex, with many parameters to consider, many of which are immeasurable and subjective, not to mention the emotional involvement that so often takes the lead...
Sicilian Cabernet Sauvignon, eco-sustainable and long-lived
Today we present the longest-aged Cabernet Sauvignon produced in Sicily, born from the VIVA Sustainable Wine project: eco-sustainable wines. At the last Vinitaly I had the pleasure of tasting a Cabernet Sauvignon IGT 2011 from the winery ...
Barbera d'Asti Biologico Terre da Vino: simplicity and accessibility
Far from wine shops and with no time to visit wineries, I ended up in a shopping centre: a place those of us in the industry don't love, but where perhaps most consumers actually shop. We discussed it in our ABC del vino guide – in large retail chains (GDO)...
Frappato: Blood and Heart of Sicily
There is a land that lives and trembles in the deep sea, mirroring itself in the relentless beating sun. And flowing through its blood, through the mastery of its people, is the art of making wine. And I say "making" because there is a sharp difference when set against the verb to "produce"...