Writing about the wines of Piemonte, Italy and France
On Friday, Janet and I returned to England after a fantastic month in Piemonte. I am exhilarated, slightly overwhelmed by the amount of material I have gathered and somewhat exhausted too! We made 93 visits in around 25 days of visiting … The research was for my book on The Wines of Piemonte, to be
There is a time for words and a time for images. Today, the images of Piemonte vineyard landscapes convey far more than words.
One of the joys of visiting a region is learning about the local grape varieties, in this case, the rare variety Uvalino. Yes, everyone in Monferrato grows Barbera and Moscato but Uvalino is basically grown mainly by Cascina Castlet in Costiglione d’Asti. It has been treasured by Maria Borio who has grown and studied it
This really is a diary entry: a first day in Asti DOCG. For the first time in nearly two years, Janet and I are in Piemonte, visiting wineries, talking to technical experts and enjoying brilliant early autumn sunshine. After months of tasting samples and Zoom calls, it is great to actually be here and enjoy
It has been a long, hot, dry summer in Italy … until a group of wine writers turned up in Rimini. But a couple of days of downpours were not going to put us off. And then the sun came out and it was perfect, with some good light too. Here are some of my
One of the joys of visiting a less well-known Italian region is the local grape varieties to be found there. Romagna’s Albana grape variety is a perfect example. It is barely grown anywhere else than between Bologna and Italy’s Adriatic coast and has become a regional speciality of Romagna. It also has beautiful bunches of
The first full day of the visit was taken up with Romagna Sangiovese and friends. It is one of the bonuses of this trip that the Sangiovese is complemented with Romagna’s white and sweet wines – Albana, Bombino Bianco, Trebbiano and more. It’s a splendidly mixed diet. The Consorzio di vini di Romagna gave a
It is a genuine delight to be able to travel back to Italy for the first time in 19 months, due to the restrictions of Covid 19. But I am finally back here and it was tempting to kiss the concrete of Bologna airport! I am the guest of Consorzi Vini di Romagna who have
It’s easy to think that Piemonte’s great Nebbiolo wines come exclusively from Barolo and Barbaresco. This post features two wines, both 100 per cent Nebbiolo, that come from nearby, one quite well known, one a real hidden gem: two fine Nebbiolos outside Barolo. As part of research for my book, The Wines of Piemonte, I
Yesterday I had the chance to talk to Paolo Aiassa, director of the Terre dei Santi co-operative, as part of my research for The Wines of Piemonte in the Classic Wine Library. I love co-operatives when the wine is good and it certainly is here. Here are my reflections on another fascinating wine co-operative in