There is a time for words and a time for images. Today, the images of Piemonte vineyard landscapes convey far more than words.
Diary 32: Piemonte vineyard landscapes Read More »
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
Diary 31: Uvalino on the vine Read More »
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
Diary 30: first day in Asti DOCG Read More »
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
Diary 29: Nebbiolo outside Barolo, two fine examples Read More »
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
Diary 28: another fascinating wine co-operative in Piemonte Read More »
Aiming for pure fruit expression Tank method sparkling wine has such a bad rap. Do we complain that delicious, refreshing Beaujolais is not grand cru Burgundy? Both have their time and place. In the same way, it makes no sense to compare a fruity and undemanding Prosecco with a grand Champagne. Indeed, within Piemonte, there
Diary 26: tank method sparkling wine: much more than Asti Read More »
In mapping Piemonte, I explained the fun I had at the beginning of research for The Wines of Piemonte in commissioning a large (A1) size map of the region. I have now gone a second step, acquiring a wine map of southern Piemonte. It is based on the ‘heart of Piemonte’ map in The World
Diary 25: Wine map of southern Piemonte Read More »
Today Piemonte is famous for its grand red wines and, in a different part of the market, for the delights of Asti and Moscato d’Asti. The latter two made with the tank method, producing low alcohol, sweet wines have indeed been a huge success. But in fact, Piemonte’s sparkling wine tradition predates Asti and the
Diary 24: Piemonte’s sparkling wine tradition Read More »
It is the nature of research to lead you down some interesting byways. In my work on The Wines of Piemonte, I have been tracing the history of traditional method sparkling wine in the region. This has led me from today’s Piemonte to il vecchio Piemonte, ‘Old Piemonte’ as the senior generation in Oltrepò Pavese
‘Old Piemonte’ – Pinot Noir in Oltrepò Pavese Read More »
It is difficult to believe but I am now halfway through my contract period for writing my book. I asked for three years to write a 300-page book on The Wines of Piemonte for the CIassic Wine Library. You can see the summary of the book on the publisher’s website. Is it time for a
Diary 22: half-term report Read More »