Writing about the wines of Piemonte, Italy and France
Any visit to Campania has to include Mastroberardino. This was the winery which put the region on the map, formally founded in 1874 but much older than that, now in its 10th generation of the family. They started as plain Berardino with the ‘mastro’ being added as an honorific; they virtually drew up the rules
Campania 4 – Mastroberardino Read More »
The Cilento national park is famous for its proximity to the great Greek temples of Paestum and then for white figs – and of course for its wonderful genuinely wild interior. It is not famous for wine. That hasn’t stopped a handful of family wineries proving the potential of the area if you have the
Campania 3 – de Conciliis Read More »
Sadly, our attempt at a visit to Marisa Cuomo’s vineyards, perched high above the Costa d’Amalfi, did not come off. But at least we visited the spectacular town of Furore, climbed the steeps steps which go straight up from the sea to the town and stayed in a B&B to die for – carved out
Campania 2 – Furore and Montevetrano Read More »
Our autumn holiday started at Naples airport searching for a hire car in a large car park, thinking it has got to be here somewhere. Equally, at 9 pm at night, we found that the coast road to Sorrento is currently diverted through Vico Equense for the winter months (while they repair one of the
Campania is one of the historic wine areas of Italy – the Romans prized the wine from Ager Falernum (now revived as Palermo) – for great fresco from Pompeii, see: Roman fresco at Pompeii No doubt their predecessors, the Samnites, could cook up a great brew or two. As the map shows, they certainly had
Campania – introduction Read More »
One of the risks of going to parties is the range of competent but dull wines you may encounter. Things look up however if the party is thrown by a member of a wine club and lots of the wine club are there. While no one would expect rare or valuable bottles, finding interesting party