Arriving in a famous wine area for the first time is wonderfully exciting. As you drive from the airport (in this case Turin), you pass through the neighbouring countryside which is flat as a pancake, if lying between the snow-covered Alps and the ‘ridges’ which give the Langhe its name. As you approach your destination
Landing in Piemonte Read More »
These few pictures are some highlights from a visit in August 2007 with the British Institute’s Tuscan summer school. It was a great day out! Thank you to Margaret Leon, an American living in Umbria, for the photos. More information: on Serraiola, see the full write up on the page on the Tuscan Maremma. on
Serraiola – picture essay Read More »
Our last evening in Taurasi and in Campania offered the chance of either numerous Halloween parties (the mini-witches were very well behaved) or a dinner and tasting at the new wine bar, Vino e caffè. Theoretically a 8.30pm start, we were tipped off that 9.15 was more likely and in fact that gave plenty of
Campania 9 – Filadoro, the new comer Read More »
The name is glamorous, the place is wonderful but not glamorous. Antoine Gaita’s house is up a small road well above the zona industriale of Montefredane, North of Avellino. The vineyards fall away from the house on a North and North West facing slope, perfect for whites according to him. The villa is a nice,
Campania 8 – Villa Diamante Read More »
On a wine journey, one good thing can lead to another. During our visit to the Contrade di Taurasi, we were quizzed on where we had been eating and then given a number of recommendations. The top one was for La Pergola in Gesualdo, a 30-minute drive away which we took up for lunch as
Campania 7 – di Prisco Read More »
I had exchanged telephone calls a couple of times with Flavio before we discovered that his house is about 40 metres from our B&B. He drove us to his father-in-law’s small winery where we found a hive of activity. The first picking of the Aglianico has already been vinified and was now being pumped over
Campania 6 – Contrade di Taurasi Read More »
The road to Salvatore Molletieri’s winery in Montemerano from Avellino is long and tortuous, even after an excellent lunch. After our visit to Mastroberardino, we enquired of a restaurant. While Atripalda’s ‘Valle Verde’ looks like any another industrial unit in this rather unattractive area the food was excellent – cannellini bean and porcini mushroom soup
Campania 5 – Molletieri Read More »
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 »
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