Wine life

Berlucchi launches Vintage Nature, the new vintage Franciacorta line. I tasted it in preview a few months ago, in the beautiful setting of Palazzo Lana. It is made of three wines, three distinct characters. The core idea, though, is a single one: a Franciacorta with no dosage, able to tell the story of the vintage […]

In this order: first the hatred, then the love. That’s just how Naples works. Catullus will forgive us the inversion. Friday morning, the Dolomites. Air that bites cold to the bone, and a silence that after a while you start to hear as if it were a sound. A few hours later, Naples. Thirty-five degrees […]

We start at Mount Vesuvius and discover that Campania shares five different relationships with fire—and two places where the fire never arrived. The white wines prove this even better than the reds. When people talk about the wines of Naples, they almost always mean one thing: Mount Vesuvius. And when they talk about Vesuvius, they […]

For three weeks this August, Italy ran an informal experiment. The goal was simple. It tested how much heat a country can absorb before it stops answering emails. The answer is a lot. Then, suddenly, none. So, an invitation arrived to spend a Saturday evening in Chianti Classico. I accepted immediately. My reasons had very […]

Navigating the US wine market for authentic alpine bottles requires understanding the importer ecosystem and three-tier distribution rules. Whether sourcing allocation-only whites or arranging direct winery tastings, here is how to access the best of South Tyrol (Alto Adige / Südtirol).  Best South Tyrol Wine Brands to Try in the US  To experience the full stylistic breadth of the region, start with producers holding established US import networks:  Where to Buy South Tyrol Wine Online with US Shipping  Due to the US three-tier system (importer, distributor, retailer), Italian wineries cannot ship cases directly to US residential addresses. Purchases must go through licensed domestic retailers.  Retailer  Specialty / Service  wine.com  Broad regional inventory with interstate shipping […]

The twenty-fifth edition of Vinellando in Magliano in Toscana celebrated Morellino di Scansano. Indeed, the event showed a denomination deeply connected to its origin. On Friday and Saturday, I led two masterclasses at the Centro Enoturistico. Moreover, we explored Morellino di Scansano as the result of a complex geographical and cultural matrix. A Territory Between […]