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Veneto: The Land of Opportunity
Italy: North, featured
, Mar 2023
Veneto is undergoing a remarkable transformation. Amarone is achieving a newfound balance, Valpolicella is seeking more refinement, and Soave increasingly emphasizes terroir-driven, expressive wines. In addition, the interior areas boast a number of under-the-radar gems, making Veneto a region to get genuinely excited about.
A Valle d’Aosta Interlude
Italy: North, featured
, Jun 2022
Italian by definition, yet more influenced by French and Swiss neighbors, Valle d’Aosta is quite unique relative to other regions in Italy. It’s precisely that diversity that makes Valle d’Aosta both fun and intriguing to explore.
Trentino & Alto Adige: The Sky’s the Limit
Italy: North, featured
, Jun 2022
Trentino and Alto Adige appear to be on the cusp of grasping unheralded potential. For many years, a microcosm of cooperatives and growers, both large and small-scaled, have been turning out some of the best white wines in Italy, but they were the exception, not the rule. However, through a renewed sense of place, a focus on purity and, in some cases, the effects of global warming, that number is steadily increasing.
Friuli-Venezia Giulia: Just Try to Keep Up
Italy: North, featured
, Apr 2022
Friuli-Venezia Giulia is one of the most culturally and climatically diverse regions in Italy. It should come as no surprise that the region produces a vast range of wines as a result. From crisp varietal whites and richer blends, to wild, indigenous reds and extended skin-contact, amphora-aged wines, the wines of Friuli run the gamut. Quality can be variable, so readers must be selective.
On the Cusp of Evolution: Amarone and Valpolicella
Italy: North, featured
, Apr 2022
Amarone is one of Italy’s most well-known reds, and yet one of the last bottles we pull from our cellars when looking for that special wine. Producers in Valpolicella have been hard at work to change the perception of Amarone as being too big, too sweet and too much. The wines they are bottling are incredibly exciting.
Soave - The Long Road Home
Italy: North, featured
, Apr 2022
Soave’s most ambitious producers have worked hard to overcome the mixed reputation that was so penalizing in the past. It’s been a long journey and one fraught with many challenges, yet the first signs of that effort are starting to show in a bevy of wines that increasingly merit serious attention.
Alto Piemonte, Valtellina & Points North
Italy: North, featured, Italy: Piedmont
, Mar 2022
It is easy to get discouraged these days, as so many reference point wines continue to soar out of reach of the average consumer. But, there are still regions where the savvy wine lover can find truly distinctive wines; wines of place that are both compelling and reasonably priced. Inquisitive readers will find much to explore in the wines of Alto Piemonte, Valtellina and other nearby appellations.
Italy's Food and Wine Epicenter: Emilia-Romagna
Italy: North, featured
, Nov 2021
Emilia-Romagna is the source of Italy’s most beloved culinary creations. Can you imagine a world without Parmigiano-Reggiano, prosciutto di Parma and aceto balsamico? Yet what we don’t often consider are the wines that make a perfect pairing for this rich and hearty cuisine. Add in one of Italy’s undiscovered sources of Sangiovese, and you have a region that no wine lover should ignore.
Against all Odds: Vie di Romans Sauvignon Blanc Vieris
Verticals & Retrospectives, Italy: North, featured
, Oct 2021
When we think of wines that will improve with age, challenging our palates and our intellects over decades of cellaring, it’s usually not a white that comes to mind, especially not a Sauvignon Blanc from Isonzo, Friuli. However, Gianfranco Gallo of Vie di Romans set out over forty years ago to prove us all wrong. Has he? With a fourteen-vintage vertical of the Sauvignon Blanc Vieris direct from the cellar, we’re about to find out.
Cellar Favorite: 2006 Quintarelli Amarone della Valpolicella Classico
Italy: North, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Mar 2021
This bottle of Quintarelli’s 2006 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico made me feel like I was back in the cellar, tasting with the man himself, as I was lucky to do a few times before his passing.