Italian Passeggiata ~ Still a Cultural Phenomenon and it Includes Foods and Wines

Honestly, our American culture, in this May of 2019, has so drastically changed from when I was, say, 5-years old, in Maine. This seems unreal to me, now, but I do remember the first TV that came into my home. My dad was an early adopter of electronic gadgets. We had...

When It’s Traditional and It’s in Tuscany ~ Day 2

I was the guest of Castello di Meleto in Gaiole ~ In the Chianti Classico region of Tuscany. Hosted by Antonia Caserta (sales manager), their winemaker Matteo Menicacci, and their agronomist Giovanni Maria Farina. Antonia translated, and I was also in the company of...

The Benedictine Monks Are Smiling ~ Their Abby is Now Chianti’s Castello di Meleto… a Wine Company

Wine Philology: Wine History I was the guest of Castello di Meleto in Gaiole ~ In the Chianti Classico region of Tuscany. Hosted by Antonia Caserta (sales manager) [PHOTO: Historical image from the Castello di Meleto website] Forget your daddy’s straw basket...

Castello di Meleto: Gaiole in Chianti – Tuscany, The Adventure Begins with a View From the Bluest Sky

[PHOTO: Antonia Caserta of Castello di Meleto. All other images in this story were taken by Jo Diaz.] Day 1 – Flew into Rome as a guest of both Castello di Meleto in Gaiole ~ In the Chianti Classico region of Tuscany and Colonnara Viticultori in Cupramontana ~...

Every Single Wine Grape Variety Has Its Own Unique Leaf

Wine Grape Varietal Leaves can all be found in resource books, but I wanted my own images. There are many wineries where I’ve worked, prior to becoming a consultant. At each one I learned a different segment of the wine business. While at Kendall-Jackson, I took...