Castello di Gabiano of Piedmont ~ Part 2
Piedmont, Italy is a place I’ve never visited; but, I’m headed there, once Covid travel restrictions are lifted. Yesterday’s story began my virtual journey. Briefly: Covid’s restrictions stopped all travel, as I was supposed to be in Piedmont this past November… I watched each month with hope, before it arrived, throughout the entire year as […]
Wine Travels Suspended Due to Covid, Yet the Trip to Castello di Gabiano Still Burns from Within
We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us ~ Anonymous Oh, Covid… you’re such a marplot! [Images are the property of CASTELLO Di GABIANO, except where noted.] I could have been right here in November, if life didn’t include you, Covid. I would have left my home base in Sonoma […]
Wine of the Week ~ Chianti 2018 DOCG Renzo Masi & C. Rufina, Italy
A piece of my heart was deliberately left in Chianti Country, during a visit to Tuscany, with the Bluest Sky Import Group. A life-altering education, every time I’ve headed out to “be there,” smell the terroir, feel the earth, see the vines, taste the wines, and ask questions (even if some sound like I just […]
Romeo and Juliet Prosecco, the Angst and the Sparkle, in The World of Wine ~ Italy
[IMAGE by Wiesław Jarek : VERONA, ITALY – MAY 1, 2016: Part of the wall covered with love messages in Juliet’s house, Verona, Italy] SAMPLE: The following is a springtime-worthy (heck – all year-worthy) wine, delivered from Famiglia Pasqua and the vineyards of the Veneto region, in northeast Italy. PREFACE: HEART ~ THE WINERY: info is […]
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 the first TV in […]
The World of Wine ~ Romeo and Juliette, when you have an adventurous palate
SAMPLES: The following are two springtime-worthy wines, fresh from Famiglia Pasqua, and the vineyards of the Veneto region in northeast Italy. “Pasqua” coincidentally means “Easter” in Italian – a fittingly wine for this coming Easter Sunday, è giusto? The Romeo & Juliet Passione Sentimento Rosso 2016 and the Romeo & Juliet Passione Sentimento Bianco 2017 samples […]
Pairing Tuscan Wines with Tuscan Cuisine ~ Day 1
GUEST: I was a guest at Castello di Meleto, in Gaiole (the Chianti Classico region of Tuscany), as orchestrated by Michael Yurch, of The Bluest Sky Group. When we, as Americans, think of Italian cuisine, pasta immediately comes to mind, right? In a word association game, I say Italian food, and most people respond with […]
A Tasting Like No Other In Cupramontana Italy ~ Well Known For Its Native Varieties
Imagine having flown into a new country, and adding that to one’s wine educational repertoire. Now imaging becoming part of a team for a week, meeting everyone for the first time. Then, all the new foods; and lastly, tasting indigenous varietal wines, mostly for the first time… You have to navigate it all, and you […]
Le Sincette, Chiaretto DOC, Italy; Where Have you Been All of My Life?
UPDATE: Thanks to Jane Nichols, a reader of this blog, she sent an update to me, regarding La Sincette’s appellation: I was so interested in the wine you wrote about that I did a bit of research and happened to find out….the appellation of the wine is actually the Valtènesi DOC…which (amazingly/confusedly) has been discontinued […]
When Opportunity Knocked ~ Siena Italy Was at the Door
[ALL PHOTO: Jo Diaz, unless noted otherwise. Shop in Sienna, Italy] PART 1 ~ CULTURE LEADS TO WINE AND FOOD In October of 2018, a door was opened for me by Bluest Sky Group, when I was invited to join a group of wine professionals traveling in Italy. We would be exploring the central wine regions of […]
