The interaction between Wineries and Design represents a trend of great topicality and extreme interest. More and more wineries, especially in recent years, have transformed their cellars into authentic works of Design. In this article we will consider a few Italian examples, having before us a panorama of dozens and dozens of fascinating ones. In...

Although I love highlighting Italy’s indigenous grapes, wine regions and producers I think it’s also good to take a step back from time to time and highlight some of the basics in understanding Italian wine. Italy is home to over 2,000 native grape varieties with about 400-500 of them being actively being commercially produced. It’s always a challe...

The disappearing art of truffle hunting is facing a new and “grave threat” from winemakers in northern Italy. The rare white Alba truffle and Piedmont red wines are among the region’s most prized products, and have been sourced in happy proximity for decades. But winemakers in the Langhe area of Piedmont are now eyeing up the shadier side of the hi...

Tuscan wine is often revered as among Italy's finest, with bottles like Brunello di Montalcino and Super Tuscans garnering endless praise and hefty price tags. U.S. consumers are top fans, buying volumes equivalent to around 35% of the region's international exports in 2022 (via Wine News). Red wines represent the majority, accounting for about 85%...

Italy’s top wine brands continue to rack up international awards. And, in the headlines, Sicily rises once again, with one of its leading realities, Planeta, elected “Wine family of the year” of the “Meininger Awards Excellence in Wine & Spirit” No. 18, one of the most prestigious awards in German wine, staged in Dusseldorf, during the days of ProW...

On February 29th, Gambero Rosso’s Tre Bicchieri US tour made its final stop in San Francisco, after Chicago, New York City, and Los Angeles, and before April’s Top Italian Wines Roadshow in Dallas and Miami. Fort Mason became the place where wine experts, trade reps, distributors, and media gathered, on a rainy Thursday afternoon. Following the tra...

We are the champions my friends! Cue the theme from Rocky. For a full year, I am officially the mother part of the formidable mother-daughter team who took first place at the Avon, Connecticut Prince Thomas Of Savoy Italian American Club Festival’s Grape Stomping competition. In the finals, my daughter and I produced 4 full, overflowing pitchers of...

Literary cafes have existed for a long time, but this well-preserved gem in Catania is much more than a bookstore where you can have an espresso. First and foremost, Legatoria Prampolini was established in 1894, a detail that officially makes it the oldest bookstore in all of Sicily. Since 2019, it has been managed by the sisters Angelica and Maria...

33,000 hectares of vineyard area (including 17,000 of Montepulciano); 3.4 million hectoliters of wine produced, of which more than 1 million are claimed as DOC, 80% represented by Montepulciano d'Abruzzo; 6,000 grape producers, 35 cooperative wineries and more than 250 wineries. A market that is declining in volume, but unexpectedly increasing in v...

Vinitaly International Academy, the renowned Italian wine education institute, hosted the 28th edition of its rigorous Italian Wine Ambassador certification course on 4-6 March 2024 at Banville Wine Merchants in New York, certifying 12 new Ambassadors. The Course 2024 marked the comeback of Vinitaly International Academy in the United States. A tot...