The region of Umbria is often overlooked by its neighbor Tuscany. Located just north of Rome is one of the majestic medieval towns of Umbria, Orvieto. Set atop a hilltop made of volcanic tufo rock, this town was founded by the Etruscans. I traveled to Orvieto many years back and adored its quaintness. The quiet medieval side streets with a bustling...
The Marche region is one of what I consider one of the lesser discovered regions of Italy. Located in central Italy surrounded by the regions of Umbria, Emilia Romagna, Abruzzo and touching Tuscany and Lazio. It’s located along the Adriatic Sea with hills and mountains that roll down to the sea. This varied geography creates a unique microclimate....
Seeing that we’re creeping into May after this weekend I’m going to get a head start into my features for the month of May which is covering the wines of Abruzzo and Marche wine regions. This week I’m starting with the wines known as Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo and will feature a Cerasuolo from Cantina Tollo in Abruzzo. Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo is is one of Ita...
This month we venture to the region of Campania highlighting the native white grape, Falanghina. Campania is a region in southern Italy located on the western coast along the Tyrrhenian Sea. With Naples as the capital of Campania that most are familiar with, maybe you’ve also been fortunate to travel there to explore the Amalfi Coast and the ancien...
Molise is the second smallest region in Italy behind the Valle d’Aosta region in northern Italy. It used to be part of the Abruzzo region, known as Abruzzi e Molise, until 1963. Overshadowed by the prominence of its neighboring wine regions, Molise is small in terms of annual wine production. There are 4 DOCs in Molise, but they only account for ab...
If you’re not familiar with Puglia, also called Apulia, it is located on the heel of the boot along the Adriatic Sea to the east and the Gulf of Taranto at the tip of the heel. The region is relatively flat filled with plains and low hills except the mountainous area to the north that is home to the Gargano headlands and Monti Dauni. Puglia along...
Sicily is one of the fascinating wine regions of Italy, although we could probably make that statement for many others as well. Sicily is Italy’s largest island and has a rich history of various cultural influences from Greeks and Romans to Phoenicians, Arabs and more. These influences can be seen throughout Sicily’s architecture, food and wine to...
For us New Englanders the cold weather has arrived and we're awaiting the snow days to arrive. Some of us are excited about it and many aren't. Of course it's more common for folks to get into the mindset of drinking rosé wines when the weather is warmer. If you're lucky enough to have fantastic weather year round than you may always have rosé in m...
Hic et Nunc winery is located in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy, more specifically in Casale Monferrato, which is about 20 minutes outside of Asti and Alessandro based in the Alessandria province. The winery is located on the lower part of Monferrato, known as Basso Monferrato, that is located on the 45th parallel, a synonymous latitude...
I’ve long been a fan of the wines of the Veneto for such a wide variety of options they provide for consumers. Some years back I had the luxury of touring the Valpolicella wine appellation on a couple of press trips so got to get a deep dive understanding of what these wines are all about. Such a beautiful place to tour as well. I based myself o...
Sardinia is Italy’s 2nd largest island located off the western coast of Italy separated by the Tyrhhenian Sea. Sardinia is one of the few regions I have yet to explore in Italy and I’m not sure why. It has a rugged, mountainous interior with forests and scrub covered land. It also has about 1,200 miles of coastline, some jagged, but the rest with...
When I first start getting into wine I had the luxury of meeting Andrea Cecchi at a couple of local events here and was impressed by him and the wines that the Cecchi family have established in their 125+ history in the wine industry. In my search to always seek out wines and grapes on the lesser explored path, when I saw this label that screamed s...