A few weeks ago, I was walking around a small fair of Italian foods and wines, in Northern Italy. A little crowd was gathered around a cotton candy machine that, swirling quickly, formed fluffy balls of cotton candy on the sticks. “Ah! Good for the kids, but too sweet for my palate!” said somebody...
The Traveling Grapes: Predicting our Future Wines
Visiting the oldest and most prestigious wine-growing areas in Europe, it’s entirely possible to run into very old vines interplanted with different red and white varieties. In these situations, the owner might not even have identified all the grapes in his vineyard.
A Spaniard in Italy - Tuscan Tempranillo
San Miniato is a delightful town in the province of Pisa, in Tuscany—it is also known as San Miniato al Tedesco meaning “of the German,” to distinguish it from another nearby San Miniato called “al Monte,” which is a convent in Florence about forty kilometers to the northeast. In this zone, the most famous agricultural product is certainly the precious white truffle, although the hills are covered with vineyards. However, the wines of this small area suffer from the weighty presence of much more famous Tuscan appellations like Chianti.
Spritz, a Cocktail for the Italian Lifestyle
“How about a drink?”
“Yes please, a Spritz!” is the response of 100% of the students in the ancient university city of Padua, in northern Italy.
The Spritz is in fact the favorite drink not only of the young people from here in the Veneto region, but also of many people in Italy, especially in the north. Here it is considered a popular ritual celebrated just before lunch, or late in the afternoon, before dinner. For the youth, furthermore, the Spritz is more than a pleasant aperitif: it is a ritual, a tradition, a wonderful way to hang out with friends.
Susanna’s Girls: A Family Story of Sorts from Montepulciano
"“These are my girls,” smiles Susanna, stroking the belly of one of them with great kindness and affection. “She” replies with a quick, happy gurgle.
Susanna’s Girls live all together, in a not-very-large room; on tiptoe, a feeble beam of light slips inside, careful not to disturb them. In silence, the girls work tirelessly, night and day: they develop and protect something precious that needs time and quiet to reach maturity".
Palate Press, April 3, 2012
La tigre da cavalcare
"A week end of wine exploration without affectation" un fine settimana di esplorazione del vino senza affettazione. Così l'americano Evan Dawson, giornalista, scrittore e pluripremiato wine blogger ha definito l'European Wine Blogger Conference, tenutasi lo scorso ottobre a Brescia, e alla quale prendeva parte per la prima volta, invitato in veste di moderatore di una tavola rotonda sullo storytelling del vino".
Wine tourism Italy: 2 apps to make the most of your time
"Planning a visit to Italy and its wineries in the next few months? Nice idea! And you’re lucky, because in our technological times you do not have to weigh yourself down with paper guides, books, maps, leaflets or brochures. Everything you need for your journey is in a convenient app for smartphone or tablet. As an Italian with an iPhone and an iPad, I tried out several of these apps on my own devices and found a couple that are very good".
La rivincita dei bianchi
"Le mode sono un pendolo. Così, dopo un ventennio di egemonia dei vini rossi, ora le preferenze dei consumatori di tutto il mondo sembrano tornare a orientarsi verso i bianchi".
In Memory, Giuseppe Quintarelli
"The first time I visited Quintarelli winery was years ago. I was taking some wine importers from Asia to meet one of the most renowned producers of Amarone della Valpolicella. I made the appointment by phone with a lady who was in charge of public relations of the winery..."
A Valpolicella Legend: an interview with Romano Dal Forno
Valpolicella, the territory close Verona (Italy) where renowed wines like Amarone and Ripasso are produced, is a lucky land: it has a myth and a legend of wine world. The myth is Giuseppe Quintarelli. The legend is Romano Dal Forno.
“When I was five years old”, the legendary Dal Forno recounts, “I helped my dad with a mule in the vineyard; I could barely hold its reins. Suddenly, the animal kicked off my small sandals: I still remember the vineyard row where we were..."
Comunicazione del vino, miti e leggende
"Un bel tratto di penna sulla riga "spese per comunicazione, eventi, PR", e il gioco è fatto. Ecco una scena che nelle aziende vitivinicole italiane si ripete fin troppo spesso: in tempi di vacche magre come gli attuali, la voce "spese per la comunicazione", eccetera, è la prima a venir depennata dal bilancio".
Soave: How a wine re-invents itself for US consumers
"In Italian, soave means kind, smooth, appealing.
“Soave is like the color blue for clothes: a classic. You can pair it with almost everything.” An old winemaker told me this years ago, and I never forgot it. However, in spite of this belief, Soave wine was out of fashion for many years in America. In its place, consumers preferred Pinot Grigio. From the 1960s on, Pinot Grigio was considered synonymous with “Italian white wine.” Easy to pronounce, easy to remember, easy to drink. But pinot grigio is not a true native Italian white grape. Its origins are French. And now, even if Pinot Grigio still leads the pack, our old friend Soave is making a comeback".
A Happy Vinitaly, as Market Shows Signs of Recovery
"Founded 45 years ago, Vinitaly is an international exhibition of wines and spirits—and olive oil. A couple days are open to the public, while several days are reserved for professionals such as buyers, distributors and winemakers".
The Secret of Giuseppe Quintarelli's Success
"What do you think is the secret of success of your grandfather?' I deliberately ask this targeted question. Francesco Grigoli is Giuseppe Quintarelli’s grandson; Francesco, it seems to me, has inherited his grandfather’s calm, thoughtful manner. He doesn’t answer my question, but he welcomes us, and leads us to the barrel area where we see the family’s oldest and most historical barrels, those with symbols carved into the wood: two peacocks, a cross, a bunch of grapes, a cup. Giuseppe Quintarelli is not on hand; he is very reserved, and shuns publicity".
L'innovazione corre sul web
"Si dice sempre che uno dei comparti economici e produttivi più refrattari è quello dell'agricoltura. Ci vuole un sacco di tempo (a volte qualche anno) prima che una novitù - culturale o culturale, tecnologica, metodologica o di prodotto - si afferm. Parliamo della realtà, ovviamente, perchè in quella specie di riflesso del mondo tangibile che è la rete, invece, "cambiamento" e "velocità" sono la regola. Anche quando si parla di vino".
Robert Parker jr., il "wine critic" è al tramonto?
"“Parker funziona se uno ha più di 45 anni, o giù di lì. Se sei più giovane, quelli che contano sono i media elettronici”. Roger Gentile, presidente di Gentile’s The Wine Sellers, è considerato uno dei migliori esperti e commercianti di vino in quello che ormai è il primo mercato del mondo: gli Stati Uniti. Da me interrogato circa l’influenza del più potente e famoso wine critic del mondo, Robert Parker Jr, mi ha risposto così. Se lo dice lui, c’è da credergli: nessuno meglio di un merchant, o di un retailer (rivenditore) può sapere quanto “pesa”, ancora ai giorni nostri, un 90 centesimi del wine advocate per definizione. Fino a non molti anni fa, riuscire a varcare la fatidica soglia degli 89/100 significava per un vino l’inizio della sua fortuna commerciale in America e nel resto del pianeta. Ma in tempi come gli attuali, nei quali la crisi mondiale ha ridimensionato i sogni di grandezza di molti, l’impero del gusto parkeriano comincia a mostrare crepe sempre più evidenti...e alla formazione di queste ultime, i nuovi media sono tutt’altro che estranei".
Terrano, wine and lifeblood of Carso
"There is a red track that runs through the Carso (Karst) region of northeastern Italy and neighboring Slovenia, a red track like a native bloodline. It is a native vine: terrano, also known as “Blood of Carso” for its color. The region is situated on a plain above modern-day Trieste, caressed by winds from sea".
Vitovska: Grape of Light
"There is a place in Northern Italy where all the producers are required to make only high quality wines, because there is such a small area for vineyards. This place is Carso, in the Friuli region. Wild and hostile, it forces farmers to exert their maximum effort if they want to work the land".
PALATEPRESS, November 23, 2010
Rare Grapes: Discover Durella in Italy's Lessini Doc
"Imagine a tropical sea: its waters are warm, not very deep. Around it the landscape is lush with tropical plants and prehistoric animals. Occasionally a simmering underwater volcano stirs the calm surface.This was what you would have seen if you had been in the eastern province of Verona, Italy, 50 million years ago".
PALATEPRESS, September 30, 2010
Storie d'impresa: Pinot Grigio Santa Margherita
"Probabilmente pochi ci avrebbero scommesso; viviamo in tempi così frenetici che persino i trend enogastronomici hanno cicli di vita paragonabili a quelli dell’industria elettronica: sei mesi al massimo, e poi via, si cambia. Soprattutto in quella patria dell’innovazione che sono gli Stati Uniti. Invece, almeno in fatto di vini di un certo pregio, proprio i consumatori americani si dimostrano più tradizionalisti e conservatori dei loro omologhi del Vecchio Continente".