Mendoza may be known mostly for Malbec and other powerhouse red grape varieties (and it is Malbec World Day today!), but the region’s white wines have been a major part of its viticultural history. From Chardonnay and Semillón to the native Torrontés and Italian-imported Fiano, Mendoza does not disappoint! Below are some of my favorites. Enjoy!
Read more5 Wine Tasting Ideas for your next Zoom Happy Hour
Yes, it’s come to virtual happy hours. Around the country—and even world—friends are coming together on the virtual conference platform Zoom to clink glasses and unwind from their shelter-in-place days. To help liven up your next “get together” and to ensure the conversation sticks to something other than COVID-19, here are some wine tasting ideas and games for your next Zoom Happy Hour!
Read moreWine of the Month | Enduring Durella!
Alberto and Dario Spezzamonte of Estro Vino e Cucina in Venice, Italy.
The eve before I left Italy this fall, I stopped into Estro Vino e Cucina in Venice to say goodbye to my friends Dario and Alberto Spezzamonte, the owners of this contemporary Venetian bistrot, wine bar and wine shop. Over a glass of sparkling garganega, I asked Dario, the sommelier brother, to select December’s wine-of-the-month; he accepted, we said ciao, gave our do’ bazi (“two kisses” in Venetian dialect; a typical greeting in Italy), and I left. Four days later, on November 12th, Venice suffered from an acqua alta just two inches shy of the record-setting flood in 1966, which reached six feet and four inches.
Read moreWine of the Month | A Mushroom Risotto's Best Friend
After island hopping the past couple of months, November’s wine-of-the-month hails from Piemonte in Northern Italy. It is not only a stellar pairing for a mushroom risotto, but it’s also a delicious Thanksgiving wine and goes well with autumnal fare in general, making this the ideal month to showcase (drum roll, please):
Read moreWine of the Month | Summer Vacation in a Bottle
Sardinia’s stunning coast
Last month’s wine was from one of Italy’s two regions that are islands, Sicily; this month’s wine hails from the other, Sardinia!
Read moreWine of the Month | An Artist's Barolo
Winemaker Massimo Martinelli’s abstract artwork
Earlier this month, I had the absolute pleasure of visiting Massimo Martinelli along with his muse and life partner, Angioletta De Giorgis, at their estate—a happy mix between home, winery, vineyard, art studio, and a small boutique hotel they run called Antica Meridiana Relais Art. A dynamic duo if ever there was one! Massimo, the longtime winemaker at Renato Ratti and even president of the Barolo Consorzio for a period, retired some years ago, but has continued to make small quantities of Dolcetto on the side. In 2012…
Read moreWine of the Month | Magma in Your Glass
For Earth Day this year, I headed back to my old stomping ground, Swirl on Castro, to lead a wine tasting on earth-friendly rosés with, of course, an Italian twist. The line-up was a trio of wines coming from powerhouse winemakers: Mathilde Poggi’s Bardolino Chiaretto 2017 (Le Fraghe, Veneto, Italy), Sam Bilbro’s The Flower Rosé 2018 (Idlewild, Mendocino, CA) and Chiara Vigo’s Vigorosa Etna Rosato 2017 (Fattorie Romeo del Castello, Sicily, Italy). Each one was applauded and appreciated by the crowd, but the rosé that won the vote at the end of the tasting was:
Read moreWine of the Month | Wonder Women of Wine
With March being Women’s Herstory Month and today being International Women’s Day, what better way of celebrating is there than with a collection of wine made by women winemakers and/or coming from women-run wineries? Yes, this month. It’s not just one wine, but a whole tote bag full of them!
Read moreWine of the Month | A Do-Good Bottle To Kick Off the New Year
Marco Pasanella with January’s Wine of the Month
While back in my hometown of New York City over the holidays, I was on the hunt for a perfect wine-of-the-month for January. My search led me to Pasanella & Son, a small wine merchant found in the South Street Seaport area of lower Manhattan.
A lot has changed to South Street Seaport since my childhood when my parents would take me and my sisters for ice cream and weekend strolls along the waterfront. Gone are many of the fishmongers and the old Pier 17, which have been replaced by high-end restaurants, European design shops, and exhibitions organized by the Prada Foundation. Some of this is due to the exodus of businesses during hard times post-September 11th or the fallout from Hurricane Sandy in 2012, some of it is just the ever-changing face of New York City…but, I digress. What you notice right away about Pasanella & Son is its respectful nod to history:
Read moreA Weekend in Matera: What to see, do, eat and drink in the city of caves
If you haven’t heard of Matera—a small town carved into a canyon in Southern Italy’s region of Basilicata (the instep of the boot)—you will soon. This year, the city of caves is waking from a long hibernation and making a splash as the European Union’s Capital of Culture. For good reason too:
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