Dolce Vita – Page 3 – Suzanne Branciforte's Italian Grapevine

The Producers

April 24, 2019April 26, 2019Abruzzo, Apulia, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Chianti, Culture, Dolce Vita, Donne del Vino, Lazio, Made in Italy, Marche, Primitivo di Manduria, Puglia, Sicily, Siena, Tuscany, Uncategorized, Veneto, Vinitaly, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Wine, Wine SpectatorLeave a Comment

Nice thing about Vinitaly is getting to see the wine producers, whether old friends or new acquaintances. Meeting who is behind the wine is what it's all about. And besides, it's fun! So here are some of my highlights of the last Vinitaly! Just another Italian American from New York living in Italy? Joe…

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La Vie en Rosé

April 14, 2019April 19, 2019Abruzzo, Apulia, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Chianti, Culture, Dolce Vita, Donne del Vino, Emilia Romagna, Lazio, Made in Italy, Marche, Piedmont, ProWein, Puglia, Rosé, Sicily, Trentino Alto Adige, Tuscany, Uncategorized, Veneto, Vinitaly, Wine, Wine Spectator1 Comment

My father used to say I saw the world through rose colored glasses. That's what it felt like at this latest Vinitaly 2019. Never saw so much rosé in my life! Ophelia (Macchie Santa Maria, Avellino, Campania) Malgré (Tenuta Scuotto, Campania) Lilianne (Tenute Cuffaro, Sicily, Nero d'Avola) Not surprisingly, the displays featuring rosés often…

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Fifty Shades of Aglianico

April 10, 2019Amalfi Coast, Barolo, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Culture, Dolce Vita, Donne del Vino, Made in Italy, Matera, Rosé, Uncategorized, Vinitaly, Wine, Wine SpectatorLeave a Comment

One of Italy's best under-appreciated native grape varieties is Aglianico. Can I say how much I love it? It grows principally in the South of Italy, mostly in the regions of Campania, Basilicata, Puglia, and Calabria. Whether a wine is 100% Aglianico, or a blend, there is a lot to be said for this grape,…

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Big Little Women

April 7, 2019April 7, 2019Basilicata, Campania, Culture, Dolce Vita, Donne del Vino, Emilia Romagna, Made in Italy, Marche, Rosé, Sicily, Trentino Alto Adige, Uncategorized, Vinitaly, Wine, Wine SpectatorLeave a Comment

This year's annual tasting sponsored by Le Donne del Vino (the national association of Women of Wine) featured young women winemakers, all under 40. Led by Vinitaly International Academy's Ian D'Agata, an expert on Italian native grape varieties, this was an opportunity to taste some exceptional vintages made from some famous - and some not-so-famous…

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Get the Party Started: Vinitaly 2019

April 6, 2019Chianti, Culture, Dolce Vita, Donne del Vino, Made in Italy, Morellino di Scansano, Prosecco, Sassicaia, Tuscany, Uncategorized, Veneto, Vinitaly, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Wine, Wine Spectator1 Comment

Maybe it is the bubbly, colorful logo of this year's Opera Wine, but Vinitaly 2019 started with a bang! The cold and rather gray weather did not put a damper on the kick-off: Wine Spectator celebrated its choice of Italy's 100 Finest Wines and Producers, so yours truly was on location to sample vintages, meet…

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Man Does Not Live by Wine Alone…

April 2, 2019Apulia, Dolce Vita, Donne del Vino, Food, Made in Italy, Olive Oil, Primitivo di Manduria, Puglia, Uncategorized, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Wine1 Comment

Lucky for me, when I travel for wine, I also get to try an awful lot of good food. Puglia is one of those regions where authentic regional cuisine is flourishing. And as if that were not enough, going back to basics, using all natural ingredients or recipes the way grandma made them, is all…

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Chillin’ in Chile

February 25, 2019February 25, 2019architecture, Art, Chile, Culture, Dolce Vita, Uncategorized, Vinitaly, Wine, Wine Spectator1 Comment

Italian Grapevine took a vacation, to explore other grape-growing, wine-making terroirs, this time going quite a distance... all the way to the New World! My trek to the Maipo Valley, so near to Santiago, to visit the Undurraga winery, one of Chile's most important wine estates, was nothing short of idyllic. And such a welcome!…

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Seeing Stars

December 12, 2018AIS Associazione Italiana Sommelier, Apulia, Art, Culture, Dolce Vita, Food, Made in Italy, Puglia, Slow Food, Tuscany, Uncategorized, WineLeave a Comment

As a lover of good wine, I am – quite obviously – also a lover of great food. So in my meanderings around Italy, this year I decided to start making a point of visiting Michelin starred restaurants, especially those of young, up-and-coming chefs. The ones with the stars in their eyes. First stop: Umami,…

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Sensual Sicily, Chic Scicli

November 29, 2018architecture, Art, Culture, Dolce Vita, Donne del Vino, Food, Made in Italy, Sicily, Uncategorized, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, WineLeave a Comment

Sicily is a feast for the senses… Stimulation abounds, as you are surrounded by beauty, both natural and man-made. On a recent visit to Scicli – which is pronounced chic + ly – I got to know a little corner of the Mediterranean’s biggest island that had inexplicably avoided my probing eye. This end-of-summer moment…

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Our Ladies of Loreto

November 20, 2018architecture, Art, Culture, Dolce Vita, Donne del Vino, Food, Made in Italy, Marche, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, Renaissance, Rosé, Uncategorized, Vinitaly, WineLeave a Comment

On my odyssey through the world of Italian wine this summer, I was able to visit producers whose wines had intrigued me, but whose terroir I had not yet been able to visit. And the great thing about visiting wineries is you see where the wine grows: you breathe the same air, feel the sun…

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