The long and winding road... The hills are alive, and they’re calling my name. The hills of Tuscany that is, and in particular the area around San Casciano Val di Pesa. Tuscany is full of rolling hills, rivers, and thermal baths, which is why it is such a great wine-growing region, in particular for reds…
So, have you ever dreamed of leaving the rat race behind, buying a vineyard and creating your own wine surrounded by gorgeous nature? Maybe creating a restaurant that features homegrown vegetables and local cheeses, keeping things rigorously organic? That is just what the Stefano Matturro and Gabriella Grassi did. Careers in Milan and Brescia in…
One of Italy’s big B wines (Brunello, Barolo, Barbaresco, maybe even Bolgheri) that command universal respect, Brunello di Montalcino is perhaps the most exquisite expression of that versatile grape Sangiovese. Of course in this area of Tuscany, the grape itself is called Brunello, whereas in nearby Montepulciano, it goes by the name of Prugnolo Gentile!…
Nestled into the hills of Chianti is a magical place called Vignamaggio. The name has nothing to do with the month of May (Maggio in Italian), but is rather a direct reference to its prominence as a vineyard (vigna) that is the best (maggiore). Lucky me that I got to visit it on a balmy…
Warning: this is a post with a soundtrack, so crank up the volume! Altro che 3 Tenorini! as we would say. Italians love the number 3: remember Dante? So once upon a time, there were the 3 tenors (Pavarotti, Domingo, Carreras). Then came the 3 Tenorini (actually one is a baritone), now called Il Volo.…
Or so they say in Italian (La classe non è acqua!) Maybe it's Brunello, or Amarone, or Chianti, or Prosecco, or Furore. See what I mean? That phrase could have been the caption for Wednesday night's super gala dinner for Le Donne del Vino (the Women of Wine Association). The event is called Finitaly, a play…
So did you catch the reference to Paolo Sorrentino’s 2011 film, This Must Be the Place, with Sean Penn and Frances McDormand (music by David Byrne)? Now everyone knows his 2013 film, La Grande Bellezza. (If you don’t, stop reading immediately and go see it – this is REQUIRED VIEWING for this blog! Winner of…
Are you a foodie? Do you love to settle down with a good glass of wine, preferably in good company? Have you dreamt of living in a Tuscan farmhouse, or in a pastel-colored stucco villa overlooking the Mediterranean?Do you want to live La Dolce Vita? If so, then… This must be the place!!! …
Suzanne Branciforte's Italian Grapevine 