Tuscan Quintet: Part III Conte Guicciardini

Once upon a time... there was Castello di Poppiano Organization and method: that is what I found at Castello Poppiano, headquarters of the Conte Guicciardini winery. And history, vast history. And a touch of romanticism. A perfect blend that seems to have found its way into each carefully crafted bottle that bears the family crest.…

Get the Party Started: Vinitaly 2019

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…

Countdown Vinitaly: Time to Detox!

Breaking with tradition: we are not going to talk about wine. This is the Lent period in preparation for Vinitaly: time to give things up, purify, detox, and get ready for the biggest wine event in Italy, held every year in Verona. This year, from Sunday, April 15 to Wednesday, April 18, tens of thousands…

A Tuscan Hotbed

Between Wine&Siena in January, and the Tuscan anteprima medley in February, things  really heat up here in Tuscany in the wintertime. I have tasted my heart out at Chianti Lovers, Chianti Classico Collection, skipping  Benvenuto Brunello (where it seems it was rather hard to get in this year) and the Vino Nobile anteprima in Montepulciano.…

50 Shades of Red… and Even Some Blue

The Tuscan anteprima week is by now an appointment not to be missed for Chianti lovers and wine lovers in general. The event for Chianti DOCG, held at Fortezza da Basso, this year saw more than 4000 people flock to sample what the over 100 producers present had to offer. Getting up early is a…