Back in the saddle, sipping again! Last Saturday I had the great good fortune to attend Wine Spectator’s pull-out-the-stops event, Opera Wine 2021 live and in person in Verona. This was one of the first live tasting events since the pandemic, and it brought together – as is tradition – producers, buyers, journalists from around…
The world of wine offers many first times: new flavors, new aromas, new colors... Truth to be told, every new encounter with an unknown bottle is a first time. And how many first times at Vinitaly, the main Italian wine fair! This was actually my third Vinitaly, but the 2018 edition had many first times…
Wandering through the Tuscan countryside - something everyone should do at least once in a lifetime! - one stumbles upon hilltop towns that seem frozen in time. Montepulciano is a Medieval jewel, a place where the Medici family of Florence left their mark and who could blame them? Marvelous vistas inspire noble thoughts. Is…
Continue reading ➞ The Noblest of Wines: Vino Nobile di Montepulciano
Since Vinitaly kicks off each year with the Wine Spectator-sponsored event, Opera Wine, I thought it would be appropriate to choose an operatic soundtrack for this post. Crank up the volume, because the chorus we're talking about is Verdi's famed Va, pensiero!, a quiet storm. Many voices, and glasses, raised together and together make a…
Suzanne Branciforte's Italian Grapevine 