On March 25, Italy celebrated the second Dantedì (Heaven forbid we use English and call it Dante’s Day, Dante would roll over in his grave!). This important celebration marks the 700th anniversary of Dante’s death in 1321. I hear you: “Why the Inferno March 25?” As recognized by most scholars of the Divine Comedy, on…
Get the party started! Wine Spectator's mega-event kick-off to Vinitaly, Opera Wine, is a feel-good event that showcases Italy's Top 100 wines (which for some reason, this year were 107!) Maybe because it was the 7th annual Opera Wine? The event sported an oddly American stars-and-stripes theme. Crank up the volume, because this blog post has…
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…
In Italian they say 'finire in bellezza' and that is exactly what we did, ending up the season of new release tastings in front of Benozzo Gozzoli's magnificent frescoes in Montefalco. Such beauty! It's taken me over a week to recover! Just adore St. Francis driving the demons out of Arezzo! Benozzo was busy, between…
Molise: The Sound of Wine. Love that. Not sure I know what it means. But it doesn't matter. What sound does wine make? Lots of different sounds, depends on where you are, at what point the wine is (pouring? drinking? slurping the last delicious drop?), and who you're with. As the following photos will attest,…
Still reflecting on last weekend's event in Siena. The fun thing about these wine events is that you see old friends and make new ones. I haven't been to a wine event yet where I haven't met someone new or run into someone I wish I spent more time with. For instance, these two movers…
This weekend in Tuscany, the 2nd annual Wine&Siena was held in this charming medieval jewel of a hilltop city that is still contained by its ancient walls. Organized by the same people who put together Merano Wine Festival, it was an opportunity to taste the bounty of the land that is Italy, both wine and…
Benozzo Gozzoli has always been one of my favorite Quattrocento painters. How could you not love a guy with a name like that? Or a face like this? Benozzo was a busy guy: besides frescoing one of the great masterpieces of the Quattrocento for the Medici family in Florence, an Adoration of the Magi in…
Continue reading ➞ The Culture of Wine Part III: Montefalco and Benozzo
Suzanne Branciforte's Italian Grapevine 