... Come hear the Band! For those of you who remember Cabaret! The 'band' at yesterday's inauguration of the 49th Vinitaly were a bunch of politicians, mostly from the Veneto area, as election time is approaching. The Minister for Agriculture, Maurizio Martina, gave a speech full of concrete facts and figures that confirmed that for…
She calls it Furore. Furore is the name of the place, the name of the wine, and it is all the passion that Marisa Cuomo puts into her award-winning wines. I started out this Vinitaly 2015 by visiting this powerhouse, who was pouring it herself, and explaining how she makes her wines to the visitors…
It's official: Vinitaly 2015 is off and running. Just like every year, the sneak preview comes with Opera Wine, the kick-off event sponsored by Wine Spectator and Vinitaly. Held at the elegant Palazzo della Gran Guardia in Piazza Bra, it features 100 Italian vintages chosen as this year's 'Finest Italian Wines'. I like the stylized…
OK, it doesn't get more luxurious than this: a hydromassage in red wine! And what an effect on the skin! So soft, so smooth -- it's all those anti-oxidants, right? When you emerge from the bath, a pleasant, smiling assistant gives you something to replenish the liquids you've lost: And this is supposed to be…
Retreating into the Val d'Orcia for my pre-Vinitaly spring renewal. Driving through this part of Tuscany, I inevitably ask myself: do these greens really occur in nature? Got in just after lunch time. Now that is what I call a Room with a View! Do you really think those little lined-up trees happen naturally too?…
Vinitaly is just around the corner... So how does one gear up for five days of sipping and spitting? Eating and greeting? To say wining and dining is an understatement... Fast? Feast? I have a ritual, and it includes bathing in thermal waters to detox my entire system, tired of the winter, craving the spring…
Continue reading ➞ Winetherapy, the Perfect Preparation for Vinitaly!
So this may be reason enough to make a trip to Rome. Don't tell me I have to explain what puntarella is... And can you identify 4 wonderful things in this photo that just make you feel oh-so-Roman? (Answers below!) So Rome is the happening place now in Italy... Great things are sizzling culturally (like…
I love coffee... And don't the Italians too? Every time I go to Rome, I start my stay out with a cup of java from St. Eustachio. I love the welcoming, homey atmosphere, the incredible range of products and gadgets, all having to do with beans and their elaboration. But the most…
Yesterday in a Liguria filled with sun, looking much like the photo below, I attended a meeting of the prestigious Italian association, Donne del Vino, which brings together producers, restaurateurs and... People like me! Journalists and writers who write about Food & Wine. Last year I was admitted to the ranks of this lovely group,…
...for Tuesday is Martedì grasso, better known in its French version of Mardi Gras! That is to say, it is Carnevale, ogni scherzo vale! which goes a tad further than 'Trick or treat!' I dare say! The tricks, or scherzi, I've seen come closer to charivari than the ritual throwing of rotten eggs at a jack-o-lantern.…
