The 8th Symposium organized by the Institute of Masters of Wine will be held in Florence, from May 15 - 18. In just a few days, wine connoisseurs will convene in that cradle of the Italian Renaissance for 4 days of conferences, tastings, meeting and greeting. And there will be a significant number of the…
The marvelous Giorgio Erede, a lawyer-turned-chef and restaurateur, has written an unusual and fun memoir, La musica della mia cucina. Those two Italian passions - food and music - in one original work. Isn't creativity what it's all about, Alfie? Erede shares recipes and memories, and gives you the soundtrack for both. It begs the…
Continue reading ➞ Gnocchi al pesto…. Allegro ma non troppo!
On this Holy Day in Italy – venerdì santo, or Good Friday – the question is: Vin Santo or Vino Santo? Holy cow, as Phil Rizzuto used to say, we are not talking about the holy wine they use on the altar during Mass, OK? We are talking about sweet wines, dessert wines – although…
In Italian we say it is important to finire in bellezza, that is, to end things nicely, beautifully. It’s all about impressions and leaving a good taste in your mouth, so to speak. It’s what people remember, what they take away with them. And we can say that Vinitaly 2014 certainly ended with a bang!…
Continue reading ➞ Finire in bellezza… The Beautiful Finish to Vinitaly
Have I convinced you yet that all this tasting is hard work? When you start sipping at 10 in the morning, your taste buds are begging for a break by mid-afternoon. I don’t know if this is harder on the legs or on the taste buds. Tuesday is dedicated to some serious conferencing, as…
We are deep into it now, Vinitaly 2014. The heat is on, here in Verona – temperatures are record-breaking, and the wines are sweating. The refrigeration just can’t keep up with the sun beating down on the Verona fairgrounds. I’ve got to admit it, I prefer to sniff. The aromas are heady… I came to…
Racing around Vinitaly is grueling work … but someone’s got to do it, right? The numbers would seem to be good – all the winemakers I talked to, indicated that the first day (Sunday) seemed like a record-breaking day, with lots of foreigners (always a good sign in times of crisis!) Warm spring temperatures make…
In preparation for the wine-lover’s all-time kermesse, Vinitaly, what does one do? One gets in shape in a weekend of wellness at a thermal spa, what else? (Can you hear George Clooney saying that ‘What else?’ or does George only do Nespresso commercials in his adopted home, Italy?) Days in the sun, and nights in…
In just 14 days’ time, all the oenophiles in-the-know will descend on that Mecca of the grape, Verona! The city of Romeo and Juliet is the host to Italy’s great kermesse, VINITALY. Last year, over 145,000 people attended the 4-day event that showcases Italian wine, but not only – spirits and international wines as well!…
Did you know that researchers have found that – not only do Italians do it better, but – Sardinians live longer than just about anybody else? And Sardinian men lead the pack! There are more of them over 100 years old than anyplace else on earth – the highest concentration of centenarians. Sardinia's Secret To…
Suzanne Branciforte's Italian Grapevine 