Category: italy

The Vancouver International Wine Festival 2016 is coming up quickly, and one of the great things about it, is that you can meet winery principals from around the world.  This year, Italy is the theme country, so there will be many winery principals from Italy that you can talk to and have them pour you a glass of their wine,…

In 2015, I only rated 7 wines with 5 stars.  There were many wines that came close to my idea of perfection in a glass, and many of these I gave 4.5 stars.  These are amazing wines still and I highly recommend purchasing any of them.  There are 77 wines that I classified as 4.5 stars.  All of these wines…

The history of Masi is the history of a family and its vineyards in Verona, part of the Veneto. The name itself derives from the Vaio dei Masi, the small valley purchased at the end of the XVIII century by the Boscaini family, still its owners today. Masi now has lands in the best terroir sites of the Venetian regions…

5 Star wines are the top of my rating scale.  It takes a lot to convince me to give a 5 star rating to a wine.  I look for a balance of acidity, tannins, sweetness, fruit, oak and alcohol, as applicable for red, white, fortified, and sparkling wines.  These 7 wines below have everything I am looking for in a…

Bottega S.p.A. is located in Bibano di Godega (TV), in the Prosecco DOC area and a short distance from the vineyards of Collio, Cartizze, Amarone and Picolit.  We are a few km from Conegliano, the capital of grappa. Halfway between Venice (approximately 50 km), capital of art and culture, and the Dolomites, spectacular mountains, that can be spotted on clear days. It is a…

Natural wine is a hot topic in the wine world. Maybe you have not heard of it. There is some range of what is a “Natural” wine. It could fall into the organic, or biodynamic, or sustainable categories for some people.  During this seminar at Cornucopia, we had DJ Kearney, wine educator, writing and judge, give her perspective on Natural…

In 1850, Cleto Chiarli moved from the countryside to the town of Modena, together with his wife Lucia and their four children. In 1860 Cleto Chiarli decided to close his ‘osteria’ down in order to dedicate himself only to the making of Lambrusco, which until then he had been producing for his customers in the ‘Artigliere’. At the 1900 Exposition…

The Zaccagnini are a very modest family who started with only few and small pieces of land in Abruzzo (east central Italy) and now own 300 hectares.  They started in the 1960’s to sell their grapes and were known as the family that owned the most long lasting quality grapes due to their location in Abruzzo. When customers had troubles…

From the time of Ancient Rome to the present day, the Argiano estate has made the history of the territory of Montalcino, becoming one of its most prestigious and traditional elements, a valuable ambassador for its wines in the world and proud to have contributed to the birth of the Brunello Consortium. The Birth of the Estate The history of…

The Holiday season is coming up whether it is Christmas or Hanukkah, or another celebration.  A celebratory drink for many of us is sparkling wine, which can come from different countries, at different price points; but all are enjoyable!  Prosecco, Champagne, Cava, Cremant and more are terms you may hear relating to different sparkling wines.  I recently had a chance…