Category: Tuscany

Recently I arranged to get family and friends together to taste four Chianti Classico wines and try them with different flavours of pizza. At the end of tasting through the wines and enjoying the pizzas, I had the group of us, pick their favourite wine of the evening. Following are my tasting notes for the wines, sans decanting, followed by…

A whole year has passed since my 2021 Wine Quiz, which was related to wines, wineries, and winemakers I was able to interact with and write about on mywinepal.com.  Here is my 3rd Annual 2022 Wine Quiz.  There are 10 questions gleaned from my articles this year. I hope you enjoy it!

It is not every day that you get invited to a portfolio tasting of wines from Italy’s Antinori Estates.  Many of you have probably heard of their most famous wine, Marchesi Antinori Tignanello Toscana IGT, a Super Tuscan, that helped lead the way to blend in International grape varieties, e.g. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with Italy’s Sangiovese grape in Tuscany….

While the term “Cru” is most often used for the French classification system, the “Cru” concept can apply to any vineyard or group of vineyards recognized for their superior quality. This seminar at the Vancouver International Wine Festival took us on a global journey to some of the wine world’s greatest vineyards to discover what makes their terroir and wines…

It’s been two years since we last tasted wines from around the world at the Vancouver International Wine Festival.  During COVID grapevines produced grapes and wine was made but may have been a little harder than normal to get workers in the vineyard and in the winery.  Below are my Old World wine selections.  Most of the vintages are 2020…

In North America we are accustomed to see one or more grape varieties on the wine bottle label.  But this is not the case everywhere in the world.  Take in case, the Tuscany region of Italy.  I received this press release that noted that the DOC Maremma Toscana is the first to be permitted to use a bi-varietal label on…

What is meant by a “Cru” in wine?  The term “Cru” is most often used for the French classification system, but the “Cru” concept can apply to any vineyard region recognized for their superior wine quality. My last seminar during the Vancouver International Wine Festival was on the topic of “cru”.  What it is and how it is expressed.  We…

Italian wine always excites me.  I think it is the acidity in the wines and the in general red fruit flavours.  There is also a wide variety of wines from sparkling Prosecco and Franciacorta wines, and rosé/white/red wines made from indigenous grapes that smell and taste different from the other vitis vinifera that is now so common around the world. …

What Do You Know About Chianti Classico? “Chianti Classico” and should not be confused with “Chianti”, which is a separate denomination that surrounds Chianti Classico. In 1716, the Tuscan Grand Duke Cosimo III, established for the first time in history the borders of the production area for Chianti Classico.  It covers the area between Siena and Florence and covers 70,000…

My first Trade tasting for 2019 was this week, with agents showing the latest new wines they have brought to Vancouver or new vintages of wines that are currently in our market.  I was quite surprised by how many sparkling wines I had a chance to try.  I normally see a peak interest in sparkling wine leading up to the…