Italy offers an embarrassment of riches to those who explore her lands: miles upon miles of pristine beaches, dramatic mountain passes, rushing rivers, and tranquil forests. One would need weeks – or a few splendid months – to experience all of it. But Emilia-Romagna, a region encompassing Adriatic coastline, Apennine foothills, and acres of rolling plains, has all that and more. It is, in fact, … Continue reading All Aboard: the Italian Food Wine & Travel Group Heads to Emilia-Romagna (#ItalianFWT)
For a country of its size, Italy is wonderfully diverse. Home to two mountain ranges – the Alps, which dominate the northern border, and the Apennines, which form a longitudinal spine down the center – Italy also boasts beautiful beaches, exotic islands, and fertile farm land. Any student of basic geography would tell you that this results in a wide array of climates and soils, all leaving their mark on the wines of a particular place. And that’s before we consider the staggering number of grape varieties that call the peninsula home; indeed, many of them are grown nowhere else in the world.
While each region offers vinous temptations and delectable food pairings (all worth delving into, by the way) today my sights are set on the far northeast corner of Italy: Alto Adige, aka the Südtirol. Its Alpine location abutting the Swiss and Austrian borders offers a clue to its culture, which gives more than a cursory nod to Germanic tradition. Even today, nearly two-thirds of its inhabitants are native German speakers.
I’m really excited about this episode of Wine Pairing Weekend: all of us will be writing about wines we haven’t tried before. That might mean trying a grape variety we’ve just learned about, or sampling a wine from an emerging region. Gosh, it could be both! Take a look at what has inspired our group of food and wine writers this month: Wine Predator wrote about … Continue reading New Wines for a New Year: Wine Pairing Weekend Welcomes 2017 (#winePW)
Italy’s 20 regions boast many beautiful wines and a host of delicious foods to accompany them. And, even if we’ve never set foot on Italian soil, most of us have become familiar with popular tourist destinations like Florence, Rome, Venice, and Milan. The more adventurous among us may have traveled to central Italy’s Adriatic coast, or perhaps to Piedmont in the far northwest. Maybe even … Continue reading Three Cheers for Cirò DOC
Last week I took you on a virtual tour of Le Marche, the wine region that lies on the central Adriatic coast, due east of Tuscany. It was part of an educational excursion put together by Protocol Wine Studio and its fearless leader, Tina Morey. The other half of our August sojourn took us to the geographic heart of Italy – Umbria. Nestled among some of … Continue reading Undiscovered Italy, Part Two: The Secrets of Umbria (#WineStudio)
Each month Tina Morey from Protocol Wine Studio leads a group of wine writers on a virtual tasting tour of a fascinating wine region. From one month to the next, she and a rotating cast of importers, winemakers, educators, and wine travel specialists explain what makes a given region special: grape varieties, winemaking styles, local culture and history. It’s a great way to engage with other … Continue reading A Stroll through Le Marche: Italy’s Undiscovered Wine Country
