Fontodi, from the estate Vigna del Sorbo to Chianti Classico golden heart

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Discovering “Fontodi world” has been a priceless experience. And it is not a catch-phrase. I have already tasted the wines from this vineyard some years ago, but it is a partial valuation if you do not really know the place where these wines come from. Fontodi is in the heart of Chianti Classico, in a valley South of Panzano (nearby Florence in Tuscany), a place known, since ever, as the Golden Valley. Here, thanks to a special terroir, vine growing is of high quality, because of the high altitude vineyards ( from 350 to 500 mts asl) the marly soil, sun exposure and local microclimate with important diurnal range.

Casanuova by Nittardi, a Chianti Classico strenghtening the wine and art combo

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“Wine and culture” or either “wine is culture”: no limits for us (LOL). But, now, the combination is made by Nittardi, a winery in Chianti Classico (and not only there), owned by Stefania Canali (history expert from Venice) and her husband Peter Femfert (German editor and art connoisseur). They bought the winery in 1981, but the estate and the amazing small village with the tower in Castellina in Chianti is dated back earlier in the history and art (that is culture, of course).

Damilano Barolo Riserva Cannubi “1752”, the essence of a single vineyard wine, aged seven years

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Tasting a Barolo is always a great experience because this red nectar is one of the greatest wines in Italy (and in the world). But this Barolo is something outstanding. I love talking about a Riserva, a real Cru (single vineyard) from the hill Cannubi, one of the best places for growing the grape Nebbiolo, that, in this place, shows incredible elegance and depth. In this area, the soil is made up of chalks and clay, with high percentage of limestone and sand.

Valle dell’Acate – “Iri da Iri”, the Cru of Cerasuolo di Vittoria that missed

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Today I introduce you an absolutely new wine, as, while I am writing it is going to be released on the domestic and foreign market. It is produced in a special area of “my” Sicily , the area of production is  Cerasuolo di Vittoria Classico, the sole DOCG of the island. It is made by one of the most dynamic wineries of the area, probably a flagship winery of this place, Valle dell’Acate, whose name comes from this area, Valle dell’Acate of Dirillo, a small river and even the name of this South – Eastern town of Sicily, in the province of Ragusa. 

Altemasi Graal Riserva. From the region Trentino, a winning example of cooperation!

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There are several example of cooperation in Italy, in agriculture, but above all in the wine business. More than ever “there is strength in numbers”. And the wine, I am talking about, that amused me is a sparkling one, produced by a cooperative, Cavit Trento, i.e. Cantina Viticoltori del Trentino, a really big one, involving about 4500 vinegrowers, from 10 cooperatives in Trentino, in the North East of Italy.

Marisa Cuomo – Furore Fiorduva, an extreme white wine that smells of sea and rock

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It is told so often about wines, referred as “terroir expression”. I think I have definitely found a wine, really terroir expression and obviously I have tasted it. It is an extraordinary white wine, from extreme vineyards on the Amalfi Coast, in Campania, between Naples and Salerno: this is Furore Fiorduva by Marisa Cuomo. Before telling you more about the incredible tasting notes of this white wine, let me tell you more about it.Who’s the winemaker? Where is it from? What about the vine’s training system? And why is Fiorduva an “extreme wine”? Here we go, with all the replies. 

Amazing Fiano experience by Maura Sarno from Irpina Land in Southern Italy

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TheWineReporter go back to Campania, in Southern Italy, to talk about a really rampant woman winegrower. She’s Maura Sarno, currently one of the most important names among the Irpinia producers, in the Region hinterland. Her motto was for a long time: “A single land, a single vineyard, a single wine produced: the Fiano di Avellino DOCG”. Surely, this enthusiastic and positive woman is the real key to the success of her own winery, called Tenuta Sarno 1860.

In the sign of Donatella: the President’s wine is also the womens’ wine

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The protagonist of this wine story is a volcanic woman, proactive and full of ideas. She’s Donatella Cinelli Colombini, a great woman of Italian wine. Born in Siena and graduated in History of Medieval Art, in 1993 she founded the “Movimento del Turismo del Vino” (Wine Tourism Movement) and invented “Cantine aperte” (open wineries), the event that made wine tourism known in Italy.

Firriato Gaudensius, the sparkling wine that releases volcano’s energy

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Perhaps not everyone knows that since some years italian winegrowers can create excellent classic method sparkling wines in Italian regions different from those known as “traditional”. Well! Today I want to tell you about an excellent sparkling wine that comes from grapes harvested on the slopes of Mount Etna, in Sicily. Of course everybody knows Mount Etna and knows where it is: it’s the highest active volcano in Europe with its 3,350 meters of altitude. All around the mountain – on different sides – the vine has been cultivated for centuries, up to altitudes of 1,100-1,200 meters.

LasteRosse, an original Classic Method from Groppello rediscovered in Trentino

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I want to talk about a wine that is born from an authentic love story. It all starts in Val di Non Mountains, in Trentino, that’s an enological region of North-East Italy. Soon the dream of Pietro Pancheri and his wife Silvia Tadiello (the LasteRosse owners) becomes reality: they have created a winery that respects territory, land and traditions. In practice, they have chosen to work sustainable agriculture, to preserve the native vines and to work following the rhythms of nature with a careful look to the moon.