Giuseppe Rinaldi – Brunate Le Coste 2005, the traditional winning Barolo

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The prototype of an exceptional year for the whole Barolo district is the cru Brunate – Le Coste vintage 2005 by Giuseppe Rinaldi.
I had the opportunity to taste it, much to my delight, during the latest “Barolo Brunello” held at Montalcino.

I almost immediately realized that a single glass of this wine encompasses the science and the essence of this land’s own Nebbiolo.
The Giuseppe Rinaldi estate is, in fact, one of the representatives of classic Barolo, belonging to the traditional school and eschewing more modern techniques.

The volcanic wine from the urban vineyard in Rome: Fiorano Rosso 2010

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Today I’d like to tell you about an authentic urban vineyard and his best and most prestigious wine: Fiorano Rosso by Tenuta di Fiorano, a farm located inside the Rome municipal area in the natural park of Appia Antica, only a few miles as the crow flies from Ciampino airport. And yet, in spite of its proximity to the hustle and bustle of the capital, this large property of 200 hectares – of which 6 are employed for growing vines – almost seems to reside in a dreamlike world, far from the noise and the chaos.

Il Marroneto Madonna delle Grazie 2011 – From “wine game” to Brunello masterpiece

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The first Brunello di Montalcino  I’m going to present on this blog is one I’ve already tasted on two different occasions, months apart, and both times I was left simply astounded. The first time was last February, as part of “Benvenuto Brunello”, a preview of the new vintages of this extraordinary wine that takes place each year in Montalcino. I assume by now you’ve all heard of Montalcino, the historic town in the Siena province known worldwide precisely for its excellent red wine of Controlled and Guaranteed Denomination of Origin.

Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Bertani 2008, a very long-lived red wine

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Amarone della Valpolicella ranks among the best of Italian red wines, and it’s a real point of pride for our viticulture and enology. The highest quality bottles of this (in some ways “extreme”) wine are appreciated the world over. The Classic Valpolicella area is located north of Verona (Veneto), in a hilly land near Lake Garda, where it forms a series of valleys that spread out like the five fingers of a hand. The region is further divided into the sub-areas of Sant’Ambrogio, San Pietro in Cariano, Fumane, Negrar and Marano. The vineyards are mostly cultivated using the traditional “Pergola Veronese” method, but many growers have introduced innovations in the vineyard and in the winery both.

Giulio Ferrari Riserva del Fondatore 2002 – The perfect mountain sparkling wine

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Dear friends, I admit my crazy love for sparkling wines and specially for the Italian Metodo Classico sparkling wines (the same as Champagne method). Since several years these kind of wines are produced in many Italian regions, not only in those so-called “traditional regions”.
But the first choice for this Blog between Metodo Classico comes from Trentino (both Lombardia  produces many wines Metodo Classico sparkling wine, right on the top). The Trentodoc producers define their excellent wines as “Mountain Bubbles”. Today I will tell about a really number one sparkling wine.