Pietradolce and Vigna Barbagalli: Etna’s sustainable extreme flavour

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Pietradolce is a new estate among Etna producers, founded in 2005 by the Faro’s, a pioneer family in the green business development. The Faro’s is a leader in Europe and Middle East for growing flowers and plants, thanks to Venerando Faro, aged 72, from Aci Sant’Antonio (in Catania province) who invented and crated a Nature’s jewel, Radicepura, a natural park, water and energetic self-sufficient, in Acireale and a must-stop place for thousands of visitors every year.

Pardi Brothers: Sacrantino give a breakthrough to Umbria wine tradition

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I like to come back often, very nicely, in the beautiful Montefalco (Umbria region, at the centre of Italy), an uncontamined historical land of wine since Roman times. Think about it: it’s one of the few towns where the vineyards were inside their walls: they were really “urban vineyards”.
So, I will tell you the story of Cantina Fratelli Pardi (Pardis Brothers Winery). It began about a century ago, in 1919, when the three Pardi brothers (Alfredo, Francesco and Alberto) decided to produce and sell their local wines. At the time the wines were traveling to the Vatican where they were much appreciated.

Quarta Generazione and Giovanna Paternoster’s Aglianico: new air in Vulture

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Today, I talk about a wine that was born in one of the smallest regions of southern Italy: Basilicata. Aglianico del Vulture it’s (that’s cousin of the homonymous wine and vine of Campania) and only here, in Vulture area, it has unique characteristics. Some geographical notes: the Basilicata region borders with Campania, Apulia and Calabria. The Aglianico vine originates in the territory at the slopes of a prehistoric volcano that has been extinguished for millennia, Mount Vulture, which reaches 1,326 meters above sea level.

Benanti Rovittello 2013, an elegant, deep and Oscar-worthy Etnean Red

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If you haven’t picked up on that by now, Sicily is my most beloved region: not just for oenological reasons, but above all because it’s where I was born, lived my youth and went through my school and university studies. You should know that every time I have a nice glass of Sicilian wine, I find it contains the perfumes, the colors, the flavors, the atmosphere, the very essence of my earth.

Elvio Cogno and his Barolo Ravera 2010, an enduring classic

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It can certainly be said that the Elvio Cogno Barolo was originally conceived under the sign of the purest tradition of vine, wine and land, never losing or compromising its identity over the years.

Elvio Cogno, founder of the family company, who died a year ago after decades of work in the vineyard and in the cellar, had a fixed goal in mind: to exploit the great potential of wines from the Langhe, and in particular the area of Novello, a town in in the province of Cuneo, Piedmont.

Fattoria Le Terrazze – Sassi Neri 2013: from Conero, spelled “red” but pronounced “happiness”

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Among many excellent Italian red wines, the Rosso Conero variety is certainly one of the most deserving of being discovered and appreciated. They are made from Montepulciano grapes, and considered to be the most delicious and important red wines of the Marche region, made in two different denominations: Rosso Conero DOC (Denomination of Controlled Origin) and the Conero Riserva DOCG (Denomination of Controlled and Guaranteed Origin). If you have already read the article in the TWR Lands section you already know what I mean.

Stefania Barbot and the “other Aglianico”: Irpinia Campi Taurasini “ION” 2013

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ion-stefania-barbotIrpinia is, without a doubt, a great land for red wine (but also for white wines). Also known as the province of Avellino, north of Naples, it’s the home of Aglianico, its most important red vine and the source of the most structured wines on the market. Such grapes are particularly suited for cultivation in the Taurasi Docg territory, which employs them in order to produce an excellent southern Italian red wine: the Taurasi, which some oenological critics have described as “Barolo of the South”.

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.