Monthly Archives: May 2015

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Prosecco!!!

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Prosecco is the most accessible of all the sparkling whites, and it’s no accident it’s overtaking its French competitor. I’ve got a bottle from Conegliano in the fridge for Mother’s Day, and you should too!

Another fantastic write up from Mr. Scicolone.

Charles Scicolone on Wine

Prosecco is the leading selling sparkling wine in Italy. In addition, it outsells Champagne in the UK and sales of Prosecco increase every year in the United States.IMG_7795

Recently I attended a Prosecco tasting panel hosted by Alan Tardi, the US brand ambassador for Prosecco at A Voce Restaurant. Innocente Nardi, President of the Consorzio Tutela del Vino Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore made a few opening remarks. The tasting panel consisted of Scott Carney, M.S., Dean of wine studies, International Culinary Center; Oliver Flosse, Wine Director, Marc,U.S.A.; and Robin Kelly O’Connor CSW, CWE, Italian Wine Merchants. There were six Proseccos at the seminar and they were a true representation of the Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG.IMG_7800

The Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore zone is located in the region of the Veneto, about 50 kilometers north of Venice, midway between the Dolomite Mountains to the north and the Adriatic Sea to the south…

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Calabria, Italian Wine

Fun With Wine And Google, Calabria Edition

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Our friends at Sovereignty Wines have been doing a great job keeping us in Italian wines we’ve never had a chance to taste before; here’s a varietal you probably haven’t heard of before, but you definitely need to consider if you can find it–gaglioppo!  It’s a sangiovese cousin (I had to look this up as I hadn’t heard of it either!) that grows well in the dry soils found in the toe of Italy’s boot.  The version we had tonight was named for the town where it hails from (Ciro), via Cantine Librandi.  We love it!  It has the clarity and color of a Brunello, but is very cost effective at $11 a bottle, and definitely tastes like a full bodied southern Italian red.

So where does it come from?  Here:

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Ciro is located on the Ionian coast, on the ball of the foot of Italy’s boot.  You can see why much of this region reflects a strong Greek influence.

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As you drill in a little closer you can see where Librandi is located, and imagine Greek sailors landing here a couple millennia ago.

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Cantine Librandi is found on the hillside overlooking the port.

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Librandi sources all of its grapes onsite here in Ciro.

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Street view shows us the entrance, looking welcoming.  It’s a bit of a haul to get here for the typical Rome/Florence/Venice traveler, but I sense it’s well worth it!  What a lovely spot in a part of Italy that everyone should see once.

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Where the magic happens–beautiful bronze tanks and artworks adorning the walls.  Yes!

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Imagine sipping Ciro and looking out at these hills on a fall afternoon; the current fall special is a Northern Italian experience, but in coming years we might just have to do the same for the south.

Veneto, Venice

Save Venice!

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English translation of the petition.  If you haven’t already signed it, please do!

cruise ship in venice:

We are destroying one of the wonders of the world, Venice, for the profits of the few who want to bring in cruiseships that are double the size of the Titanic, with a devastating cost to the ecosystem, the embankments and threatening symbols, like St Mark’s Square, with the first wrong move.

The Government is under pressure from the cruise lobby to give the go-ahead for the dredging of a new channel in the next few days. But following the resignation of the Infrastructure Minister, Lupi, the government must demonstrate that the era of large projects and large corruption is finished, that work against the interests of the citizens and the environment.

The moment of truth will come on Sunday: Renzi will be in Venice. We must act immediately.

Sign and share with everyone: once 100,000 signatures have been collected, we will hand the petition to the candidates for Mayor and President of the Region who will stand with him on the stage, until he agrees to withdraw the Government’s support for the project.

To Prime Minister Renzi, and all candidates for President of the Veneto Region, and for Mayor of Venice:

Venice isn’t at risk from natural causes, but from speculation and environmental devastation caused by humans. We are asking you to choose to save it, stopping local projects that threaten its existence, starting with the dredging of the Contorta Canal, keeping large cruiseships out of the Lagoon, and making Venice a global symbol of the fight for the protection of the planet’s beauty, choosing a sustainable future for the city and 100% powered by clean energy.