A Taste of Wine

I like that many consumers still remember that period during the ‘70’s when Lambrusco earned a reputation as a sweet, fizzy drink styled for the American market. I like it when wine writers struggle to talk about Lambrusco without ever …

Bring on summer in all its beautiful glory! Life always feels so much more colorful during the summer months – sort of like the iconic scene in the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy emerges from her sepia-hued Kansas landscape to …

In his excellent book entitled “Venice is a Fish”, Venetian poet Tiziano Scarpa urges visitors to La Serenissima to throw away their street maps and find the real Venice by wandering the city’s calli and campielli. It is the ultimate …

Nearly six years ago I wrote that a new breed of tech savvy Italian wine producers were on the rise. They recognized that a spectacular era in technology was enabling artisan wine producers to communicate directly and immediately to consumers …

Recently, I invited a friend of mine over to try out some new recipes I was working on. “But how do you think of all those different things?” she asked, open-mouthed. First let me tell you that my friend, Joan …

When I was growing up, I watched my mother poach, roast, bake, or grill the fish my father caught on his weekend expeditions to Long Island’s Montauk Point. Some of the tastiest fish were those that other fishermen tossed back …

A millennial fellow speaking about his interest in wine: Him: “I’ll drink anything, man, but I’m all about the reds.” Me: “Cool. What do you look for in a red wine?” Him: “Massiveness. Total big-ness.” I smile politely, knowing it will be …

Scene: Customer enters wine shop, proceeds to browse section of Italian wines. Pauses in front of bottles on shelf, labels read “Blanc de Morgex et de La Salle”. Store Clerk: Can I help you? Customer: Well, no, not exactly, but …

There are three things that I find most Italians are happy to talk about: food, wine, and sports! Not unlike wine, the sport of cycling has a great heritage in Italy, with its own larger than life heroes such as …

Tuscany.  The region within Italy that Italian lovers gravitate to on their visits to this amazing country.  With so many historic, medieval towns to choose from where does one even begin?  One of my favorite towns within Tuscany is the …