With shark sightings and some tragic accidents on the northeast coast this summer, stay inside and just watch Shark Week starting August 9 on the Discovery Channel. Pair your binge with this Fessina Erse Etna Bianco from a vineyard with lava deposits from Etna that go back centuries. The volcanic soils give it lots of gritty minerality with … Continue reading
Given that TV is way more exciting than movies these days, the Emmys are sort of THE awards show to watch. Grapefriend went to the Emmys and the Governors Ball after-party with Ferrari, which has been the official sparkling wine of the Emmys for the fifth year in a row. The house started in 1902 with the … Continue reading
Now that we’re all heartbroken that the last episode of the series has aired, we get one more taste tonight as the documentary Game of Thrones: The Last Watch covers the making of the final season. Weep into your goblets filled with wine from the Amalfi Coast. White: Emilia Clarke (who plays Mother of Dragons … Continue reading
Luckily, Game of Thrones leads the Emmy nominations since the clips we’ll see are all we’re getting of this show for over a year! It’s killing me. For tonight’s awards, I’ll get through the pain with my personally-etched 70th anniversary bottle of Ferrari. Hailing from the Trentino area in Italy, the metodo classico Ferrari Brut has been the official … Continue reading
Prosecco has really grown in popularity lately because it’s peachy and much less expensive than many other sparkling wines. The danger is that so much of it’s being made now that the quality could go down, which is basically what turned a sparkling like Asti into an entry-level “supermarket wine.” Prosecco lands in the middle … Continue reading
Having been ruled throughout history by the Greeks, Romans, Normans, Muslims, Spanish, Piedmontese, and even a few others, Sicily’s an island with a total mix of cultures. All those cultures had various levels of interest in and production of wine, so Sicily’s indigenous grapes have fluctuated in popularity against international varities. For most of the … Continue reading
Ok, this is the exact opposite of the Provençal ones you’ve likely been mainlining all summer. Bold and full-bodied, this Lagrein-based rosato is perfect for food, especially something like these grilled peaches wrapped in prosciutto (a summer happy hour favorite). Cool fact: it’s made in a Benedictine monastery in the Italian Alps! I LOVE the … Continue reading
A few years ago I was living in Rome and ordered a glass of wine on the rooftop of a hotel near the Bocca della Verità. They brought me a white, and it was amazing – crisp, lemon peel, white stone minerality. I asked the waitress to bring me the bottle, and it was a Livio Felluga … Continue reading
Italy is by far my Happy Place. Not only am I 100% Italian, but it’s known for la dolce vita. That literally means the sweet life, and is basically just all about kicking’ it and enjoying life. Many an evening has been passed sipping an apertivo in a piazza, or eating the best [fill in … Continue reading
grape: Trebbiano di Lugana. Trebbiano is one of the most widely planted grapes in the world because it’s used for cognac, but there are lots of subtypes and a crazy amount of confusing information about all their genetics. Anyway, the Lugana type is from that region in Italy. producer: Ottella country: Italy region: Lugana, in the Veneto region. A small … Continue reading
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