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
Tag Archives: italy
scavenger hunt through friuli
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
la vita ruffino
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
drink me: ottella “le creete”
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
good enough for rihanna, better for my dad
Rihanna posted this photo on Twitter the other day. https://twitter.com/rihanna/status/521505692478218240 It’s true: if you know, you know. Riri knows. I know. And my dad knows too, though he didn’t a mere three months ago. I got him a 2006 Sassicaia for his birthday. I was super excited to give it to him, but when he opened … Continue reading
grape passport: alto adige
Had such a fantastic time in Alto Adige. Most of the wineries aren’t very far from the town of Bolzano, so it’s easy to travel around and see lots of things. see The Dolomites – we drove to Val Gardena and took two gondolas up the mountains. Then you can hike around to lots of … Continue reading
cocktail friend: bombardino
First, let me just say that you should probably be hiking in the Alps to truly enjoy this drink. You might even want to be hiking while you read this post! So one day during our Alto Adige trip, we went hiking in the Dolomites. It was super foggy and therefore kind of nippy out, … Continue reading
friend request: schiava
Schiava! My new friend from Alto Adige. This used to be most grown grape in the region, basically used to make table wine in bulk. Schiava actually means “slave” in Italian – a real workhorse grape for them back in the day. Now people have dialed back the yields and are pumping out some really … Continue reading
great grapes in alto adige
You can describe the basic characteristics of any grape, but it always ranges when you start heading from region to region. That usually has to do with the affect of the area’s unique climate and soil, but also often just the winemaking style. I’d had all of the grapes they grow in Alto Adige before heading there … Continue reading
alto adige awesomeness
Just got back from an incredible trip to Alto Adige, a wine region nestled in the super high, super gorgeous Tyrolean Alps. I’ve loved the region ever since I had my first sip of crispy Kerner a few years ago, so I was stoked to head there in person to drink a lot more. Here were … Continue reading