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Basilicata: Vulture’s Rise from the Ashes
Italy: Center & South, featured
, Sep 2022
For many years now, a core of passion- and quality-driven producers have been working hard to prove that Vulture deserves its place on the world’s stage. While many hurdles remain, I wholeheartedly believe that Vulture is very much on its way.
Cellar Favorite: 2018 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon
United States: Washington, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Sep 2022
There are very few wines that I personally seek out year after year. For a wine to become a recurring purchase for my cellar, it takes a proven track record, unparalleled quality among. peers, vintage-to-vintage consistency and. relative value. The Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon is such a wine, even with steady price increase over the past ten years.
Sicily: Welcome to the Revolution
Italy: Center & South, featured
, Jun 2022
Sicily is hot, and I don’t mean temperature-wise. A significant rise in quality across the island, not just from Etna, has finally broken down many of the old stereotypes that once plagued the producers here. Today we are witnessing a focus on variety and place that has seldom been seen from Sicilian winemakers, and the results come through in the bottle. That said, there’s still an ocean of wine to sort through to find the best.
A Valle d’Aosta Interlude
featured, Italy: North
, Jun 2022
Italian by definition, yet more influenced by French and Swiss neighbors, Valle d’Aosta is quite unique relative to other regions in Italy. It’s precisely that diversity that makes Valle d’Aosta both fun and intriguing to explore.
Trentino & Alto Adige: The Sky’s the Limit
featured, Italy: North
, Jun 2022
Trentino and Alto Adige appear to be on the cusp of grasping unheralded potential. For many years, a microcosm of cooperatives and growers, both large and small-scaled, have been turning out some of the best white wines in Italy, but they were the exception, not the rule. However, through a renewed sense of place, a focus on purity and, in some cases, the effects of global warming, that number is steadily increasing.
Friuli-Venezia Giulia: Just Try to Keep Up
featured, Italy: North
, Apr 2022
Friuli-Venezia Giulia is one of the most culturally and climatically diverse regions in Italy. It should come as no surprise that the region produces a vast range of wines as a result. From crisp varietal whites and richer blends, to wild, indigenous reds and extended skin-contact, amphora-aged wines, the wines of Friuli run the gamut. Quality can be variable, so readers must be selective.
On the Cusp of Evolution: Amarone and Valpolicella
featured, Italy: North
, Apr 2022
Amarone is one of Italy’s most well-known reds, and yet one of the last bottles we pull from our cellars when looking for that special wine. Producers in Valpolicella have been hard at work to change the perception of Amarone as being too big, too sweet and too much. The wines they are bottling are incredibly exciting.
Soave - The Long Road Home
featured, Italy: North
, Apr 2022
Soave’s most ambitious producers have worked hard to overcome the mixed reputation that was so penalizing in the past. It’s been a long journey and one fraught with many challenges, yet the first signs of that effort are starting to show in a bevy of wines that increasingly merit serious attention.
The Pros and Cons of Rosso di Montalcino and Beyond
Italy: Tuscany, featured
, Jan 2022
As I continue to taste through the 2017 Brunellos, the importance and possibilities of Rosso di Montalcino are more evident now than ever before. Rosso provides a great opportunity to take a peek at the Brunello vintages that are on the way, even if that approach is not without its pitfalls, as I explain in this article. It’s time to take a look at the 2019 and 2020 Rossos that are entering the market.
Looking Back to Look Forward: Back Vintage Brunello
Italy: Tuscany, featured
, Jan 2022
We buy Brunello for the cellar, to watch it mature into glorious wines befitting of the region’s reputation. However, we seldom talk about these mature beauties in the same manner as we do the wines of Bordeaux or Barolo, which is a shame, because the best of Brunello can and does stand the test of time.