Italy

Cavorting at Cantine Cantele – A Joyful Winery in Puglia Focusing on Negroamaro

After lunch in the historic walled city of Lecce, we drove about one hour north to Cantine Cantele, a large beautiful winery housed in an impressive white stucco building in the country. We were welcomed by Federica in Hospitality who had warned us in advance that Cantine Aperte was taking place in Italy that weekend. Cantele Winery - Photo Credit: Cantele.com “What is Cantine Aperte?” I asked. “It sounds like ‘winery open’.” “Yes,” she said, “It means that most of the wineries in Italy have an open house that weekend, and that anyone can visit the wineries and taste wine [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T13:42:34-08:00July 31, 2016|

Cantine San Marzano – Home of the Best Primativo in Puglia, Italy

When I contacted Angelo Cotugno, Export Manager at Cantine San Marzano, to see if we could schedule a winery visit on Sunday morning at 11am, I didn’t realize that wineries are usually not open on Sunday in Italy. Since I’m from Napa/Sonoma, where Sundays are often one of the busiest wine tourism days, I was caught off guard when Angelo informed me they were not open. “However, we will open the winery especially for you!” These were such sweet words to my ears, and so incredibly kind – illustrating the warm hospitality of Puglia. Indeed, not only did Angelo show [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T13:42:57-08:00July 29, 2016|

Cantina Albea – A Friendly and Delicious Wine Tourism Experience in Puglia

(May 2016) On the afternoon of our first day in Puglia, we were scheduled to visit Cantina Albea - a small winery located in the town of Alberobello, and just a short walk from our hotel. We were greeted by Tommaso Marangi, who has a contagious smile and exhibits much passion for wine and Puglia. He gave us a tour of their fascinating museum, explained the wine making process, and then allowed us to taste several wines. About Cantina Albea Winery Located close to the Locorotondo DOC, Cantina Albea focuses on grape varietals from this region, such as Verdeca and [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T13:43:20-08:00July 20, 2016|

Overview of Puglia Wine Region

(May 2016) Driving from the hills of Campania to the flat dry plains of Puglia illustrated the strong difference between these two famous wine regions of Southern Italy. However, even though they are very different in landscape and grape varietals, it only took us two hours to drive from Benevento to Alberobello, the ancient and charming town we stayed in for our two days in Puglia. Alberobello is a Unesco World Heritage site because of its unusual “trulli” architecture – tiny conical shaped houses made of stone. Truilli Architecture in Alberobello, Puglia The Unique Beauty of Puglia’s Landscape and Climate [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T13:43:45-08:00July 10, 2016|

The Queen of Campania Wine

(May 2016) Milena Pepe, CEO of Tenuta Cavelier Pepe, swept across the front porch of her winery to greet us with open arms and a huge Italian welcome. The winery, located in the rolling hills of Campania, looked like a small palace with tall white pillars along the front and the vineyards beyond. Milena beckoned us to line up on the porch for a photo, and then for the next two hours, she proceeded to dazzle, delight, and inform us about the unique wines of Campania and the many indigenous grape varieties she is using at her estate. Visit to Tenuta [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T13:44:27-08:00July 3, 2016|

The King of Aglianico – Piero at Mastroberardino Winery

I first met Piero Mastroberardino at Vinitaly several years ago. As a fellow professor, we immediately had something in common. He invited me to join a vertical tasting of his Taurasi Aglianico, which featured four wines from each decade of the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and 2000’s. It couldn’t have been a better introduction to aglianico, because it made me fall in love with the grape and wine. The complex black plum, tar and earth notes, with the piercing acidity and structured tannins of the wine allows it to last for decades, and grow in complexity. Rightly called the “Barolo of [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T13:44:48-08:00June 27, 2016|

The Campania Wine Region: Climate, Major Grapes and Four DOCGs

Located about two hours south of Rome, the wine region of Campania is a magical and romantic place. The word “Campania” means “Happy Land”, and the locals told us that the landscape is similar to that of Piedmont. I would have to agree because Campania is beautiful with rolling hills, vineyards, olive groves, red poppies, and rocky mountain cliffs. The vineyards are also at higher elevations, ranging from 300 to 800 meters above sea level. The Beautiful Vineyard Landscape of Campania The climate is obviously Mediterranean, being close to the sea. It has hot dry summers and cool wet winters, [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T13:45:23-08:00June 15, 2016|

A Wine Tour to Southern Italy – Exploring the Regions of Campania, Puglia and Sicily

(May 2016) We just finished a 12 day wine tour of Southern Italy, and it was truly amazing. It started and finished in Rome, but focused on the three major regions of Campania, Puglia and Sicily. We also included some cultural stops along the way such as Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast in Campania, the ancient cities of Alberobello and Lecce in Puglia, and the amazing seaside village of Cefalu in Sicily. Our Wine Delegation in Rome The following blog posts describe the highlights of the trip and the nine wineries we visited. There were 28 of us in total [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T13:45:43-08:00June 13, 2016|

Enjoying a Slow Food Feast in San Minato and Visit to Falaschi Butcher Shop

Jan. 10, 2013 – After leaving Bolgheri the evening before, we arrived back in Florence rather late and checked into Hotel Donatello. This is a beautifully decorated hotel with ornate furniture and draperies in the rooms, but rather tense and unfriendly service. Its upside is a location that is within easy walking distance of downtown Florence, the Duomo, and the railroad station. We awoke the next morning to our first raindrops of the trip and were grateful the rain had waited until our last day to arrive. As it turned out, it only sprinkled during the morning, and dried up [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T15:53:07-08:00March 1, 2013|

Lunch in Bolgheri and Amazing Visit to Tenuta dell ‘Ornellaia

Jan. 9, 2013 - The road to the small town of Bolgheri is lined with ancient cedar trees that give it a very royal feel. A small castle near the entrance enhances this feeling, and the tiny streets with small shops and restaurants complete the fairytale atmosphere. Lunch at Bionda Maria Societa After our tasting of Sassicaia at Tenuta San Guido, the bus dropped us off outside that town walls and we walked into town in search of a restaurant. One of the first we saw was Bionda Maria Societa where the owner stood on the doorstep and beckoned us [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T15:53:28-08:00February 15, 2013|

Beautiful Bolgheri by the Sea and Tasting Sassicaia

Jan 9, 2013 – We checked out of our hotel in Siena early so we could drive 2 hours through the Tuscan countryside to Bolgheri by the sea. Linda, our tour director, considered asking our bus driver to take the longer route via freeway to avoid the chance of people getting car sick again on the very twisting roads through the hills, but in the end everyone voted that we take the faster and more winding route past the ancient hilltop town of Volterra. The drive ended up not being as bad as we feared and we arrived at Tenuta [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T15:53:48-08:00February 12, 2013|

Lunch in the Hilltop Town of Montepulciano and Visiting Poliziano Winery

Jan. 8, 2013 – It only took about 10 minutes to drive from Bindella Winery to the outskirts of the beautiful stone wall surrounding the old section of Montepulciano. We wandered through the narrow streets, tempted by the many shops with cheese, wine, other food, and Italian leather purses and housewares. We stopped to have lunch at the famous Café Poliziano where I had a steaming bowl of the winter Italian soup made with kale, bread, and other vegetables. It was delectable with a warming glass of Vino Nobile. The view from the café is also stunning, with a panoramic [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T15:54:06-08:00February 6, 2013|

A Foggy Day in Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Wine Region – Visiting Bindella Winery

Jan. 8, 2013 – Siena was shrouded in fog when we awoke, and though we were hopeful it would dissipate later in the day, it never did. Our first winery was Bindella, which is located in the hills outside the town of Montepulciano. The view of the surrounding countryside and the hilltop town in the distance would have been spectacular except for the very thick white fog that cloaked everything. Our hostess, Francesca, apologized profusely but no one can control the weather, and in some way, the drifting fog through the winter vineyards and tall green cedars made the whole [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T15:54:24-08:00February 5, 2013|

Arriving in Siena and Enjoying Hotel Chiusarelli & Restaurant Bagoga Grotta di Santa Catarina

(Jan. 7, 2013) - We didn't arrive in Siena until around 9pm that evening but it was impressive to drive into the night lit city and see the ancient walls and our hotel, an old Italian villa, with welcome lights shining through the marble pillars that fronted the lobby. Hotel Chiusarelli is housed in a beautiful old neoclassical villa built in the 1860’s. In addition to the lovely entrance with a charming garden, it is graced with high ceilings with frescos, lovely arched doorways, and has a nice breakfast room downstairs. The memory of the smell of home-made hot croissants [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T15:54:46-08:00February 4, 2013|

A Very Warm and Heartfelt Visit to Fuligni Winery

(Jan. 7, 2013) - The sun had just set as we left Casanova di Neri Winery to drive the short 10 minute distance to Fuligni Winery. The sky had turned to a lovely orange and the tall cedar trees were dark silhouettes against the sunset colors. Unfortunately as we wound our way down the hill, we missed the sharp left turn into Fuligni and had to go to the bottom of the Montalcino hill before we could turn the bus around. Then once we arrived, the bus was too large to enter the narrow driveway without scrapping against the long [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T15:55:04-08:00January 29, 2013|

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