Italy Archives - Page 3 of 3 - Dr. Liz Thach, MW

Visiting Casanova di Neri Winery – Home of Award Winning Brunellos

Jan. 7, 2013 - Our appointment at Casanova di Neri Winery wasn’t until 3:30, so we enjoyed a leisurely lunch in Montalcino without being rushed. However, we ended up being late for our appointment because as the bus was heading down the hill towards the winery, we encountered a funeral procession with a priest and a cop leading it. The cop refused to let us pass, so we had to follow the procession for 20 minutes until they finally turned in the opposite direction. Viticulture Practices at Casanova di Neri Pier Luigi met us at the winery door and immediately [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T15:55:29-08:00January 25, 2013|

Visiting Montalcino – Hilltop City and Bastion of Brunello

Jan. 7, 2013 – As we left Florence to drive the 1.5 hours to Montalcino, the fog was just lifting from the city, and as we crested the hilltop with the bronze statue of David, we could look back and see all of the red-tiled roofs and domes of Florence gleaming in the sunlight. However the blue sky was short-lived as we headed south into Chianti Classico and the fog shrouded the bus again. It was only as we climbed the last twisting turns of the road into the small hilltop town of Montalcino that we burst out of the [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T15:55:49-08:00January 21, 2013|

A Free Sunday in Lucca – City of Red Tiled Roofs

Jan. 6, 2013 – Since the 6th of January is an important religious holiday in Italy, we did not schedule any winey visits, and instead provided a free day. Many members of our group took the train the Venice, but Janeen and I decided to go to Lucca. We had both been to Venice before several times, but the city of Lucca was still unknown to us. I awoke rather hungry, as we didn’t eat any dinner the night before. We had decided to eat large lunches, and just have cheese and wine for dinner for the remainder of the [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T15:56:06-08:00January 16, 2013|

Badia a Coltibuono – An Organic Winery in an 11th Century Abbey

(Jan. 5, 2013) - Before arriving at our 2:30pm appointment at Badia a Coltibuono, we stopped in the small town of Radda where Janeen had made a reservation to eat lunch at La Botte di Bacco Restaurant. This turned out to be one of the best meals of my trip. Lunch at La Botte di Bacco in Radda We started with a glass of local vermintino and a fresh salad mista. They served this with a big basket of mixed breads, including a very delectable mini-fried bread, which were addictive and hard to stop eating. In general, I usually do [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T15:56:26-08:00January 14, 2013|

Visiting Castello de Verrazzano in Chianti Classico Italy

Jan. 5, 2013 – The next day, we boarded the bus at 8:45 to drive to Chianti Classico and our scheduled visit with two wineries. On the bus, I provided a brief overview of the DOCG regulations for this region, including the mandatory 80% sangiovese rule with the remainder 20% up to the winery where they can use other grapes such as merlot, cabernet sauvignon, syrah, and the traditional caniolo and colorino. As of 2006, white grapes are no longer allowed in Chianti Classico red wine. We also reviewed the production method of the famous dessert wine of the region, [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T15:56:45-08:00January 13, 2013|

Arriving in Tuscany and Walking Tour of Florence Italy

Jan. 3, 2013 – Our group of 28 California wine professionals left San Francisco at 7:30pm on Swiss Air Flight to Florence with a 2 hour stop-over in Zurich. Though a long flight with over 12 hours of flight time, Swiss Air was quite generous in giving us two meals and plenty of Prosecco as well as a house white and red wine. Everyone was quite excited to be going on a 10 day wine tour of Tuscany. We were met at the Florence Airport by our EF College Tour Guide, Linda, who efficiently loaded us on a bus and [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T15:57:13-08:00January 12, 2013|

The Port of Bari, Italy – Burrata Cheese and the Famous Primativo Grape

Sept. 2011 - The ship docked in Bari two hours late because of a strike going on in the city that day. Apparently all the transportation workers were picketing so there was no way to obtain taxis, buses, etc. However, when the strike was over we were allowed to go into the city around 1pm. This is another port where you can actually walk from the ship to the old city of Bari (about ½ mile walk), but as the day was very hot, we decided to pay to take the bus. Bari is located in the Puglia region of [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T20:46:12-08:00January 3, 2012|

Port of Ravenna, Italy – Mosaics and the Albana and Burson Grapes

Sept. 2011 – Our ship arrived in the port of Ravenna in the late morning. The day was overcast with a potential for slight drizzle, but the air was warm. We paid to take the bus into the town because it was too far to walk and the docks were in an ugly industrial area. However, once we were dropped off in the city center, we found the pedestrian-only downtown to be delightful. It was filled with old squares, outdoor cafes, fountains, and small streets lined with shops. Ravenna, established in the 400’s, is a UNESCO world heritage site famous [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T20:46:34-08:00January 2, 2012|

Conference in Siena, Italy – July 17- 19, 2008

The wine conference lasted 3 fun-filled days. Leave it to the Italians to plan the best conference yet. It was held in the ancient hospital (which is now a museum) across from the Duomo, and the sessions were very information. Lunch, which included wine each day, was an amazing stand-up affair with luscious cheeses, meats, pastas, and salads. There were several highlights to the conference: Grand Gala Dinner at the Cloister Piccolomini – a beautiful villa in the Tuscan countryside. Everyone dressed up for this special event, and each professor brought a favorite bottle of wine from their country to [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T23:20:40-08:00October 15, 2008|

Piedmont, Italy – DAY THREE & Drive to Siena: July 16, 2008

The day dawned sunny and bright, and we took our time enjoying our last breakfast on the flowered terrace of the Hotel Barolo. Our original plans called for us to go back to the Monferrato to visit another winery and not leave Piedmont until noon, but once we looked on the map and realized how long the drive to Siena was, we had to cancel our appointment. Instead, and because we were feeling sad about leaving such a beautiful place, we decided to take the scenic drive along route 661 and over the rolling hills and mountains of Piedmont. Therefore, [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T23:21:03-08:00October 15, 2008|

Piedmont, Italy – DAY TWO: July 15, 2008

If the previous day was full, July 15th was even more jam-packed with wine adventures in Piedmont. We hadn’t meant to schedule all 3 wineries in one day, but that is what worked best with the winery owners. After a nice breakfast on the sunny terrace (it came with the room, which was only $100 Euros per night for two – two twin beds with a private bath), we drove to the town of Barbaresco to view Angelo Gaja’s house – the very famous vintner from this town and also visit the Producttori de Barbersco. This is a type of [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T23:21:23-08:00October 15, 2008|

Piedmont, Italy – DAY ONE: July 14, 2008

Enroute to the 4th International Wine Business Conference in Sienna, Italy, my good friend Janeen and I scheduled 3 days in Piedmont. She found a great hotel online in the hilltop town of Barolo, called – simple enough – the Hotel Barolo. It was family-run, quaint, and very friendly with an amazing view over the vineyards and the charming village of Barolo. Several weeks before the trip, I began doing research on wineries and enotecas to visit. I also contacted my friend, Doug Cook, who knows everything about Italian wines and wineries for recommendations. He got me in touch with [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-23T23:21:44-08:00October 15, 2008|