The estate of Tenuta delle Terre Nere is located on the northern slopes of the famed Etna Volcano.  These are believed to be the highest vineyards in Italy and all of Europe.  The vineyards are well exposed to the sun, not closed in by hills.  It is a difficult climate – in many ways akin [...read more]

Sardegna (or Sardinia) is the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.  The climate is typical of the Mediterranean.  The weather is clear; in fact during the year approximately 300 days are sunny.  That, combined with cool coastal breezes, makes a lovely environment for growing grapes and Vermentino is one of the most notable grapes [...read more]

Here is a small mystery.  We are all looking for something special when we choose Chianti.  Glamor, of course, a certain balance, not too sweet, not too dry, a certain bella figura, a little racy, a little exotic, not too crazy – - why am I recalling those freshman dorm room conversations about girls? We [...read more]

Where do wine and history connect?  The change of grapes into wine, year in and year out, stands apart from the tumult of great events.  Can we taste the hopes of a people in their wine?  If the intensity of struggle and identity appears in any wine, it must surely be in the wines of [...read more]

This is a brisk, elegant white wine from the southern shores of Lake Garda in the Veneto region in Italy.   Otella is a small family operation.  Their wine is immaculate — the palest yellow and scrubbed clean.  The nose is delicate and a little briny.  The taste has lemon which is a way of recognizing [...read more]

A few miles northeast of Florence, the Rufina district produces excellent Chianti.  Fattoria Selvapiana 2006 is a striking example.  Selvapiana is an ancient estate – once the summer resort of Florentine prelates.  In 1827, the Giuntini Selvapiana family bought the property.  They have stayed to make wine and olive oil for many generations. The 2006 [...read more]

We’re tasting Italian wines, and not a one of them comes wrapped in a straw basket. We decided to stay away from the big attention hogs, and instead we focused a bit more on the cool little appellations and edgy bottlings popping up all over the country. Stop by the Friday, between 5 and 9, [...read more]

Sunday, April 19th from 3:00 – 4:30 $35/Person SOLD OUT!  Call or email the shop to be put on our waiting list. Piedmont is home to what may just be the most interesting wines on earth. Fashioned from Nebbiolo, the wines of Barolo and Barbaresco are stylish, mouthwatering wines, each different from the next. With [...read more]

Let’s look at three of the Piedmont reds: Barolo, Barbaresco, and Barbera d’Alba. Barolo and Barbaresco are stately wines which can reach a great age. When they are good, they smell like wet fir trees and taste like the forest floor. Barolo is the more sonorous and formidable; Barbaresco is ready to drink sooner and [...read more]

Sunday, March 15th from 3:00 – 4:30 $35/Person Tuscany is the birthplace of Chianti and Brunello, and home to the sangiovese grape and the Super Tuscan. The region’s wines are among the world’s most famous and, in some cases among the most controversial. What’s a Super Tuscan, why do folks trample each other for a [...read more]