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Prosecco is so mass produced that it’s important to understand the regions that are making quality Prosecco including Asolo and its neighbor Conegliano Valdobbiadene. Today we focus on the Prosecco wines of Asolo that are named after the town itself within the Treviso province of the Veneto region in northeastern Italy. Located only about 1 hour no...

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Abruzzo is located in the central portion of Italy on the eastern side facing the Adriatic Sea. The Marche region borders to the north, the Lazio region to the west and Molise to the south. Abruzzo has a unique terrain where there are three types of topography. On the east side you have 80 miles of coastline filled with sandy beaches.   The central...

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This month I am going to tell you about the 2019 Falesco Tenuta Vitiano Rosso under Famiglia Cotarella. Falesco began 3 generations ago in the 60’s with Antonio and Domenico Cotarella whom wanted to start a winery and make their own wine. In 1979 the Falesco brand was born under brothers Renzo and Riccardo Cotarella. You may have heard me speak abo...

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Although I love highlighting Italy’s indigenous grapes, wine regions and producers I think it’s also good to take a step back from time to time and highlight some of the basics in understanding Italian wine. Italy is home to over 2,000 native grape varieties with about 400-500 of them being actively being commercially produced. It’s always a challe...

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This month, I’m highlighting the Maremma wine region, often overshadowed by its neighboring wine regions to the north. Located in southern Tuscany, the Maremma is a stretch of territory between Pisa and Livorno from the north down to the northern part of the Lazio region. Let's learn all about the Maremma including some wines from a cooperative, Ca...

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This month I'm focusing on the Piedmont wine region and one of its great white grapes, Cortese, specifically the wines produced from the Gavi area. You can find this area located in the southeastern corner of Piedmont where Piedmont merges with the region of Liguria within the provinces of Monferrato and Alessandria. The landscape of this area not...

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The Valle d’Aosta wine region of Italy tucked in the northwestern corner bordering France to the west and Switzerland to the north is truly one of Italy’s hidden gems. I explored this region on my honeymoon and was glad we went out of the way to venture there. I was thrilled to find a bottle of Valle d’Aosta wine the end of last year at a wine shop...

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The Custoza grape is a native white grape from the Veneto region in northeastern Italy. Per the Consorzio Tutela Vino Custoza’s site, the Custoza grape is “delicate, floral and fruity aromas with slightly aromatic herbs….recognizable for its freshness”.  As the wines made from this grape ages they take on riper fruit notes, with savory characterist...

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Pinot Grigio in Collio Pinot Grigio is the most planted grape of Collio, but has been losing acreage as it has been replaced slowly by Malvasia and Ribolla Gialla. Our guide, Richard Baudains, through the tasting explained that Pinot Grigio is less sensitive to soils than it is to climate. I really enjoyed this tasting as it showed the many styles...

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Rossese is a red grape found in the Liguria region of northwestern Italy bordering France and on the western side of Liguria itself. It is best known for the wines of the Rossese di Dolceaqua DOC. It can be found as single varietal, but also as a blending partner. It is one of the top red grapes of the Liguria wine region along with Dolcetto. It is...

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