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...

When you think about the wines from Emilia Romagna which wines do you think of? Personally, I think of Lambrusco. I’m not talking about the low-quality, overproduced, old-school Lambrusco from the 70’s and 80’s that set the negative image for Lambrusco that some may remember today. Lambrusco has come a long way since those days with various clones...

The region of Umbria is often overlooked by its neighbor Tuscany. Located just north of Rome is one of the majestic medieval towns of Umbria, Orvieto. Set atop a hilltop made of volcanic tufo rock, this town was founded by the Etruscans. I traveled to Orvieto many years back and adored its quaintness. The quiet medieval side streets with a bustling...

The Marche region is one of what I consider one of the lesser discovered regions of Italy. Located in central Italy surrounded by the regions of Umbria, Emilia Romagna, Abruzzo and touching Tuscany and Lazio. It’s located along the Adriatic Sea with hills and mountains that roll down to the sea. This varied geography creates a unique microclimate....

Seeing that we’re creeping into May after this weekend I’m going to get a head start into my features for the month of May which is covering the wines of Abruzzo and Marche wine regions. This week I’m starting with the wines known as Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo and will feature a Cerasuolo from Cantina Tollo in Abruzzo. Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo is is one of Ita...

This month we venture to the region of Campania highlighting the native white grape, Falanghina. Campania is a region in southern Italy located on the western coast along the Tyrrhenian Sea. With Naples as the capital of Campania that most are familiar with, maybe you’ve also been fortunate to travel there to explore the Amalfi Coast and the ancien...

Molise is the second smallest region in Italy behind the Valle d’Aosta region in northern Italy. It used to be part of the Abruzzo region, known as Abruzzi e Molise, until 1963. Overshadowed by the prominence of its neighboring wine regions, Molise is small in terms of annual wine production. There are 4 DOCs in Molise, but they only account for ab...

If you’re not familiar with Puglia, also called Apulia, it is located on the heel of the boot along the Adriatic Sea to the east and the Gulf of Taranto at the tip of the heel. The region is relatively flat filled with plains and low hills except the mountainous area to the north that is home to the Gargano headlands and Monti Dauni.   Puglia along...

Sicily is one of the fascinating wine regions of Italy, although we could probably make that statement for many others as well. Sicily is Italy’s largest island and has a rich history of various cultural influences from Greeks and Romans to Phoenicians, Arabs and more. These influences can be seen throughout Sicily’s architecture, food and wine to...

For us New Englanders the cold weather has arrived and we're awaiting the snow days to arrive. Some of us are excited about it and many aren't. Of course it's more common for folks to get into the mindset of drinking rosé wines when the weather is warmer. If you're lucky enough to have fantastic weather year round than you may always have rosé in m...