42 Gold Medals for Italian Grenaches in Navarra
This year we are in Navarra. Wait… where exactly is Navarra? I found a trick that helps everyone locate it immediately. The magic word to say is “San Fermín”, and…
Wine, Fennel and an Old “Remedy” to Confuse the Senses…
Ah! Idioms and typical expressions of everyday language — those phrases we use all the time to express surprise, outrage, appreciation or, very often, simply to stir up a bit…
At Fontanafredda, the Barolo of Hope Is Born: Serralunga d’Alba Renaissance 2018
On the occasion of its 30th anniversary, Fontanafredda has created a special label — the first of a collection that, over the next ten years, will celebrate the emotions that have given rise to moments of collective rebirth throughout history. (more…)
Art and Wine: An Intriguing Liaison for Mandrarossa’s New “Season”
It was needed. Not a restaurant, not a hotel, but an art gallery. Or rather a “concept place” — I must admit I wouldn’t quite know how to define it, given how much I liked it — like the Contemporary Cluster at Palazzo Brancaccio, chosen to help us wine-addicted understand what has been happening at Mandrarossa during the pandemic.
Where to begin, if not with the visual approach that the location itself imposes…
New labels, a rebranding focused on essentials, and a visual language that welcomes guests with large panels distributed throughout the main hall. Wine bottles scattered across the bookshelves of the Contemporary Cluster, with Nero d’Avola and Grillo placed among shelves full of design magazines.
And then a new corporate video — a medium that the winery has always paid great attention to — this time focused more on family than on territory.
“The Sicily you don’t expect” is the payoff that dominates this Roman afternoon. But after seeing what happens during their Wineyard Tours, I’ve come to expect this and more from Mandrarossa. The association with art, however, was something I truly did not anticipate.
To be honest, I also didn’t expect the presentation of the new Larcéra Terre Siciliane IGT 2021, an organic Vermentino, during a masterclass where I had the chance to taste several wines. Among the whites: Fiano Terre Siciliane IGT 2021, Grillo Sicilia DOC 2021, Bertolino Soprano Bianco Sicilia DOC 2018, and Santannella Terre Siciliane IGT 2021 — all characterized by pronounced sapidity and freshness.
Alongside them, two expressions of Nero d’Avola (Nero d’Avola Sicilia DOC 2021 and Terre del Sommacco Rosso Sicilia DOC 2017), quite different from one another but both marked by soft tannins and remarkable drinkability.
A different kind of afternoon: with Sicilian tradition at heart, but also with a strong innovative instinct that this time found expression not only in the wine but also in art — and, as always, in that ability to balance communication, formality and hospitality in a way that inevitably makes you feel at home.
Art and wine, an intriguing liaison for Mandrarossa’s new “season.”
It was needed. Not a restaurant, not a hotel, but an art gallery. Or rather, a “concept place” – I must admit, I’m not quite sure how to define it given how much I enjoyed it – like the Contemporary Cluster at Palazzo Brancaccio, chosen to help us wine-addicted understand what has been happening at Mandrarossa during the pandemic. (more…)
Rome Whisky Festival: In Rome on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6
Everything is ready for the tenth edition of the Rome Whisky Festival. The event will take place Saturday, March 5 and Sunday, March 6 at the Salone delle Fontane in the EUR district of Rome. (more…)
Rome Whisky Festival, in Rome on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6
Everyone is ready for the tenth edition of the Rome Whisky Festival. The event will take place on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 March at the Salone delle Fontane in the EUR district. (more…)
Young Talents on the Rise: When Wine and Sport Become a Possible Partnership
Ogni volta mi faccio la stessa domanda: ma chi me lo fa fare?
Non ho un’enoteca, non ho un ristorante, non vendo vino e non sono un catering. Eppure ogni volta che mi viene un’idea mi ritrovo a chiamare mille persone, a caricare la mia auto fino all’inverosimile, a coinvolgere persone, a stampare cose, a produrre “oggetti e oggettini” per rendere le cose più gradevoli. Grandi faticate, ma accompagnate da grandi soddisfazioni. (more…)
La Fenice, Maurizio De Luca and His “Earthquake Resistant” Seal
It was L’Aquila, a June evening, and I was with a group of fellow judges from the “Food & Rosé Selection” organized by the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles. After wandering around for a while in search of the right place to have dinner — it was Saturday night, it was getting late, and the city center was full of people eager to enjoy the evening — finding a table was proving difficult. (more…)
Next Time at Varramista, I Want to Come by Vespa!
For those of my generation, Pontedera inevitably rhymes with Piaggio. Or rather — if we want to be precise — it rhymes with Vespa. Coming to Pontedera for me was a bit like reliving those teenage years when the ultimate dream was first the vespino, and later the more ambitious Vespa 125. (more…)
Merano Wine Festival Returns from November 5 to 9, 2021
Dopo i rinvii e annullamenti dell’edizione del 2020, legati al perdurare della pandemia, riprende, finalmente in presenza, il Merano WineFestival, la cui 30° edizione si terrà dal 5 al 9…
Merano Wine Festival Returns from November 5 to 9, 2021
After the postponements and cancellations of the 2020 edition, caused by the ongoing pandemic, the Merano WineFestival is finally returning in person. Its 30th edition will take place from November 5 to 9 in the elegant halls of the Kurhaus, at Corso della Libertà 37. (more…)
