Blog
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Published
8 January 2024
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Buttafuoco DOC – l’Antico Piemonte in Lombardia!
While not as famous as the other ‘Bs’ (Barbaresco & Barolo) to the west, the relatively new DOC, Buttafuoco, is clearly a player in the Full Bodied Italian Rosso squad – probably in defence – & justifies its selection on several counts: geographically, geologically, historically, & ampelographically (grapes!). The name ‘Buttafuoco’ seems to have two......
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Published
28 August 2023
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Valtellina – where Chiavennasca is key!
Emerging from ‘chiusura‘ here in Italia, I reflect on that February visit to Lombardia’s stunning Valtellina region, north-east of Milano. Outside of the Langhe & Roero, I think it would be fair to say that Valtellina joins Alto Piemonte as a source of fine Nebbiolo-based wines, or should I say Chiavennasca… And just as with Alto Piemonte,......
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Published
10 February 2022
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2017 Barolo vintage – c’est très jolie!
2017 Langhe vintage: after a relatively mild winter, I recall a warm sunny March, & atypical 23 degree days accelerating the vegetative growth, followed by spring rain, & then on April 14th frost that damaged Barolo’s lower vyds & localised hail in Barbaresco (San Cristoforo). But it was the constant 30 degree days & drought caused......
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Published
21 July 2021
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Monte Etna – let the Lava flow…
Twenty years on from those initial tremors, when a group of trail-blazing producers – Messrs. Cornelissen, Franchetti, Graci, de Grazia, Foti/Benanti – recolonised the abandoned lava terraces & started making a (new) case for vini dell’Etna, it was time to return with my colleague Chloe, plus four DBGitalia amici produttori (Manuel Marinacci, Martina Fiorino of......
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Published
15 February 2021
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Vintage 2016 in Piedmont – very promising indeed…
In the Roero & Langhe in particular, the winter season was cold but not particularly snowy; in March, while Burgundy was burnt by frost, the Roero & Langhe enjoyed cold temperatures & dry days; April remained chilly & dry (compared to the warmer & damper April 2015); this continued into May, with temperatures mirroring the......