24 May 2018
It’s every Italian’s dream to buy their own vineyard! It is I suppose the Italian equivalent of purchasing a fishing ‘beat’ on a trout river in chalky Hampshire. But for Torinese Davide Fregonese, being Piedmontese, he opted to go for the salmon one instead: a Barolo vineyard! And not just one, & nor in any old place, but Davide went for two......
4 May 2018
Just back from a March 2018 tour of DBGitalia’s (battered) northern Italian producers… Lombardia’s Joska Biondelli was still feeling bruised having lost 70% of his (Franciacorta) Chardonnay crop in April 2017’s frost, only to be then battered by the subsequent breakage of 6,000 bottles of his brand new, 100% Pinot Nero 2016 Franciacorta Rosé ‘Donna......
7 April 2018
Just when we thought Spring was arriving, the cold and frost set in again. It’s never too cold for rosato, though! Italian rosato’s seem to be becoming more popular. The best examples tend to offer a depth of flavour, colour, and texture that is characteristic of their indigenous grape varieties. Usually darker pink than the......
22 February 2018
Speakers: Luca Mercalli, Presidente of S.M.I (Societa Meteorologica Italiana); Federica Gaiotti of C.R.E.A (Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi dell’Economia Agraria); Ruggero Mazzilli of S.P.E.V.I.S (Stazione Sperimentale per la Viticoltura); Elisa Angelini, C.R.E.A Luca Mercalli, Torino Drivers of climate change are the levels of nitrogen dioxide, phosphorus, nitrous oxide (through fertilizers) & carbon......
20 February 2018
Lisa Gilbee of Morella talks of two diametrically-opposed vintages, 2014 & 2017: the former enjoying “heaps” of rain, the latter little if any at all. But in both years, her (& Gaetano’s) 18ha of Primitivo has adapted successfully; a sign of biodynamics at work perhaps, equipping the vine with the means – & antennae – to respond quickly......