Italy
Nero d’Avola
Nero d’Avola is the grape with the highest quality potential of Sicily. It is also known “Calabrese,” suggesting origins in Calabria on the mainland. It also may be, according to another theory, an ‘italianization’ of the ancient vernacular name of Nero d’Avola, being ‘Calaurisi,’ which literally means ‘coming from Avola’. This “black grape of Avola, […]
Aglianico
Aglianico derives from Hellenic, or Ellenico, the Italian word for Greek, indicating that the centuries-old varietal was introduced by the Greeks who settled in Southern Italy as early as 700 B.C. It was blended into the historical Falernum, the most requested wine in the world at that time. Though also cultivated in Puglia, Molise, and […]
Super Tuscan Blend
Super Tuscan wines are either Sangiovese-dominant (Sangiovese is the mainstay of the area and most famous for Chianti), blended with the international Cabernet Sauvignon, the opposite, or somewhere in between. A Super Tuscan may be Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, or even Chardonnay for that matter, single varietal or blend. It is not an official, regulated […]
Barbera
Barbera is an ancient variety with historical roots in Italy. Today it remains the second most widely planted red variety, after Sangiovese. This vigorous, hearty, late ripener excels in Piedmont, where gentle fogs and undulating hills provide the ideal microclimate. This is a very dark-skinned, high acid grape, similar on paper to Nebbiolo. However, at […]
Nebbiolo
Best known as the red varietal behind Barolo, the wine of Kings and the King of Wine in Piedmont, Italy, Nebbiolo is a site sensitive, high tannin, high acid varietal. Tannins, those compounds in a wine which cause the mouth to pucker and dry out, are either from grape skins, or, much more commonly from […]
Gewurztraminer
Gewürztraminer is one of the most pungent wine varietals, easy for even the beginning taster to recognize by its heady, aromatic scent. While the French have achieved the greatest success with this grape, the history of Gewürztraminer began in Italy’s Tyrollean Alps, near the village of Termeno (Tramin) in Alto Adige. Since the Middle Ages, […]
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