Narrating the soul of Italian wine

Barolo del Comune wines lie between Barolo Classicos and single-MGA wines, similar in concept to the Burgundy villages category. How well are they expressing the character of Barolo’s 11 villages?

Far from its image as a one-dimensional grape, Nero d’Avola is a dexterous translator of Sicily’s terroir. You just need to figure out where it was grown.

Here’s my take on Gran Selezione as it stood in 2020. Things have changed since then with the adoption of stricter rules for the category and you’ll find coverage of that in my new story on Gran Selezione to be posted in early April.

This obscure variety from Alto Adige is gaining traction as consumer tastes shift towards lighter, chillable reds.

Here’s a story for true wine geeks, about the tiniest and most obscure of all Prosecco categories. But if you think Prosecco is monotonous and one-dimensional, read on.

Cabernet franc wasn’t the first international variety to make a splash in Italy, but plantings have surged in recent years as it becomes clear this French grape has found a natural home on the Tuscan coast.

Move over, Franciacorta and Trentodoc. Alta Langa is producing crisp and linear bubbles with some of Barolo’s marketing might behind them.

Soave Classico has seen a quality revolution in recent years as producers focus on making terroir-specific wines from the newly-approved UGAs

Touring Franciacorta, a Summer Wine Destination

White wines gain ground on a volcano famous for reds