When I started this blog, I decided to call it Chestnuts and Truffles because these are the two major local products here in this corner of Tuscany. In fact the name Marrone di Caprese Michelangelo, (marrone being a cultivated chestnut) is protected in Italy with a DOP status. I could easily have called it Chestnuts […]
Zuppa di marroni al tartufo: Chestnut and truffle soup Read More »
Assisi Assisi in Umbria is famous as the birthplace of Saint Francis, the Dr Dolittle of the Catholic Church, and the Patron Saint of Italy. It’s a perfect central Italian hill town where the modern suburbs have been confined to the plain below leaving the town itself its ancient aspect. The plain is sheltered by
At the feet of Saint Francis: Saio Winery, Assisi Read More »
Last week was the fifth anniversary of my friend Steph’s wine shop, Ottimi Vini. It’s an excellent achievement bearing in mind the economic situation in the last five years and the challenges of being an English girl, in Italy, selling Italian wine. However, through hard work, determination, and an encyclopedic knowledge of wine, she’s made
Buon compleanno! Happy Birthday! Read More »
Five-hundred and fifty odd years since the first Renaissance, Italy is in the grip of another. This time, the rebirth is in the wine industry where, particularly here in Tuscany, producers are rediscovering old grapes and old techniques to produce some truly amazing bottles. Couple this movement with a younger generation of passionate and
Stefano Amerighi: Tuscan Vigneron Read More »
In the last two weeks I was really fortunate to have been invited to visit some vineyards by my friends at Ottimi Vini, an incredible wine shop in Sansepolcro. This week we were in the Montalcino region, famous for it’s stately wine Brunello. Made, like most Tuscan red wine, from Sangiovese grapes, Brunello is blessed
L’Osteria di Porta al Cassero, Montalcino: review Read More »
Once famous for basic wines produced in novelty bottles wrapped in straw, in recent years Tuscany has become known for producing a large number of excellent quality red wines, dubbed the Super Tuscans. Unfortunately for me, it has not been so diligent in producing white wines. However, all that is changing with a new wave of
Wine of the Week: 25 April 2015 Read More »
