Slavonian Oak

This summer I've been between Italy and Croatia, a highlight of which has been enjoying Amarone with friends in Croatia. Verona's famous red is likely to enhance any dinner, but I particularly enjoyed consuming a bottle here, because the oak used in Amarone grows in Croatia. It's easily overlooked that the most prestigious wines from the …

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Metodo Ancestrale

When I first read metodo ancestrale (ancestral method) on a bottle of Prosecco I thought I'd struck idyll gold. Metodo ancestrale is an old fermentation method that predates the industrial ones that democratized Prosecco and refined ones that elevated champagne into a world-renowned superstar. Its simple roots began in Limoux, France in the 16th century. In the world …

Veneto’s Industry

The Veneto is the largest wine producing region in Italy. The region tops Tuscany in wine production and, alongside Milan's Lombardy and Turin's Piemonte, is a powerhouse of the industrial and industrious North. Experts regard Tuscany, Piemonte and Veneto as producing the highest quality wines in Italy, but Veneto's wine-prowess is popularly overlooked within Italy …

Spago

One of my favorite Proseccos is the humble Spago. The word spago means 'string' and refers to a small string along the neck to hold in the cork. For me Spago represents a rustic informality that matches the playfulness of a wine that's for everyday enjoyment. The string is hand-tied, by the fast fast hands of the Veneto's …

Va Tranquillo…It’s Still Prosecco!

Sometimes Prosecco doesn't have bubbles. It's still Prosecco, it's just still Prosecco. It's typically called tranquillo and you'd be right to ask, 'what's the point of prosecco without fizz?' Zero-bar tranquillo, first and foremost, is cool because it's a way to focus on the character of the Glera grape as it was enjoyed for centuries …