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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Terrazzo in Creta, Croazia and Chioggia

These days I've been talking to people about my project to write about Prosecco and wines of the Veneto, alongside cultural history and wines of the former Venetian empire. It has been interesting to discuss how far 'the Prosecco trail' may reach. The Dalmatian Coast, and its wonderful wines, is a likely place for the …

Raddicchio

The real meaning of enlightenment can be found in the radicchio. That is my philosophy and the philosophy of the Veneto. Like wines that are classified by geographical provenance, Radicchio di Treviso has its own IGP (Protected Geographical Indication) in Italy. And a bit in the way that Prosecco is a modern invention fostered by …

Charmat Method

Ready for a bit of terminology? In the world of sparkling wine traditional method and tank method fermentation are the most common ways to intensify and stimulate bubble action in wine through secondary fermentation. It's not quite so simple, but it is generally fair to associate traditional method with Champagne and tank method with Prosecco. Tank …

Conegliano – Valdobbiadene and The DOC(G), Part I

I've dropped the acronyms DOC and DOCG a few times here. As many of you will know, DOC is a quality assurance label in Italy. It stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, literally: Controlled Designation of Origin. It's a key label to know about when buying Italian wines. In the few Italian towns where German …