Dedicated to Sommeliers
This category contains useful information dedicated to sommeliers and aspiring sommeliers or those working as such. You will find information from associations, insights, ideas for Christmas gifts, gossip and personal opinions. 😋
Michelin Guide: 'after dinner' reflections
On Friday night, after months of seclusion to write the new edition of my book, I decided to spend a special evening with my husband to celebrate the end of this immense work. So I went to my favourite restaurant, the only restaurant ...
Mozzarella in carrozza al forno recipe and...
If you are looking for how to cook mozzarella, you can try this delicious comfort food. Mozzarella in carrozza is a typical recipe from Neapolitan cuisine, which then spread throughout Campania and even Lazio. It was created in the late 1800s to recover leftover mozzarella....
Moscato Wine Fest: a grape variety to restart
I was at the Moscato Wine Fest 2021 a month ago now and have been absent from the blog for a while now, but I am an excused absentee because I am spending the entire month of August finishing the third edition of my book 'How to Become a Sommelier' which, I anticipate, will...
Slow Food, Slow June: Taste Workshops
Slow Food pulls another delightful event out of its hat, perfect for 'novice' winelovers. The island of La Maddalena in Sardinia becomes the dream setting for four June Slow events organised to be experienced in person or at a distance...
Victorian era: (co)science of eating
Today and tomorrow I dedicate them to studying because this Friday I have my last university exam of the second year: Microbiology of Food and Wine. A complex subject that I am enjoying beyond expectations: I am learning really useful things about yeasts in particular...
Savoury pecorino, peas and mint muffins: the perfect recipe
Food and wine pairing is an obsession for me... it's no coincidence that my podcast is called "Red (doesn't) go with everything!". I love experimenting with recipes to go with the wines I get to taste! My recipe of the summer (but they taste great in winter too....
Barolo: tasting notes of 20 wines to try
When I think of an extraordinary red wine, I immediately imagine a good bottle of Barolo... which is why I was so happy to attend this Go Wine event at the Starhotels Rosa Grand in Milan. Actually the event was also dedicated to the...
Milan Wine Week 2021: Super press conference!
Last Monday, I braved the hallucinating heat to answer the call of Milan Wine Week 2021 and attend a press conference that turned out to be unmissable. Milan, rightly called 'Italy's gateway to Europe', turned out to be yet another...
Autoctono si nasce 2021: the 10 white wines I liked best
Autoctono si nasce 2021 by Go Wine is one of my favourite events. There are so many interesting tidbits and the press preview is always 'taster-friendly', meaning I can take all my notes serenely. Unfortunately, the tasting...
Montisola: recipe + wine pairing for sardines!
Today in Montisola we shot a documentary for an episode of Geo that will be aired on Rai3 next season... I can't wait to know the date! I represented Monte Isola for the gastronomic part and it was an honour to choose a dish to show. So...
Feudi San Gregorio: Parade 2021 of 4 Irpinia wines
My intellectual honesty prevents me from saying - and writing - something I don't think... so here I am to tell you about the four wines of Feudi San Gregorio's 'Sfilata 2021'. I anticipate that there is a treat you should try, and how! However, there is also a wine that I don't ...
Grapariol: do you know the white raboso of Terre Grosse?
I don't think I have ever been this far behind on my beloved wine blog articles... but I had to bring home a 29 in Economics and Management for Gastronomy... so I am forgiven! However, I have continued to write down my best tastings and this one....
Bolgheri: a jewel of a wine? Discover Podere Conca!
I would have liked to tell you about this wonderful experience sooner, but it really has been a hectic few days between work and university! Here I am finally here to tell you about the second leg of my Tuscan weekend and the company that perhaps made me fall in love the most. Perhaps,...
Mullet with lemon and mint and Rebola Colli di Rimini DOC
Tonight I tasted a wine so good that it upset my editorial calendar. So here I am, telling you about my Romagna and surprising myself because just a few kilometres from where I was born and where I have lived for a good 30 years there is a crazy wine that I was totally unaware of...
Coffee Cake and Nottambulo Villa Acquaviva: Happy Birthday Love!
On Tuesday 18 May, my husband Francesco turned 28. Not being able to do big things because I got home at 9pm, I opted to prepare a quick and easy dessert for him: coffee cake! Delicious, it is also perfect as breakfast! Since Francesco loves...
Artimino: wine experience in the Barco Reale of Carmignano
A press tour touching on two of the most beautiful Tuscan cities, Florence and Siena, is what Maddalena Mazzeschi, who has been involved in wine communication and following wonderful companies for many years, could have organised for me. So I thought it would coincide with the...
Sting: Tuscan wines signed Tenuta il Palagio
How nice to relax a bit by writing on my beloved wine blog while enjoying a glass of (red) wine! I literally spent a week on fire, between the Economic History exam on 5 May, the Food and Wine Law exam (I got 28 in...
Venturini Baldini: a modern, family-run château in Food Valley
On Saturday, for the first time in seven years, I left my Moleskine at home. Not only that, I also made an effort not to take notes. It sounds like a trivial beginning, but the reality is that to savour an Experience you just have to live it. For the same reason I...
Sex and bubbles: 10 things you (don't) really want to know
The fashion for provocative photos where the bottle of wine that is supposed to be the protagonist is a superfluous side dish is all the rage on Instagram, and it's all the rage for generous cleavage, winking heels and turkey-butt mouths to be stuffed even on days away from the...
From cocoa to chocolate: wine, vermouth or distillate?
For the Ecology and Sustainability exam, where I got a very good 30 on 31 March, I prepared a paper on cocoa and its pairing with wine, vermouth or distillate. This paper aims to analyse cocoa from its history to its spread, from its...
Tenuta Mazzolino: a great Pinot Noir in Oltrepò Pavese
Saturday morning I received a beautiful parcel from Tenuta Mazzolino, totally unexpected also because I was not expecting deliveries on the Saturday before Easter. The second wonderful surprise was to find in it pinot noir not only vinified as sparkling wine, but also...
Blueberry jam roll: photo-recipe and wine pairing
The day after tomorrow is Easter and despite the delicious dark chocolate and pistachio granola egg that I received as every year straight from Bronte, I wanted to prepare a treat to eat for breakfast on these festive days that Francesco is home. Yesterday I ...
Vigne Marina Coppi and home-made Neapolitan pizza, super!
It's midnight in a few minutes and I've had a beautiful evening that I want to share with you without too many technicalities. My husband has just gone to bed and I, in that sweet post-coital intoxication, am watching Fifty Shades of Red on Netflix. I'm...
Bolgheri Podere Conca: Red (doesn't) go with everything
Today, on the Tuscan thread that has been hovering over the blog these past few weeks, I decided to uncork the Bolgheri Podere Conca 'Agapanto' 2018 in combination with a delicious Montisola steak. A perfect choice to celebrate the first episode of my podcast dedicated...
Tolaini Al Passo Toscana IGT 2017 and Aisy Cendré: perfection
You know when, almost by chance, you taste a food and wine pairing that can move you? That's what happened on Thursday evening live on ClubHouse, when I held a beautiful tasting of Tolaini's "Al passo" Toscana IGT Rosso 2017 in the company of...
Carmignano DOCG: why (almost) nobody talks about it?
Yesterday evening I held a room on ClubHouse about Carmignano and in particular I tasted the Carmignano DOCG 2017 "Poggilarca" and the Carmignano Riserva DOCG 2015 "Grumarello" of Artimino 1596. I want to make a premise in all sincerity: I knew that Carmignano existed....
Becoming a journalist: this is why I chose not to do it
I had planned to publish another article today... but I have decided that I will tell you tomorrow about the most fabulous food and wine pairing ever. Today I want to tell you something about myself and, at the same time, answer the question I have often received since...
Mascarpone and bitter filled roll: foolproof recipe
As of today we are in the red zone again, so I'd say we have plenty of time to cook. I don't know about you, but I really need sweet cuddles because it's really a difficult time. Then on 31 March I have two exams at university and, while for one I'm super...
Red wine and fish: Passatelli with mackerel sauce and Sangiovese Caiarossa
The subject I am most passionate about is definitely that of food and wine pairing. In particular, I love experimenting by creating unexpected, but always very reasoned pairings. The theme of pairing red wine and fish is something that has been gaining ground for some time now.
Self-made: the life of a woman (who inspired many women)
Yesterday I promised myself I would publish an article about pairing red wine and fish, but when I took an hour break from writing I found myself watching a movie on Netflix called Self-Made: The Life of Madam C. J. Walker. It may be that I am...
Sparkling wine: 3 classic methods you should try
One of my greatest passions is classic method sparkling wine and that is why every day I try to expand my culture on this type. In particular, I have a mission: to taste all Italian classic method sparkling wines. That is why when Federica di...
Spaghetti with tomato sauce: Irene's recipe from Caiarossa
On Friday afternoon I received a beautiful parcel from Tuscany from the Caiarossa winery which contained, among various wines, a jar of very fresh tomato sauce, some durum wheat spaghetti from Carlo Boni's biodynamic organic farm 'Il Cerreto'...
Timorasso: from vine to wine, tasting Derthona
To understand a wine fully, it is necessary, as a first step, to know the grape variety from which it is made. That is why when Federica of Aroma Wine Bar, the Tortona wine shop specialising in Derthona Timorasso, suggested I talk about this wine, I accepted...
Pinot Noir: Casanova seduces at Castello di Spessa
This afternoon on ClubHouse I will be doing a short lecture on pinot noir where I will talk to you about this extraordinary and ancient international grape variety. I am happy to have committed to this little live programme every day because depending on what I uncork the night before....
Perlage Suite Club: a vine a day on ClubHouse
A few days ago I was invited to join ClubHouse, the new vocal social. I'll admit that, while I love pictures, Instagram has long since got me a little sick of it. Don't get me wrong: I love Instagram because I love looking and taking pictures... but I'm tired of...
Tramin Winery: Gewürztraminer Terminum and Roquefort AOP
The two white grape varieties I love most are riesling and gewürztraminer, so I was very happy to taste the Terminum from Cantina Tramin. As a huge fan of Alsatian gewürztraminer I was also very happy to taste this...
Ribolla gialla and smoked goose ham: perfection from Friuli
What? You asked me for three foods I can't do without? Easy: oysters, cheeses (especially blue cheeses) and goose (prepared in all ways, from foie gras to charcuterie). These are my 'gastronomic fetishes' and with them all the wines that create...
Brillat-Savarin PGI: when Burgundy meets Champagne
My vocation for wine goes hand in hand with my curiosity for cheese. I love to create easy or unusual pairings and enjoy the company of both. A day can go well or badly, but if you end it with wine and cheese I am sure it will have, in every...
Distance learning: what will be left after the Coronavirus?
When I realised that the Coronavirus would last more than a few months and impact my working life in a major way, I decided to take the bull by the horns and enrol in university. Since I'm not around as much as I used to be I have a lot of...
Night before exams The Franciacorta case
On this night before the exams, I want to share with you the paper I did for the Geography of Wine Production course in which I got top marks. I really hope the exam goes well tomorrow... in the meantime what do you think about finding out...
Chianti: all the secrets of the table wine par excellence
Today I decided to talk to you about a wine I care a lot about: Chianti. When I think of this wine, and in particular of the best Chianti Classico wines, I think of Casalino, a small village of 64 inhabitants in the Casentino forests, where I spent some wonderful summers...
Becoming a Sommelier at 40: Want to change jobs?
The topic of job satisfaction is particularly topical in our house: my husband and I talk about it a lot. And along with it we discuss meritocracy, self-conscious beautiful women and sycophants of various sizes. So many times we talk about changing ...
Quiche Lorraine: original recipe direct from Bordeaux
Yesterday I took the History of Food and Wine exam and I got an A+! I also studied a lot because it's my favourite subject and the course - taught by the talented Francesca Romana Barberini (Professor of the History of Food and Wine) - was great, with...
Metodo classico: how is this sparkling wine made?
Although I would like to introduce you right away to a beautiful and important new addition to Perlage Suite, tomorrow I have my History of Enogastronomy exam (do you remember that since I am no longer around as I used to be because of the Coronavirus, I enrolled in the University of Gastronomy address
Violence against women: a woman's reflection
I had promised myself I would finish this article on Sunday because I am currently studying for my History of Food and Wine exam (wish me luck, I have the exam on 14 January!), however after writing this article 'Women of Wine and Criticism: I...
Potato and bacon pie: easy recipe and super combination!
In my article 'Women of wine and criticism: you really broke my.... breadsticks!" (which drew close to 5,000 visitors in a single day) I told you how I was distraught to wait until the next day to taste that delicious savoury pie I had just...
Women of wine and criticism: you really broke my... breadsticks!
Before you say anything, as my dear art school literature teacher Giovanni Zanzi used to say, you have to start with the context. So let's talk about this context. In a few minutes it is midnight. I haven't left the house in 21 days and if Benigni saw me....
Italian Sommelier Association: How has the AIS examination changed?
Everything changes, even the Italian Sommelier Association. And with it, its famous AIS exam is changing. Since you often email me to find out how the AIS exam has changed, here is a comparison with the old exam and the new arrangements. The new AIS exam is...
Spirits glass name: the right glass for every type of wine, beer and spirits
In this guide, hopefully as comprehensive as possible, I want to help you get to know the name of glasses for different types of alcohol. Assuming that there are many different glasses and that you reasonably can't buy them all, if only for...
Horoscope 2021: Here's to a new year of change for the sign of Taurus
Starting a new year with a toast (actually two) and a little reflection rooted in my 2021 horoscope is now a tradition for me. I find it very nice then to start from the previous year, looking at whether expectations have been aligned with the...
Jean-Philippe Trousset: the heartthrob Champagne vigneron
'If since childhood your parents make you feel special you will feel special all your life'. With this thought I enjoyed every drop of Jean-Philippe Trousset's Champagne Crème Extra Brut. This champagne makes me feel special, so he is himself....
Whipped shortbread biscuits: recipe and combination - Ruby Burmester Port
One of the things I do best at cooking is biscuits: I love creating and perfecting recipes to go with my favourite dessert and fortified wines. Since I am a port lover and at my mum's I found a bottle of Port Ruby Reserve Sottovoce by...
Duck with orange: the Christmas recipe paired with Timorasso Fausto
When I think of Christmas as a family, I think of that lunch around my grandparents' table, my cousin Marco and I at the head of the table on one side, Uncle Adriano and Aunt Santina at Marco's side, Dad and Mom at my side, and Grandpa and Grandma in front of us. Under the plate Marco and I...
The vineyard: vine, rootstock, soil and climatic environment, soil and cultivation techniques
There is a phrase, now overused, that I hear repeated every time I set foot in a winery: 'wine is made in the vineyard'. In my opinion, this is a bit of an exaggerated concept since no wine is born and grows in the vineyard... rather, the raw material is formed from which to elaborate...
Eric Taillet Champagne: the bottle, the occasion, the recipe and...
I had already decided that yesterday afternoon I would uncork Eric Taillet's 'Sur Le Grand Marais' Champagne Brut Nature. A wise Charles Buckowski said roughly: 'If something good happens you drink to celebrate, if something bad happens you drink to forget...'.
Ironed breadsticks: the foolproof recipe from the book 'The Aristopiatti
When I hear the postman ring the bell and have the knowledge that I am expecting a fabulous parcel from Amazon, I am happy as a child. My favourite subject in school was History... of anything! History, History of Art, History of Architecture, History of...
Butter Rum Cocktail: traditional recipe with Navy Island
Butter Rum is a traditional US hot cocktail perfect for warming us up at Christmas time. This delicious drink has colonial origins and at that time every home had its own family recipe. Back in the day, rum was believed to be good for you and...
Radicchio and bruciatini, piadina romagnola and sangiovese: it's time for comfort food!
When I think of late autumn comfort food, I imagine radicchio and bruciatini served warm with freshly made piadina and a glass of good Sangiovese, all strictly from Romagna. Tonight, however, I just have to finish the bottle of 'Piantata' Umbria IGT...
Umbrian wines: territory, grape varieties, wines and gastronomy
Umbria is a region in Central Italy that often does not get the importance it deserves in the Italian wine scene. Umbrian wines were a pleasant discovery for me, for which I would like to thank my friend and colleague Federico Scarponi, best sommelier of Umbria 2011 for...
Linguine with turnip tops, anchovies, pine nuts and orange: what wine to go with it?
Two years ago at the end of May I was in Palermo with Fabrizio for a master's degree in digital marketing. Fabrizio had booked a wonderful hotel right in front of the Teatro Massimo and every day we took a leisurely walk through the rubbish to get to the venue of the...
Banana and Yoghurt Cake Recipe: What wine to go with it?
I must tell you two secrets. The first is that I am totally incapable of following other people's recipes. The second is that 9 times out of 10 the recipes I find on the internet do not give me the desired result. Now, this I have never understood why.... so much so that sometimes I...
Cantine di Franciacorta Wine Store: ready to go?
Yesterday I heard that the regions might not reopen. It would be the first Christmas without my mum since I was born... and already the fact that it is the third without my dad is hard. Maybe that's also why I want to imagine myself together with my husband at Kronborg Castle in ...
Podere Casanova: from Venice to Montepulciano to create magical wines
I love Christmas. If I think of a time of year that makes me happy, it is this time of year. I love hot chocolate, snow, little lights that warm the rooms, streets and hearts. I love watching films full of Christmas spirit with enchanted villages, old loves and families....
Tenuta Casa del Sole: a unique honey, a gift and 3 recipes
Here in Lombardy, it is exactly one week since the second Lockdown began. Exactly as happened during the first quarantine, my favourite activities are cooking, eating and drinking. That's why today I want to tell you about a product I love: honey. In...
Sulphur dioxide: why does wine contain sulphites?
Sulphur dioxide is one of the most talked about topics in the wine world. Around it revolve myths, urban legends, rubbish, weird ideas and so on and so forth. That is why today I decided to write this article where I tell you 10 truths...
Fosarin: tasting notes of one of Collio's best wines + recipe to go with it
I waited until the last minute to write an article that I had already decided to write. For the 'unbirthday'😔 of my beloved dad I have learnt to avoid the subject in order not to cry, yet I wanted to uncork something special again this year just for him... and I...
Monte Isola: 3 gastronomic delights that the 'new' Pro Loco will make you fall in love with
I have a very clear memory in me of when I was a child. "I want to write on the lake," I said. I was about eight years old and I was sitting on the bidet while my dad was sitting on the toilet. I know, said like that, it's a bit weird. 😅 Yet it was something we used to do all the time to confide in each other the.
GrandTour Collection: a postcard from Via dei Coronari, Rome ❤️
The first piece of jewellery I bought as a young girl was an orange cameo depicting a young woman. I was in Rome, on an 'outing' with some of my classmates from Ravenna Art School, and it was almost twenty years ago, but I was so fascinated by it that I...
Villa Pagnoncelli Folcieri: a postcard from the Moscato di Scanzo road
During Milan Wine Week 2020 I tasted a wine that particularly impressed me, the Moscato di Scanzo of Villa Pagnoncelli Folcieri. So I posted a video of me 'tapping' it on my Instagram profile and from there my acquaintance with Francesca,...
Closed restaurants: Massimo Bottura's letter to Conte
A few days ago I wanted to write an article on the new DPCM, which I admit has displaced me, and not because I am a denier or one who downplays the danger of the coronavirus. This decree - with restaurants closed at 6 p.m. - has displaced me because it puts ...
Beer and brewing styles: bottom-fermenting beers
Our 'beer week 🍺' continues with this first of three articles dedicated to beer styles and, more specifically, bottom-fermented beers. Commonly and erroneously called lagers, they are the most popular beers in the world as they occupy over...
Champagne Day: Jacquesson and the prawn bisque recipe
When Pellegrini 1904 SpA invited me yesterday afternoon to join the virtual toast on the occasion of Champagne Day 2020, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to share with you one of the most successful food and wine pairings I have tried lately......
![How is beer made? [Summary] Production in 12 steps.](https://perlagesuite.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/come-si-fa-la-birra-riassunto-ricetta-produzione-400x250.jpg)
How is beer made? [Summary] Production in 12 steps.
As I anticipated yesterday, this penultimate week of October is officially my beer festival, with 7 articles dedicated to the production of this beverage capable of weaving a rather short thread between 'simple consumers' and 'connoisseurs'. Nevertheless, I believe...
How do you make beer? Let's start with the ingredients!
Since Oktoberfest 2020, the world's biggest and most famous beer festival, has also been cancelled due to Coronavirus, I have decided to devote an entire week to this fabulous drink by writing 7 educational articles on the subject. In particular, I will explain which...
Milan Wine Week 2020: 3 Partesa wines worth putting on your restaurant menu
Creating a restaurant wine list is a real challenge because there are so many factors that come into play. The most common mistake is to include wines according to one's personal taste without taking into account the type of clientele one has or wants to have. In fact.
Italian wine labelling: how to read the label
The labelling of Italian wine is a complex world made up of a set of compulsory or optional indications that change depending on the classification of the wine. This is why the information I am about to give you is very valuable not only for the aspiring ...
Podere Marcampo: wine tasting and restaurant in Volterra
That Tuscan wines are a legend I am sure I don't have to tell you, but this time I want to tell you about a winery in Volterra, a beautiful area that I had not yet explored. When my best man at my wedding - Marina Tagliaferri of the Agorà press agency - told me about it, I...
Milan Wine Week 2020: Lugana Masterclass
Yesterday evening I was a guest at the Masterclass 'Il Lugana ieri, oggi e domani' (Lugana Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow) organised by the Lugana Consortium as part of Milan Wine Week at the splendid Palazzo Bovara, which also has the advantage of having the metro stop right outside the entrance. The...
'Prosecco Col fondo' vs 'Spumante Metodo Classico'? Two different products for two different occasions!
It has been 21 days since I wrote on my beloved wine blog and I must say that I have missed you a lot. However, this year I took a 'special leave' to get married: in fact, during this month of absence, Francesco and I organised our wedding! Man,...
University of Enology? Are you familiar with Amazon Prime Student?
Do you attend the University of Enology or any other university? Are you familiar with Amazon Prime Student? I have been an Amazon Prime customer for practically as long as Amazon Prime has existed. Living on an island in the middle of Lake Iseo where not even cars circulate, Amazon is now...
Lantieri: how to make the perfect risotto (with Franciacorta)?
When the journalist - and soon to be my best man - Marina Tagliaferri of the 'Agorà' press office invited us to go and taste Lantieri de Paratico Franciacorta wines, visit the winery and have lunch at their Corte Lantieri farmhouse, I was...
Marco Simonit: Arms stolen from agriculture? But also no!
On Sunday I had a pleasant phone chat with Marco Simonit, the undisputed 'guru' of vine pruning. A delightful and knowledgeable person whom I had met personally during the splendid Valentine's Day at Castello di Spessa!...
Ca' del Bosco Dosage Zéro Noir 2006 Vintage Collection : a Franciacorta to say yes to!
It takes courage to change. It takes courage to fail. Change and failure require a rare ability: that of daring. To dare is the common denominator of all those verbs that belong to a single word: destruction. The Treccani dictionary defines...
Stuffed aubergines with rice: recipe and combination
The forced quarantine we have been experiencing for two months now has brought us more and more in touch with cooking and flavours. Of course there are still those who insist on eating ready-made things, but I am convinced that everyone, but really everyone, cooks more. The online wine shop Wine...
Wine Wedding: 10 ideas for planning your diVino wedding
Since I am always looking for inspiration for a beautiful wine wedding, I decided to update one of the very first articles I wrote for this blog, which dates back to May 2015. That there is something that...
Ronco dei Tassi: 5 reasons to fall in love with its wines
In quarantine, I have noticed that, apart from a depopulation of Instagram feeds, we are all united by one inescapable fact: we cook -and consequently eat- more. In fact, I have to say that this really pleases me: I have been preparing for many years now....
Orange, amaretti and raisin wine madeleines: recipe and pairing
You know a 'bang for your buck'? 🤣 That's what I thought when I ate my very own variation of the most famous madeleine, whose original recipe you can find everywhere on the internet. Basically, today I wanted to bake some treats for when the...
Baked lacquered leg of lamb: recipe and pairing
Whenever I go to my mother's in Romagna, roast leg of lamb is sacred. Actually, I can't tell if they eat a lot of lamb in Romagna or if my house has always eaten a lot of lamb... anyway it is one of my 3 favourite meats! Cooking leg of...
Covid-19: letter to my grandmother while cooking her passatelli (+recipe)
Dear Grandma Mira, it is almost 7 years since you passed away and my only consolation is to imagine you cooking delicious dishes for my dad every day. I imagine you like this: you are tearing up the last passatelli while dad 'steals' yet another slice of tongue 'to taste....
Coronavirus Italy: Umberto Cosmo -Bellenda- writes to Verona Fiere
On Monday evening, just three days after publishing this article on Vinitaly 2020 postponed to June, I received this letter from Umberto Cosmo of Bellenda. I had just invited producers and operators in the sector to write to me what they thought about...
Castello di Spessa: a romantic weekend among Collio wines
Writing about the experience we had in Castello di Spessa is not at all easy for me, especially at such an unbelievable time in history. In the space of three weeks everything changed because of the Coronavirus. We had such a magical weekend that, honestly,...
Coronavirus: North blocked, Vinitaly postponed to June, what do you think?
I have been quite undecided whether to write something about the Coronavirus, which I am sure you already hear about practically all day. In Italy we are at 3,089 cases, 107 deaths and 276 cured. Alarming is the situation in Emilia-Romagna, which out of just 2,500 ...
Tavernetta al Castello: a magical Valentine's Day among wine, food and extraordinary people
Just like the Castle of Spessa, St Valentine's Day was born in the late Middle Ages. In those years, a certain English writer named Geoffrey Chaucer wrote his masterpiece entitled 'The Canterbury Tales'. It consists of 24 short stories that have the...
Bigot Index: The Moratti family, in its Cigognola Castle, is a spokesman for vineyard quality
On Saturday 1 February 2020, in the Wine Point of the Cigognola Castle, a few steps away from the splendid manor house, Giovanni Bigot presented his 'Bigot Index', assisted by two exceptional professionals: Angelo Gaja, whom I am sure I do not have to introduce to you, and Stefano Poni,...
One is born autochthonous: the 5 wines I liked best
On Thursday 23 January 2020 I went, as I do every year, to the GoWine Association's 'Autoctono si nasce' event at the Hotel Michelangelo in Milan. Once again I found it a small and very interesting event to discover some goodies and confirm...
Romantic Franciacorta: winery tour and dinner at the Piccola Corte restaurant
A couple of Fridays ago I was with Francesco visiting a winery I had never heard of, despite being in the area where I live: Lake Iseo. Romantica Franciacorta is in Passirano, in the province of Brescia, in that part of Italy that has become a...
Valentine's Day 2020: we spend it in Castello di Spessa, do you?
Valentine's Day 2020 is just a few days away and probably, if you have a sweetheart (or sweetheart, as in my case!) you are thinking of organising something very romantic. So I want to give you a great idea by sharing with you what Francesco and I will be doing on that...
133 Sushi Club: art, cuisine, wine and magic
I fell in love at first sight three times in my life: the first on 16 July 2001, the second on 28 March 2009 and the third on 6 December 2019. In between I have experienced many different things, all of which had in common that they were as far from Love as it gets. And I have...
Unione Ristoranti Buon Ricordo: 3 new things you should know
Today I want to talk to you about a rather greedy subject... because I am sure that if you love to drink well, you also love to eat well! Have you ever heard of the Unione Ristoranti Buon Ricordo? It is the first association of Italian restaurants that was founded right here in Italy in...
Grapevine: Vitis vinifera cultivation
Tonight I decided to write an in-depth study for aspiring sommeliers on the vine plant from its reproduction to its cultivation. First of all, let us clarify that when we talk about the wine grapevine we mean the vitis vinifera, which is...
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