against snobbery, arrogance, boredom, confusion, political correctness, conventions, etiquette, prejudice, ignorance, scoring systems, monotony, myths, rudeness, superiority, keeping up with the Jones’s, elitism, exclusivity, intimidation, super tasters, sexism, ageism, pretence, romanticism, stereotypes, celebrities, egos, classifications, dilution, apathy, main stream, depression, tunnel vision Walter
Fri 31 Oct 2008
CHIANTI CLASSICO PRODUCER IL BORGHETTO’S FETISH FOR BURGUNDIAN BOTTLES HAS FALLEN FOUL OF THE CONSORZIO
Tim Manning, winemaker of Il Borghetto, an estate in Tuscany’s San Casciano, discovered recently that the regulations regarding bottle shape can change rather quickly and, in doing so, restrict him from continuing to fill the estate’s Chianti Classico in the sloping shouldered Burgundian bottles. (more…)
Wed 15 Oct 2008
THE LUNGAROTTI BIOMASS PROJECT GAINS MOMENTUM
This mouthful merely states that Lungarotti, one of the largest producers of Umbria, made famous by the late Giorgio Lungarotti, now can supply all of its hot water as well as 30 per cent of its electricity entirely on its own. (more…)
Tue 14 Oct 2008
BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO REMAINS FIRMLY IN THE SPOTLIGHTS - FOR ALL THE WRONG REASONS
Friday just past saw a bitter confrontation between some of the principal protagonists in the Brunellogate affair in a Face to Face Debate held in Siena. The ones responsible for the scandal are journalists in general and Italian wine writer Franco Ziliani in particular, according to Ezio Rivella, once consultant enologist to dominant Brunello producer Castello Banfi. He claimed it was the media who were “to blame for the Brunello scandal”. (more…)
Sat 27 Sep 2008
RENZO COTARELLA EXPLAINS WHY, AFTER MORE THAN 73 VINTAGES, HE TURNED A HISTORICAL CHIANTI CLASSICO INTO A MODEST IGT
A wine of which more than 3 million bottles are produced annually and which Sainsbury’s has stocked since the mid 1980s you wouldn’t expect to be the centre of attention of a vertical tasting going back to 1974 presented in the sumptuous surroundings of the posh Lanesborough Hotel in Knightsbridge. (more…)
Mon 22 Sep 2008
THE CHIANTI CLASSICO ESTATE IS FRANK GRACE’S FAVOURITE PET
That is “Grace”, like in “saying Grace”, or, rather, Frank Grace, the American proprietor of the eponymous estate in the heart of Chianti Classico, Panzano, who apparently merely stumbled upon the winery on his search for a little pied-a-terre for his retirement. (more…)
Mon 9 Jun 2008
IN NAPLES’ VINEYARDS FALANGHINA STILL THRIVES ON ITS OWN ROOTSTOCKS RESISTING THE CONCRETE WAVE
One of Italy’s great strength, and still not properly appreciated by wine lovers in general, spoiled as they are with wines of high quality coming from this peninsula but often produced from international grape varieties, is its treasure trove of indigenous vines. It must be said, that some are quite obscure and produced in such low quantities, that they will never reach international markets, but more often these amazing wines struggle to find an appreciative palate especially over here, due to the unfamiliarity with their taste. Still, indigenous grape varieties may catch the wave anytime, as there seems to be consensus in the UK wine trade on a general fatigue with Chardonnay & Co. as well as the fact that, arguably, the notion of terroir is far better expressed by vines, which have adapted themselves over hundreds of years to the soils of a given region. (more…)
Fri 6 Jun 2008
THE CHIANTI CLASSICO CONSORZIO’S INVESTIGATION INTO HIGH ALTITUDE VINEYARDS
The Consorzio of Chianti Classico, the association of producers and bottlers of that most emblematic of Italian wines (often for all the wrong reasons), is one of the most switched on when it comes to promoting the product on a national and international scale. It plays a far bigger role in upgrading the wine than most producers would be willing to admit, by means of ongoing research in all areas concerning the production of Chianti Classico, from viticultural aspects (for example, it ignited a continuous investigation at the beginning of the 1980s in superior clones) to laboratory analysis of the wines and indepth soil composition research, in an effort to pull Chianti Classico out of the shadow of its former mediocrity. (more…)
Thu 13 Dec 2007
SMOOTH OPERATOR CARLO FERRINI TALKS ABOUT ELEGANCE
In Part two of the “Great Italian Wine Makers”, a series of seminars featuring high profile Italian wine making consultants, Carlo Ferrini took to the stage at one of the oldest and most daunting of all wine institutions in the world: London’s Vintner’s Hall. This veritable institution is located since the 15th century in Upper Thames street and its building has resisted time as well as the ugly 20th century architecture which surrounds it today. It survives on such a busy road it makes pedestrians look like a phenomenon from the last century. Inside, away from the noise of the city, one finds oneself in dark, comforting and very noble rooms, where several lit fireplaces enhance the feeling of a London long past.
I am being greeted by the amiable Marina Thompson from the wine marketing agency of the same name, which has its base in Rome, and instigator of the first seminar, about six months ago, featuring Cottarella, who seemed as happy to talk to an audience as someone facing the prospect of having a particular painful tooth pulled out without narcosis. (more…)