Amarone della Valpolicella

Amarone for Newbies: Intro to One of Italy’s Great Wines

5 min read

If you ask an experienced winelover, “What are the greatest Italian red wines?” It’s likely their reply would be, “Barolo, Brunello and Amarone!” But how many people can say they have sampled Amarone? Barolo is the celebrated Piedmontese wine made with Nebbiolo grapes. Brunello is made with Tuscan sangiovese grapes.

In Memoriam: Laura Albertini

Elisabetta Tosi

Features

1 min read

Laura Albertini, young owner of the small winery Terre di Pietra (mentioned in my recent column on this year’s Amarone tastings), passed away suddenly on the first of March, 2017. Married to Cristiano Saletti and the mother of two children, Anna and Alice (pictured above), Laura was just 36 years

The Annual Amarone Tastings: Who Was There, Who Was Not, and Why

Elisabetta Tosi

Feature Stories

4 min read

For true wine lovers, appreciating the rich, decadent Amarone della Valpolicella is almost a given (despite W. Blake Gray's opinion). In fact, 11% of all the Amarone sold abroad ends up in American wine glasses. Concentrated and wonderful, long-aged and long-lived, Amarone is created in Italy’s Veneto region by intensifying

A “New” Old Grape: Spigamonti, Candidate for the Wine Mosaic Collection?

Elisabetta Tosi

Features

4 min read

In the summer of 2000, an agronomist consultant called Claudio Oliboni was checking some vineyards in a little place called Spigamonti. This is on a hill near the village of Negrar, in the heart the Valpolicella region. The vineyards belonged to an associate grape grower in the local cooperative, Cantina

A Valpolicella Legend: An Interview with Romano dal Forno

Elisabetta Tosi

Features

6 min read

Valpolicella, the territory close Verona (Italy) where renowed wines like Amarone and Ripasso are produced, is a lucky land: it has a myth and a legend of wine world. The myth is Giuseppe Quintarelli. The legend is Romano Dal Forno. “When I was five years old", the legendary Dal Forno recounts,

Wine

Villa San Juliette Crafts Fine Wine in Paso Robles

Red Wine from a Medieval Château just east of Bordeaux

The Lightness of Barolo: Tenuta Cucco Part II

Random

Hart’s Desire Sonoma Dessert Wine

Spirits

Why Low-Alcoholic Wine May Be Increasing & An Adult Beverage Option; Even No-Alc can be Tasty

A Dog, a Mountain Hike and Gin

A Life-Saving Whiskey of Forests and Caramel

Random

What We’re Drinking – Union Horse “Rolling Standard” Whiskey

Travel

Enjoy Cancun-adjacent Isla Mujeres at Coco B Villas

Travel for 2025 Makes a Great Holiday Gift – Romance, Family, Celebration or Solo

Wine Country Hospitality in Amador County

Random

Luxury Hotels That Love Dogs Maybe More Than Their Owners

Hospitality

Recharge-Relax-Decompress-Dine in Monterey CA

Wine Country Hospitality in Amador County

Top of the Mark Lounge in San Francisco Celebrates 85 years

Random

Bardessono the Ultimate Retreat in Yountville

Amarone for Newbies: Intro to One of Italy’s Great Wines

In Memoriam: Laura Albertini

The Annual Amarone Tastings: Who Was There, Who Was Not, and Why

A “New” Old Grape: Spigamonti, Candidate for the Wine Mosaic Collection?

A Valpolicella Legend: An Interview with Romano dal Forno