
I read with interest the well-researched story by my colleague Daniel Sogg on the decline of Australian wine imports in the United States , and I had to wonder if it could be attributed to more than just the exchange rate between the U.
I spent most of last week in Piedmont, visiting some of the top wineries and vineyards in Barolo, Barbaresco and Dolcetto di Dogliani, and it reinforced my admiration for the vine growers and winemakers in the regions.
I have recently read a number of comments on the Internet about Sangiovese, and how it can’t make dark-colored wines with ripe tannins and full body. But it just isn’t true. Sangiovese can and does make wines with a depth of color, fruit and tannins, and anyone who says it can’t just doesn’t know what they are talking about.
I told Luca Sanjust of Petrolo that I would throw him a birthday dinner tonight, and what started as a small meal for a half dozen people is now up to 17 people! I had to clear out the furniture from my living room to make more dining space because we can’t eat outside tonight and use the big tables I have in my courtyard.
I blew my top a bit about an hour ago. I had saved two half-bottles of wine that some friends brought to dinner on Friday that I wanted to blog about. But apparently my cleaning lady either threw them out or drank them! Anyway, Mike Figgis, the British film director, and his girlfriend, pianist Rosey Chan, came for dinner on Friday night, and Rosey brought a couple of half-bottles to serve me blind.
It's absolutely boiling in Italy at the moment. It's about 100 degrees Fahrenheit during the day, and it cools down to the high 70s or low 80s at night. I eat alfresco most every night. A crisp white from Alto Adige seems to fit most nights, although a red sometimes comes out of my cool cellar, which is about 65 degrees Fahrenheit with the air conditioner on.
I guess sometimes it doesn't matter if people don't know what grapes you use in a wine, as long as it is a great one. The thought occurred to me earlier this week when Elisabetta Foradori came for dinner at my house, and we tasted some of her "top-of-the-charts" wines : 1997 and 1991 Granato.
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