For a corkscrew Vinnie gets quite passionate about statistics, particularly when it comes to wine. So I explained to him that a hectare is...
Travels In Italy
Hi! My name is Andy and Vinnie is my corkscrew…
….and we are on a mission. We are travelling the length and breadth of this enchanting country seeking out the finest artisanal wineries and vineyards for you to visit and enjoy the myriad different wines they produce.
My love affair with Italy goes back almost 20 years to the time I was seated outside a bar in Florence, enjoying the spring sunshine on my pallid English skin, when I was captivated by the beautiful intonation of a waiter taking an order from another customer. I subsequently discovered that he was speaking Tuscan Italian, considered to be the purest form of the language. At the time I could not understand a word and I knew I had to learn it..
So the journey began and, along the way, I bought a house in Italy, obtained a Master’s in Art History and led tour groups all over Italy, all the time enjoying the fruits of the winemakers’ arts.
Now the time has come to share with you what I discovered along the way, as I look for those devoted artisans who dedicate themselves to the art of viticulture and seek to produce wines that reflect the land which gave birth to them. As the famous Italian intellectual and gastronome, Luigi Veronelli wrote, “Il vino è il canto della terra verso il cielo,” – wine is the earth’s song to the heavens. So join me and let’s seek out these songs together.
Aquileia Secrets
So where are we?” enquired Vinnie, although I had the distinct impression that he wasn’t really interested. “Aquileia,” I replied. It was clear that...
Lengths For A Tazzelenghe
Culturally, Italy is a country with a long history of family-owned businesses, large and small. One of the effects of this phenomenon is the sense...
Ramandolo, Ramandolo…
Places on the edge, places in transition, places of change. These are where the potential lies for interesting things to happen, but not necessarily...
Fizzing With Pinot Nero…
Places speak to their visitors in different ways. The ancient conical stone huts of the coastal plains of Puglia murmur in an archaic tongue that...
Bull Around Offida
Vinnie and I were driving through the countryside of the Marche on our way to the village of Offida. “You’ve heard of the bull run in Pamplona,...
Tai’d To The Past
The Berici Hills south of Vicenza in the Veneto are a place of quiet peace and tranquillity, far away from hustle and bustle. But even here, in this...
A Gem Of A Verdicchio
Vinnie and I were up in the mountains that make up around 40% of Italy. Here, in the eastern part of the country, villages are few and far between...
An Offida You Cannot Refuse…
As Vinnie and I have found out in our travels around Italy there are an amazing number of attractions to tempt the tourist but some are more unusual...
Grazie For The Custoza
Today the area around Verona and Lake Garda seems peaceful, prosperous, and industrious; however, in 1944 it was anything but. The retreating German...