From the department of “I read the news today o boy”… Above: Rivella in a 1982 profile by Wine Spectator. Not a bad PR move, eh? Announce your long-awaited resignation on a Friday at the beginning of summer. On Friday, the controversial and much loathed toad of Montalcino, Ezio Rivella, resigned from his position as […]
Above: Remember this image? Scanned from a 1982 edition of Wine Spectator (via Alfonso). I posted about it here. On Monday, Ezio Rivella — Brunello’s deus ex machina and futurist of Italian wine, creator of the Brunello brand and propagator of the California dream — spoke before a group of Langa’s top winemakers in Piedmont. […]
Above: I hope that Tuscan wine writer and internet-based interviewer Carlo Macchi doesn’t quit his day job. I certainly wouldn’t call him the next Antonioni. Although he might give Dario Argento a run for his money. Last week, the newly elected president of the Brunello producers association, Ezio Rivella, told Macchi that “80% of Brunello […]
In his post on Friday, Eric referenced my post at Do Bianchi (please see also the post published by me and Franco Ziliani at VinoWire). In my post on the October 3 Brunello debate, I wrote: As I watched the live streaming of the Brunello debate on Friday, I couldn’t help but think of Marinetti’s […]
Please consider giving to Unicef’s Ukraine child refugee fund. This link takes you straight to the donation page. G-d bless our Ukrainian sisters and brothers. Thank you. Above: last night, Tracie and I treated ourselves to one of our favorite macerated white wines from Friuli, the Vitovska by Skerlj. I’m now more convinced than ever […]
Sit tibi terra levis Iacobe. See this round-up of tributes to beloved winemaker and grape grower Jim Clendenen. News of his passing stunned a saddened and diminished wine world on Monday. I only had the opportunity to interact with him a few times but Tracie and I have always enjoyed the wines immensely. When we […]
In January of this year, before the lockdowns began, I made my last trip to Italy (on behalf of my client Ethica Wines, an importer). My visit to the Castello di Brolio and the Ricasoli winery and tasting room in the heart of Chianti Classico was one of the highlights. That’s a portrait of Bettino […]
Ever since graduate school, Italy has been my lifeline and my livelihood. It started with a fellowship at the Italian Department at U.C.L.A. Then came my first non-service job as an Italian instructor and researcher. Later came a Fulbright and other grants and scholarships for study in Italy. And during four summers off from school, […]
Above: “mountain” Cabernet Sauvignon Napa has become all the rage over the last decade or so. Togni planted at 2,000 ft. in 1981. A most remarkable thing happened during my August visit to Philip Togni Vineyard on Spring Mountain Rd. not far from the western border of Napa County. “Buona sera!” exclaimed dottor Togni when […]
A new category on the blog: de aceto. Above: a popular brand of organic-certified red wine vinegar in Italy. The designation “biologico” on the label denotes “organic” in Italian. Over the course of my three trips to Italy this year (so far), it seemed that organic wine vinegars kept popping up at every meal. One […]
Do Bianchi 