Tuscany is one of the most famous and prolific wine regions in Europe. It is best known for its Dry red wines made from Sangiovese grapes, which dominate production. These include Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. The region's Vin Santo is also highly prized, as are its passito dessert wines, though these are produced in comparatively tiny quantities.
Dry whites are probably less familiar to most consumers - except perhaps Vernaccia di San Gimignano. Located in Central Italy, Tuscany borders Liguria and Emilia-Romagna to the North, Umbria and Marche to the east and Lazio to the South. Its western border is formed by the Tyrrhenian Sea. The picturesque rolling hills, medieval villages and cypress-lined avenues attract tourists and help promote the wines.
Clairette rosé is a grape variety that originated in France (Provence). It produces a variety of grape used for wine making. However, it can also be found on our tables! Note that this grape variety can also be used for the elaboration of eaux de vie. This variety of vine is characterized by medium to large bunches of grapes of medium size. Clairette rosé can be found in several vineyards: South-West, Cognac, Bordeaux, Rhône Valley, Provence & Corsica, Languedoc & Roussillon, Loire Valley, Savoie & Bugey, Beaujolais, Armagnac.
white wines from the region of Toscane go well with generally quite well with dishes of pasta, vegetarian or appetizers and snacks such as recipes of pasta with arrabiata, quiche without eggs or parmesan and poppy seed tuiles (5th meeting).
By 1965, the vineyards of Condrieu had largely been abandoned – phylloxera and two world wars had decimated the place and its people. There were just 8ha of vines remaining on these granite slopes. If it weren’t for the hard work of a few steadfast vignerons, the appellation might have disappeared entirely, reclaimed by the forest. Thankfully, Condrieu survived and has since flourished – but great appellations have been lost before. We know this because some have recently been rediscovered. In f ...
Do growers make wine – or do markets? Growers, of course. Yet markets define the scope of the grower’s creative efforts by what they reward or sanction. When markets are neglectful and unresponsive, there’s little the grower can do but conform. It’s a problem the world over. Here’s an example. The river Moselle/Mosel rises to the wet west of the Vosges mountains, then curves in a long green arc heading north through Epinal, Metz and (along the left bank) Luxembourg’s Grand Duchy, turning east at ...
After a two-year hiatus due to Covid, the UK Sommelier of the Year competition was back with a bang and saw Arnese bag the highly-respected title on Monday 18th July 2022. He pipped this year’s runner-up Agnieszka Swiecka (The Five Fields Restaurant) and 2019 runner-up Gareth Ferreira (Core by Clare Smyth) to the post. The competition is organised by The Caterer in partnership with the UK Sommelier Academy (UKSA) – a new non-profit organisation, officially launched yesterday – which provid ...
