Vino da Tavola was the most basic classification of Italian wines. It is now renamed simply "Vino" and appears on labels as Vino d'Italia. The original name literally means "table wine" as opposed to premium wines from specific geographical locations (see EU wine label). In May 2011, the first legal steps were taken to abolish the Vino da Tavola category, in favor of a New classification of wines called simply Vino.
Typical Vino is a cheap wine blended from several regions and sometimes several Vintages. It is not labeled with its region(s) of origin, nor with its vintage. Vino (da Tavola) is regaining its original status. But in the 1980s and 1990s, some of Italy's most respected (and expensive) wines were labeled as Vino da Tavola.
The Francs de Pied (Ungrafted Vines) group, which last met two weeks ago at Pasquet’s Liber Pater winery in the Graves, consists of a growing circle of vignerons who work with ungrafted vineyards planted to native varieties. The list includes Francs de Pied president Loïc Pasquet himself, vice-president Egon Müller (Mosel), and secretary Andrea Polidoro of Cupano (Montalcino) and Contrada Contro (Marche); as well as Gocha Chkhaidze of leading Georgian winery, Askaneli; Thibault Liger-Belair (Bur ...
Our feet crunched through layers of dry oak leaves as we climbed a pebbly path towards the vineyards behind the farmhouse. Roots go deep here. Not just the tall oaks and squat vines, but families too. I walked the vineyards at Mas de Libian with Hélène Thibon, but it was her father Jean-Pierre that greeted me when I arrived. Hélène’s sister Catherine was out front with Bambi the horse, ploughing the sandier plots. Later, we tasted in the winery with Hélène’s son Aurélien. Three generations of a ...
Prices have been rising on California fine wines, and especially Screaming Eagle, said Liv-ex this week. Its California 50 index, which tracks the price performance of Screaming Eagle, Harlan Estate, Dominus, Opus One and Ridge Monte Bello, has increased by around 32% in the last year. ‘High quality and heightened demand have led to rising prices,’ said Liv-ex, a global marketplace for the trade. Its figures provide more evidence of a strong 12 months for the fine wine market in general, and fol ...