The Winery Frosal of Maremma Toscana of Toscane

It’s easy to forget that the southern Rhône’s four most prevalent red varieties aren’t indigenous. Grenache, Carignan and Mourvèdre all appear to originate from Spain; Syrah made its way down the river from the northern Rhône. Of the long tail of other grapes, most have their roots closer to home. Plantings have dwindled in recent years, but today local varieties are experiencing renewed interest. One that’s finding a lot of fans – both in the Rhône and further afield – is Counoise. Scroll down ...

Canada’s western province of British Columbia (BC), has approved six new sub-appellations for its most famous wine-growing region of Okanagan Valley. The Okanagan Valley is BC’s largest appellation – called Geographical Indications (GIs) in Canada. And from a standing start in 2015, it now has 11 sub-GIs following the recent ratification. The six new sub-GIs are: Summerland Valleys, Summerland Lakefront, Summerland Bench, East Kelowna Slopes, South Kelowna Slopes and Lake Country. They are now l ...

The small island of Gorgona, just off the coast of Livorno, isn’t your run-of-the-mill viticultural area – its main purpose is to serve as a penal colony. Not just any prisoner can reside on Gorgona, however. Up to 90 incarcerated men live on the island at a time, alongside 17 residents and a handful of police officers. Prisoners on the island are allowed to stay for a maximum of five years, which must conclude the end of their sentence. After Gorgona, the men are set free. Scroll down to see ta ...