At two years old, my daughter is already pronouncing her judgement on wines. She does this in one of two ways ... She either takes a long sniff in the glass, or she puts her finger into the neck of the bottle, twirls it around and then sticks it in her mouth while putting on a thoughtful expression ... Her assessments currently consist of "dis one good" or "no like." Which means she already knows most of what she needs to be a competent wine drinker ... As you might expect, I have a fantasy of
“Capotavola” arrives in Acqui Terme tomorrow, with the beautiful Villa Ottolenghi as the background ... For two days, the town of Acqui Terme will host "Capotavola – Looking for Lost Recipes" , a touring event celebrating hidden and wholesome excellencies of traditional Italian fare. This is part of a tour of Italy to revive, at local and national level, the most representative historical dishes belonging to Piedmont culture and its motto "Arte et Marte". This two day event is open
Scavino Barolo Bric del Fiasc 2004 ... Paolo Scavino Barolo Bric del Fiasc is the finest wine from the Scavino vineyards seemingly year on year, but the 2004 vintage is a masterclass in balance. It appears as though the true potential of Bric del Fiasc has now been realised, a project of over 30 years, and I'm looking forward to seeing if the Scavinos can raise the Barolo bar once more - vintage permitting ... Paolo Scavino has long been a favourite producer for Piedmont fans in the know,
The Italians have mastered the fine art of simply being Italian. The Witness series of snapshot films show the passion they feel for the place of their birth, in this case, Piedmont or Piemonte in Italian. This is part 1: ...
Stresa lies on the western shores of Lake Maggiore in Northern Italy. A great favourite with travellers to this part of Piedmont, Stresa has an abundance of hotels, good shopping and numerous restaurants, plus great water sport facilities for enjoying Lake Maggiore to the full ... Stresa lies in a spectacular position on the northwest shore of Lake Maggiore, overlooking the Borromean Islands. First documented in 998, the town grew into a fishing community in the 15th century. Acquired by
The Historic City of Alessandria lies in the northwest of Italy, just 90 km from Turin. Head for the hat museum, admire the ... campanile and enjoy some fine food and great wines. ... Alessandria, Lissandria in Piedmontese, is the capital of the Province of Alessandria in Piedmont. The city was founded in 1168 following the union of four villages, Borgoglio, Gamondio, Marengo and Rovereto. Named Alessandria, in honour of Pope Alessandrio III, it served as a major stronghold for the
Vercelli, Vercellae in Latin, is the capital city of the province of Vercelli in eastern Piedmont and one of the oldest towns in Northern Italy. Founded in 600 BC, it was the first city in Piedmont to have an administrative structure. The seat of Piedmont's first University in 1228, the town passed to the Visconti of Milan in 1335, and to the house of Savoy in 1427. French and Spanish occupation followed until it rejoined the rest of Piedmont as part of the Savoy domains in 1704 ... Today,
The 'Wine Cathedrals' of Canelli are hidden masterpieces of engineering and architecture. These underground cellars were dug out from the clay soil in the sixteenth century and extend for many kilometres beneath the town and surrounding hills ... They were then considerably lengthened in the nineteenth century and offer perfect thermal insulation and a constant temperature of 12-14 degrees Celsius, ideal for refining the wine's characteristics. Today they house over a million bottles of
On my final visit to Gracias Madre, a new Mexican restaurant in the Mission, I invited a very particular, decisive and food-savvy friend. She knew the food was vegetarian, but she didn't realize it was also vegan until dessert when the waiter described how ... Veganism - Vegetarianism - Vegetarian - Lifestyle Choices - Mexican cuisine ...
the foot of the Cottian Alps, Susa lies on the banks of the Dora Riparia only 55 km west of Turin. Admire the mighty Roman Gate, see Italy's smallest amphitheatre and enjoy some fine food and great wines ... Susa, once known as the 'Gate to Italy', has always been a town of great strategic importance. Founded by the Gauls, it joined the Roman Empire voluntarily and was later visited by Hannibal and his elephants, conquered by Constantine, captured by Charlemagne and destroyed by