Photo by Iñaki Vinaixa ... New wine drinkers many not know about Albarino wines, so here's a short study. It's said but not proven that the Albarino grape was brought to Spain in the form of Riesling cuttings during the middle ages by German monks on pilgrimage to the Camino de Santiago. It's the finest variety grown in the Rias Baixas of the Galicia region in northwest Spain. The Albarino and Riesling grape share minerality as one of their similarities ... Last week I got the chance to sample
This month we are very pleased to introduce a guest post from Susan Van Allen , the author of "100 Places in Italy Every Woman Should Go" , a book that has just won the Honorable Mention 2010 Eric Hoffer Book Award, Culture Category. The essay is entitled: ... The Royal Apartments in the Palazzo Reale in Turin ... ... However, before we get to the post, a contest for our readers! ... Here are the details: ... Leave a comment on This post (see comment box below) ... on This blog ,
"Med in Market" returns to Turin later this week. This is a really great opportunity to enjoy and taste excellent food, delicacies and traditional Mediterranean dishes. Organised within the European Project MedEmporion, this initiative is promoted by the Cities of Turin, Genoa and Barcelona, together with the Conservatoria del Nord Ovest and Conservatoire des Cuisines Méditerranéennes of Marseilles ... The Food Market takes place in and around the Porta Palazzo market area from Friday 11th
Sitting in Italy's northern corner, the Piedmont Spa town of Acqui Terme, is only 55 km from Genova. Try the waters, stroll through the old quarter, sample the wines and enjoy fine food ... Once home to the tribes of the Liguri Statielli, the town became famous as the Roman town of Aquae Statiellae. The Romans were enchanted with the remedial qualities of its therapeutic waters. Referred to by Pliny and Tacitus in their texts, the hot sulphur springs and ancient baths helped turn the
Alessandria, Lissandria in Piedmontese, is the capital of the Province of Alessandria in Piedmont, north western Italy. The city lies about 90 km southeast of Turin and 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 Lombard League against Frederick Barbarossa, the Holy Roman Emperor ... A varied and sometimes violent history followed: besieged
June ... - The Siege of Canelli ... The third weekend in June sees the Historical Commemoration of the Assedio di Canelli (Siege of Canelli) which took place in 1613. The Duke of Mantua led the army of Monferrato and lay siege to the town but the people of Canelli together with only a small garrison of soldiers of Savoy, and lots of wine, ensured that the Duke and his army were repulsed ... Today, the Siege is re-enacted annually with great enthusiasm by some two thousand locals dressed
In this, the third post on the subject of the 2010 TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Awards, we come to the thorny subject of "Food & Wine" ... TripAdvisor readers have decided Piedmont's ... food and wine regions are ... not ... in the Top 10 destinations in their Travelers' Choice 2010 Best Destinations category of "Top 10 Food & Wine Destinations in Europe" . ... The Top 10 did include six Italian destinations such as Florence , Siena, Montepulciano, Sam Gimignano, Bologna, and Rome? ...
In this the second post on the 2010 TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Awards we find that TripAdvisor readers have decided that Piedmont's Lake Maggiore is one of the Top 25 destinations in their Traveler's Choice 2010 Best Destinations category of "Top 25 Destinations in Italy chosen by Europeans" ... The top five destinations included Siena, Venice, Florence , the Vatican and Rome ... Furthermore, they have voted that Isola Bella, Villa Pallavicino Park (Parco della Villa Pallavicino)
When I was a kid, I read a lot of science fiction. On long plane flights I still occasionally pick up a book to read, and I still get a thrill from letting my imagination explore the fantastic possibilities of the future ... Perhaps it's a bit of a stretch as an analogy, but I get that same sort of thrill from exploring the world of wine. Every new wine offers an opportunity to discover and learn something new -- to recalibrate my own sense of possibility ... On occasion, in my curiosity-driven
The Bertona family migrated from Italy's Piedmont region in the late 1800's and now produce award winning Malbecs ... Impressive deep purple colors, a bit warmer around the edges and an opaque texture in the glass, with amazingly rich and focused vanilla aromas following, then encircled by a smoky ring ... Bold flavors reflecting dark chocolate with violets and mild spices, a good balance, then finishing long, clean and strong ...