Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes (Don't want to be a richer woman)

It has been almost a year since I wrote a post on this blog, the reason being that it has been a full-on year in my life, with plenty of changes and (of course) delicious wines.
After leaving London and moving to France with my (drinking) partner in crime, we have decided to pursue our dream to leave the big cities and our office jobs and find our little corner of quiet in the countryside. So we bought a big house with a big garden to set up our B&B business. You may say we are just part of a global trend where people decide to return to the countryside in search for a life of higher quality and simpler things such as growing your own vegetables and being as much independent as possible from this fast society which is mainly focused on career and making money. Well, yes, this is exactly the plan: we are not rich nor trying to get there, we are just looking for quality rather than quantity.

Obviously this process has taken lots of our energies, especially in refurbishing an old house and decorating it but we finally succeeded and opened our B&B Le Casse-Noix in Sarlat La Caneda at the end of May.

Le Casse-Noix B&B Sarlat

Now you may ask what has this to do with wine...Well, nothing in particular, other that I am now living in one of the largest wine producing countries, less than 2 hours drive from one of the most (if not the most) popular wine regions of the world (i.e. Bordeaux) and have access to an immense choice of wines (often from smaller and lesser-known appellations) for very reasonable prices. Besides, the Dordogne  is deservedly considered one of the most interesting gastronomic destinations in France, with plenty of local productions and an ancient culinary tradition.

Sarlat on a winter afternoon

And now that I kind of feel that the pressure is slightly over and the activity is under control, the journey to my new food and wine experiences is just about to start. I will try to take you around in my exploration of the French regional cuisine and wine production and will carry on with my little posts on Italian wines and food.

Please `stand by the closing doors` and enjoy the ride!

PS: Don't forget.."You must be the change you wish to see in the world!" Mahatma Ghandi

Wine in a can? Thanks, but no, thanks!

I was browsing on the web a few days ago, when I found this amusing spot taking the piss of all wine snobs.
 
I couldn't help but like it because I deeply hate wine snobs. You know what I'm talking about....that people (often too influenced by the label than by the liquid behind it) with an unbearable posh and pretentious attitude thinking they own a superior knowledge so that they are not interested in knowing your opinions because THEY ARE THE ONLY ONES able to understand wine! And, please do not confuse them with wine geeks, those are a totally different and much funnier category (of which I do, occasionally, feel part of).

Anyway, let's not go off topic..the video is actually advertising a company selling wine in a can...and as I got that, I grimaced...with a bit of a snob attitude. So, that really scared me: I don't want to become one of those wine snobs, so I have either to overcome my mental tabu that makes me feel sick at the idea of wine in a can or find a real reason for my skepticism.

Here is where the subject becomes difficult! The problem is that actually there is no scientific reason to believe that aluminum cans can affect wine in any way. Certainly cans are not the best package if your wine needs to age but young easy drinking wines aren't apparently influenced at all by aluminum cans. It's a bit like tetrapak, a more sustainable packaging that can actually make wineries save quite a bit of money.

Plus (someone may say) a few years ago we had similar doubts on the stelvin closures, that were considered outrageous; and it took a while to get them to be accepted by consumers and producers (and the debate is actually still quite open, to be honest). But in that specific case, the innovation was introduced as a solution to corked wines, a real problem affecting approximately 5% of the world wine production.

While, on the other hand, the use of cans to store and sell wine sounds much more like a commercial and marketing move. The idea is always the same: re-branding the wine drinking experience and make wine consumption 'pop' in the category of potential customers who prefers the convenience and speed of cans and ends up choosing beer above wine for this reason.

Nothing wrong about it: in a democratic wine world, anyone can drink whatever they want in any kind of package, but, I believe that a great wine is made of dreams and traditions: a big Barolo or a Bordeaux first growth cannot be put in a can...it'd be a murder!

So it is clear that there is a quite important psychological factor that influence my approach to wine in a can, but it isn't a just a snob attitude. I see wine in its whole complexity: the land where it is coming from, the people who made it, its history and of course its aromas and flavors. I'm not saying I am investigating every bottle of wine I am drinking, or that I only drink top quality wines, but I enjoy drinking wine on its own or with a meal for its specificity and the pleasure it can offer me (even if it's the simplest wine produced by the local farmer) not as I could drink anything commercially standardized such as coke or any industrial beer!   

So I am afraid, my conclusion is that I am not ready yet for wine in a can.
Forgive me but, I'll stick to glass, at least for a while!

Salute!

Clos Montmartre, the oldest vineyard in Paris

When I moved to France a few months ago I knew my life would have been filled with wine, and it has been exactly like that: I am fully absorbed by French wine production and I am tasting and learning every day more.

But I was not expecting to find in a big modern metropolis such as Paris a beautiful and functioning vineyard.
Yes, a proper vineyard in the middle of the city and more precisely in one of the most touristy areas! 
To be honest, I also found out that there is actually more than one vineyard in Paris, but the oldest one (and the one I have randomly bumped into) is on the `Butte Montmartre`.

Here there's a long story: vines were present on this popular hill since the the X century. The monks of a Benedictine abbey were making wine at the time. When the abbey was destroyed during the French Revolution the vineyards continued to be used by the locals but they were later abandoned and completely disappeared in the XIX century when the wine trade in Paris was mainly dominated by the Loire and Burgundy wines and the urbanization expansion in Montmartre had invaded all the space.

A restoration project led by a group of independent artists has made the replanting possible in 1932. Now the vineyard is property of the city of Paris and it is taken care by the capable hands of the city gardeners.
  

It covers around 1500 square meters, producing around 500 liters of wine from  approximately 2000 plants of various grape varieties. The wine is labelled as Clos Montmartre and the labels are designed by local artists.

As I have never tasted it, I cannot express an opinion on the quality of this wine...so I am planning to attend the annual Fête des Vendanges, taking place from the 8th to the 14th of October this year...and will let you know!

Veronesi do it better!

Nobody knows precisely when and where the recipe originates but there is no doubts that when it comes to aperitifs and more specifically to Aperol Spritz, Verona is the place to be. It may just be the lively atmosphere of all those bars in front of the Arena or in Piazza Erbe, but this drink just taste perfect there!

The recipe is easy to repeat at home but what's really necessary to enjoy it is...lots of ice, some olives and crisps, a sunny terrace, a thirsty throat and a stomach not ready for a big meal yet!

This bright orangey drink is the perfect spring/summer aperitif, with its low alcohol and its refreshing character coming form the infused herbs and roots, and it has become so fashionable in London in the last few years that even the Guardian  has written about it.

You may wonder if this post is a promotional ad....I can assure you it is not....it is is just the enthusiastic result of a series of aperitifs in Verona!!

SALUTE!

Curiosity killed the cat but....

When I discover a wine or a grape that is new to me, I always turn into an amazed baby with a new toy. I  want to sniff it, taste it and know more about it...
I may have already said this, but one of the things I find more exciting about wine, is its diversity and the connection with the place it is coming from and this is why I am so much into indigenous varieties and traditional wines.

You can consequently imagine my joy in finding, on the wine list of a little French bistro,a totally unknown (to me) Apremont from Savoie. I couldn't help myself from ordering that bottle.

So, here I am then with my mixed plate of charcuterie, a raclette (a kind of cheese fondue from Switzerland) and my pichet (that's how the Frenchies call the wine by the carafe) of Apremont.

Surprisingly thirst-quenching with a fresh minerality and a generous bouquet of fresh fruit and white flowers. Not much complexity or depth to expect but lively and dry. A wine to be served well chilled and perfect to enjoy on a sunny terrace.


 A bit of research on the web fed my wine geek curiosity. The main grape is called jacquère;
it is indigenous and grown exclusively in the region.
The distinctive terroir of limestone and marl and the continental climate reflects in a wine that has a mineral character and a beautiful aromatic freshness.

This is a wine that can often show some petillance and should be drunk young. possibly with some local food.

Unfortunately this is the kind of wine that doesn't make it over the borders of France so it isn't anything you could find on any UK supermarket.

Don't forget: curiosity may have killed the cat but it can also bring in your glass some little unusual gems.

Salute

A wine a day

For an event lady like me, life is often  long days at work, always on the run and under pressure.
And in these hectic situations, my `spoonful of sugar` is, of course, wine!

Luckily enough I am working in the wine business and I normally have a quite good range of choices on my busiest days. This is why a 4 days roadshow is the perfect excuse to find a favourite per day, because, as an old Italian motto says, 'a glass of wine a day keeps the doctor away' (....or was it apples?! )

First day of the tour was in Bristol, the lovely ancient port of England where the goods from West Indies used to arrive. This spicy town inspired me to a kiwi wine, the Trinity Hill Gimblett Gravel Syrah, characterised by intense ripeness of red fruit, savoury spices and a touch of earthiness. In the mouth the wine is round and big but extremely harmonious with its velvety tannins and a long finish. So good I forgot to take a snapshot of the bottle!

Second stop of the roadshow was possibly in the most elegant and beautiful city of all UK: Edinburgh. Such a classy and historic city deserves a 'royal' wine: Barolo, a wine for kings, a king of wines. I have chosen to taste the Poderi Aldo Conterno vintage 2009 because it had been a while since I had the chance to taste a wine from this iconic winery. Nebbiolo as its best, showing aromas of roses, leather and red fruit. Tannins are as powerful as you would expect from a relatively young Barolo, but ripe and velvety. It is muscular yet charming ad elegant. A wine that deserves time for its own; a meditation wine.

On the third day we moved overseas in Ireland. The land of Guinness diverted my wine raid into beer. Not a dark one, but gold and honey. The colourof the Hiver beer is spectacularly gold and the nose is intensely honeyed. In the mouth the beer has a certain sweetness that is balanced by a nice freshness and some final citrusy notes.

Last day in Manchester; a day of celebrations for the end of this long and tiring roadshow. What's better than bubbles then? English bubbles! The Hattingley Valley Classic Cuvee is just as delicious as I was expecting it, with fine perlage, flavours of citrusy fresh fruit, grapefruit but also apples and pears.
The acidity is vibrant and the wine finishes with a refined aftertaste.

Salute!

Sunday freshly made pancakes (because is not all about wine)

Best ingredients for a perfect Sunday morning are (not necessarily in this order):

- a bit of milk, flour, baking powder sugar and eggs
- Bob Dylan on vinyl
- a pan
- a good pancake recipe (here from Nigella - but you can remove the butter, it's really not needed and can replace the milk with the soya substitute if you prefer a lighter version)

- a whisk

- Canadian maple syrup

and a good appetite!!

Have a good Sunday!

Who did invent Friday drinks?

This morning I came up with this question. Who was the genius introducing Friday drinks at work?! I did a bit of research online but, disappointingly it could not find anything on the subject.

You may wonder what is all this about, today? Don't take me wrong, I'm not waking up thinking about my afternoon drinks, but it's nice to have something to look forward to.....

And let me say that maybe not all companies take Friday drinks that seriously but the one I'm working for certainly does and that's why they may become the main reason to force yourself out of bed on a grey and wet Friday after a long week of late hours in the office and possibly even with an incoming flu, instead of working from home.

And this week I have been rewarded with a couple of interesting wines....

Surprise, surprise  (for anyone who knows my taste) I decided to go for the white, a single vineyard Pinot Grigi. Lively, fresh and with a reviving acidity. Quite citrusy and with a medium structure. Surely an unusual a captivating example of good quality (and not dull) Pinot Grigio.

Another week has gone...SALUTE!!

Malbec vs Malbec

If Malbec was an human being, it would probably be considered as a bipolar personality. Otherwise, how else would you describe a grape that has different characters depending on the continent it's growing in?

Argentine Malbec reached the public's radar in the 80's-90's thanks to its charming character, juicy fruit and its plush, velvety texture. A type of wine difficult to dislike. It easily became fashionable, making Mendoza's fortune as a wine region.  And since then anyone been asked about Malbec would think about Argentina probably also because 70% of it is cultivated there.

But the truth is that the grape is actually originating from France, more precisely from the South West of the country and was introduced in Argentina only in the XIX century. Cahors, its home town, is a beautiful medieval city in the Lot region surrounded by vineyards but what is really interesting is that the wines produced here are quite different and much less fashionable from the South American ones, so well known by most consumers.

Much sturdier than its Argentinian brother, the 'black wine' of Cahors has generally a more difficult character, a rustic feel, less generous fruitiness, spiciness and harsher tannins that need a bit of ageing.

Not a great variety of Cahors Malbec make it to international market so, during my 2 weeks tour of South of France, I made a bit of research on my own. I was not looking  for any specific winery nor I was prepared for a very professional assessment. I just chose quite randomly from the supermarkets' shelves inspired by the label or by the price.

All the wines I have tasted were of surprisingly good quality and extremely fairly priced. I didn't find them that austere but they certainly had exuberant tannins and needed a bit of food (which of course was not missing) to express at their best.

I can reconfirm that these wines were extremely different in style from the Argentine Malbec (one of my favourites) I had when I came back home .
What I found interesting (and the reason that inspired me in writing this post) is the individual characters this grape can show and how the combination of soil, climate, human techniques (i.e. irrigation or not) and local traditions can produce such unusual wines from it.




I'd like to finish saying that I don't think there is a style that is better than the other, it is just a matter of taste. Always drink whatever you like!

Salute!

Montiano

During the early stages of my 'wine life' the only wine I had available at home was that produced by my grandfather in Alto Lazio, the area where my family comes from, just at the border with Tuscany. With all respect to my grandfather (that has left us too early to see me working in the wine business - thing that, I am sure, would have made him very proud), his wine was really not memorable. Nor were those made by any of the local producers.

Even later, when my wine experiences had developed a bit, I still was having difficulties to find a remarkable wine from my region. I have to admit that being born in Lazio, a region of Italy where wine production has never reached extraordinary standards of quality and prestige, I was sure this was connected to the specific location. So I convinced myself that the soil and microclimate must have been not suitable for viticulture. 

A wine proved me wrong. And the wine I am talking about is the Falesco Montiano.

The very first time I had the chance to bump into it, it was at a vertical tasting I was attending as part of my sommelier course. It was almost a shock! I couldn't believe that a wine with this depth could be produced in Montefiascone, a town that I only knew for its white Est! Est!! Est!!!

The wine is a 100% Merlot and even if I am normally a supporter of indigenous varieties (check this link on the subject) I must say that the wine is so good I could easily get over the grape subject.

I have tasted various vintages since that first time and never been disappointed. The wine has plenty of ripe dark fruit and a gentle touch of sweet spices.

In the mouth it is round and strong with good tannins, much more that you could expect from a Merlot. It has both complexity and length. It is a very good wine.

It may not be the only good wine from Lazio but so far it's one of the few ones that makes me proud enough of my region's wines!

Let's go indigenous

The subject of international vs indigenous vine varieties has always deeply interested me. In a world that is being affected every day more by a detrimental uniformity (side effect in a way of modern globalization) the wine industry makes no bigger difference.

For many years there has been in wine production a tendency to choosing 'comfortable and safe' vine varieties at the expenses of the less known local ones, this causing, in some cases, the disappearance of some the latter. Winemakers shouldn't take all the blame as a big part of this trend is definitely connected to the evolution of wine distribution. It is renown that the biggest wine retailers are nowadays supermarkets and this is not only in UK. So if the wine buying experience is as impersonal as it is in a supermarket, what do you think the casual consumer will go for? Correct: he/she will go for the names they have heard, for something they know. He will go for Cabernet Sauvignon rather than Aglianico. She will go for Chardonnay rather than Albariño.  So this partly then justifies producers trying to make wines that need to be sold! 

More recently this is slightly changing. Countries like, for example, Portugal have made a point of sticking to their local varieties, facing the adverse comments of those buyers and sommeliers that were considering these wines too difficult to sell.  And their stubbornness proved them right: now those wines are regarded as some of the most interesting in the industry in terms of good value for money and local expression.

I want to stress that, even to a (wine)hippie like me, globalization is not the Bogeyman and we should definitely make the most of it in terms of cultural free interchange but we also need to preserve the local cultures and traditions and in the specific case we should preserve the indigenous vine varieties. And this is up to the various wine professionals that have the power to educate consumers and direct them in their buys through supermarket wine selections, through articles and events especially considering that wine consumers are gaining more knowledge and consciousness every day and their curiosity is increasing.

Indigenous varieties are a great richness for a country's viticulture as they will distinguish it from the rest of the world so it is essential to preserve this diversity in order to maintain every wine countries' identity. And it is also a great opportunity.

Wine carousel

What I like most about having friends for dinner (other of course than the actual `friends`) is that everyone will normally bring a different bottle of wine, meaning that we will have a lot of different things to taste.

Often not all of them will be memorable, but at least the variety can satisfy my almost pathological curiosity for wine diversity.

Last Friday a friend was coming over but, as it was only 3 of us, we tried to keep the number of bottles under control (not sure we actually managed!). We started with a quite simple Pinot Grigio from Oddbins that was showing a very delicate nose of pear and citrus fruit but was really watery in the mouth and disappeared quite quickly. Although I was not having great expectations, it still was quite disappointing.

This was followed by a much better Gruner Veltliner from Austria that had a quite distinct citrusy character of lime, lemon and Ducan grapefruit. In the mouth the acidity was surprising and the citrusy flavours intense and persistent. 

Before moving to red, we decided to have a pink interlude with a Sancerre (some of you may have only heard about white Sancerre but, for your interest, this wine comes also in rose') that was very fresh but a bit monotone with its predominant aromas of pink grapefruit. Very pleasant as a light aperitif but a bit too weak to match food in my opinion. 

And finally we got to red. We tried something local (for me!) and fairly priced:  a red from Umbria, a region that has a lot to offer in terms of wine and so much yet to be discovered. The specific wine is a delicious example of Sangiovese, blended with international varieties, that shows a good complexity (especially for a wine of this price) of dark berries, earthy and spicy delicate notes. It has body enough to pair a rich lasagna and a good backbone of acidity to cleanse your palate after it!

I should have friends over more often!

Salute!

Corsican wines...aka la vie en rose'!

Let's start with a confession....

I don't often drink rosé wines.

And when I say not often, I mean almost never. In theory I have no prejudice but practically I tend not to choose them, not even in summer. Since I am admitting here my deepest wine bigotry, I also need to tell you that I tend to have a bit of a snobbish attitude towards those tables of ladies always quenching their thirst with pinkish fluid (and I use the word fluid to indicate the often questionable quality).

In order to win my preconceptions and to widen my wine knowledge, I have consequently dedicated myself to a bit of (purely professional) research, during my holiday in Corsica, a magnificent (no, I'm not exaggerating) Mediterranean island renown for the quality of its rosé wines.

And I enjoyed it. I really did (both the island and the wines).
Two wines especially made me crave for more. Two wines coming from different parts of this island but based on the same local grape: Sciaccarello.

The first is made in Northern Corsica by the Domaine d'Alzipratu and it is brilliantly fresh and fruity with good depth. It is a wine that offers an harmonious balance of  sweetness, acidity and juiciness; a delicious wine that goes down really well without being ordinary at all.

The second one is produced on the opposite side of the island more specifically under the AOC Sartene, on granitic soils midway between sea and mountains in a calm and peaceful area. Weirdly enough the producer has my same surname, so I kind of feel like this is my wine! The wine I am talking about is the basic rosé of the Domaine Fiumicicoli; a wine with a pale colour, a fragrant nose and a vivid minerality. Juicy, fresh and round in the mouth.

The perfect drink for a summery night on your terrace overlooking the port of Macinaggio in the Cap Corse!

Final tip: let's not forget that rosé wine is perfect with charcuterie and Corsica produces one of the best coppas in the world...so, check it out!!

Salute!

A life full of BUTs!

I have always thought that flexibility is the key to a good life! And I say this because I believe life is full of little exceptions. My life statements are very often followed by a BUT!

I strongly prefer self organised and possibly slightly adventurous trips BUT had one of my best holiday ever on a all inclusive package in the Red Sea. 

I adore strawberries BUT detest any strawberry based food: jam, ice cream....

I don't watch romantic comedies BUT 'When Harry met Sally' is on my top 5 favourite movies ever!

I try not to eat junkie food BUT can't resist to Nutella.

I don't like that much Chardonnay BUT can do a couple of exceptions....

 

Salute!

Sabor de Portugal

I have been a little bit skeptical about Portuguese wines for quite a long time.
I had read they were either greenish white wines (vinhos verde) produced with unripe and unflavoured grapes or dense, thick, excessively heavy reds. With the exception of Port, Portuguese wines didn't seem to be that appealing to me.
Then I tasted some of them. And I changed my mind.

Probably everything started that night of 3 years ago in Evora, an inland old Roman city not far from Lisbon, in the 'O Fialho restaurant where a great dinner was paired with a fantastic wine.

My first experience with a wine from Alentejo. The fact that I can't remember the name is due only to my increasing age and the consequent bad effects on my memory but the wine was impressive and perfectly matching the dish of pork with clams (yes you got it right, with clams! And yes it was absolutely ultra-delicious!) I was greedily enjoying.

Curiosity brought me to read a bit more about Portuguese wines. Similarly to the other European countries that have gone through a fascist regime in the last century, such as Spain and Italy, Portugal wine production has been strongly affected by Salazar's dictatorship. His program of cooperativization has certainly been one of the major causes of the country backwardness in viticulture and vinification techniques until recent times.
But, as most experts say, in the last decades there has been a proper revolution thanks to some audacious winemakers.
And even if, for a while these wines have struggled to get the deserved attentions the move to stick to indigenous varietals instead of choosing the 'easily approachable' international ones have proved to be the right one. Nowadays Portuguese wines are not anymore `the next thing`, they are THE thing.
They offer very good quality, competitive prices and a unique sense of place.

And here are a few snapshots of some of my Portuguese favorites...

What's the moral of this story?
Don't ever let your wine curiosity be killed by prejudices.
Just taste!

Salute!

Perfect day (or almost!)

There is no perfect day such as those Sundays when I am relaxing at home and doing a bit of cooking. 

To me Saturdays are for the things I NEED  to do (food shopping, cleaning, gym...) and possibly to see friends. But Sundays are just for myself.

This is why I always try to save these days only for the things I like: reading, cooking (while listening) to music, maybe having a walk in the park and taking everything slowly!!

Preparing pizza perfectly fits in the category.....you put together your ingredients and then just wait for the dough to rise...A few more steps and a lovely dinner is ready. 

It's comfy food. Just like your old slippers!

I also like to experiment with desserts. Last week I made some ricotta mousse with strawberries, pistachio and amaretti (on the bottom). It was very good!

Wine can't be missing on a day like this. If it's a sunny BBQ Sunday it will probably be a refreshing white....

If it's a wintery roast lunch, then a generous red....

What could possibly ruin a day like this? ......any idea?

A corked bottle!!! If you happen to be so unlucky to get a bottle that falls in that 5% statistic of corked wine, even a day of total relax like this can end up in a miserable way!
 

Pizza, pasta, mafia & mandolino....

I think we all know the common stereotypes on Italians.
Once it was pizza, pasta, mafia, mandolino and the legend about the Italian stallions (yes, I am sorry it is only a legend!)

More recently we also tend to be seen as bad drivers, short-tempered, loud, a bit messy and bunga bunga people. Well, as an Italian living abroad, you can imagine that sometimes being categorized this way it's not that pleasant. I definitely don’t see myself as loud, maybe a bit messy yes and not the most patient woman in the world, ok. But I can drive decently and definitely don’t want to be associated to anything Berlusconi-related. On the other hand I have to admit that we all tend to have stereotypes on other populations or different cultures. It’s human. Often these are wrong. More often they are actually right.

But if we are talking about Italian wines instead, what are the stereotypes and is there any truth in them?

Let me start destroying a couple of the old cliche'....First of all, Italy does not only produce Pinot Grigio, Chianti and Lambrusco as some may think. There is much more out there. One of the greatest characteristics of wine production in Italy is its diversity. Wine is produced all over the country and each regions has indigenous varieties and traditional techniques, so be adventurous and next time you are about to choose a bottle of wine, try something different even if you can't pronounce the name!!

Second, Chianti is not just a cheap wine sold in traditional fiascos. 
Have you ever tried some Fontodi, Selvapiana, Felsina or Isole e Olena for example? Well if you haven't yet, it's really time to do it. Get out, find a bottle of one of these, taste it and think about what people say about Chianti. It ain't right, uhm?!


And for those considering themselves Italian wine conosseurs because they happen to have tried some Super Tuscans and are now convinced that these wines are the maximum (or the only) expression of this country wine production, well...I am sorry to disappoint you but I think you need more exercise. When the first Super Tuscans appeared in the late 70s they could have possibly been some of the best wines on the market but now this is not true anymore. Get a taste of Barolos, Aglianicos, Brunellos, good Soaves...and many more....

Last but not least, if the only wines that pop up on your mind when thinking about Italy are those coming from Tuscany, let me tell you that Italy is divided in 20 regions and as said before, they all produce wines, so why don't you explore other areas? 
Maybe some wines from Southern Italy, maybe Friuli Venezia Giulia or Umbria....you will be pleasantly surprised.

There is definitely much yet to be discovered on Italian wines and plenty of wrong beliefs. The common stereotypes are not doing them justice.
Maybe we should all revise our stereotypes and be more open minded....not only for the Italian wines!

Salute!