Not too many months ago I had the opportunity to purchase six different bottles of Italian wines from a national distributor. I am sharing my thoughts on one of those wines, the 1997 Ornellaia red wine, in this week’s blog. Ornellaia (pronounced o-nell-eye-ay) is one the iconic wine estates of Italy…
Italy’s Valpolicella Wine

In an ongoing effort to introduce us to different wines I have chosen Valpolicella (val-po-la-cella) wines to report on in this blog. There are five primary Valpolicella wines that are produced in the Vapolicella wine zone in northern Italy’s Veneto region located in the foothills of the Alps…
Amarone, Corvina, Corvinone, Italian wines, Molinara, Rondinella, Valpolicella, Veneto region, wine dinnerExploring Barolo Wines

As I have mentioned in the past, I have been trying to expand my palate and wine knowledge by tasting a number of new wines. Lately I have been focused on tasting Old World wines, particularly wines from Italy. I have been a big fan of Brunello di Montalcino which is claimed to be the […]
barolos, Fratelli Seghesio, Italian wines, Poderi Oddero, wine stainsLesser Known Quality Wine Regions of Italy

Tapastrie co-owner and guest blogger Tom Welsh finishes up our exploration of the various Italian wine regions. Italy is unique among wine producing countries in that wine is produced nearly everywhere. Anywhere else the areas suitable for growing wine grapes are in specific geographical pockets…
Abruzzo, Aglianico, Calabria, Campania, Cirò Rosso, Franciacorta, Italian wines, Sardinia, SicilyA Look At: Wines From Piedmont, Italy

Piemonte, or Piedmont, is a legendary region of northwest Italy famous for its culinary traditions, its sought after white truffles, and of course, its wine. Piedmont borders France and Switzerland and much of its territory is the foothills of the Alps. The Po River cuts a large valley through…
Arneis, Asti, Barbera, Barolo, Cortese, Dolcetto, Italian wines, Moscato, Nebbiolo, Piedmont, Tom Welsh