Mixed messages
29 Jun 2005
When considering Friuli, there are certain accepted ‘truths’ that need to be discarded. First, the idea that Friuli is solely a land of white wine production; this is largely correct, but by no means entirely. Second, the notion that Friuli (or...

View issue I July 2005

Language barriers
29 Jun 2005
It may be hard to believe, but Lombardy, the most industrial region in Italy (its capital Milan is also the capital of the Italian press, Italian culture, Italian commerce and finance, and the fashion world), is also one of the most...

View issue I July 2005

Domestic bliss
28 Jun 2005
Embracing the top of the Tyrrhenian Sea in a mountainous and infertile crescent, Liguria boasts maritime achievements that completely overshadow a viticultural legacy that dates back to Roman times. The Romans quickly recognised that the Ligurian Alps, responsible for the superb...

View issue I July 2005

The promised land
23 Jun 2005
The ancient Greeks introduced viticulture in the south of Italy, naming Italy Oenotria after the Greek word for wine, oinos. Since then, Puglia has played a key role in the Italian wine scene. For many years the region was an anonymous...

View issue Harpers, 24 June 2005

From the heights of Mont Blanc to the depth of Inferno
16 Jun 2005
Italy’s smallest wine-producing region, Valle d’Aosta, an autonomous Alpine province where French-style architectural features predominate, is not only the site of Europe’s highest vineyards, but also home to a broad spectrum of indigenous varieties that are usually blended to produce distinctive...

View issue 17 June 2005

Booting up
15 Jun 2005
Italy was the only European country that enjoyed an increase in sales of wine to the UK in 2004 (AC Nielsen), so the mood should be upbeat as 44 leading Italian importers gather at Lord’s Cricket Ground for the seventh Definitive...

View issue 17 June 2005

Local Flavour
14 Jun 2005
Sardinia’s wine represents a growing industry. Its producers are an interesting mingle of small, traditional growers, cooperatives and medium to large private estates. They range from the 3.5ha, 3,000-bottle estate of Giovanni Battista Columbu’s Malvasia di Bosa DOC near Nuoro (featured...

View issue 17 June 2005

Still life
09 Jun 2005
Anjou-Saumur extends from 60km west of Angers to 15km east of Saumur, from Durtal in the north to Thouars in the south. Touraine abuts Anjou-Saumur in the west and reaches Blois in the north-east, Saint-Aignan in the south-east. Together they include...

View issue 10 June 2005

Va-va-Vouvray
09 Jun 2005
Never has a classic wine style been dumped on by so many with such regrettable thoroughness. At the outset of my research for this feature it was hard to find a friend for these charming wines, as the following responses show:...

View issue 10 June 2005

Campaign trailing
09 Jun 2005
As recently as three years ago, Bordeaux remained resolutely upbeat about its most valuable foreign market. Though shipments to the UK fell 4% in 2002, they were up 5% in value. Total exports had maintained a steady upward trajectory over the...

View issue 10 June 2005