La Dolce Vita Wine Tours

18/07/2023

If you’re looking a refreshing summer wine, look no further than verdicchio. It comes from the Marche, a region that flanks the Adriatic Sea. Living on a hundred miles of coastline, you can’t help but make wines that go with seafood. Verdicchio has been grown in that region since at least the 15...

16/07/2023

Climate change is threatening Barbera, which historically thrived in Piedmont. Now, winemakers are seeking out both short and long-term fixes.

30/03/2022

It's spring, so it's time for rosé. Here's my feature story on Italian rosé producers banding together for strength in numbers:

Italian rosé producers band together for strength in numbers

31/12/2021

Looking for a last-minute sparkler for tonight? Look no further!

Though the lesser known of the Prosecco DOCGs, Asolo Prosecco has great elegance and complexity to offer.

27/12/2021

Raise your hand if you’ve heard of ruchè or grignolino. If you haven’t, read my 3rd and final blog from my press trip to Piedmont.
https://bit.ly/ruche-grignolino
(If the photo links seem broken on Chrome, try viewing it on Firefox.)

Two obscure native grapes take center stage at Hic et Nunc and Prediomagno wineries.

25/12/2021

Merry Christmas Eve, Brooklyn style!

Tonight I went with my AMC hiking group to Dyker Heights in Brooklyn. Little did I know what a scene it would be. Packed sidewalks, crowded streets with cars, all gawking at the, ahem, exuberant Christmas light decorations.

Old-fashioned Xmas string lights, blinking lights, laser lights. Tons of inflatable cartoon characters. Sound systems with Christmas tunes blaring. Anamtronic Santas. Video-projected Santas.

And ice cream trucks at every corner, most doing good business with their hot chocolate. God bless Santa Claus.

23/12/2021

"Nizza, the Ageworthy Barbera: Piedmont’s latest appellation is barbera at its finest."
Read my latest feature for Tastes of Italia magazine: bit.ly/nizza_docg

20/11/2021

Congrats to our friends at VILLA SPARINA, for winning European Winery of the Year in Wine Enthusiast's 2021 Wine Star Awards. Our Piedmont house is just over the hill from Gavi, so we've visited them often over the past 20 years. Congratulations, fellas!

The family-owned business drives enthusiasm and awareness for Gavi, Piedmont’s iconic white-wine appellation.

16/11/2021

The beauty of Piedmont’s Monferrato region is vastly underrated. En route to the Vinchio Vaglio cooperative winery, when we were rounding an especially scenic bend — and with the rain having finally eased off — someone shouted for our bus driver to stop so we could all pile out to take photos. This is that moment and that view. Pretty, right?
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