Tag Archives: italy

Gaja For The Rest of Us: Ca’Marcanda Promis 2013 Bolgheri Tuscany Italy

Posted on November 28, 2016 by waywardwine

Winter closes in. For sad psychological reasons, I now don jackets or sweaters to enjoy chilled whites. I suppose a red will not hurt. Also, we have guests and pizza for dinner. So, a modern Italian seems apt. I rummage around in my crawl space. Why not open an $100 Chianti? Erm….no.

I have lost all grip on reality. My job allows me to try and collect fancy, expensive things. The cost to retail has become my reference point. A wine that costs a shop $25 ends up $33 to $40 on the shelf for the unwashed masses. So all I remember is that I spent $25. Or worse, I was given it. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged drinks, Food, Gaja, italy, merlot, Oak, pizza, Sangiovese, super tuscan, Syrah, travel, Tuscany, wine, Winery | 3 Comments

Squid Ink Pasta Wine Pairing

Posted on September 29, 2016 by waywardwine

My wife craves black pasta: an Italian specialty dyed dark with squid ink. Coastal Italians call it “pasta al nero di sepia”: black squid pasta. Instead of mixing it with seafood, she wants it simple. So I clash cultures by browning it in butter and shaving Greek Mizithra cheese atop (Spaghetti Factory frequenters will sympathize). Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged drink, drinks, Food, France, Greece, italy, pairing, pasta, sancerre, travel, wine | 5 Comments

Say What? Teroldego Grape-Based Red Wine from De Vescovi Ulzbach

Posted on May 8, 2015 by waywardwine

Today Wayward Wine goes to Italy: Noah’s Ark for native grape varietals. A nearly extinct grape grows almost exclusively in Trentino, a region where the Austro-Hungarian empire once summer-homed. It is called, Teroldego. And no, this is not a Tarintino … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Alto Adige, De Vescovi Ulzbach, grapes, Italian wine, italy, Teroldego, travel, Trentino | Leave a comment

Before We Leave Vienna… Viennese vs Italian Coffee

Posted on March 23, 2015 by waywardwine

Ok! Ok! OK! I know I have been slacking. But let’s get Wayward Wine’s EU Austerity Drinking Tour back on track. Before we land in Prague, after 149 days of straight travel, let us answer the question you have all … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Austria, Coffee, espresso, Hans und hans, italy, Lavazza, vienna, viennese coffee | Leave a comment

Thirsty Thursday: Fiano, Castello Monaci, Acante, Salento, IT 2011

Posted on September 4, 2014 by waywardwine

After last week’s Garnacha Blanca review, we delve into increasingly obscure depths this Thirsty Thursday. Fiano is our grape of choice.

Today’s example comes not from the vine’s famed Campania but further southeast in Salento: Italy’s sun-bleached heal-tip:

It is unbearably hot, flat, and dry here. That heat produces nearly half of Italy’s olives. Next, hot climate red grapes Primitivo and Negroamaro comprise equal thirds of wine production. Whites barely register. But Fiano keeps a heal-hold. Continue reading →