There is a popular saying “Life is too short to drink bad wine”; you find it on serving trays, towels, napkins, etc. I agree with the saying and suggest that there should be a parallel saying “Life is too short to consume bad olive oil”. There have been many documented
The South is an emerging wine region, but this was not the case thirty years ago. Prior to the unification of Italy in 1861 and for many years thereafter there was a lack of economic opportunity in Southern Italy. As a result of many centuries of foreign domination followed by the more prosperous North’s
After many years I have finally found what I have been looking for; a dining experience that replicates my Southern Italy dining experiences. Enoteca Umberto, 256 Atwell Ave. Providence (Federal Hill) is an unpretentious small restaurant (18 inside seats; several more outside) that captures the essence of Southern Italy cuisine.
On day two of our trip we enjoyed a day long celebration with friends from the Irpinia wine region. Our first stop was at Bambinuto; our fourth visit in as many years. We updated each other on our families, the latest vintages and whatever else came to mind. Marilena is an innovator. She
On the first day of our Southern Italy trip Gaetano Petrillo introduced us to a new winery located in his home town of Montemiletto; Cantine De Santis. Alberto DeSantis has been bottling his wine for only five years. The vineyard has been in the family for two generations. Alberto’s family,
As a country of immigrants many are interested in their roots. I have studied both my Italian and Irish heritages, but because of many trips to Italy, including my grandparents’ home town of Corleto Perticara, my focus has been more on my Italian roots. (In above photo from left to right,
Sustainable In my bio there is mention of my support of wineries that follow sustainable practices. What does this mean? A couple years ago a leading Italian wine guide, Gambero Rosso, promoted the Forum for Environmental Sustainability. Below is an excerpt from an article entitled “Ethics + Economy +
It has been two weeks since we hosted our last grand wine tasting. This report is overdue, but I have been busy planting our garden, coaching baseball (yes I still coach and my sons “retired” over five years ago, I am a baseball lifer and still can hit a mean fly ball
On May 14th we are hosting a grand tasting of 14 wines from wineries located in the Regions of Campania and Basilicata. The wineries are small family run operations; the largest produces approximately 70,000 bottles per annum. As with most small wineries the producers abide by sustainable viticulture; many are certified
During our many trips to Southern Italy we have visited over 40 wineries; most family operated that abide by sustainable viticulture. Unfortunately not all these wineries have their wines available for purchase in the United States. I am able to bring home some of these wines and by this post I hope to