Displaying items by tag: Italian Wine Regions

Summary:

Join us for a WSG Live on wines from Oltrepò Pavese, Lombardy’s largest viticultural area. The region sits on the border of three regions and is a center of excellence for Pinot Noir in Italy, for Sparkling wines, and indigenous varieties of note such as Croatina and Barbara. From sparkling to sweet, Oltrepò Pavese will surprise you!

Presenter: Susannah Gold

Susannah teaches Italian wine classes for the Italian Trade Commission and presents seminars and webinars for individual wine producers and wine regions at various schools, trade fairs, and consumer events. Through her company Vigneto Communications, she and her team promote wine and food products in the U.S.  She does media, trade relations and often helps to find importers and distribution.  

She holds various wine certificates from schools around the world including an Italian sommelier certificate from the Associazione Italiana dei Sommeliers (AIS), the Diploma in Wines & Spirits (DipWSET), the qualification as an Italian Wine Ambassador from the Vinitaly International Academy, the CSW and CSS from the Society of Wine Educators, the French, Spanish, and Italian Wine Scholar certificates from the Wine Scholar Guild and a certification from the Spanish Wine Academy and Lustau as a Sherry Specialist.  

She has written for The Financial Times, Santé, Palate Press, Gourmet Retailer, Food, Food & Beverage Business, Snooth.com, the Organic Wine Journal, the Sommelier Journal, F&B Magazine, GDO Week. She pens a wine blog called Avvinare.com and has done two Podcast series, one on sustainability and one on wine books.

Fluent in English, Italian, and French, she also speaks Spanish and is learning Portuguese. She works with clients in all four languages. Susannah is a proud member of Les Dames d’Escoffier’s New York Chapter, co-Chair of their annual event entitled, “The Next Big Sip,” and current Treasurer of the Chapter.

When the Consorzio Brunello di Montalcino was established in 1967, one year after the wine received DOC status (it became one of the initial DOCG wines in 1980), there were only twenty-five members. Today, there are more than two hundred Brunello producers; given the reputation of this wine for its ability to age for twenty-plus years in the finest vintages, this is hardly surprising.

Summary: 

Lambrusco has a bad rap. Many wine drinkers dismiss it as simple sweet commercial fizz. And perhaps much of it was when it made its international debut in the 1960s and ‘70s. But that was a long time ago. And there’s much more to Lambrusco than many are aware.

In this webinar we will investigate the ancient origin of the Lambrusco family of grapes in an atypical growing area in the Po River valley, focusing on three of the most important, site-specific sub-varieties.

We will meet some of the key producers — small and larger, new and older — and discuss some of their most interesting, representative wines employing various production methods (Tank, Ancestral, Traditional) and length of time on lees.

We will also explore the Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, which has its own unique production process and extended ageing regimen. Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale was traditionally made by winemakers from the same vineyards and grape varieties, and therefore constitutes an additional expression of Lambrusco.

Finally, we will consider how Lambrusco-based wine and vinegar complement the traditional regional cuisine and how all three reflect and express the unique culture and terroir of the area.

Presenter: Alan Tardi

Alan Tardi is a wine journalist (Wine and Spirits Magazine, Wine Spectator, The New York Times, Sommelier Journal, Wine Folly), educator, and author of two award-winning books: "Romancing the Vine: Life, Love and Transformation in the Vineyards of Barolo" (St Martin's Press 2006/James Beard Award Best Wine Book of 2006) and "Champagne, Uncorked: The House of Krug and The Timeless Allure of the Worlds Most Celebrated Drink" (Hachette 2016/Gourmand Best in the World Award 2016).

His interest in wine developed while working in some of New York City’s legendary restaurants and as chef-owner of his own acclaimed NYC restaurant. He lived in the Barolo village of Castiglione Falletto for over a decade, working in the vineyards and wineries and managing the town's Cantina Comunale and functioned as the first US Ambassador of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco.

Alan teaches the IWS program online with the Wine Scholar Guild and is a frequent presenter at SommCon and the Society of Wine Educators annual conference. Alan is a Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW), WSET Level 3, Champagne Master (WSG), and Italian Wine Scholar (IWS).

Here is the list of featured wines/traditional Balsamic vinegar Alan will be referring to in his webinar in case anyone would like to taste during the webinar: 

1. Lambrusco di Sorbara DOC “del Fondatore” 2020  CLETO CHIARLI chiarli.it 
2. Lambrusco Salamino di Santacroce IGT “Rosso Viola” 2020 LUCIANO SAETTI vignetosaetti.it
3. Lambrusco Grasparosso di Castelvetro DOC 2020  FATTORIA MORETTO fattoriamoretto.it
4. Salamino di Santa Croce Rosato Frizzante DOC "PerFranco" 2020 TERREVIVE terrevive.net
5. Lambrusco di Sorbara DOC “Lariserva” Spumante Brut 2020 PALTRINIERI cantinapaltrinieri.it
6. Lambrusco Metodo Classico “1984” Rosé 2014 ZANASI zanasi.net
7. Lambrusco di Sorbara DOC Metodo Classico 2016 SILVIA ZUCCHI vinizucchi.com
8. Lambrusco Salamino DOC “In Correggio” Metodo Classico Rosso 2006 LINI 910 lini910.it

Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena Affinato (12 Years)                     GIUSEPPE GIUSTI giusti.it

Summary: 

Alto Adige is a land of spectacular contrast and diversity. Positioned in northeast Italy, on the sunny side of the Alps, it is an area where men and mountains have met for centuries. It is a frontier region; not just politically but geographically, climatically, and viticulturally. Winemaking here requires a special skill set.

Vineyards are planted from 200m to 1000m and experience huge diurnal swings in temperature, while alpine geology delivers an immense diversity of soils.

This goes part way to explaining how, in a region no larger than St Emilion in Bordeaux, there are nevertheless over 20 different grape varieties grown. These are cultivated by around 5000 individual wine growers owning, on average, just 1 ha of vineyard each, and yet between them, they manage to produce 98% of Italy’s DOC, top-quality wines which are increasingly successful in finding their way into international markets.  

Join Nancy Gilchrist MW to learn more about this extraordinary yet relatively little-known region, and discover some of the measures this finely balanced ecosystem is adopting in the face of climate change. 

Presenter:  Nancy Gilchrist MW

Nancy is an independent wine educator and a Master of Wine since 1995. She was the wine columnist for The Boston Globe before returning to the UK where amongst many other things she created Academie du Vin @ 67 Pall Mall and was a director of Christie's Wine Education. She still lectures at Leith's School of Food & Wine and is an acknowledged reference on the interaction of food & wine. She also specialises in the wines of South Africa and is UK Ambassador for the Consorzio Vini Alto Adige.

Wine professionals and consumers share a similar aspiration when they visit a wine region; they want to enjoy the area’s best dining experiences so they can pair their favorite local wines with the territory’s typical food offerings.

While commonplace throughout Italy, this situation is nowhere more prominent than in Piedmont, especially in the region’s southern Langhe district. Lunch or dinner in the Barolo and Barbaresco production zones here is more than a simple pleasure; this is wine, and food pairing elevated to an art form.

For much of the wine history of Abruzzo, large cooperatives established a perception that the region’s wines were pleasant and technically correct, but offered little in the way of excellence. Today, the image of Abruzzese wine has taken on a new light, as dozens of smaller producers are crafting more sophisticated offerings that not only display superior complexity, but also offer greater elegance and aging potential as compared with the typical wines of the past.

Summary:

JC is one of the most passionate promoters of Italian wines you can find!

His tour of Sardegna reveals the fascinating history of the island and is sure to entice viewers to sample the wines of this fascinating place. We will be guessing that a few of our viewers will be booking vacations to Sardegna as a result of JC’s beautiful tour!

The history of Sardegna is tumultuous and captivating. Populated for prehistory, it was once at the crosspoint of several competing sea-trade routes. It was influenced by the Phoenicians, the Byzantines, Germanic tribes and the Genovese, the Tuscans, the Aragonese and the Savoyards to eventually become united to Italy....and there is more!

The island has one of the most complex and untouched natural ecosystems of the Mediterranean sea with an amazing number of native grape varieties: no wonder the wines are so fascinating! Join us to discover it all!

Presenter: JC Viens

Once an active promoter of Italian wines in China, Hong Kong and Macau, JC is now an Approved Programme Provider of the WSET in Italy.

He teaches wine courses especially adapted to the needs of Wine Professionals to help them an international perspective and drive business growth. He also advises on wine communication including strategy, content development and delivery.

He is committed to optimising the growth of Italian wines in international markets through an effective "storytelling" approach.

Summary:

Once a resident of Sicilia, Ciro Pirone is well acquainted with the incredible Mongebello (Mount Etna) and its fascinating wines. Ciro takes viewers on a journey to discover more about the history and the bright, vinous future of this magical mountain. 

Etna is a mountain but also a volcano, located in the heart of the Mediterranean sea, on the island known as Sicily that for thousands of years was the crossroad of civilizations, cultures, traditions, wars, but also great developments in many fields. Etna is a magical territory known to our ancestors but forgotten for a long while, finally is back and provides incredibly different and unique wines with a batch of local grapes. 

Presenter: Ciro Pirone

Ciro Pirone, Director of Italian Wines for Horizon Beverage Company, is a graduate of the Istituto Alberghiero (Hotel and Restaurant Management school) of Salerno, Italy and Italian Wine Ambassador (Vinitaly Wine Academy). Travelling and working in Italy, England and the US, Ciro developed an incredible passion for wine, food and culture. After all, growing up in Italy, wine was always a very important part of his family’s lifestyle and traditions. 

In 1999, Ciro moved to the US permanently. He landed in Boston, where he continued his wine studies at Boston University, the International Sommelier Guild, the London –based Wine & Spirits Educational Trust (WSET), as well as he completed and passed with Honors the Italian Wine

Specialist Certification by the North American Sommelier Association (part of the worldwide recognized Italian Sommelier Association). In June of 2017 (2019 & 2021 with Honors) he completed the Vinitaly Wine Academy and received the prestigious Italian Wine Ambassador certification. In 2019 also passed with Honors the Italian Wine Scholar program by the Wine Scholar Guild.

In 2007, Ciro accepted the position of Italian Wine Specialist for Horizon Beverage. After successful growth at HBC, Ciro accepted on a new challenge as the US Brand Manager for the Arnaldo Caprai Winery of Montefalco (Umbria), the top producer of worldwide recognized Sagrantino di Montefalco. In June 2011, Ciro returned to Horizon Beverage with a new position of Director of Italian Wines in support of their expanding presence in the New England marketplace. Ciro is happy to share his passion for Italian wine and culture in an effort to give the American wine consumer a better understanding and appreciation for Italian wine!