Northern Italy
Displaying items by tag: Piedmont wines
The History of Barolo with Tom Hyland
Summary:
This WSG Live will follow the history of Barolo from the 1860s through the latest innovations and viticultural practices of today. As there have been more changes in the last fifty years than in the first one hundred, much of the webinar will concentrate on the period from the 1970s until current times.
Specific topics covered will include changes in viticultural practices (e.g. Barolo Boys), a more precise definition of the boundaries of the Barolo zone, including particular vineyards (MGA), and the recent emphasis on single-vineyard offerings of Barolo.
Presenter: Tom Hyland
Chicago-based Tom Hyland is a freelance writer, educator and photographer specializing in the wines of Italy. He has been traveling to Piedmont since 2000 and has visited dozens of Barolo producers in their cellars and vineyards. He has written about Barolo for two decades, with articles published in Decanter, Wine Spectator and wine-searcher.com. He is the author of three books on wine, including The Wines and Foods of Piemonte, published in 2016.
WSG Live: Andrew Jefford hosts Gaia Gaja
Summary:
The guest for our fourth edition of WSG Live will be Gaia Gaja, one of the three children of legendary Piedmont producer Angelo Gaja, and already a familiar face to fans of Gaja wines worldwide.
Born in 1979, Gaia says she has worked in the winery 'since she was a child': her parents always included all the children in decisions made about the future of the winery. From 2004, she began to travel the world as the family's International Brand Ambassador -- but is also very much involved with decisions made at home about both vineyards and wines with her sister Rossana and brother Giovanni. The Gaja family now has vineyards not only in Piedmont but in Tuscany (Montalcino and Bolgheri) and in Etna, too.
Join Andrew Jefford to hear Gaia talk about these zones, about the future of Italian fine wine, about her family, about climate change and about diversity in the wine world.
More than Nebbiolo – Delving into Piedmont’s Lesser Known Indigenous Varieties with Robin Kick MW
Summary:
Piedmont is most known for its Nebbiolo, Barbera and Dolcetto, the three core varieties that form the backbone of the Langhe, Piedmont’s most famous sub-region.
But a number of other exciting indigenous and qualitative varieties make up the region’s complex viticultural patchwork.
This webinar will focus on 4 lesser-known whites – Arneis, Nascetta, Erbaluce and Timorasso - as well as 4 reds – Freisa, Grignolino, Pelaverga and Ruchè and discuss their individual histories, characteristics, attributes and unique challenges.
Presenter: Robin Kick MW
Originally from the Chicago area, Robin is a Master of Wine who is presently based in Lugano, Switzerland, where she works as an independent wine consultant, wine judge, journalist and educator.
Following studies in French and English literature, she changed career paths in 1998 when she left her teaching position at the Université de Nice to study wine at the BIVB (Bureau Interprofessionel des Vins de Bourgogne) in Beaune, France and the Université du Vin in Suze-la-Rousse in France’s Rhône Valley.
In the 20+ years of working in the wine business, she has held a number of different positions including wine auction specialist for Christie’s in Beverly Hills, California and fine wine buyer for a pre-eminent London-based wine merchant with an award-winning Burgundy list.
In 2014, after many years of study and a successful dissertation on whole cluster fermentation in Pinot Noir from the Côte d’Or, she became a Master of Wine.
Her main wine passions are Burgundy, Champagne, northern Italy, particularly Piedmont, Switzerland and Jerez.
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Not Since Lunch: Untangling Barolo and Brunello with Lars J. Leicht
Summary:
When the humble, yet masterful British wine writer Harry Waugh was asked, when was the last time he had confused Bordeaux and Burgundy, he famously replied, “not since lunch.”
Ask a 21st century American wine scholar that question about Barolo and Brunello, and they may well respond “not since the last blind tasting.”
This Italian conundrum has manifested itself on Court of Master Sommelier exams and was even documented in the first “Somm” movie. Do you know your Barolo from your Brunello?
Italian wine industry veteran Lars Leicht will walk us through the fundamental differences between the two wines, their base grapes, their terroir and their typical profiles to help make it all a little more clear… at least until the next blind tasting!
Presenter: Lars J. Leicht
Lars is VP-Communication & Trade Relations for The Somm Journal as well as Sherpa-in-Chief of Vino Viaggio, an agency specializing in wine exploration, education and adventure. A former news reporter in upstate Oneonta, NY, passion for Italian culture lured him to the wine business. Over a 33-year career with leading US wine importer Banfi Vintners, he held various leadership roles in sales, marketing, and public relations, working and living in the U.S., Europe, Canada, the Caribbean, and Asia. A habitual speaker at sommelier conferences, cooking schools and culinary universities, he appeared in the movie Somm II: Into the Bottle. His Sherpa moniker derives from guiding scores of scribes, wine lovers and professionals through vineyards, wineries and food meccas in Italy, including scholarship trips with SommFoundation and SommSouth. As founder and de facto “Dean” of Cru Artisan College, he has brought Italian winemakers on barnstorming trips across the U.S. for insightful seminars and exceptional tastings.
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Noble Nebbiolo with Alan Tardi
Summary:
"Noble Nebbiolo" a survey of the prestigious Italian variety and its most important manifestations, appellations, and growing areas namely: Valtellina (Lombardia), Valle d'Aosta, and Piemonte (Langhe, Roero, Canavese, Alto Piemonte).
Presenter: Alan Tardi
Alan Tardi first became interested in wine through food, working as a cook, chef, and chef-owner in New York City.
As a freelance food and wine journalist, Tardi has authored numerous articles for publications including The New York Times, Wine & Spirits Magazine, The Wine Spectator, Decanter, and Sommelier Journal.
In 2003, Alan moved to the village of Castiglione Falletto in the Barolo region of Italy, where he spent several years working in the surrounding vineyards and wineries through all phases of the growing and production process.
This lead to his first book, 'Romancing the Vine: Life, Love and Transformation in the Vineyards of Barolo' (St Martins Press, 2006), which won a James Beard Award for Best Wine and Spirits Book of 2006.
In 2015, Tardi became the first-ever US Ambassador of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco.
His new book, “Champagne, Uncorked: The House of Krug and the Timeless Allure of the World’s Most Celebrated Drink” (Hachette 2016) recently won a Gourmand Best in the World Award.
Barbaresco Who's Who with Tom Hyland
Summary:
Barbaresco is one of Italy's iconic reds, yet in Piemonte, while it tends to be treated with great respect, it rarely receives the attention it deserves, due to the fame of Barolo.
In this webinar, we will explore this wine in detail, looking at the three communes that comprise the production zone, to the winemaking styles of the finest producers, that vary from ultra traditional to modern. We will of course, focus on a few famous producers, but will also examine the wines of several underrated vintners.
Presenter: Tom Hyland
Tom Hyland is a Chicago-based wine writer/educator and photographer, specializing in Italian wines.
He has authored two books on Italian wines, and has conducted seminars for the trade on various Italian wines in Chicago, New York and in Bordeaux at VinExpo.
He has been writing about these wines for 19 years, and today is a contributor to Decanter and wine-searcher.com. He is also the U.S. ambassador for the consorzio, I Vini del Piemonte.
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Seasonal Wines for Valentines
If you are planning a romantic Valentine’s Day celebration and want to impress your partner with the best possible wine for the occasion, overlook everything you think you know about wine pairing. Forget choosing a red to match the steak or a white for the flounder. Lose the Champagne with chocolate (seriously, lose that one) and ditch any dessert ideas. The key to a successful Valentine’s Day is...
A Guide to Lesser Known Italian Red Wines: Piedmont
Any wine student or lover of Italian wines can name the country’s most famous red wines, such as Barolo, Brunello di Montalcino or Amarone della Valpolicella. But given the variety of Italian wines and grape types, it stands to reason that there are many more examples produced throughout the country. This article is the first in a series about a few of the lesser known red wines of Italy; we begin with Piemonte.
While there are three famous red varieties in Piemonte – Nebbiolo, Barbera and Dolcetto – there are several others that produce very expressive wines.
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