Sweeping aside the rubbish that chokes Napoli’s streets, and Silvio’s garbage currently clogging up the nation’s arteries and airwaves, denigrating its fine people, I have just spent a paradoxically upbeat couple of days among the Campanian hills seeking out Aglianico as expressed though the Taurasi DOCG, along with white siblings Fiano di Avellino and Greco […]

It’s been a week of contrasting approaches to wine appreciation and assessment. It kicked off with the first ever visit to Piedmont by Berrys’ Hong Kong sales team. Then there was the tasting of Barolos from the 2001 vintage, as organised by Decanter Magazine. And finally we all headed to Turin’s Stade Olympico to attend […]

  As I write, the last of the Nebbiolo is being harvested, notably by Mario Fontana (Cascina Fontana) and Davide Rosso (Giovanni Rosso). This year I struggled up the hill to talk to Ferdinando Principiano in his vertical Barolo Ravera vineyard, Luca Roagna in the gem of a Barbaresco site: Montefico, ‘newboy’ Pier Bovone at Cornarea […]

If you, like me, have a wee problem rolling your ‘r’s then exploring the Roero region just north of Alba can prove to be a tongue-twisting experience. Some would say – with a perfect roll if they’re oh-so lucky – that the Roero is best left to growing (exquisite) apricots. Compared to the orderly, monocultural […]