Stories of enduring friendship are always a Hollywood hit, quite possibly because they are quite rare. This is particularly true when coupled with business. Pojer e Sandri’s story is more like that of a Silicon Valley hi-tech start-up out of a student’s parent’s garage rather than a veritable Italian winery. In 1975 Pojer e Sandri…
Cellar Tour: Allegrini: the perfect marriage of culture and wine
Villa della Torre Allegrini is headquartered in the impressive 16th century Villa della Torre in Fumane in the heart of Valpolicella in Veneto. The fortress-like villa was commissioned by Giulio della Torre, a well-known merchant from Verona, employing three important architects of the time (Giulio Romano, architect of the Palazzo Te in Verona, Michele Sanmicheli and Giovan…
Cellar tour: What is the secret ingredient in San Leonardo?
San Leonardo uses largely French grapes and is located in an area not known for fine wine (mainly bulk wine growers using Marzemino and Teroldego vines) but this is not only what makes this winery unique. History San Leonardo is a very special winery started by crucifer monks (Frati Crociferi) in 1215. Wine had been…
The Valley of Many Cellars
In a lovely little valley studded with villas and vast estates, some of the best wine in Italy is produced. Valpolicella is a mixture of Greek and Latin and means valley (val) of many (poli) cellars (cella). It sits in an enviable position in Veneto to the east of Lago di Garda, protected from the worst…
Cellar Visit: Coffele in Soave, Veneto
We made a visit to Soave in Veneto on a friend’s recommendation to visit the winery of Coffele. Coffele has two cellars, first the mid-nineteenth century Castelcerino vineyard in the Classico zone of Soave, 7 kilometres south of the village of Soave, and considered to be one of the finest in Soave. The other is…
A sommelier’s guide to how to order wine
Ordering wine at a restaurant can be a daunting task, particularly if there are a lot of choices or the wines are unfamiliar to us. Our lovely sommelier friend, Kimberley Drake, has kindly written a few words of advice for us. A sommelier’s guide to ordering wine at a restaurant: Ordering wine can feel like…
Cellar Visit: La Montina in Franciacorta
Upon arriving at La Montina winery you find the 17th century Villa Baiana in front of you, once home to the estate’s founder, Benedetto Montini. Montini, a noble from Brescia and a descendant of Pope Paul VI, built the estate in 1620. There is a life-sized statue of Pope Paul VI in the cellar…
Cellar Visit: The King of Franciacorta: Ca’ del Bosco
The name Ca’ del Bosco, means “house in the woods”, as the land the winery currently sits on was a small house in a chestnut forest purchased by Annamaria Clementi Zanella in the mid-1960’s as a holiday home. Her son, Maurizio Zanella, turned the small house into one of the most technologically advanced wineries in…
Franciacorta: Champagne’s younger sister
Franciacorta, located to the west and south of Lago d’Iseo in Lombardia, is a sea of neatly arranged rows of green covering 6,000 hectares. It is a peaceful oasis in which grows Italy’s answer to Champagne. Great wine is often grown in areas of great beauty and Franciacorta is no exception. There are 80…
Sardinian winery visit: Tenute Soletta
Wine as an industry in Sardegna is relatively new and dates back less than 30 years. Previous to this there was no science behind what was served with meals, whatever grew on the land was made into wine. Today a whole generation of winemakers have emerged using soil analysis and modern techniques to create export…
