Vino Nobile di Montepulciano
A Boot-full of Wine - Tasting Notes from Italy
11 January 2011
Every year, the Associazione Italiana Sommeliers (AIS – Italian Sommeliers Association) publishes its edition of Duemila Vini (“Two Thousand Wines”). One of the biggest and most respected compendiums of Italian wine, its closest Australian counterpart would be James Halliday’s or Jeremy Oliver’s annual handbooks. Full Report...
Montalcino
A Scotswoman in Montalcino!
30th December 2009
What is a Scotswoman doing in Montalcino, and one that has been there for 15 years at that? Well may you ask. Laura Gray, however, is no ordinary Scot. With both her parents having hailed from the world of academia, she had spent time growing up in places as antipodean as Australia, and Italy was a common destination for the family. Indeed by the time she was in her later school years, summer visits to Camigliano were the norm.
Laura confessed that she always knew she would return to Montalcino to live – or at least that was her dream. She is living the reality! Full Text...
Uccelliera - Andrea Cortonesi in Montalcino
Dr Brendan Jansen
It was a mild autumn day as my companion and I drove to Montacino from Florence. As we approached the hills around Montalcino, Mauro, my friend, remarked that the heavy fog which surrounded the low hills would not be present when we reached the top of the hill upon which Montalcino lies.
He was right. We reached the summit of this medieval town, replete with its own fortress, 500 metres above sea level, to a clear vista. The peaks of the neighbouring hills looked like boats, bobbing on a vast cloudy ocean. We picked up Laura, our host, from Il Palazzone (about which I have already written) and made the short trip to Uccelliera, about ten kilometres away, and at an altitude of about 350 metres. Full Text