GUARANTEED BEST PROVENANCE: IMPORTED BY AIR FROM ITALY AND STOCKED IN CALIFORNIA Another rare treat from Maria Teresa’s Cantina, the 2014 Langhe Nebbiolo is delicious. Very few bottles of her “village Nebbiolo” escape from Italy, and I’m lucky to be able to fly some over direct from Piemonte to share with Mascarello fans. This year […]
GUARANTEED BEST PROVENANCE: DIRECTLY IMPORTED FROM ITALY BY AIR AND STOCKED IN CALIFORNIA Another rare treat from Maria Teresa's Cantina, the 2015 Barbera d'Alba is delicious. Very few bottles of her Barbera escape from Italy, and I'm lucky to be able to fly some over direct from Piemonte to share with Mascarello fans. This year […]
GUARANTEED BEST PROVENANCE: DIRECTLY IMPORTED FROM ITALY BY AIR AND STOCKED IN CALIFORNIA 2013 Barbera d’Alba from Bartolo Mascarello is a mind-blowing wine. One of the best from the region and rivaling Giacomo Conterno’s 2013 Barbera, Maria Teresa’s 2013 vintage bursts with wonderfully ripe blackberries, black cherries, even a touch of blueberries with rich floral notes. […]
GUARANTEED BEST PROVENANCE: DIRECTLY IMPORTED FROM ITALY BY AIR AND STOCKED IN CALIFORNIA Another rare treat from Maria Teresa’s Cantina, the 2014 Barbera d’Alba is delicious. Very few bottles of her Barbera escape from Italy, and I’m lucky to be able to fly some over direct from Piemonte to share with Mascarello fans. This year the […]
GUARANTEED BEST PROVENANCE: DIRECTLY IMPORTED FROM ITALY BY AIR AND STOCKED IN CALIFORNIA The 2014 vintage of Maria Teresa’s Dolcetto is a delight. This is flown in direct from Italy — very little of her wonderful Dolcetto ever makes it out of Italy. I had to bring some back to share with fellow Bartolo Mascarello fans. […]
GUARANTEED BEST PROVENANCE: DIRECTLY IMPORTED FROM ITALY BY AIR AND STOCKED IN CALIFORNIA Maria Teresa’s Dolcetto is delicious. After tasting this gem at her Cantina last fall, I just had to bring some back with me to share. Glorious nose with purple flowers, and on the palate with juicy berries, black cherry, violets, anise. Very […]
GUARANTEED BEST PROVENANCE: IMPORTED FROM ITALY BY AIR AND STOCKED IN CALIFORNIA The 2012 Mascarello Barolo is a remarkable vintage, drinkable now yet will lay down for 20+ years. Elegant complexity with sweet red cherries, a floral nose of dried rose & mint, hints of crabapple, tobacco. Tannin++, as you’d expect for a youthful vintage, […]
GUARANTEED BEST PROVENANCE: IMPORTED FROM ITALY BY AIR AND STOCKED IN CALIFORNIA Much more approachable today than the unicorn 2010 vintage, the 2009 Bartolo is perfect to enjoy now with succulent red cherry juices, anise, dried rose, carnations, tobacco. This comes in at a decent price for such a grand producer, I’d share this with […]
GUARANTEED BEST PROVENANCE:DIRECTLY IMPORTED FROM ITALY BY AIR OMG YES, this is the uber-rare 2010 vintage that Bartolo fans and collectors have been madly after since the day it was released. Think of it as a vino unicorn. Yes, I have some, but just a bit to share. Collectors please note: This is direct from […]
GUARANTEED BEST PROVENANCE:DIRECTLY IMPORTED FROM ITALY BY AIR The 2011 Mascarello Barolo is a remarkable vintage, drinkable now yet will lay down for 20+ years. Elegant complexity with sweet red cherries, a floral nose of dried rose, hints of crabapple, tobacco. Tannin++, as you'd expect for a youthful vintage, but I find this is a […]
GUARANTEED BEST PROVENANCE: DIRECTLY IMPORTED FROM ITALY BY AIR AND STOCKED IN CALIFORNIA Maria Teresa's Dolcetto is delicious. After tasting this gem at her Cantina last spring, I just had to bring some back with me to share. Glorious nose with purple flowers, and on the palate with juicy berries, black cherry, violets, anise. Very […]
The Giro d’Ombra Newsletter Issue: 2017.09.02 Get personalized newsletters from us on delicious Italian wines, tasty Italian food & Italy travel tips, delivered right to your Inbox SUBSCRIBE Ciao! Welcome to this week’s Giro d’Ombra (here’s how you say it), a quick shot of Italian wine, food & culture to get your weekend off to […]
Buying wine online used to be scary. “What if the wine never shows up?” “What happens to my credit card number once I’ve made the purchase?” There’s no need to worry, these days it’s really quite easy and very safe — and buying wines you love can be done from the comfort of your laptop […]
credit The Cinque Terre (how to say it), literally “the Five Lands” that includes the towns of Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso, are a string of rustic villages clinging to the rugged Italian Riviera in eastern Liguria. Over 1 million visitors flood the 5 towns each year to swim in the warm Mediterranean water, hike between […]
GUARANTEED BEST PROVENANCE: IMPORTED FROM ITALY BY AIR AND STOCKED IN CALIFORNIA Most folks think of tangy sheep's milk cheese when they hear the word Pecorino. In Le Marche & Abruzzo, they think of wine. The ancient grape Pecorino that's indigenous to that area was prized by the Benedictine monks some 800 years ago when they […]
Junk food is here to stay. Sometimes the moment just calls for a tasty Twinkie. Or maybe a tube of Pringles potato chips. And then there’s Cheez Whiz1. Everybody eats these junky, mass-manufactured foods, even though we know that they’re bad for us. But you might be surprised to learn that all the chemical chicanery […]
I know what you’re thinking. “Aren’t New Years resolutions about making more healthy choices?” Well, yes, they are. So here are 5 New Year’s resolutions you can follow to improve your mental health, the health of the economy, and improve your mood. Heck, they might even make you happier. Yes, they all have to do […]
GUARANTEED BEST PROVENANCE: IMPORTED FROM ITALY BY AIR AND STOCKED IN CALIFORNIA Most folks think of tangy sheep’s milk cheese when they hear the word Pecorino. In Le Marche & Abruzzo, they think of wine. The ancient grape Pecorino that’s indigineous to that area was prized by the Benedictine monks some 800 years ago, when they […]
The Cinque Terre (how to say it), literally “the Five Lands,” is a string of five rustic villages clinging to the rugged Italian Riviera in eastern Liguria. The only practical way into and out of the 5 tiny towns is by train, giving the area a secluded feeling far from the pressures of our modern […]
3 Glasses? Yes, please. Parker has points. Gambero Rosso has glasses. 3 Glasses, to be exact. That’s the top distinction awarded to some of Italy’s best wines by Gambero Rosso, a rather famous Italian journal that celebrates the hedonistic pursuit of food, wine & culture. Every year in the Fall, Gambero Rosso announces their short-list […]
