Tag: Tuscany

Photo of Avignonesi 2013 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano in front of wine books

Dinner with Avignonesi Vino Nobile di Montepulciano

One of the highlights of my wine year in 2023 was an introduction to Avignonesi and their single-vineyard Vino Nobile di Montepulciano wines. I had the good fortune of meeting Xiaowen DU, Marketing Manager and Assistant Winemaker at Avignonesi, and Master of Wine student in April. We connected via Zoom, she in Montepulciano with Avignonesi’s vineyards over her shoulder and […]

Photo of four Avignonesi wines

Understanding Avignonesi: Their Practices, Culture and Single-Vineyard Wines

Avignonesi is situated in the hills of Tuscany on the edge of Montepulciano near Cortona. Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is their flagship wine and while they are Sangiovese specialists, and dedicated to the variety, they are also looking to native grape varieties as a hedge against climate change. Their organic and biodynamic practices in the vineyard are carried into the […]

National Rose Day 2018 wines

#NationalRoséDay: A reminder to drink rosé

If rosé consumption trends are any indication you may not need a reminder that this is the perfect time of year to drink pink wine. In the unlikely event that the rosé trend has escaped your notice, or if you are just looking for delicious rosé choices, then we’re pretty sure this group of rosé wines will be of interest […]

Red Wines For Everyday — From The Zonin Family of Wines

This is the second of two posts on a group of wines we received for review from Zonin USA. The selection of wine we received shows the range of wine production by Casa Vinicola Zonin S.P.A. Current generations of the Zonin family manage wine estates in seven well-known Italian wine regions (Veneto, Friuli, Piedmont, Lombardy, Tuscany, Sicily and Puglia) and the US state of Virginia at Barboursville.

Tuscan Taste Off

We recently completed a series of three wine tastings at Fine Wines of Stockton entitled Red Wines of Tuscany. We tasted six Rosso di Montalcino, six Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and six Chianti. We chose our top two wines from each tasting and those six wines were our focus for the Tuscan Taste-Off. We will choose our two favorites from this group of six wines.

Monday Sangiovese and Stroganoff

This Monday night Nancy made a great Beef Stroganoff from her own recipe to go with our wine of the evening. She used a chuck roast (grass fed) that was finely diced with a small amount of Italian sausage. She used crème fraiche instead of sour cream. Nancy served it with rice and peas mixed with sauteed mushrooms and shallots. […]