I’d like to welcome readers to our newest installment of Wednesday Wines! This week we will be enjoying the wines of Puglia, also known as Apulia. This is the region that makes up the southeast corner of Italy, including the “heel” of the boot, and—like its other southern counterparts—is yet another Italian wine mecca.

Historically, this gorgeous region of southern Italy has been a very large producer of wine – often leading Italy in terms of quantity alone. But the wines produced here were rugged, rough and deeply colored – not of attributes of a prestigious wine by any means. Much of the production went into cheaper jug wines or was blended into unbranded wines. As a result, these wines were rarely tasted outside the homeland. Times are changing, however, and today Pugliese producers seem to have developed the goal of making well-crafted wines that express a unique sense of place. There is a feeling of regional pride in what the vintners of Puglia have been able to accomplish in a relatively short time. Let’s explore…

Negroamaro, Primitivo, and Malvasia Nera—all red—are the three main grapes grown in Puglia. Also noteworthy is a historic, sweet, high-alcohol dessert wine, made with Aleatico grapes, called Aleatico di Puglia. The wines of Puglia carry the following place designations: Salento, Daunia, Tarantino, and Valle d’Itria. Salento wines in particular, are dark, robust, and full-bodied with ripe fruit-forward flavors and high alcohol content. The Salento peninsula is arid and flat with palm trees and cactus plants, chaffed by coastal winds. The inhospitable soil combined with the cool evening breezes from the Adriatic Sea are perfect for the production of complex red wines.

Negroamaro, whose name literally means “black and bitter,” is a widely planted grape, and is the backbone of the acclaimed inky Salice Salentino: spicy, toasty, and full of dark red fruits. The grape is thick skinned and has a deep black and purple coloring although the wines tend to be deeply colored with just a hint of ruby near the rim. Wines made from Negroamaro tend to be very rustic in character, combining perfume with an earthy bitterness. The vine is vigorous and high yielding with a distinct preference for limey soils, and well suited to Puglia’s hot summers.

Much of Puglia’s wine production had previously gone into cheaper jug wines or was blended into unbranded wines. Times are changing, however, and today Pugliese producers seem to have developed the goal of making well-crafted wines that express a unique sense of place.

Primitivo di Manduria is another excellent Pugliese red wine. It was recently discovered by an American scholar that, somewhat curiously, Primitivo di Manduria shares the same DNA as the American Zinfandel – the well-appreciated and prize-winning California grape. Deep ruby purple, and like other wines from this region, Primitivo is big and peppery with a cinnamon bouquet and rich, abundantly endowed lingering flavors.

Castel del Monte was first produced in Puglia in the 13th century. This wine’s namesake, a gorgeous medieval castle built by Fredrick II, still stands dominating endless vineyards and olive groves of immense beauty. Castel del Monte can be a blended red, white, or rosé wine. With its ruby red color turning deep orange with age, rosso is a dry wine made from mostly Uva di Troila or Aglianico grapes. Puglia also makes light white wines with the Bombino Bianco, Verdeca and Pampanuto, and some barrel fermented Chardonnays.

Puglia is one of the most fertile regions in all of Italy, on par with the Po Valley. Its wines are luscious, heavy and definitely “food wines.” Typical dishes in Puglia to accompany their local wines include melanzane alla campagnola (“Peasant Eggplant”), the ever-present orecchiette with broccoli, flavored breads, aged ricotta, and the region’s best raw frutta di mare – the coast’s delectable “fruits of the sea.” Don’t be afraid to serve reds with fish, as wine-lovers are starting to break the rules of tradition and are now steadily turning to this unusual flavor combination.

Stay tuned for next week’s chapter of Wednesday Wines, where we will be exploring the abundance and richness of the wines of Italy’s Campania region.

Salute!

Would you like to visit Puglia and even see one of the trulli in which one of your ancestors once lived? Would you like to even have the chance to meet your Pugliesi relatives still living there as well? Contact us today and find out how italyMONDO! can help you research your Italian (and Pugliese!) family tree or create a vacation of a lifetime with a custom Heritage Tour for you and your family!

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Ciao, fellow oenophiles!

Welcome back to our weekly Wednesday Wines segment. Are you ready for a taste of some fine vino lucano? If so, then follow me as we venture out of Calabria and into the neighboring region, the relatively unknown Basilicata – La Lucania.

All the way down at the southern end of Italy, in the arch of the boot, is the region of Basilicata. It is sparsely populated, home to sturdy people of ancient traditions. (It’s still not uncommon to see men riding donkeys, or women carrying balls of clothing atop their heads). The Roman name of the region was Lucania, named after the first known settlers—the Lucanian people—whose name was derived from the root lucus, Latin for “forest.” The Samnites tribes once inhabited the area as well, before the Greeks took it and began planting vines in the areas around Monte Vulture. An area from which some of the best Aglianico still comes from today. This extinct volcano in northwest Basilicata is 4,350 feet high and boasts mineral-rich soils. Some vineyard are as high as 2,400 feet above sea level, although the better ones are normally grown between 600 to 1,800 feet – mostly concentrated on the eastern face of the volcano, where the climate is rather cool. The harvests are some of the latest in Italy, usually beginning around October 20th or even later. This longer, cooler growing season allows the grapes to develop not only physically, but also allows them to acquire greater balance and complexity.

Basilicata has only one DOC wine star called Aglianico del Vulture, but what a star it is! The quality of it is such that it ranks at the forefront among the best known and appreciated reds in Italy, and recently has been gaining admirers elsewhere as well. The Aglianico grape—also the base of Campania’s Taurasi—was one of those brought to the Lucania by the Greeks in the 7th century B.C. (The name Aglianico is, in fact, a corruption of the word Hellenico).

In the still untouched region of Basilicata, It’s still not uncommon to see men riding donkeys, or women carrying balls of clothing atop their heads to century-old fountains to be washed.

The slopes of the extinct volcano Monte Vulture produce a robust, deeply colored wine that can improve for many years from fine vintages, becoming increasingly refined and complex in flavor. Garnet red with brown hues when older, Aglianico del Vulture’s nose is fragrant and bold, wonderfully redolent of strawberry and raspberry. It is dry and harmonic on the palate, tending towards a more velvety finish with maturity. Aglianico del Vulture cannot be sold before one year from the vintage, but there are also younger versions of the wine – sometimes semisweet and even sparkling. The robust Aglianico del Vulture goes very well with meats, especially roasts and wild game.

Other respected wines from La Lucania are the theTerra dell’Alta Val d’Agri red and rosé wines, which are based on Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. The rosso (red) pairs beautifully with savory dishes like pasta with meat or a mushroom ragù, as well as main courses like grilled, stewed or oven-baked red meats. This interesting wine is also delicious served with aged Pecorino cheese.

Matera, which takes its name from the city and province in which it is grown, uses a range of varieties in its six major types of wine, including the red Sangiovese, Primitivo and Cabernet Sauvignon in addition to it’s notable whites such as Greco Bianco and Malvasia Bianca di Basilicata.

Next week’s installment of Wednesday Wines will bring us toward the Adriatic coast and into the region of Puglia (Apulia), a fertile land of excruciating beauty and deep historical and agricultural wealth. Besides its abundance in olive trees and wheat, Puglia produces more wine than any other Italian region – competing with Sicily for first place as grape producer.

So until next week, Salute!

Would you like to visit Basilicata and discover all this untouched region has to offer? Would you like to find your relatives still living there as well? Contact us today and find out how italyMONDO! can help you research your Italian (and Lucano!) family tree or create a vacation of a lifetime with a custom Heritage Tour or Excursion for you and your family!

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For this week’s installment of Wednesday Wines, I will be taking all of my fellow wine-lovers to mainland Italy on a guided tour of Calabria’s fruitful vine lands and their interesting winery products.

Calabria, which forms the toe of the Italian boot-shaped peninsula, is a predominately mountainous region with marked variations in climate between the sunny coastal hills along the Ionian and Tyrrhenian seas, and the chilly heights of the Sila, Pollino and Aspromonte massifs.

In ancient times, Calabria (and much of its neighboring areas) was referred to as Oenotria – “the land of wine.” The vino produced in Calabria at the time not only had a remarkable importance in the area’s economy, but it was also already renowned for its superb quality. The historic distinctive qualities of Calabrian wine were its vigor, strength, and its intense aroma, capable—it is said—of being able to resuscitate the dead. It’s not surprising that the area was studded with temples erected in honor of the god Bacchus, the Roman name for Dionysus – the god of wine!

Calabrian wines pair beautifully with the local cuisine, a balance between meat-based dishes (pork, lamb, goat), vegetables (especially eggplant), and fish. In contrast to most other Italian regions, Calabrians have traditionally placed an emphasis on the preservation of their food, in part because of the climate and potential crop failures. The result is the tradition of packing vegetables and meats in olive oil, making sausages (Soppressata and ’Nduja, to mention a few), and—along the coast—curing fish, especially swordfish, sardines and baccalà (cod). All these delicious local foods greatly benefit from Calabria’s local vintages. Lets explore them.

Legend has it that in the early Olympics, the Calabrian athletes would toast with Cirò, Calabria’s most renowned wine, and offer it to the Gods to celebrate their victory.

Notable Calabrian wines include Melissa that comes in white and red varieties and the Greco di Bianco, an amber-colored sweet dessert wine produced around the town of Bianco. Donnici, Pollino, Lamezia, Savuto and Bivongi shine as other regional favorites, but Calabria’s best-known wine is Cirò, which grows in low hills along the Ionian coast, between the ancient Greek cities of Sybaris and Kroton – modern-day Sibari and Crotone. Cirò is the major DOC produced in Calabria both for quantity and quality. The classic Cirò is red, which in the reserve version has the capacity to age beyond a decade in certain vintages. Spicy, dried fruit characteristics are evident in the bouquet that follows through the finish. There is also a Cirò rosato (rosé) and a bianco made from Greco grapes that can both show impressive youthful freshness.

Legend has it that in the early Olympics, the Calabrian athletes would toast with Cirò and offer it to the Gods to celebrate their victory. In observance of that ancient tradition, all the athletes who participated in the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City were offered Cirò wine with their meals during the period of the competition.

Next week we will be exploring the wines of Basilicata, also known as the Lucania. This is an often unjustly neglected region of parched hills and desolate mountains that can be very cold for a southern Italian region. But the cool upland climate has its advantages for viticulture, evident in wines that can show enviable aromas and flavors.

Salute!

Would you like to discover the untouched wonders of Calabria and even find your relatives still living in Italy as well? Contact us today and find out how italyMONDO! can help you research your Italian (and Calabrese!) family tree and create a vacation of a lifetime with a custom Heritage Tour or Excursion for you and your family!

Photo Courtesy of “pynomoscato” at Flickr

For this week’s segment of Wednesday Wines we will be tasting wines hailing from the gorgeous island of Sardegna (Sardinia). Noble reds and whites, as well as rosés and sweet dessert wines, are the pride of the “Emerald Isle.”

The wine routes of this island lead to fantastic landscapes where viticulture has been in existence since pre-Roman times, a tradition that began with the people of the nuraghi and that is still continued after three millennia. A wine tour Sardegna takes the visitor on a fantastic journey of pleasures of the senses with the perfumes, flavors and the vibrant colors of the island.

Among the island’s most important red varieties are Cannonau, a relative of the Spanish Granacha, and Monica, which is also of Spanish origin. There is a bit of controversy these days about the origins of Cannonau, however. It was once thought as common knowledge that the Spanish brought it to Sardegna, but now experts are more prone to say the grape is indigenous to the island, and that the Spanish took it back with them after they invaded Sardegna in the 13th century.

Vineyards in the rugged eastern coastal range around Nuoro are noted for their rich and versatile Cannonau di Sardegna, which pairs beautifully with local meat dishes like Porceddu, a charcoal grilled piglet, as well as various sausage or lamb recipes. Mature Cannonau is opaque, very dark red–almost black–and exhibits concentrated ripe red forest fruits, tobacco, spices, and cigar box on the nose.

Vermentino is the most famous wine made from the late ripening white Vermentino grape, and is responsible for the prestigious DOCG Vermentino di Gallura and Vermentino di Gallura Superiore, which are produced in the province of Olbia in the north end of the island. Vermentino grapes are thought to be related to the Malvasia variety and to have been brought to Italy in the 15th century during the period of Spanish domination. Vermentino—crisp, acidic grapes with herbal hints—are often grown on slopes facing the sea where they can benefit from the additional reflected light and iodine-rich air.

With its delicate aromas of fruit and hint of almonds in the finish, Vermentino is a wine to be enjoyed young. In addition to being the perfect complement to all kinds of seafood recipes—from simple steamed shrimp to elaborate seafood platters with vegetables and deep-sea grouper or swordfish—this wine is delicious as an exciting aperitivo for all occasions.

In Gallura, the Moscato and Nebbiolo grapes thrive as well. The spumante-dolce version of the Moscato di Tempio DOC is among the most delicate and appreciated dessert wines produced on the island, and the red Nebbiolo—known as Nebbiolo di Luras—has recently met with a widespread success among wine lovers.

Semidano is a white table wine, ideal with primi piatti (first courses), fish soups, and lean meat ragùs. It also performs nicely as a sparkling wine. Semidano wine pairs nicely with spicy foods, poultry and pork – and is perfect with lobster and pasta with clams.

Nuragus di Cagliari DOC is an ancient Phoenician varietal found in southern Sardegna. It yields light and tart wines that are enjoyed as an apertivo, or with light seafood meals on the beach.

The Tuscan Vernaccia vine has many clone varieties, but is unrelated to some Italian vines known by the same name, such as the Sardinian varieties used in Vernaccia di Oristano. This is an ancient, aging, golden yellow white wine that can be compared to the best Jerez wines and Sherries. It is a perfect meditation/conversation wine that can be paired with the most refined of the traditional island pastries.

A rising star among Sardinian wines is Carignano del Sulcis, a red or rosé from the southwest that was probably imported in ancient times by the French. It is a precious wine that confirms the connection between the ancient and the modern achieved by Sardinian oenology. It is excellent with hearty pastas and soups, roasted meat, and aged cheese. Another interesting wine among the reds is the moderately sweet Girò di Cagliari, and the red and rosé Mandrolisai DOC made in the area around the center of Sorgono.

Stay tuned for next week’s appointment with the vigorous wines of Calabria, the long and narrow peninsula that forms the toe of of Italy’s “Boot.” In ancient times Calabria was called Oenotria, which translates from Latin to “Land of Wine” – making it fitting to be our first stop mainland before we travel up the Italian coast to explore each region’s wines one-by-one!

Salute!

Would you like to explore the seemingly untouched island of Sardegna on a vacation of a lifetime – and even get the chance to find your long-lost family still living in Italy as well? Contact us today and find out how italyMONDO! can help you research your Italian (and Sardinian!) family tree, help you become a Dual Italian-American Citizen, and so much more!

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Tears of lava, limestone plains swept by the wind, sunny lands shaded of bronze and gold. A sea, home to dolphins and swordfish, perennially the color of sapphire. A people of unmeasured hospitality and creativity. All this says welcome to Sicilia, l’Isola del Sole!

Sicily’s warm, dry climate, sloping hillsides, and rocky soil make it ideal for growing grapes – on par with California’s Napa Valley, for example. But while New World vineyards like Napa, Australia and Chile have become famous for producing fine, world-class wines, Sicily’s 4,000-year-old tradition of bulk winemaking has caused oenophiles to turn up their noses.

…Until now.

A new generation of Sicilian winemakers is winning worldwide acclaim for excellent medium-priced and premium wines. A new breed is securing accolades around the world. This transformation has come about thanks to changes in viticulture techniques and winemaking expertise. While whites have led the way so far, reds are now racing up the quality curve. Until recently, Sicilian reds were overly heavy and alcohol-loaded.

One usually associates fine wines with eastern Sicily and the areas near Mount Etna, but many new wineries have sprung up across the entire island. Sicilian viticulture is not just varietals (wines made from a single specified variety of grape). Sicily’s vintage wines are a magical creation, and many of the island’s traditional wines and spirits are famous far beyond its dazzling shores. Several boast DOC and DOCG designations. Sicily has its own table and dessert wines, and a number of regional liqueurs. Let’s take a look at them.

Catarratto Bianco is the island’s most-planted white wine grape. It thrives in the Trapani area, as well as in the volcanic Eolian Isles, where it is commonly called Castellaro. Other noteworthy Sicilian whites are Carricante, Contessa Entellina, Corinto, Grecanico, Grillo, Inzolia, (also known as Insolia or Ansonica), and Bianco d’Alcamo, made mainly in the Palermo and Trapani provinces.

Sicily’s warm, dry climate, sloping hillsides, and rocky soil make it ideal for growing grapes – on par with California’s Napa Valley, for example.

Nero d’Avola is a noble Sicilian wine with a dense ruby-red color. Perhaps the most important indigenous red wine grape in Sicily. Nero d’Avola is named after the town of Avola in the far south end of Sicilia and its wines are compared to New World Shirazes with their notorious sweet tannins and plum or peppery flavors. The enthralling bouquet of Nero d’Avola recalls chocolate and black cherry, hints of violets with a light trace of tobacco at the close. It is a wine with a big structure and a remarkable personality, and in recent years has been becoming quite chic among wine-lovers in America.

More interesting Sicilian reds are: Gaglioppo, Frappato, Nerello Cappuccio or Mantellato, Nerello Mascalese, and Perricone, whose alternative name is Pignatello. Il Vino Siciliano, in both its skin colors, pairs perfectly with the fresh seafood and specialties the island so lavishly offers.

Sicily is also famed for its sweet dessert wines and liqueurs, ranging from the world-known Marsalav, to the interesting Zibibbo. It is a very old process, and Zibibbo, though not the direct precursor of Marsala, derives from a formula known in the Middle Ages. It is typically slightly lower in alcohol than Marsala and sometimes more robust. The Zibibbo grape is similar to Moscato, and the wine known as Moscato di Pantelleria Naturale is made mostly from Zibibbo grapes.

Moscato itself is difficult to describe. It comes from the Muscat grape, of course, or from the sub-variety known locally as Moscatello. Some fine whites can be made from Muscat, but in Sicily and the nearby Eolian islands it is usually rendered as a golden or light amber dessert wine, sometimes fortified or even sparkling (spumante). Moscato and Moscato Passito are made by some distinguished wineries on the islands of Pantelleria and Lipari. The areas around Siracusa and Noto, in the eastern part of Sicily, also produce fine Moscato wines.

Malvasia is another white grape used to make a strong varietal that is golden to amber in color and slightly fortified. Bred from an older grape variety, Malvasia is grown in northeastern Sicily (near Messina) and on the island of Lipari, where it is used in the making of a wine somewhat similar to Moscato.

Meet me next week for yet another wine tasting tour in the southern Italy as we take a ferry over to Sardegna. Here we will be learning more about the vino of this stunning island, one of the most ancient areas of Italy.

Salute!

Would you like to travel the hills of Sicily as your ancestors once did – and even have the chance to find your Sicilian relatives still living there as well? Contact us today and find out how italyMONDO! can help you research your Italian (and Sicilian!) family tree or create a vacation of a lifetime with a custom Heritage Tour for you and your family!

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Naples is a city of unexpected art forms. The Neapolitan pizza is perfection. The graceful and exuberant language of gestures is on display at every street market, restaurant and café. And anyone who has experienced the thrill and challenge of driving in this beautiful city knows that even driving is an art form. (Finding a parking spot can take a lifetime of practice!) But there’s another local art form you can’t miss when you’re walking through the lively and colorful streets of Naples – I Dolci (the desserts).

With a pasticceria or café located around just about every corner, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to experience the Neapolitan’s proudly prepared cakes, pastries and desserts. The problem, however, is knowing where to start! You simply must try the heavenly Sfogliatella. The pastry, with its crisp, flaky shell and sweet ricotta cheese filling, is undeniably a Neapolitan classic. But the sfogliatella isn’t the only Neapolitan sweet treat that you should try when you visit Napoli, though. Babà, a rum-soaked sponge cake with a funny name that you’ll find in all sorts of tempting shapes and sizes, is sure to be a delicious experience.

The origin of the babà takes us back to the 18th century when Naples was ruled by the Bourbon King Ferdinand IV and his wife Maria Carolina, the sister of Queen Marie Antoinette of France. The French influence on the regional cuisine of Naples—at least that of the elite and wealthy classes—was pronounced during this period as French chefs became de rigueur. One of the French-influenced desserts to show up on Neapolitan tables was the babà.

The French influence on the regional cuisine of Naples—at least that of the elite and wealthy classes—was pronounced during this period as French chefs became de rigueur. One of the French-influenced desserts to show up on Neapolitan tables was the babà.

However, the story of this little Neapolitan cake is not over yet. First we have to travel from Paris to the court of King Stanislaw Leszczyński of Poland, where the rum-soaked cake was supposedly born. According to Neapolitan tradition, the cake was created when the King poured some rum over the top of a Polish cake he found too dry. The King’s new cake became an immediate success in Paris when Stanislaw’s daughter, Marie, married King Louis XV of France. From there the dessert made its way to Naples where it received a few finishing touches and became the Babà Napoletano (or Babà alla Napoletana) that we know today.

…Phew – that’s a lot of traveling for one little cake!

Traditionally the babà is baked in a round tin similar to a bundt pan, and before being served is doused with a mixture of water, sugar and rum. This is also the easiest and most common way the babà is made at home. In a pasticceria, you’ll also find babà in their traditional mushroom or chef’s hat shape. These are baked in individual tins and are soaked in the rum mixture after they cool from the oven.

And just when you think it can’t get any better, the Neapolitans know how to improve on perfection. For those who find the light, traditional babà not quite rich enough, be sure to try the cream or chocolate filled variations. Sometimes the babà is even covered with an apricot glaze and garnished with fresh fruit or cream, so keep your eye out for one of these over-the-top babà variations!

Traditions keep developing here in Campania, and another variation of the babà dessert has developed on the island of Capri and on the Amalfi Coast, where it is now common to soak the babà in the strong and flavorful limoncello liqueur produced in the area. A good idea is always a good idea, and the babà al limoncello has quickly become popular throughout Campania and Italy.

Now that you have two pastries to taste on your “must eat” list for Naples, stop by next week as we sample the Zeppole di San Giuseppe – yet another traditional Neapolitan dessert.

Would you like to walk the ancient streets of Naples as your ancestors once did – and even have the chance to uncover living relatives in the process? Contact us and find out how italyMONDO! can help you research your Italian family tree or create a vacation of a lifetime for you and your family!

Photo Courtesy of “emiana” at Flickr

Welcome back to those of you who enjoyed our Introduction to Italy and its Wines on this blog some months back. As we jump back into our Wednesday’s weekly wine appointments, I look forward to sharing my love of Italian wines with you as we explore Italy from top to toe. So in the weeks to come, don’t forget to stop by each Wednesday to learn all about the Wines of Southern Italy!

Shall we begin?

Italy is the most diverse wine-growing region in the world. Each region not only has its own food variations, but also produces its own wine to suit. There are 900,000 vineyards registered in Italy – and nobody knows quite how many wines. That means there is a vineyard for every seven people!

This makes it difficult to give any definitive account of wine regions here, and indeed there are very few people who could claim to have a full knowledge of Italian wine. However, for the beginning enthusiast and those epicureans seeking some guidance in the vast expanse of the wine of Il Bel Paese, the task is often tackled by approaching the peninsula in sections. I will guide you through the southern wine territories first and, gradually working our way up the boot, we will cover Italian wines region-by-region – glass in hand.

This week we will be introducing italyMONDO! Blog readers and followers to the delightful wines of the south. We will be discovering wines hailing from the islands of Sicily and Sardegna, the continental regions of Calabria, Basilicata, Puglia in the former Magna Græcia, and then moving up to the plentiful vineyards of Campania before traveling to Molise, Abruzzo and Lazio. Come along as we take a wine-tasting tour of southern Italy’s wine country.

While they’’re not superstars like their Tuscan, Friuliani or Piemontese cousins, the wines of Italy’s southern regions are equally bold, full-bodied, and tremendously satisfying.

Southern Italy has been producing wine for over 4,000 years. Arabs and Phoenicians planted what may have been the first “foreign” vines in the southern part of the peninsula. Later, Greeks—and the Romans in their turn—recognized the potential of the slopes that gave them Falernum, Caecubum, Mamertinum and other heady wines that were praised by poets like Horace and Virgil. Many more outsiders left their marks on these Mediterranean shores, foremost the Spaniards, who dominated the southern portion of the peninsula until the Risorgimento in the nineteenth century and brought their own grapes into Sardegna, Sicily and other places centuries after the first settlers had begun cultivating the vine.

The misconception that the Mezzogiorno has a universally torrid climate overlooks the fact that much of the territory is temperate with parts that are positively chilly. Conditions depend on altitude and proximity to the Tyrrhenian, Ionian or Adriatic seas and their winds. Fine wines are made in warm places – the slopes of volcanoes, sunbathed islands, Puglia’s spectacular Salento peninsula, Sicily’s western coast and Sardegna’s Campidano plains. But many wines of scope come from higher, cooler places, like the hills around Avellino in Campania, Basilicata’s Vulture area, Sicily’s central highlands, Puglia’s interior plateau and even the below the snowcapped mountains of the Abruzzo and Molise. While they’re not superstars like their Tuscan, Friuliani or Piemontese cousins, the wines of Italy’s southern regions are equally bold, full-bodied, and tremendously satisfying.

We will begin our discovery of southern Italian wines next Wednesday by following the ancient Greeks’ council, who took huge pleasure in the wines of the magical island of Sicily.

Until next week… salute!

Would you like to taste wine from the same vines that your ancestors in southern Italian once used – and even have the chance to meet living relatives in the process? Contact us and find out how italyMONDO! can help you research your Italian family tree or create a vacation of a lifetime for you and your family – wine tours and all!

Photo Courtesy of “rdesai” at Flickr