Grapes
7 articles
Nebbiolo, Italy’s most difficult (and greatest) grape
Pale colour, fierce tannin, late ripening: why Nebbiolo tests both those who grow it and those who drink it, from Barolo to Valtellina.
Sangiovese, one grape with a hundred faces (and no identity papers)
Chianti Classico, Brunello, Nobile, Morellino, Romagna: why the same Sangiovese changes its face on every hill, and why it fools everyone blind.
Aglianico, the “Barolo of the South” that doesn’t need Piedmont
Taurasi, Vulture and Taburno: why Aglianico gets called the “Barolo of the South”, and why the nickname ends up fitting it like a suit a size too small.
Verdicchio, the white wine that ages better than many reds
Castelli di Jesi and Matelica, the amphora bottle, the Riserva DOCG: why Verdicchio is the Italian white wine that truly knows how to wait in the cellar.
Timorasso, the white wine Piedmont had forgotten it had
From half a hectare in the 1980s to the Derthona name: how Timorasso from the Colli Tortonesi came back from extinction, and why it now divides opinion.
Lambrusco, the “cheap” wine that never really was
Sorbara, Grasparossa, Salamino: Lambrusco is a family of grapes, not just a sweet export wine. History, DOCs, bottle-fermented styles and the Emilian table.
Forgotten grapes: why Italy is rediscovering its lost varieties
From Verdiso to Pecorino, from Raboso to Cagnulari: how a near-extinct grape variety is saved, and why the fashion for native grapes also carries risks.