Drink Italia! Pecorino wine

pecorino wine with white wine bottle and grapes

We take a look at Pecorino, an ancient grape from central Italy which makes excellent white wines and which deserves to be better known beyond the confines of its terroir… Chances are that if you’ve visited Le Marche or Abruzzo in central Italy, you’ll have drunk a glass or two of a local white wine […]

Drink Italia! Piedmont white wines

le langhe, piedmont

Northwest Italy isn’t just about world-beating reds – it’s home to some stunning whites too. We take a look at some of the finest Piedmont white wines on offer Piedmont has long been a wealthy centre of industry, benefitting from good trade and transport links with the rest of Europe, which helped it on its way […]

Drink Italia! the best Tuscan red wines

From Chianti Classico to Rosso di Montalcino, we explore some well-priced Tuscan red wines from prestigious smaller producers that punch well above their weight  Tuscany is the heartland of the Sangiovese grape, the name of which derives from Sanguis Jovis, ‘the blood of Jupiter’. Thought to be an indigenous vine cultivated by the Etruscans, it […]

Drink Italia! red wines from Puglia

Rich and intense, thanks to the hot summer climate, red wines from Puglia continue to consolidate their reputation for finely crafted wine at fair prices Puglia’s largely flat, fertile lands have supported vines – and grains – since at least as far back as the 3rd century BC. There are very few mountains in the […]

Puglia dining & accommodation guide

octopus ceviche

Adrian Mourby shares some of his favourite places to eat in Puglia, plus places to stay with a focus on local gastronomy… Puglia photos by Kate Tadman Mourby  Where to eat Gran Bar Pugliese This superb café and fish restaurant sits on an old harbourside just 15 minutes from Bari Airport. Ideal for a first […]

Drink Italia! red wine from Veneto

red wine from veneto

There’s a delicious diversity to the wines of Veneto, thanks to the varying types of terrain and soil in this region. Here we explore some of its best reds… Although not vast in size, Veneto is one of the largest-producing regions of DOC wines in Italy. The variety of wine styles offered by Veneto are […]

Drink Italia! Fiano

If you fancy changing up your Pinot Grigio, fruity Fiano wines from the sunny south could be just what you are looking for… Native to Campania, the Fiano grape (in its DOCG appellation Fiano di Avellino) is grown on the volcanic slopes in around the commune of Avellino. This is an area that has a […]

Super Tuscany

Sassicaia barrels tenuta san guido, Maremma, Tuscany

Tuscany’s Alta Maremma – once a malaria-infested swamp – has become a mecca for hedonists the world over. Anna Blomefield finds out why… Photos by Anna Blomefield unless otherwise stated   I’m leafing back through my wine-tasting notes. “Perfumed, black fruits, baked, liquorice. Great length… amazing!” The page is stained with purple drips. I remember this […]

Drink Italia! Prosecco

Drinking prosecco

The past few years have seen Prosecco become the go-to party fizz, but don’t let the lighthearted bubbles fool you: premium Prosecco is in a class of its own. We take a look… Glera, the Prosecco grape variety, has been grown in the area north of Treviso for hundreds of years, in particular around Conegliano […]

Drink Italia! Nebbiolo wines

Barolo vineyard Piedmont italy

We celebrate the sophistication of northern Italy’s splendid Nebbiolo grape, from world-renowned Barolo to the more accessible and wallet-friendly Nebbiolo wines of the region   The Nebbiolo grape is a versatile one, of that there can be no doubt – from the majestic and powerful Barolo and Barbaresco wines of southern Piedmont to the elegant, […]