Have you ever tasted St. Magdalena wine? It's one of the two flagship wines from Bolzano Bozen. The wine growing area of Bolzano Bozen covers 12% of the vineyards in the Alto Adige/Südtirol region. The wine production is 63% red and 37% white. The main grape varieties are Schiava (Vernatsch), Lagrein, Gewürztraminer, and Pinot Blanc. St. Magdalena is one of the most important red wines from Alto Adige/Südtirol. So much that there is a specific event held every two years for this wine. It's the St. Magdalener Culinarium. This year it took place on Friday 11 and Saturday 12 September. Two days to taste all the different shades of this great red wine. Now, I'd like to tell you all about the main characteristics of St. Magdalena wine and how cool St. Magdalener Culinarium was. So you can take part in next year's event. Are you ready? Let's start!
Wine Tasting
Berlucchi ’61 Franciacorta Nature: discover 2013
What's your favourite wine from Franciacorta? It's a very large and famous area for sparkling wine production. There is something for all tastes. Without doubt, Guido Berlucchi is one of my favourite wineries. It has written the history of Franciacorta! The cellar is so amazing and magical to see (put a visit on your bucket list). If you are a zero dosage lover, you should certainly taste the Berlucchi '61 Franciacorta Nature collection. You'll be pleased! The lineup is composed of three vintage wines: Berlucchi '61 Nature (first vintage, 2009), Berlucchi '61 Nature Blanc de Blancs (first vintage, 2012), and Berlucchi '61 Nature Rosé (first vintage, 2011).
Anteprima Amarone 2016: what a great vintage!
When was the last time that you tasted an Amarone wine? It's a full-bodied wine with high alcohol and sometimes it's too heavy. Usually, you have to find the right occasion or the best paring to open a bottle of Amarone. In a nutshell, it's hard to drink it. Ok, this might have been true in past, but now its style is quite different! A "slimming" transformation is underway on Amarone and this operation is not easy without distorting the wine. But some wineries have been successful. They obtained a more drinkable Amarone and always worked to high quality. I appreciated this good job by tasting several Amarone 2016 wines during the official preview last week. Some were bottled, others were barrel samples. Here, I'll give you my impressions about. Are you ready? Let's start!
Mercato dei Vini FIVI Piacenza 2019: the South of Italy
How many wines from the South of Italy do you know? Italy is a wonderful wine region, but it's immensely difficult to know all its wines. More than 350 indigenous grape varieties, a lot of subregions, small and big productions. There's something for every taste! Mercato dei Vini FIVI is the right place for all the wine lovers. You can improve your knowledge of wine there. I'm not an expert in the South of Italy, so I took the opportunity. First I'll tell you the reasons why you should take part in this fair, then I'll share my favourite tastings. Are you ready? Let's start!
Merano WineFestival 2018: my 5 + 1 favorite wines
Have you taken part in Merano WineFestival this year? I'm traveling a lot in Alto Adige and am in love with this region. It offers great wines, delicious food, some stunning spots in Italy, and the people are amazing. Then, I couldn't miss Merano WineFestival 2018. The event has reached its 27th edition and even more wine lovers came to taste the great selection by The WineHunter. Now I want to tell the news of this edition and share the new wine discoveries with you. Are you ready? Let's start!
Bottiglie Aperte 2018 opened the first Milano Wine Week
Have you heard about the Milano Wine Week? It was the first edition and it has been a great success! Milan was the wine capital for one whole week with a lot of events, from tastings to speeches. Bottiglie Aperte 2018 was the opening event on 7 and 8 October. Do you remember my last experience of Bottiglie Aperte? There are always some interesting wines here from small to big producers. This is the reason why this was my 3rd visit. Now I want to share my impressions and the new wine discoveries with you. Are you ready? Let's start!
Only Wine Festival 2018: small and young producers
Have you ever heard of the Only Wine Festival? It's a fair for small and young wine producers. It happened after Vinitaly and in Città di Castello (Umbria). I also took part in the last edition. The Only Wine Festival is a type of wine event which I like, because you can discover some interesting pearls in the wine trade. I'll now give you more details about the event and which new wines impressed me. Are you ready? Let's start!
Cascina Chicco: a wine pearl in the Roero region
Have you ever been to the Roero region? I live in Piedmont and think that it's one of the most beautiful wine regions in the world. Here you can find many types of wine. There are 17 DOCG (Denominazione di origine controllata e garantita) - the Italian DOCG are 75 - and a lot of indigenous grapes. It's very hard not to find a wine to your taste. It's also hard to know all the wine regions of Piedmont well, exactly because the ampelographic patrimony is so huge. One of the ones that I knew little is the Roero. During Vinitaly 2018 I visited the stand of Cascina Chicco and three weeks ago took part in a tour of the cellar and the vineyards. You may have seen some pics and video on my Instagram Stories. I want to tell you more about the Roero region and my experience at Cascina Chicco. Are you ready? Let's start!
What’s Vinitaly for a wine influencer?
Do you know what a wine influencer does during Vinitaly? There is more and more talk about wine influencers. But, who are they? The term “influencer” means a person who influences other people and their choices. Then a wine influencer is a person who influences people in the wine trade. In my opinion, we are all influencers, some more than others. When you need to find a new restaurant, you ask a friend or a member of your family. That person influences you! People define me as a wine influencer for the large community that believes me. Now, I'll tell you what the days are like for a wine influencer during Vinitaly. More precisely, what Vinitaly 2018 was like for me. Are you ready? Let’s start!