T he hierarchies of the great wines of the Langhe are still a mystery to me. After 40+ years, I look over the panorama and am baffled over...

“Make your mistakes, take your chances, look silly, but keep on going. Don’t freeze up.”   -Thomas Wolfe T he past few days in New York,...

From the dies canulares storybook I t had been a brutally hot summer. Sangiovese came up to me and announced, “I can’t take it here anym...

The social hierarchy of vines A mong the many hundreds of Italian vines there is a pecking order. Some are more important than others. O...

Lighting the fire balloon at Ferragosto M any Italians have spent the day at the beach, in mirthful play. Back home, work proceeds. It’s...

Echoes from the archives  - posted 1/10/13 From the “Om mani padme om-erta” dept. T he single most asked question I get, on a regular ...

Sometimes it just seems things aren’t meant to work out exactly like one wants them to. I have this propensity to attract bad behavior on an...

Great Italian wines for everyday enjoyment (and one special occasion wine) I t’s August and I’m on a plane to Indianapolis. I had a brief ...

Running a little behind on my regular posting - lots of travel and not enough time to gather thoughts. A post is forthcoming, just a litt...

I thought we might have dodged the bullet. You know, the one whereby all the wines of the country are judged by a few? France has had that...

Rainbow over the Tanaro I got a call recently from a pal in back home. He was going to try out a new Italian spot and would report back...

C alifornia is my kind if déjà vu. Wherever I go, there is a memory. When I talk to someone from California, we share commonalities, wheth...

T here’s nothing like breaking one’s obsession by going in a totally opposite direction. Thusly, I headed for Napa Valley this week, leav...

Taking time off from my usual posting schedule to celebrate a birthday. Back sometime soon. written by Alfonso Cevola limited rights...

T he ferry is closed, rough waters in the Strait of Messina. Airplanes cannot fly in and out of Catania airport, too much ash from Etna. A...