O ne of the intriguing aspects about winemaking in Eastern Sicily, especially around Etna and Vittoria, is how tradition has very little t...

I t would be too easy for casual wine trekkers to bypass the area south of Etna. After all, the wines of Etna are among the current darlin...

R olling down SS120 from Randazzo to Passopisciaro, there’s a modern structure, empty and abandoned. It could be a dystopian bunker, built...

A fter 30 years of going to Etna, I’ve learned there is a simple way and there is the hard way. I’ve done the hard way a time or two. Simp...

I taly is a place of confluence, in the flesh, and in the mind’s eye. One of the mindscapes I reach into, especially when going into souther...

P ity the poor Aglianico vine, set within the shadow of a volcano whose better days are lost somewhere in the dustbin of geology. Imprisoned...

2016 has taken this one down, and sometimes off, the wine trail. Personal detours along with a professional recalibration combined with a...

Happy Mother's Day, Mom photo by Louis Cevola T he Italians have a toast. When celebrating someone’s birthday they say “Cent’anni!”...

Alois Lageder F or a wine producing country that makes approximately 25% of the world’s wine, Italy is in a unique position. In 50 years...

Has the role wine plays in our lives become too invasive? A fter a five hour drive this past week from Dallas to Houston (a bit longer t...

From Ripley's "Believe It or Not!" desk Photo from Palazzo Chigi Youtube 25 Years ago, writing about the 25th Vinitaly ...

From the "Dispatch from Dogpatch" desk I n a recent post from Italy and ViniVeri, a blogger referenced the poet/philosopher/wi...

I remember the first time a woman told me, “I love you, but I’m not in love with you.” I couldn’t quite understand what she meant. But I ...

O ver the past month, as my personal fog has lifted, there have been dreams. And in these dreams, many of them have had family who are no ...

The vault of memory stores more than kisses, licks, slaps, bites and stings. A long-time colleague of mine obsesses over Vernaccia from...