Alice from Italian Wine Connection here.

It's Friyay! Are you all ready for a sparkling weekend?

We certainly are! Two of our customers' favourites have travelled all the way to Australia and are finally back on our shelves 🥂🥂🥂

For those who aren't very familiar with Borgo Molino Prosecco and Tolardo Prosecco (weeeeird! 😮), here is a little description:

• BORGO MOLINO Prosecco is produced on the Valdobbiadene Hills, fruity and elegant, with fine bubbles to caress the palate
• TOLARDO Prosecco is produced in Treviso, fresh and lively, with flavours of ripe stone fruits and hints of orange and melon

Here are the direct links to their pages: Borgo Molino and Tolardo.

They are both "Extra Dry"...

Speaking of which, let's talk (very briefly) about residual sugar in sparkling wine: 

• Brut Nature = 0-3 g/l RS
• Extra Brut = 0-6 g/l RS
• Brut = 0-12 g/l RS 
• Extra Dry = 12-17 g/l RS 
• Dry = 17-32 g/l RS
• Demi-Sec = 32-50 g/l RS
• Doux = 50+ g/l RS 

So:

• Brut Nature = The driest sparkling wine, no added sugar, no dosage
• Doux = The sweetest sparkling wine

On a scale between "Brut Nature" and "Doux", Borgo Molino and Tolardo Prosecco are sort of in the middle... which doesn't mean that they are sweet wines, in fact they are just slightly less dry than brut and extra brut proseccos.

We know, it's confusing 🙈🙈🙈 but we hope it makes much more sense now!

*** NEWS ***

#sixplusone

Have you checked out "6+1" yet? 🍾🍾🍾🍾🍾🍾+🍾

Buy 6 bottles and get the 7th for FREE. Every time. Find out more here!

zipPay

Buy now and pay later, interests FREE. Available for all of your one-off orders (does not apply to "6+1", sorry).

Want to know how it works? Find out more here!

That's all for today... enjoy your weekend winelovers 🥂

Alice

Alice from Italian Wine Connection here.

It seems yesterday that we were celebrating Christmas with family and friends and Easter is already two weeks away. Where does the time go?

Easter is quite a big deal for Italians, an opportunity to spend time with relatives while enjoying a delicious 20 course meal (just kidding, maybe not 20… but there are plenty of courses, believe me!).

I remember that when I was a kid, we used to have lunch with some relatives and dinner with some others on Easter Sunday, then we would have lunch with other relatives on Easter Monday… then we would “roll” for days haha

I also remember painting the shell of boiled eggs that we would put on the table for everyone to eat.

Everyone put so much effort into Easter meals and who was hosting the lunch would feel in some kind of competition with whoever was the dinner host. It was so funny seeing how everyone took it so seriously.

Today I would like to share with you a popular and very easy recipe from the Veneto region: Insalata Pasqualina (Easter Salad)!

Ingredients:

1 x Lattuce

1 x Red onion

2 x Tomatoes

4 x Hard boiled eggs

1 x Bunch of steamed asparagus

Green Olives

Parsley

EVO oil, salt and pepper

Method:

Once eggs and asparagus have cooled down, combine all the ingredients together. Add EVO oil, salt, pepper and parsley to your liking and… DONE! That’s it!

Why not complement Insalata Pasqualina with wines from the Veneto region?

Click on the wine glasses to find out our red and white wine recommended pairings :)

 Thanks for reading!

Alice

Alice from Italian Wine Connection here 🙋

I can't stress enough how much Gabriel and I care about bringing to your table only the best of the best... So, today I would like to tell you a little bit about "Leo Nardin" story and their beautiful wines.

This family of winemakers have been growing their own grapes for more than a century even though the official founding date of the company was 1923.

Back in those days there was no Google, Wikipedia or Facebook, access to school and universities was very limited to a small number of extremely wealthy families, therefore all the knowledge was pass down from father to son, gained by trial and error on the field.

I really wish you could hear these guys talking about their grapes and their wines, it was just mesmerizing feeling all the passion and dedication they put into their work simply through their words.

We’ve had the chance to speak with Marco Nardin, the youngest generation of this family and he walked us through the vineyards and processing facilities, very little work is left to the machines here...pretty much everything is done by hand, like in the old days.
It’s very important to say that Leo Nardin Winery does not purchase grapes or musts from other producers: all their wines are strictly produced with estate grown grapes.

This is a great chance for us to present you with three of their masterpieces at a very special price: a white, a red and a sparkling rosé!

The White: Incrocio Manzoni 6.0.13

This grape variety is the result of the long and thorough research of Professor Luigi Manzoni who became the headmaster of the oldest Italian oenological Institute in the early twentieth century. 
Also known under its numerical designation 6.0.13, it is a cross Pinot Blanc and Rhine Riesling, where a Rhine Riesling flower was hand pollinated with Pinot Blanc pollen. The seeds of fruit that grew out of that flower were planted and that was the first plant of Incrocio Manzoni 6.0.13

This white wine is produced in small batches. Presents a fine and delicate fragrance that reminds of green pear, green apple, citrus and floral notes. Dry, velvety and lasting flavour, well balanced between sweet and acid fragrances. The high acidity makes it easy to pair it with a wide range of foods: it surely is perfect with fish dishes in general, oysters, garlic prawns, tartare, prawns pizza, white meat. 

The Red: Galeone Cabernet Barrique

This top-notch red wine is obtained from the best Cabernet grapes grown in the Leo Nardin Estate. After fermentation, it ages for six months in original French barriques made of the finest Allier oak. It is then left to rest in wooden barrels for three years before being bottled. With a light grassy flavour and a balanced body, it is rich and mouth-filling, but still very dry in the mouth. The barrique ageing enhances the elegance and intensity of this brilliant ruby red wine. It adds scents of vanilla and spices to its bouquet, intermingled with a distinctive weedy nose and hints of liquorice and mixed berries. Best decanted for a while before drinking in order to allow the aromas and flavours to fully express their personality.

It pairs wonderfully with meat dishes such as lamb cutlets, roast meat, game, ribs in barbecue sauce, aged cheese, truffle risotto.

The Sparkling Rosé: Rosé Cuveé

Definitely something you’ve hardly had the chance to try!!! Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé. Exquisitely interesting Extra Dry sparkling wine. Delicate fruity fragrance with strawberry, raspberry and rose aromas, still preserving some characteristics typical of the Cabernet Sauvignon grape. It is very enjoyable as aperitif or between meals, Pairs well with a vast range of food, from finger food to cured meats as prosciutto, cicchetti and fish based antipasti.

We know sometimes it’s hard to try new wines, you always tend to wonder if you’ll like it or not, and this is why we have this incredible introductory price offer for you available on our homepage... but hurry, it won’t last long!

Do you have any questions about Leo Nardin's wines? Reach out to us here or use the comment section below for advice!

Salute!

Alice

Alice from Italian Wine Connection here.

With Christmas just around the corner (I still can't believe that!), let's talk about traditional Italian desserts: Panettone and Pandoro!

Ever wondered where they come from and what to pair them with? Read ahead... 🙂🙃🙂🙃

🍰 THEIR STORY 🍰

Panettone is pronounced /pan-a-ttoh-neh/.

No one knows for sure who invented it and when - all that is really known is that it originated in Milan around the end of XV century. 

Let's wander into the magic word of tales and take a quick look at the three main legends about Panettone...

Legend 1 - It originated at the court of the Duke of Milan Ludovico Sforza, also known with the epiteth of "Ludovico il Moro". Supposedly it was invented by Ugo, one of Ludovico il Moro's falconers, who also worked in Toni's bakery and was engaged to the baker's daughter.

One night, Ugo added a lot of butter to its bread dough - butter that he bought by selling some of the falcons he had previously stolen from the Duke Ludovico il Moro. This special bread became very famous and was considered one of the best in Milan.

A few days before Christmas, Ugo decided to add the (nowday) traditional Panettone's ingredients to its special bread: eggs, candied fruit and sultana.

It was a success! Everyone in Milan had a Panettone on their Christmas table, Toni became very rich and finally let Ugo marry his daughter.

Legend 2 - For his Christmas banquet, Ludovico il Moro had one of the best and most famous Chefs baking a very special dessert - which recipe was handed down from father to son for generations.

Something went wrong and the Chef forgot about the dessert in the oven. The cake was burnt and inedible.

Luckily, Toni - one of Ludovico il Moro's servants - saved the day. 

He had put aside some of the chef's cake dough, he added flour, eggs, dried fruit and sugar and voilà! The chef found this revised dough, he gave it a bread-kind of shape and baked it.

It was a success and everyone loved it. After that, the chef had to bake Panettone for Ludovico il Moro's Christmas banquets every year.

It was named "Pan de Toni" which literally means "toni's bread", and then transformed into the modern word "Panettone".

Legend 3 - Sister Ughetta (Ugo's sister maybe? haha) was a nun of a convent in Milan.

She decided to bake a special cake for her sisters with the little ingredients available and she blessed the Christmas bread by drawing a cross with a knife.

The other sisters really enjoyed the cake and the word spread quickly around Milan - people started donating to the convent to buy that very special bread for Christmas.

Pandoro is pronounced /pan-doh-roh/.

It is said that it originated during the Ancient Rome era, and that it was mentioned in chronicles from the first century d.C., at the time of Plinio il Vecchio.

Its recipe also may be linked to its "cousin" Pane de Oro, that was served on the tables of Venetian nobles 1000 years later.

The modern recipe, soft and golden in colour, wasn't born until later when, in 1894, Domenico Melegatti deposited a patent for the cake with the characteristic 8-point star shape. 

Traditional Pandoro is served with icing sugar.

🥂 WINE PAIRINGS 🥂

FOR NEW WINE LOVERS

Generally, when pairing a wine to a dessert, you should choose something sweeter to counterbalance food-wine flavours.

The first thing that will probably come to your mind is... Moscato.

That's right, Moscato grapes may come from different parts of Italy and make a delicate and sweet wine, usually low in alcohol.

You may browse our "Sweet Wine" section to check out three different representations of this beautiful wine: Borgo Molino "Motivo" Moscato made with grapes from Veneto, Foss Marai "Dolce Reale" Moscato made with grapes from Puglia and, finally, Vigneti Brichet Moscato D'Asti D.O.C.G. from Piedmont.

FYI - They are on a very special price for a limited time only :) Ahhhh, we love Christmas! 😍

FOR ADVENTUROUS WINELOVERS

Not into moscato? Well, we've got you covered! 

Villa Franciacorta "Briolette" Franciacorta rosé may be just what you're after! 

Franciacorta is made in the same way as French Champagne, and "Briolette" being a Demi-Sec, it is the most sweet - least dry version of Franciacorta with 35 gr/l of natural residual sugar.

Creamless Pandoro and Panettore are literally soul mates with this fine Franciacorta wine which rest for 36 months on the lees prior being disgorged and released! Check it out here.

Still not sure about Christmas food and wine pairings? Reach out to us here or use the comment section below for advice! 🖱️

Oh oh oh!!! Salute!

Alice

Alice from Italian Wine Connection here

I am so excited because this is one of my favourite months :)

We just got back from an awesome weekend in Canberra, where we proudly supported the Canberra Comedy Festival bringing some of our beautiful drops. You should totally check out our Insta page for photos! @italianwineconnection

The festive season is just around the corner and we are right in the middle of summer... which equals to plenty of celebration and meals out. Don't you agree?

And what's better than a nice glass of chilled Prosecco while having dinner in your alfresco area? Ah, by the way, did you know that "alfresco" area literally means "open air" in Italian?

Speaking of sparkling wine, there are two new entries on pre-sale on our website. Let's see if you can find them! 

They are available on pre-sale as of today and can be yours for your NYE celebration. How great is that? And did I mention that they are on a very special sale price if you get them by 21/12/2017?

I know, we are full of surprises.

Want to be the first to know about special offers, events and more? Scroll to the bottom of our homepage and join our #winelovers Newsletter today :)

Ciao & Salute!

Alice

Who's excited? Well, we are over the moon!

We have been quite busy in the last few week: receiving new incoming stock, doing all the counting, moving things around, stacking nicely and safely all of the new wines in our temperature-controlled cellar! It is a lot of work!

Rewarding at the same time though, we haven't even started advertising the new entries and we have been flooded with orders and pre-orders, Gabriel was counting the stock and I was picking bottles to send out right away to you, dear Winelovers!

We are glad to see the interest and the response we've had so far from the Australian wine community, and for that we thank you!

In 2018 we will be running promotions, a subscription based program, we will be participating to Food&Wine Expos throughout Australia and partnering with some major events too!  

We are getting very busy, and gladly the latest market trends are showing that Winelovers worldwide, Australian in particular, are finally choosing the quality over the quantity!
Drink less but drink better! Drink less but enjoy it more, put it as you like, it truly is a great recommendation! And we are here to help!

All of our boutique wines are born in the vineyards, from the sun and the soil, then the grapes are hand picked at the right time and processed according to the true Italian wine-making tradition, with the aid of safe and modern equipment.
The finest family-run wineries presented to you here.

We hope you enjoy being part of this while discovering some of the best wines Italy has to offer!

Salute!

We only hire refrigerated containers that are set at a stable temperature around 14 °C, so we can, and you can too, be assured that our wines will not cook away under the unforgiving heat while crossing the seas (the inside of a standard dry container can reach in excess of +30°C to the outside temperature...think about a container crossing the equator on a vessel in the middle of the ocean...45 °C outside, 75 °C  inside....no wonder why many low cost imported wines taste like shhhhhhhhhhhhh).
Moreover, by hiring full containers instead of using shared ones, we get to decide at what temperature they get set, and we make sure that all the due care is taken when handling the pallets. 

We expect the cargo to land in the first week of November, and since we are too excited and can't wait to tell you what goodies are coming in, we decided to release few of them on our  website, available for pre-ordering!

In total we'll have 70 wines, many of which are award winning wines internationally praised and acclaimed, from London to Brussels, from Germany to Japan, from Switzerland to the U.S.A. 

Aren't you excited? We certainly are!

After the success of our first trading year we decided that it was time for us to step up and expand our search outside the Veneto region, this will allow you to experience Italy more than ever.

Follow this link to check out the new wineries, who they are and which part of Italy they are from!

And if you want to take a sneak-peek to some of our new bottles click here.

Almost unexpectedly we've already had quite few orders coming in, as some of these bottles are stocked in small quantities due to the limited numbers available for export.

Needless to say, they are available in Australia only through Italian Wine Connection.

Salute!

BUSY BUSY BUSY!

We have been very busy in the last month organising our next shipments of outstanding boutique wines from Italy!!! It hasn't been easy, of the almost 30 wineries we visited in July we felt that only 10 of them made us falling in love with their wines and their story.

It is very exciting, things are moving forward and hopefully towards the end of the week our containers will make their way through the seas and reach Australia by the end of next month! 

We are going to offer you a wider range of products (about 60+) from the more affordable to the ultra-expensive ones, including limited editions, riserva etc, a lot of which are varieties that haven't been offered on the Australian market just yet.

We pride ourselves in offering unique wines rather than only the ones that are currently trending, that's why we love our Incrocio Manzoni 6.0.13 and here is a little bit of history on this amazing grape!

Where does it come from?

The birth of the Manzoni Bianco grapevine, or Incrocio Manzoni 6.0.13 was encouraged by a constant interest, that developed in Europe in the middle of the nineteenth century, for the genetic improvement of the grapevine by cross-breeding as a possible solution to many diseases, due to unknown plant parasites which, during that period, caused a lot of problems for viticulture all across Europe.

New discoveries on the potentiality of genetics supported the experimentations of the crossbreeding between different varieties of vines which first aimed at creating table grapes and then were implemented also with wine grapes.

One of these pioneers was Prof. Muller that obtained the famous Muller Thurgau by crossing Riesling and Silvaner vines.

Who created it?

The research in Italy, and particularly in the Veneto region, began in 1924 thanks to Professor Luigi Manzoni who aimed to create new white and new red grape varieties that could have replaced or complemented the traditional ones that at the time grew in the Piave DOC area.

Are there any other grapes from those experiments?

The series and combinations of cross-breedings developed at the Viticultural and Oenological Institute of Conegliano were carried out in two different periods: the first set of trials between 1924 and 1930 was identified with 2 numbers (the first indicated the number of the row and the second one the number of the plant).
The second set of trials was carried out between 1930 and 1935 and was identified by three sets of numbers in which the central one was always zero. (Hence the Incrocio Manzoni 6.0.13 meaning 6th row, second trial, 13th plant).

Professor Luigi Manzoni used several grapes for his experiments, and some of the combinations gave very satisfactory results. In Veneto, in the ‘40s and ‘50s, the 2.50 and 1.50 cross-breedings had a significant propagation as well as the Manzoni Bianco 6.0.13, a crossing between Rhine Riesling and Pinot Bianco, and the Manzoni Rosso 13.0.25 a crossing between Raboso Piave and Moscato d'Asburgo.

Professor Luigi Manzoni 1888-1968

A bit more in depth...

Manzoni Bianco 6.0.13, an autochthonous grapevine of the Treviso province (Veneto), it is a crossing between Rhine Riesling and Pinot Bianco, created by cross-pollination and not by grafting like many people think.

This grape is now planted almost everywhere in Italy and it is also partially used as a blending grape for the D.O.C. of “Bianco dei Colli di Conegliano”, “Breganze Bianco” and “Trentino Bianco”, as well as in many wines with I.G.T. denomination in which it is vinified in purity. 

What are the typical grapevine characteristics?

Manzoni Bianco 6.0.13 has the ability to adapt easily to very different microclimates and soils, even if it prefers hillside, deep, fresh, not hard and fertile grounds, but it has a measured production. The bunch is small, cone or cylindrical-shaped and quite dense (80-150gr). The grape is medium-small, rounded, green-yellow and its skin is thick, dense and aromatic.

What are the typical wine characteristics?

Manzoni Bianco 6.0.13, or Incrocio Manzoni, for its fineness and elegance, good alcoholic strength and acidity, is used to produce remarkable quality wines that are beautifully balanced and always delicate but at the same time full-bodied.

For instance a perfect example of this amazing variety is our Incrocio Manzoni by Cecchetto winery, located in Tezze di Piave in the heart of the Piave region.

You'll find that this outstanding wine will be a very pleasant surprise if you've never tried it before.

Cecchetto's Incrocio Manzoni is also a 3 times GOLD MEDAL Winner at "Concours Mondial" of Bruxelles, where it competed against 8750 wines from every part of the world.

According to Master of Wine Jancis Robinson (British wine critic, journalist and wine writer):

SCAN the barcode or CLICK the buy button if you wish to purchase Cecchetto Incrocio Manzoni 16.0.3.

*cover photo credit @mostlythemust

I haven't been writing these last few days because we were trying to spend as much time as we could with our families, for them it's hard to understand that we are in Italy but not on holiday, that we made the choice to follow our hearts and travel through Italy's most amazing regions to find authentic and outstanding wines to bring back to Asutralia with us.

In these last few days we actually did visit a couple more wineries but for this time we think we already know what we are going to bring back to Australia, next trip we'll be back to see them again and hopefully expand our range a little more.

Now we are past the airport customs, we said goodbye to all our relatives and friends, t's a mixed feeling... of happiness and sadness, gratitude and regret for not having more time on our hands.

We truly feel blessed, we live in a wonderful country and we can travel back and forth to Italy as we are both Australian and Italian, isn't that cool?

Even cooler is the fact that we have the chance to visit places that otherwise we wouldn't have the chance to see while providing a service to our customers back home in Australia!

Finishing the last panino with Prosciutto San Daniele and our last spritz in Italy of this journey, we keep on thinking of all the things we have to do once we get back!!!

I think they are calling our flight, I better pack this up and go!!!!

Will be back soon writing from Downunder!!!

Ciao!!!

"Get up, get up, we are laaate!!!!"

Alice's voice echoes in the whole hotel as we realise that we actually haven't even heard the alarm... oooops!

On our way to Carpi, the land of Lambrusco.

Lambrusco is a wine that is super easy to drink, and therefore it has become the first step into red wines for those who don't particularly appreciate this wonder.

Massive cultivation on mainly flat lands made this grape very attractive for consortiums and cooperatives to join forces and produce unbelievably large amounts of this wine, making it very commercial and not renowned for very quality standards, due to this increase of productive quantities.

The sad thing is that you will find bottles of lambrusco from Italy in Australian bottleshops for as little as $6, now seriously, we are talking about imported wines costing less than local wines? I personally don't believe there's even a trace of grape into that liquid, but that's my opinion; some people might enjoy the taste of that thing.

Luckily for all wine lovers there are some Lambruscos made with very high standards, and we went to visit one of the last producers that makes it the way it should be! Third generation of lambrusco grape growers and winemakers, this guys are bringing back this wine on boutique restaurant's shelves and wine lists worldwide. A truly remarkable wine I must say, and I admit I've never been a Lambrusco lover, these guys have changed my mind!

A quick lunch with this lovely company and we were already off to Verona, in the area of Soave!

Soave is a wonderful town in the Veneto region, home of worldwide famous wines like Soave, Valpolicella, Ripasso and of course Amarone!

I could write hundreds and hundreds of words about this, but I don't want to be boring so I will keep it very short.

We visited another family-run winery, managed by two sisters and one brother, that is rapidly becoming a landmark in this area. We had a wonderful wine tasting and I honestly couldn't fault any of their wines, I love them all, from the first to the last. I can't wait to get you to try them now!!!

Now we've just got back to Treviso, we'll spend the last few days with our families and then back to Australia!

After leaving Umbria we went on to travel interstate...wait, what?

Yes, The Republic of San Marino is a totally independent nation!

According to tradition, San Marino was founded about A.D. 350 and had the good luck for centuries to stay out of the many wars and feuds on the Italian peninsula. It is the oldest republic in the world. San Marino has survived, completely intact, attacks by other self-governing Italian city-states, the Napoleonic Wars, the unification of Italy, and two world wars. Those born in San Marino remain citizens and can vote no matter where they live. It joined the United Nations in 1992.

It sits on the hilltops near the city of Ravenna and it really is a medieval town, with towers and castles and walls! Just unbelievable!

Everything here is duty free so we went crazy on shopping!

Spent the night there and in the morning we went to Ravenna to meet up with an old friend, Sarah, she used to live in Sydney few years ago, but moved to Italy where she found the love of her life! 

A quick walk through Rimini and Riccione's bustling streets and off we go to Faenza, a nice little town close by, where we have dinner with this beautiful couple at a lovely venue overlooking endless landscapes while the sun starts hiding away behind the hills, leaving us speechless contemplating the beauty of the sunset.

Tomorrow we'll head to Carpi, home of some of the best Lambruscos!

Off the ferry we stayed in Civitavecchia to rest up and, fresh in the morning, we were on the road again: Umbria here we come!

Umbria is a very small and idyllic region on the hills in Central Italy, unfortunately it is known for the very high seismic activity, but luckily it is far more renowned for many other things like Prosciutto di Norcia, Grecchetto, Sangiovese, Sagrantino, Perugina (chocolate factory) and the Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi, along with the other churches in Assisi.

We started off by eating cured meats in a lovely venue in Assisi, yes, that's what we do, we travel to eat and drink! Hahaha, well, we kind of do that. ;)

We squeezed in last minute in a guided tour at the chocolate factory and it was very interesting, unfortunately we weren't allowed to take any photos inside.

We spent a lovely two days between art, architecture, history, medieval re-enactments, great food and wines.

We chose to make base at a newly built bed & breakfast at the foothills of the basilica.

From there we had easy access and short drives to a handful of wineries that we wanted to visit and we found what we were looking for: a small family run winery that makes remarkable wines!!!

We spent the whole day, today, to finalise the quantity we are going to bring to Australia: you'll be glad we did!!!

Tommorow we'll travel interstate! Republic of San Marino!!!

-At first I must admit, I thought I was back in Australia. The similarities between this two different islands are quite obvious and astonishing at the same time! Crystal clear waters gently caress the white sandy beaches, beautifully framed by natural rock walls shaped by centuries of relentless work of the sea-

As soon as we make it to the land we get off the ferry as quickly as possible before the madness starts! Italian drivers yelling at each other, gestures, a melting pot of swearwords in different dialects! Hilarious for a couple of minutes, but after that I say it's enough hahaha!

Luckily for us it's just a short drive from the port before we reach our accommodation for the 4 days.

Not even the time to drop the bags we hit the beach, and here we are, getting cooked in the oven! The sea is calm and the water has a really nice temperature. I must say that I quite enjoy swimming without thinking that something in the water could either bite me, sting me, eat me or kill me anyway! Hahahaha

In 4 days we drove quite a few kilometers around the island, north to south, east to west, and I swear it is wonderful and in many many ways it reminds me of Australia!

We've had a lot of wine tastings in different wineries and different venues.

Interestingly enough, Sardinia is one of the first lands that rose from the seas, and the soil is pretty much full decomposed granite, which is unbelievably good for growing grapes. You can truly taste the minerality and perceive how much the terrain influences these wines in a great and uncomparable way!  

Yes, it's been a fantastic adventure and sadly tomorrow it's time to leave!

We'll head east via sea and then towards Umbria by car!!!

Check out is at 11:00 am, so we sneak inside the spa once again for a dip into the massive tub at Hilton Florence. It.s Sunday and a lot of people are flocking in so we quickly pack our bags and leave Florence to make our way to Civitavecchia.

Thing is, the ferry won't leave until 11:00 pm so we decide to stop for a bite in a place suggested to us by Alice's oldest brother Erik. It's a bull farm in the middle of the countryside of Siena.

This farm is known to be one of the most authentic places in the area; few kilometers off the toll road there is this building that conceals a re-converted stud, in fact we ate inside the old stud, on glass tables on top of the trough! How cool is that? (see photo)

After having some of the most amazing meat I've ever eaten and after buying some more souvenirs we leave Siena and head south to Civitavecchia.

My fast driving skills make us reach the port way too early, but at the end it was worth the wait as we managed to park the car at the "floor level" of the ferry which means that we'll be among the firsts to disembark.

By crossing the Thyrrenian Sea at night we'll reached Sardinia at dawn...hopefully there'll be a nice and clear sky so I can sit on the deck and enjoy the show that Mother Nature is preparing for us!

I start losing the signal now...

To be continued!

It's funny how you get accustomed to different things so easily...In Italy nobody respects the speed limits and here I am, a good Aussie driver driving a European car like I'd stolen it!

Chewing kilometers away we reach the province of Asti.

Up on a hill, hiding away, there is this fabulous family run winery.

It overlooks a beautiful landscape where different crops have been planted: grains, olive trees and grapevines. This should be giving you quite a hint of how good this soil is.

Mirella, Peppe and their son Alessandro live and work here, while the other son Stefano lives in Sydney and work as Manager of one of the most renowned venues of the CBD.

After a thorough visit to the vineyards and the processing facilities of this winery we started our tastings. What to say? We could not fault any of their wines. Unbelievably balanced, from Barbera to Moscato d'Asti!

We already know which ones we are going to get, so keep following us to know!!!

We spent the night there and then, after a quick breakfast and some souvenirs and treats we made our way to Florence.... 

Needless to say, it is simply breathtaking. At every corner there is history, the floors, the walls, the ceilings...everything keeps whispering into our ears tales of ancient times.

You breath that history in, it fills your lungs and makes you travel in time. (Romanticism aside, it truly is a magical place to visit).

After a long aperitif called "Apericena", half way between an aperitivo and a dinner, we went to relax our sore feet into the hotel spa, much needed relief after walking up and down and across this marvellous gem in Tuscany.

We better get some sleep now, as tomorrow we'll travel south towards Civitavecchia Port to load the car on the ferry and make our way to Sardegna! How exciting! 

Champagne? We’ve got something better!!! Enter TRENTODOC and FRANCIACORTA!

Well, let’s be honest: the French have been very astute marketers for Champagne, and I must say I enjoy Champagne very much…or at least some of it!!! Like any other product, when it gets that much publicity and attention, the demand rises.

To meet the demand, production must then increase and, therefore, quantity becomes more important than quality. In my opinion, nowadays you should spend at least over a hundred dollars to be able to drink a proper Champagne.

If you do a little research you’ll find that there are wonderful examples of Metodo Classico produced throughout Italy, but the most important regions are Trento, in Trentino Alto Adige, and in the Franciacorta region. 

But first: what does “Metodo Classico” mean? Literally Classic Method, to keep it simple it is a method that uses a process of refermentation through which carbon dioxide is developed, producing the classic perlage that is visible in a glass of metodo classico sparkling wine. It is a case of in-bottle refermentation, otherwise known as second fermentation, which occurs while the bottle matures in the wine cellar. (I’ll be more specific on this topic in future posts).

This process requires a lot of skills and a lot of time, before you get to drink these wines and appreciate their complexity they will rest in the cellar from 15 months up to 10 years, after that they’ll be pulled out of the cellars, the bottles disgorged, recapped, labelled and then you’ll finally be able to sip these wonderful nectars. Now you know why they can be so expensive: all this hard work and waiting justify their price tag!

As they’ve put it to me: sometimes it’s quicker to make a baby and put him through kindergarten than it is for a bottle of metodo classico to be ready to be drank!

Back to our trip: Val di Cembra in Trento is characterized by very steep terraced hills where Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grow beautifully thanks to the Pergola Trentina vine training system, which allows maximum exposure to the sun and minimizes the risk of diseases.

After tasting these gems, 15 months, 36 months and also a 2002 Riserva (to die for!) we decided that their wines are going to be part of our new range!

We then made our way to the Franciacorta Region, nestled just north of Brescia, on the shores of lake Iseo.

Simply idyllic, this family bought an entire “borgo”, an ancient village with 100 hectares of land, 30 of which are now cultivated and the remaining 70 are just surrounding forest that preserves the natural environment.

We visited the cellar which has been dug underneath the hills; with the light of one candle we walked between 1 million bottles, but don’t think for one second that this is their yearly production! They produce only up to 250,000 bottles per year and the minimum aging time is 48 months. 4 years of resting before they’re ready, isn’t that amazing? What a remarkable experience! We absolutely love this winery and their Franciacorta D.O.C.G.

We carried out our wine tastings inside the medieval villa and then we were honoured guests at a lakefront restaurant. Just amazing!

Now my eyes are closing, need to catch up with some sleep as tomorrow we’re off to Asti, Piedmont!

Barbera, Nebbiolo and Moscato lovers get ready!!!

Interesting ad exhausting at the same time. It is actually quite hard to taste that many wines in such a short period of time!!!

We started off at 8:30 visiting the first winery, and found out that this very interesting family that has been making wines for 4 generations, they truly know all the ins-and-outs of this nectar! Interestingly enough, part of this family moved to Tasmania during the time between the two world wars and their offspring still reside there, happily and successfully they get along with their lives in different industries. There we tasted Pinot Grigio, Incrocio Manzoni, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and a lovey Raboso Frizzante which is a red sparkling wine that is becoming very popular in Italy.

After this first tasting we went for lunch at Casa D'Arsié, a family run restaurant owned by our friends Roberto and Patty, and their kids Serena and Mosé. It was lovely to catch up!

On the road again we made our way to Giorgio Checchetto's Winery, where we reconfirmed Carmenere and Incrocio Manzoni for this year, along with some novelties, we can't wait to get you to try them!!!

Before dinner we met with Francesco of Tolardo Severino Wines, we tasted some Rosé which we are getting this year and then with him and Nadia, his partner, we sat a local restaurant for an awesome dinner. Soon we'll need a diet, a very strict one hahaha!

This morning Alice felt a bit sick, so we took it slow and in the afternoon we climbed the Valdobbiadene hills to meet again with the owners an representatives of both Fasol Menin and Foss Marai, two of the most important producers of that area.

Up here the landscapes are just breathtaking, and looking at those hills we  could almost imagine that a green blanket was being laid over the rocks to form those gentle slopes, so soft, so perfect. The work of the locals have valorised the terroir and this blending of workmanship and nature together has enhanced the superb quality of this D.O.C.G. area, making it a world wide landmark and a quality benchmark as well.

We are going to introduce new products from these two wineries so stay tuned!

Before heading home we stopped to taste some wine at a very small but undoubtedly high-end winery.

Needless to say we went out for dinner. Again. Luckily for us we are avoiding weighing ourselves!!! Keep that scale away, please!!!! Hahaha!

Now we better catch up with some sleep, as tomorrow we'll start our awesome trip around the Italian Peninsula!!!

Keep following us for more updates!

Ciaooo!

Yesterday we woke up around 7 am, which is pretty awesome considering that we are no longer 20 years old and we managed to overcome the jet lag in 1 day. Unreal!
A quick breakfast: San Daniele Prosciutto and shaved Turkey Breast. Well that's not a typically Italian breakfast like "capuccino and cornetto" would be, but who cares?
At 9.00 am we were at the post office to buy a new sim card for our back up phone to avoid internet roaming all the time, and we were blown away by the amount of paperwork we had to fill in to be able to purchase that. Unbelievable! Heaps of documents, ID, signatures, almost like opening a bank account. Crazy!
After that we went to visit our first winery of this trip, a little gem hidden in the countryside of Treviso.
Run by one person only, this place gives you the feeling that time has stopped.
This gentleman is very fussy about harvest timing and methods: for instance everything is done by hand here and according to the moon cycles. In fact these wines would be classified as "biodynamic". Also, no machine work whatsoever.
We sat, we tasted 4 wines and we decided to give it a go: the genuinity of the products is unbelievable, we just loved them.
It will be hard to decide which ones we'll bring back with us to Australia, the options are: Cabernet Franc, Pinot Bianco, Merlot and Verduzzo.

After that we were supposed to go to aunt Rita's for a coffee, she asked us to stay for lunch...
...of course we said yes! Seafood antipasto, Canestrelli and Scampi. We ate way too much, we couldn't help it! Just too good to leave on the plate!
After gaining 3 sizes in one lunch, we left the house almost rolling away and then went out for dinner with other family members. Of course, that's all we do when we visit Italy!!!
Beef Carpaccio, raw meat Tartare, Burrata and Tagliata di Manzo, all beautifully complemented by Prosecco di Valdobbiadene to start with, and an AWESOME Barbera from Asti to pair with the mains.
After dinner we drank some oaked Grappa and then we were ready for bed!
Despite having such a busy Saturday, this morning we felt very productive. In fact, after a bit of shopping, we went to Alice's dad for a mega-lunch. We tried few more wines including a great Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso.
God, we feel like we are just about to explode!
Tonight we were hoping for a light dinner but there isn't such thing here in Italy. Tomorrow we have 5 wineries to visit!
Stay tuned!!!

The sun is high and the warm wind of the Italian summer is blowing from the sea towards inland. Can you feel it? It is so nice... 

Cool Fact: did you know that in Italy every wind has a name depending on the direction to where is blowing?

The one that caresses our skin today is called “Libeccio”, a south-westerly wind that blows on the sea to the west of Italy.

It is a good feeling to be spending some time in Europe, besides being an awesome place to visit and let alone the fact that most of our family members live here, we were really looking forward to focus on chasing more bottled authenticity.

As you may know, Italian Wine Connection was born in January 2016 and started trading only in late November that same year. It took a long time to get it up and running, but it was worth the wait.

We are now delivering boutique wines to an ever-growing number of clients on a daily basis and we feel the need to improve our service by adding “few” (only a few,... sure!) wines to our collection, and yours!

So, Venice, uh? The floating city!

Finally, the roadworks around the airport have come to an end, last year it was pretty messy but this improvement to the infrastructure was much needed.

It does feel funny to drive on the “wrong” side of the road :D.  But looks like we are getting accustomed to it already!

We did not leave the airport before doing what we do every time we land in Venice, which is ordering an Aperol Spritz right away at the first bar! It’s some kind of ritual for us! It is so ingrained into our beings that we just cannot leave the airport without having our “welcome back” spritz!

Next time you happen to land in Venice why don’t you try it? You’ll get what I mean!

That said, it’s all fun and games until you reach the legal limit and get charged for drink-driving, and since we had a couple of reds on the plane we had to stick to one spritz only, that was enough as we have to pick up a vehicle from the car rental agency and drive quite a few kilometres.

Many years ago Italy used to be not as strict about drink driving and limits, but in recent times the government introduced very harsh sanctions and consequences, pretty much like Australia, if not harsher.

Tonight we are going out for dinner, but we’ll leave the car at home: who cares about the jet-leg, we just want to have a good time tonight!!!!

Although we can’t push it too far as tomorrow morning at 10:00am we have the first appointment and wine tastings at a very, very small winery in the province of Treviso. A winery that just doesn’t want to follow the trends, where time has stopped and everything is done by hand, from the harvest to the bottling.

We promise you’ll be surprised by the authenticity of this place!

After that we’ll have coffee at aunt Rita’s, which lives close by!

Stay tuned!!!

Ciao!

Alice & Gabriel

We’ve got our bags packed!!!

It was February when we booked our flights to Italy, and it seemed so far away!

We were just about to move from Canberra to Brisbane, we were literally all over the place!

So many things to do and not enough time to do them!

Luckily for us we’ve got some really good friends in ACT as well as in Queensland that made such a stressful period a little bit easier to go through to!

The date of our departure came so quick that we almost didn’t even realised it, but since then a lot has happened. For instance, we both left our full time jobs to fully dedicate ourselves to this project: Italian Wine Connection. Sounds crazy, doesn’t it?

You may wonder… why?

The answer is that we kind of feel like we are on some sort of mission...

Our mission is to bring you only the best of what’s available in Italy. When you pop the cork of one of our wines we want you to have a real taste of Italy, we want you to imagine being there; it’s not only about the wine, but also about the experience!

In the following weeks, we’ll cover quite a few km throughout the Italian Peninsula, we are going to discover beautiful places and wonderful wineries.

This time we will try to avoid the big cities and we’ll concentrate almost entirely on driving through the countryside.

To say that we are super-excited is an understatement!

How about you? Got your bags ready?

Follow us on this journey, we promise it’ll be interesting!!!

Ciao!

Alice & Gabriel