Sartori Wines at Café Milano

Verona is best known for Juliet’s trist with Romeo, a youthful “indiscretion” that culminated in her fatal pact with a poisoned lover. Perhaps Romeo could have saved them both if he had sipped one of their hometown’s fabulous wines instead of that vial of poison. Andrea Sartori leads one of Verona’s great wine estates, a [...]

Rare Italian Reds

The label “rare Italian reds” could refer to the magnificent Tuscan wines from the late-1970s, or the 1980s masterpieces of Piedmontese winemakers like Angelo Gaja and the Ceretto family. Or it could refer to non-indigenous grapes like Cabernet and Merlot that Italian vintners have incorporated into their ever-growing portfolio of fine wines. “Rare” not because [...]

Antica

Italians love their wine, and they’re not going to be restrained from drinking it at any opportunity, particularly when the time seems “just about right.” However, they also recognize that their wine is best when served with food. Piero Antinori of the famous Tuscan winemaking house of the same name knows this perhaps better than [...]

A Ripple in Wine

More often than not I can choose from a wine list after quickly scanning the pages. As I am usually looking to try something new, the right selection tends to jump out at me, even from the longer, 3-ring binder-sized lists. Once in a while though, as happened this past Saturday at Ripple, a list will flummox [...]

The Fear of Bacchus in Me

More than a few friends have told me they want to learn more about wine so they are not embarrassed when handed the wine list during a business dinner or a date.  After all, knowledge breeds confidence, right?  Well, recently I had a revelation, or what Jules Winfield might call a “moment of clarity,” and [...]

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