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Wine

Festive Bubbles from Franciacorta

Submitted by HedonisticHiking on 7 Dec 2023

If you're looking for some festive fizz this Christmas you might like to search out a bottle of Italy's famous sparkling wine from the region known as Franciacorta.  The wine is made using the traditional champagne method and its a firm favourite with Italians across the country.

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The White Wine of Orvieto

Submitted by HedonisticHiking on 12 Sep 2023

Orvieto is one of Umbria's most striking towns.  It's gothic cathedral is a must-see for visitors but the town is also famous for its white wines, which have been cultivated in the region since the time of the Etruscans.

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Three of Italy's Best Wine Regions for Rosé

Submitted by HedonisticHiking on 4 Jul 2023

In high summer here in the northern hemisphere, more and more of us are buying and enjoying rosé wines.  Although the Italians themselves have not always been enthusiastic drinkers of rosé, wine makers up and down the country are now producing vini rosati and we look at 3 of our favourite regions for rosé.

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The Wine Bank

Submitted by HedonisticHiking on 6 Nov 2022

For the first time in 2022 we visited The Wine Bank in the tiny Piemontese village of Pollenzo. It is a comprehensive library of Italian wine, and houses more than 100,000 bottles from around 300 different producers from all over Italy.

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The Future is Orange

Submitted by HedonisticHiking on 27 Aug 2022

Orange Wine has become a talking point for winemakers around the world.  We first tasted it in Slovenia, a country which has a long tradition of making these strong wines from their local white grapes.

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Bolgheri - Italy's Bordeaux?

Submitted by HedonisticHiking on 8 Jun 2022

On our Lucca, Volterra and Elba tour we pass through a wine producing area on the Tuscan coast known as Bolgheri. Today this is truly one of Italy's wine-growing success stories, but fifty years ago this was not the case.

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Walking to Wineries

Submitted by HedonisticHiking on 10 Nov 2021

Anyone who has hiked with us before, in Europe or Australia, will know how interested we are in wine.  Of course our meals on tour are always matched with wines showcasing a great selection of regional grape varieties but occasionally our routes enable us to make a stop at a vineyard and meet the locals whose passion helps to create these wonderful wines.

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Barolo - City of Wine 2021

Submitted by HedonisticHiking on 4 Dec 2020

The little town of Barolo, which sits right in the centre of the Langhe hills in Piedmont, has been voted Italy's first ever City of Wine or Città del Vino for 2021.

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In search of the best wine tours in Italy

Submitted by HedonisticHiking on 13 Nov 2018

It turns out that we’re not the only ones who love our food and wine! Gastronomic tourism is increasingly big news as more and more people appreciate that delicious wine, eating well, and learning about regional culinary traditions are a valuable part of any holiday experience. So where should you go for the best wine tour or food and wine holiday?

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Chianti Rufina

Submitted by HedonisticHiking on 11 Jul 2017

Chianti Rufina is one of the seven subzones that fall under Italy's famous Chianti DOCG. The wine-growing area is one of the smallest in Chianti, concentrated in the foothills of the Apennines to the east of Florence.

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Anyone for Grappa?

Submitted by HedonisticHiking on 5 Feb 2016

Many Hedonistic Hikers who have travelled with us in Italy will have happy memories of the famous after-dinner drink known as grappa!  It is a strong grape-based brandy usually taken at the end of a meal as a digestive and usually served in small decorative flute glasses or classic shot glasses.

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Aglianico - an ancient grape

Submitted by HedonisticHiking on 2 Jan 2016

Hikers on our Southern Italy tour will have many opportunities to taste a wonderful local wine made from an ancient grape variety known as Aglianico. It's origins are a little unclear but the name probably derives from the word "Hellenic" or Greek, as this part of Southern Italy was colonised by the Greeks before the rise of the Roman empire.

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The People's Wine of Piedmont

Submitted by admin on 2 Jun 2015

As we head back to Piedmont for our June Jewels of Piedmont tour much of our attention will be focussed on the celebrated Barolo and Barbaresco wines of the area, made from the famous Nebbiolo grape. But the region has another native red grape,Barbera, (pronounced bar-bear-a!) which over many centuries has produced everyday drinking wines for the local population.

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Food, Wine & Friends

Submitted by admin on 11 Mar 2013

Our Winemakers' Dinner last weekend at the Dal Zotto winery turned out to be a really special evening.

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Our Winemakers

Submitted by admin on 27 Jan 2013

Ahead of our unmissable dinner in the King Valley on Saturday 2nd March, we thought it would be fun to write a brief profile on each of the winemakers attending. Here's what you need to know ...

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Prosecco

Submitted by admin on 11 Nov 2012

A glass of crisp chilled sparkling Prosecco is one of Italy's best-loved aperitifs and, in recent years, it has gained a huge following in other parts of the world too. President Obama is said to have celebrated at his inauguration dinner back in 2009 with many bottles of Italian Prosecco!

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Vermentino

Submitted by admin on 20 May 2012

Our spring tours so far this year have taken us to Tuscany's coast and its lesser-known Lunigiana region as well as to Liguria. All three of these areas are home to one of our favourite grape varieties known in Italy as Vermentino. It makes a white wine with an elegant aroma and a light, citrus, fresh flavour, and people say it is a grape that likes to see the sea!

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