Wine Tasting - Wine Tours in Italy

Petra winery in Tuscany — see in the picture, is one of the several Italian wineries which hired in the last few years famous architects to designe its cellars.

The trend has emerged for the most famous wine producers in Italy to transform their cellars into architectural landmarks, by hiring world renowned architects to design avant-garde wineries.

The idea is to blend the efficiency offered by modern oenology with top-shelf designs.

In the last two years, Petra attracted more than 4000 visitors, who came to savor its wine but also to see the peculiar structure in which it is made.
“Around 20 percent of them didn’t know anything about wine and came here just to admire the structure’s design,” explained Edoardo Maggi, project coordinator at Petra winery in Tuscany. (source).

One of the areas most visited for the event “Cantine Aperte” - “Open Cellars“, May 27 and 28, will surely be the Chianti area, in Tuscany.
The Chianti Classico zone, area stretching between Florence and Siena, is an ideal place to combine sightseeing and wine tasting.

Great wines and typical Tuscan countryside draw in Chianti visitors all year round from all over the world, so the opportunity of free tastings and visits to the cellars in the area will not be missed. And typical towns in the area, such as Radda in Chianti, Castellina in Chianti, Gaiole in Chianti, Greve in Chianti, Montespertoli, San Casciano Val di Pesa, to name a few, are preparing to accommodate crowds of visitors. (See the map)

- The Wines
Chianti Classico, including varieties depending on the production area, such as

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The wine itinerary proposed is centered on the Monferrato, in Piedmont, an area offering a host of interesting wine and gastronomical attractions.

The most important city in the area is Asti, 35 km from Turin, via A21 Highway.

From Asti start two itineraries: one heading toward north to the ‘Basso Monferrato’, the other one toward south to the ‘Alto Monferrato’ (now we are mostly covering the wines from ‘Basso Monferrato’).

- Some among the typical local Wines -

- Dolcetto d’Asti. (DOC); ruby red wine; dry still; Alcohol: 11.5%
- Barbera del Monferrato. (DOC); bright red wine; dry still / dry sparkling sweet / sweet still ; Alcohol: 12%
- Asti. (DOCG ); straw yellow ; sparkling sweet / sweet still ; taste: sweet; Alcohol: 12%
- Cisterna d’Asti. (DOC ); ruby red ; dry; taste: dry delicate; Alcohol: 12%
- Grignolino del Monferrato Casalese. (DOC ); ruby red ; dry still; taste: dry delicate; Alcohol: 11% - 13%

- Some Wineries in the area -

- Araldica Vini Piemontesi: 14040 Castel Boglione (AT); www.araldicavini.com
- Antica Casa Vinicola Scarpa 14049 Nizza Monferrato; www.scarpavini.it
- Bava 14023 Cocconato (AT); www.bava.com
- Bersano &

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After vacationing in Italy, a couple of New Zealanders businessmen have decided to introduce the Italian wine Prosecco, in their country.

Matt Iles and his business partner Michael Farag, who own also a company importing clothing from Italy, bet that New Zealanders will like this wine, as much as, the Italian fashion items they are distributing.

They are now importing Prosecco and other wines from a winery located in Valdobbiane, Veneto, the Mionetto winery. Most of these wines coming from the most prominent area for the Prosecco production, are low in alcohol content, 10%; all come in both 375ml and 750ml sizes. (Source)