If you are looking for fine Italian wine and food, consider the Bascilicata region of southern Italy. You may find a bargain, and I hope that you’ll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour.

Bascilicata is the instep of the Italian boot. This hilly and mountainous region is located in the southwest corner of Italy on the Ionian Sea. Parts of Bascilicata have been settled since the Stone Age. It was conquered by the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, and Normans. When the pirates came, the local inhabitants were forced to flee into the interior. Historically the region is quite poor. Its population is slightly more than 600 thousand.

Agriculture products include barley, citrus fruit, corn, potatoes, oats, olives, and tomatoes. While meat is relatively scarce, more and more sheep, pigs, goats, and cattle are raised. There is some industry including a major FIAT (automobile) factory. Tourism is becoming more popular, in spite of, and perhaps in part because of a lack of infrastructure.

Bascilicata’s administrative center is Potenza, a city of about 70 thousand. It is known as the coldest city in Italy and sometimes has snow. The city of Matera has at least two reasons to be proud. In September, 1943 it was the first Italian city to rise up against the German occupation. And Matera contains a prehistoric settlement, caves that have been occupied by people for at least 9 thousand years. In some places, the streets are actually rooftops. Parts of this area are now classified as a World Heritage Site.

Continue reading →

If you are looking for fine German wine and food, consider the Mosel region of central western Germany on the border of Luxembourg. You may find a bargain, and I hope that you’ll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour in which we review a local white Riesling tasted with several meals and paired with imported cheeses.

The Mosel Valley has long been considered one of the most beautiful river valleys in the world. This region, previously known as Mosel-Saar-Ruwer for its three rivers, is proud of its Riesling wine. Some of the greatest Rieslings in Germany and in fact in the entire world come from the Mosel Valley. Experts can often identify Mosel Rieslings because of the slate in the local soil, which may impart a taste of flint. Mosel vineyard slopes are among the steepest in the wine-producing world, sometimes attaining 70 degrees. The soil is so precious that every spring local workers lug pails of soil up these slopes, reversing temporarily the effect of the rains that wash the soil down every winter.

Mosel is fifth among the thirteen German wine regions with respect to both vineyard acreage and total wine production. Slightly more than three quarters of the wine produced here is QbA and somewhat less than one quarter is higher quality QmP wine. Only one percent is table wine. Over half of of all Mosel wine is Riesling. The German hybrid Müller-Thurgau represents about 20% of the wine production. In third place is the historic variety Elbing that dates back to Roman times and is the major grape variety in the neighboring country of Luxembourg. Only about 2% of Mosel wine is red.

Basically the Mosel Valley runs from Koblenz not far from Germany’s former capital Bonn to the city of Trier that sits very close to the border. These two cities are linked by the Mosel Weinstrasse (Mosel Wine Road) which is about 140 miles (224 kilometers) long on the eastern side of the river and somewhat less on the western side. Of course, you could take the autobahn to get between Koblenz and Trier at breakneck speed. If you do, you’ll miss the interesting little towns and vineyards along the way.

Continue reading →

Wines are unique beverages in that their taste can vary dramatically from one vintner to the next and from one type of grape to another. This very fact is what makes it interesting for us to drink, compare and enjoy. However, these same variations also tend to complicate their respective storage and aging processes.

Red wine is fermented with the juices and solids (skins and pulp) mixed. On the other hand, grape juice that is separated from the solids is used to make white wine. Reds are often improved by aging them from five to fifteen years. Whites generally are made to be consumed immediately and aging them beyond three years may actually be detrimental to their enjoyment.

Many information sites generalize that the optimal wine storage temperature is 55 degrees F. Some sites establish a range of temperatures for reds at 50 to 64 degrees F., while the whites range is from 41 to 50 degrees F. Because whites generally age faster than reds, storing them at a cooler temperature will slow their respective aging process and allow them to be stored longer than if at higher temperatures. Storing reds at slightly higher temperatures than whites will allow them to age within a reasonable period.

What is the best solution to storage when enjoyment of both red and wine wines is your desired goal? Investing in a wine refrigerator or wine chiller designed with two different storage zones is the best solution. Commonly called dual zone coolers, these appliances have two separate and independently controlled temperature environments: one for reds and one for whites. This type of cellar allows the wine enthusiast to “enjoy the best of both worlds”.

Continue reading →