Making Wine Fun for Everyone!
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I was recently invited to a lunch hosted by Riccardo Prosecco, and thought it was the perfect opportunity to make my first video! So instead of me telling you all about Riccardo Prosecco, I thought I’d let Riccardo Tomadin tell you himself!
What are your thoughts on Prosecco? Please leave a comment!
Hope you enjoy the very first Wine Passionista video!
There’s always time for wine!
Tara – Wine Passionista
Tags: first video, Italian sparkling wine, Italian wine, Old Hat Club, Prosecco, Riccardo Prosecco, sparkling wine, sparkling wine from Italy
The group of ARSEs!
On a recent Sunday in Central London a gathering of an unusual kind took place. Well, the gathering itself wasn’t strange, it was a group of wine bloggers, but the impetus that brought us together was a secret – literally! Andrew Barrow, author of the blog Spittoon, contacted us through Twitter to invite us to ‘Andrew’s Really Secret Event’ for which he used the acronymic and comically jeuvenile hashtag: #ARSE.
Andrew revealed the location of our meeting place, but intriguingly mentioned that we would then be moving on to another even more top secret destination for a tasting (for which we all brought our own secret bottle). None of us had any idea which other #ARSEs would be joining in, but as we met for a bite to eat and of course, the requisite bottle (or few!) of wine, the secrets began to unravel… Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Krauthaker, manzanilla, Prosecco, Ribera del Duero, Riccardo Prosecco, secret wine tasting, wine from Croatia, wine from Mexico, wine tasting
Last week saw the gathering of many of London’s local wine and food bloggers for the Semi Final of Bibendum’s World Cup of Wine.
In the previous round we had culled out the riff raff (including USA unfortunately!) and were left with four countries: Italy, France, South Africa and Australia. Now it was the chance for these heavyweights to put on their best show and fight for a coveted spot in the finals. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Australian wine, Bibendum, Bibendum's Bloggers World Cup, chardonnay, French wine, Italian wine, Pinot Noir, South African Wine, wine from Australia, wine from France, wine from Italy, wine from South Africa, World Cup of Wine
The competitors for Round 2
One of the reasons behind this series (comparing wines from countries participating in this summer’s FIFA soccer World Cup) is to encourage the tasting (and drinking!) of different, interesting and perhaps, unusual wines. So why, you ask, am I writing about Pinot Grigio?! Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Italian wine, Italy vs New Zealand, New Zealand wine, Waitrose, Waitrose wine, wine from Italy, wine from New Zealand, Wines of the World Cup
The perfect date wine…does such a thing exist? Well, I suppose it’s her favourite wine, whatever that is – do you know? If you do, great, but if you don’t, not to worry, the Gods can help (I’m sure Eros and Bacchus were good friends!)
Either way, this Valentine’s Day why not surprise your sweetheart with something a bit different and perhaps she (or he) will discover a new favourite and be very, very thankful to you for your innovative, imaginative and romantic gesture!
One such wine is Amarone from the Veneto region of Italy. Why Amarone? Well, several reasons: 1) it’s an incredibly complex, opulent, luxurious and delicious wine that is bound to warm her heart 2) it may be a bit too pricey for everyday quaffing, but is an ideal way of splashing out for your special someone and 3) this wine comes from Verona, the land of Shakespeare’s famous lovers Romeo and Juliet and literally spells love – Amore is Italian for ‘love’! It’s the perfect love potion!
Ok, time for the geeky part (because brains are sexy too :-) ), Amarone is made from the Corvina grape, to which Rondinella is sometimes added. The grapes are dried using the ‘appassimento’ process which concentrates the sugars and produces a wine of high alcohol, but in perfect balance with a raisined richness and bold structure. A harmonious pairing of Amarone and braised lamb and you and your sweetheart is certain to light the fires of romance this Valentine’s Day!
The photo is of the gorgeous, silky 2004 La Colombaia Amarone I had last night and for a wonderful explanation of this wine, care of the Wine Spectator, watch this video of Marilisa Allegrini as she describes the allure of Amarone.
There’s always time for wine!
Tara – Wine Passionista!
Tags: Allegrini wine, Amarone, Corvina, Italian red wine, Italian wine, La Colombaia Amarone, Marilisa Allegrini, Rondinella, Valentine's Day wine, Wine for romance, wine for Valentine's Day, wine from Italy, wine from Veneto, Wine Spectator
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Twitter: tara_devon