Each week, as regular readers know, we pose a series of questions to a winemaker. This week, we’re featuring Antonio Fattori, the owner and winemaker of Fattori Wines in northern Italy.

Fattori is a third-generation winemaker. The family began making wine at the beginning of the 20^th century, when Antonio’s grandfather planted 17 acres of vines in Veneto and started producing and selling wines locally. His son officially took over in 1970, expanding the operation by purchasing more vineyards and making more wines.

In 1979, Antonio — who had studied winemaking at both the University of Enology in Conegliano and the University of Dijon — took the helm. Today, Antonio owns 161 acres of vineyards, and they’re all located within three miles of the winery.

Check out our interview with Antonio below the fold! Read the rest of this entry »

Don’t worry – there’s still plenty of time left in summer, at least technically. It seems like summer lasts forever these days anyway, but luckily, so does pink wine season.

This week I have a handful of rosato wines from Italy that I found interesting and exciting. From Veneto to Puglia, these wines are made from traditional regional grapes like Montepulciano and Susumaniello, and their colors span the gamut from pale copper to raspberry juice.

Considering the recent high inflation levels, I find it refreshing to see well-crafted, delicious pink wine at these price points. These wines are all exclusively imported by Dalla Terra Winery Direct, which allows distributors to get these wines direct from the wineries and keeps the prices very reasonable. Whoever they have selecting Italian rosato wines clearly knows what they’re doing, as I found this to be an impressive and diverse portfolio. If you’re looking to replenish some of your rosé stash, check your local market for some of these wines.

This week’s selections were received as samples and tasted single blind. Read the rest of this entry »

These days, it seems everything costs more. In the wine world, so many producers I once bought and loved have gotten too expensive for me.

Finding good wine for little money is a passion of mine, and I love scoping all sorts of wine from Spain, Portugal, South Africa, Southwest France and more. Italy is a fount of wines that show a sense of their place without a huge price tag. From Abruzzi to Veneto, this week I have a range of interesting and delicious Italian wines, all for less than $25.

These wines were received as trade samples and all the reds were tasted single-blind. Read the rest of this entry »