Italian Wines

Ruffino Modus 2008- an excellent Italian to invite home.

This Tuscany gem is a blend of Sangiovese (50%), Cabernet Sauvignon (25%), and Merlot (25%). The drinking window for this is 10–15 years. Again, let’s open it and see if it’s still holding together. This is 18 years old. This was Ruffino’s ‘Super Tuscan’ offering with a reputation for being refined, polished tannins, elegant, with…

Blue Zones and Drinking Wine – Can drinking wine make you live longer?

The short answer is yes, research tells us that 1 – 2 glasses a day is the right amount to outlive your non-drinking friends. The 5 Blue Zones include: Nicoya in Costa Rica, Sardinia, Ikaria in Greece, Okinawa in Japan, and Loma Linda in California. There are many commonalities but the two that, I believe,…

Ruffino Modus 2008

This Tuscany gem is a blend of Sangiovese 50%, Cabernet Sauvignon 25%, and Merlot 25% Drinking window on this was 10 – 15 years. Again, let’s open it and see if it’s still holding together. This is 18 years old. This was Ruffino’s ‘Super Tuscan’ offering with a reputation for being refined, polished tannins, elegant,…

Famiglia Pasqua Amarone Della Valpolicella 2019

2025 marks the 100th anniversary of the historic Pasqua Winery, located in Verona, in northeastern Italy.    Innovation is at the core of their philosophy, as well as focusing on sustainable practices with an eye on the future. In 2024, they received the Innovator of the Year award for 2023 by Wine Enthusiast magazine. They are…

Is it Primitivo or is it Zinfandel (or Zin as it’s come to be known as)?

Origins- Croatia.  Primitivo originally comes from an indigenous Croatian grape called crljenak kaštelansk (Kjell-nak Cas-tell-lansky)- try and pronounce that after your second glass. Before emerging as a single varietal, it was mainly used as a blending grape to increase the overall alcohol content. It’s not uncommon to be up around 16% from both Italy and…

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