I used to like Fall. After living in a small Tuscany village, I learned to love fall. After the sun had done it’s work, the late summer showers provided the final dose of energy for the vineyards. Now that 80% of the garden has been either eaten or canned, the upcoming grape harvest (vendemmia) was on the mind of many. As Jill and I walked Montanare’s gravel one lane road …
Daniela was intrigued by an onion yesterday. We had all the ingredients to make a favorite salad mix, a recipe gifted to us by our very special British friends Bill and Tina more than a decade ago. Although they have simplified their lives by letting someone else care for Villa Donata in Ossaia (five miles from Montanare), what they left behind for us is a beautiful set of memories. Many …
Monitoring first-hand reports of the destruction from fires in California’s wine country, I cannot imagine the feelings many families have about their roots in Napa and Sonoma. Over 50 years ago, Roberto Mondavi brought his family’s Italian heritage to what is now California’s most productive wine production center. Much of our love for Italian wine villages isn’t just the wine. It’s actually the families we’ve met while enjoying them. Montepulciano, …
