On the border between the provinces of Siena and Florence, the Nittardi Farm was once a tower, already known in the twelfth century as “Nectar of.” In the sixteenth century, large estate surrounded by oak trees in a dominant position in the hills of San Donato and Castellina in Chianti and Panzano, was owned by Michelangelo Buonarroti, who in 1549 wrote to his nephew Leonardo: “I would prefer two casks of wine instead of 8 shirts “and on that occasion, he sent the wine Nittardi in Rome to make” a genuine gift to the Pope. ” Over the centuries, the estate changed owners several times until, in 1982, passed into the hands of ‘publisher Peter Femfert Frankfurt and his wife Stefania, historic Venetian.
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The Traisental formerly belonged to the former vineyard Danube country and in 1995 received its name and status. It is thus the youngest wine region in Austria – and one of the oldest. Pre-Roman times has been operating here and archaeological evidence suggests viticulture. The area lies entirely south of the Danube and is bordered on the north by the Wachau and the Kremstal, and the north-east and east to the Wagram. In the south, the rich usually terraced vineyard areas covered with chalky, gravelly loamy and sandy soils up to the provincial capital St. Pölten.
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The Sudossteiermark runs along the Slovenian border almost to the east and Hungary in the north to the border to the Burgenland. In terms of area, they also surpassed the southern Styria, but here is wine only run on about 1,400 hectares, while the
Neighbors about 2300 are. The wine-growing islands are spread over the gently rolling hills, but quite in the northeast, at Hart Mountain, is the limit: here are at 650 meters above sea level the highest vineyards in Austria.
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Of these three varieties will be produced in volume in South Tyrol at the most and they are to shape the image of the region, especially in foreign markets. The picture that they give with the year 2009 can be seen. In all three, there is a wide selection of excellent wines, with Traminer is the domestic terms of points ahead. Lush, layered and complex fruit flavors and a long shelf life is characterized by predominantly from the south of the country (Upper Adige and the lowlands) derived wines. The local cooperatives from Tramin Kurtatsch and have the lead.
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The Mas Jullien evokes for many the most concrete example of the quality revolution begun in Languedoc in the 1980s. Many recognitions have come to salute the work of Olivier Jullien, become a leader and ambassador of the great terroirs of the region.

Insatiable, Olivier Jullien calls constantly question its achievements. Aided by his loyal “right hand” in the person of Jean-Baptiste Granier, the son of Jean-Philippe Granier technical director of the Coteaux du Languedoc, the two friends continually questioning and pistent the great wines of terroir in their area, the Terraces Larzac offer this possibility.
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My first encounter with Zinfandel was back in the early 1980s, on holiday in Hawaii. I chose the wine from the restaurant wine list because the name was so unusual, I didn’t know whether Zinfandel referred to the grape, the name of the wine or the grower. Since this was early in the 1980s what came to the table was a salmon pink off-dry wine which was an ideal accompaniment to the seafood on offer. And at the risk of putting off readers so soon in the story, I enjoyed this wine and thought no more about it.
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BEAUTIFUL REGION

• A few miles south of Epernay, Cramant is the first village of the quartet prestigious Côte des Blancs: Cramant – Avize – Oger – Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. It is certainly one of the finest terroirs of Champagne, with its chalky slopes facing east, often topped by a small forest, which plays a thermoregulatory role. Here is the realm of vintage Champagne Blanc de Blancs, Chardonnay which shows one of its finest expressions.
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Always with the help of Jean-Michel Speicher, we review the last 10 vintages Alsace.
2004: After the extreme conditions encountered in 2003, on the vine-compensates. So after a mild winter and early spring sullen heat Returnees to fear that the new heat wave. But the rains from mid-June are back confidence, especially as yields ahead generous. Maturation will then continue normally through the many passages interspersed with rainy periods throughout the summer sun.
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As a good many winegrape growers have discovered, something good can come from the destruction of a vineyard by phylloxera. At Dry Creek Vineyard (3770 Lambert Bridge Rd., Healdsburg) the loss of an 8-1/2 acre vineyard adjacent to the employee parking lot marked an opportunity to try an idea shared by winery owner David Stare; his daughter, winery vice president, Kim Stare Wallace; her husband, winery general manager, Don Wallace; and vineyard manager Duff Bevill.
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How can you resist a wine called Beauzeaux? (Say it aloud.) There is such a wine, a member of the Beaulieu Vineyard Signet Collection – a small group of limited production wines which was introduced by Beaulieu Vineyards (Rutherford, CA) in 1995. The first Beauzeaux release was the 1996 vintage in spring 1998. The most recent, the 1999, was sent to market on April Fool’s day, though there is nothing foolish about the wine.
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