Well y’all, it’s been a minute. What follows is the long overdue answer to the very reasonable questions that I have received innumerable times since closing the bar; what happened, what are you doing now, will you reopen, and where can I buy good wine? If the below is a bit long winded, you have […]
Author: nelson
Italy 5: Big is Beautiful
Before we get too far into this: all of y’all who are drinking along, break out the ice bucket and the coupes, we’re drinking Contratto Brut! I will admit every predisposition against large wineries and established brands. Generally, the advertising needs of an internationally recognized brand do nothing for the winemaking, and the production needs […]
Italy 4: Old Friends and New Vintages
Before we get started, now would be an excellent time for those drinking along to open the fabulous Boca in your Italy case. It loves a bit of air, so pay attention to how it opens up of the next half hour or so. This trip has been as much about old friends as new […]
Italy 3: Wherein Nelson Finds Himself Mistaken
Allow me, for a moment, to summon what humility I can, and admit a prejudice. When I see a wine that is well known, consistent, and widely distributed, I imagine a modern cellar: rows of gleaming tanks, and beautiful botti. I know, as well as anyone, that much of the truly beautiful wine in the […]
Italy No. 2: Finding Erbaluce
Exhausted, excited, and uncertain, it was time to venture out into Italy and try some wine. I was admittedly apprehensive. Would we be hassled by the police? What kind of reception would we have traveling to a country just now trying to dig its way back out of the trenches of the ‘Rona? One thing […]
Italy no. 1: Getting there
No one thought Traveling during a pandemic would be easy. And the path to getting to Italy was a narrow one, but we made it. Probably the single most common question I’ve had over the last several weeks has been “how are you getting into Italy right now?”, Closely followed by “Can you even go […]