Planeta Eruzione 1614 Nerello Mascalese 2019, Sicilia DOC, SRP: $30, abv. 13.7% – The more I drink this grape, the more fascinated I am with its origins and taste. Nerello Mascalese is one of Mt. Etna’s very own noble red grapes, offering a Pinot Noir-type garnet and ruby color, perfumey aromas, and effusive, layered, red-fruit […]
Author: James Campanini
Etna’s ‘Saxanigra Spumante Brut’: A volcanic sparkling wine that rocks with taste and tiny bubbles
I tried a new drink over the holidays and it was absolutely fantastic. Destro “Saxanigra” Spumante Millemisato Brut (SRP: $25) from the Mt. Etna region in Sicily. This Italian sparkling wine, from the 2017 vintage, is made from 100 percent red Nerello Mascalese grapes and puts to rest any notion that bubbly wines are less […]
Keep the sparkle all year long with these holiday bubblies
F. Scott Fitzgerald, who authored “The Great Gatsby” and other American classics, understood what it takes to orchestrate a glamorous party. “Too much of anything is bad,” wrote Fitzgerald, “but too much Champagne is just right.” That’s why it’s always a good idea to have a few bottles of sparkling wine on hand, especially if […]
Hybridizing Daylilies 102: The next step toward creating beautiful garden companions
September 2023 Hello fellow gardeners, I hope that many of you have had the chance to take the class of Hybridizing Daylilies 101. I have been creating new cultivars since 2014 and look forward to new ones every year. It was a very warm, humid, and wet summer and the success rate of fertilizing was […]
Tuscany’s Chianti Classico: The ‘Black Rooster’ has a lot to crow about
Now is the time to stock up on one of Italy’s greatest red wines – sangiovese-based Chianti Classico. The last three recorded vintages from this DOCG appellation – 2018, 2019, 2020 – have earned high quality ratings of 92 points or better, and the 2021 vintage is trending in a classic direction (95 points and […]
Puglia’s Primitivo: Salivating over the Salento Peninsula
Some wines “speak” to you. They tell a story about history, culture and the people who cultivated the land, grew the grapes and made the wines. That’s why I am fascinated by Old World wines from Italy and other European countries where viticulture has played an important role in people’s daily affairs going back thousands […]
Santorini’s volcanic Assyrtiko wines erupt with crisp and stylish elegance
Everyone seems to be going this summer to Greece and the ancient, idyllic, volcanic island of Santorini. The GOAT – Tom Brady – went there recently to attend a very private VIP party. Celebrities of every kind go there weekly to get their photos taken on fancy yachts and published in People magazine and the […]
Spain’s El Coto de Rioja wines beat the heat at bargain prices
El Coto de Rioja wines were featured on the Grapefully Yours Wine Podcast recently by co-host Mike Pigeon, aka The Wine Butler, and Jim Campanini. CORRECTION: The wines reviewed in this article were media samples received from Donna White Communications, a public relations firm representing El Coto de Rioja wines. A reference in my July […]
The Garden Goddess: Welcome to Hybridizing Class 101
By Mary Lee Harrington Hello fellow gardeners, I’d like to thank my husband, Jim, for allowing me to have a little space on his website to share photos of the many daylilies I have been collecting since 2009. Also, planting tips and gardening ideas. Most of my daylily collection has been acquired from local growers […]
COMING SOON: The Wine Goddess & The Garden
Mary Lee Harrington, aka The Wine Goddess, is also quite adept at cultivating daylilies. She’s been hybridizing the beautiful creations since 2014 and now has more than 600 in our Belvidere backyard. Every July, the landscape bursts with these gorgeous blooms of color – purple and gold, crimson and saffron yellow, blood orange and white. […]
