Moving to Italy

Moving to Italy We're a family of 5 who have just moved from London to the Barolo region of Italy

Valle d’Aosta is Italy’s smallest region, nestled in the north-west corner of Italy. It’s completely mountainous, with l...
29/08/2026

Valle d’Aosta is Italy’s smallest region, nestled in the north-west corner of Italy. It’s completely mountainous, with long cold winters but surprisingly warm and sunny summers.

Before I studied Italian wine, Valle d’Aosta wasn’t on my radar at all. Turns out it’s home to some of the most extreme viticulture in the country - vines clinging to the foothills of Mont Blanc, native grapes you won’t find anywhere else.

(Full disclosure - this Torrette is actually a blend, but just setting the scene. Swipe for the 4 grapes I had never heard of until I started studying Italian wine)👉🏻

🍇Prié Blanc

🍇Grown up to 1,200m — the highest vines in Europe, right under Mont Blanc

🍇Usually ungrafted (phylloxera can’t survive up there)

🍇Often made into traditional (Champagne) method sparkling wine that tastes like the altitude it comes from

🍇Petite Arvine

🍇Grapefruit, spearmint, wild thyme, fennel — then a saline finish

🍇Quite full-bodied despite all that delicacy

🍇Mountain air in a glass. I’m ageing this one to see where it goes.

🍇Fumin

🍇Needs time. Give it that and you get damson, blueberry, forest fruit, to***co, chocolate, clove

🍇Sleek, brooding, built to age

🍇This was the red grape that put the region on the map for me

🍇 Prëmetta (Prié Rouge)

🍇Neblu is a nickname for Prëmetta or Prié Rouge - a rare pink-skinned grape nearly lost to history

🍇It’s blended here with Pinot Nero for the sparkling rosé

🍇Not the most complex, but a genuinely lovely glass - a fab summer afternoon sipper

🍇A handful of the diverse native grapes tucked into this corner of the Alps: Prié Blanc grown higher than almost anywhere else in Europe, Petite Arvine going saline and herbal, Fumin turning so complex as it ages, and Neblù making refreshing rosato.

🍇Valle d’Aosta punches so far above its size. Which one are you trying first?

…delicious sparkling wine from the Langhe🥂🍾Alta Langa is made using the metodo classico - the same ‘traditional’ method ...
20/08/2026

…delicious sparkling wine from the Langhe🥂

🍾Alta Langa is made using the metodo classico - the same ‘traditional’ method as Champagne, with a second fermentation happening right in the bottle.

🍾It’s one of only a handful of Italian DOCGs reserved exclusively for this method.

🍾The DOCG covers a large area - most of the Langhe & stretches eastwards towards Asti - but the actual vineyards devoted to Alta Langa are small (but growing)

🍾 Those vineyards must sit above 250 meters to help preserve acidity, which is what gives these wines their signature freshness.

🍾Minimum aging is 30 months on the lees before release, and 36 months for a Riserva.

🍾But many producers go way beyond this for more complexity.

🍾”On the lees” means the wine ages in contact with spent yeast cells. Sounds gross but that’s what builds the brioche/doughy richness of Champagne and other sparkling wines that have their second ferment in the bottle

🍾Of course, being a DOCG, grape rules are strict.

🍾For those Champagne vibes, a minimum 90% Chardonnay and/or Pinot Nero, with up to 10% other Piemonte natives - like Nebbiolo - are allowed.

🍾And Alta Langa has to be vintage dated (meaning the grapes all have to be from the same year and declared on the bottle).

🍾Most of the Alta Langa I have tried has been Pinot Noir dominated and produced in a Blanc de Noir style.

🍾But Blanc de Blanc and rosé are on the rise🙌

🍾And what to expect taste wise?

🍾A whole range of flavours and complexities depending on the wine making, but always well balanced with vibrant freshness, and velvety bubbles.

🍾My tasting notes for these wines are wild😂 - anything from lemon pith, pink grapefruit, red apples, green pineapple to umami, marmalade and shortbread (for the older wines).

🍾Definitely seek these out - Alta Langa remains one of Italy’s most underrated sparkling wine categories.

Save this for your next Piemonte trip 🇮🇹

🍷Bardolino - Fresh red cherries, wild strawberries, a smattering of nutmeg, this one from the sub zone of La Rocca, was ...
18/08/2026

🍷Bardolino - Fresh red cherries, wild strawberries, a smattering of nutmeg, this one from the sub zone of La Rocca, was a far cry from the wimpy Bardolinos I have had in the past.

🍷Grown on the glacial moraine hills of Lake Garda’s eastern shore, Bardolino is a Corvina-dominant blend.

🍷This was the easiest-drinking of the group - and the biggest crowd-pleaser🙌

🍽️ Next time (we ended up finishing the bottle before dinner🫣), I’ll be trying this with a watermelon, feta and rocket salad

PS - look out for the rosé from POGGIO delle GRAZIE 👌

🍷Valpolicella Classica Superiore: Same Corvina-led blend as Bardolino, just from across the hills in the “Classico” heartland near Verona.

🍷Superiore means a minimum 1 year ageing and this gives it more structure than the Bardolino.

🍷This one from Villa Della Torre was super elegant - red cherries, redcurrants, blackcurrants, and a lovely sappy greeness to it.

🍽️ We had this with a pesto pasta salad and fresh cherry tomatoes.

🍷Pelaverga - native Langhe grape from the village of Verduno, right in Barolo territory.

🍷White pepper, raspberries, cherries.

🍽️ I love this with a bit of fresh chilli - spaghetti aglio e olio is a great match (or works well with picky bits - raw pepper, fennel & cherry tomatoes).

🍷Schiava - Schiava gets written off as Alto Adige’s everyday, easy-drinking red, but this one’s a step up. It’s a Classico Superiore from Kellerei Cantina Kaltern from the Kalterersee (Lago di Caldaro) zone.

🍷Raspberries, rose hips, and a hint of creamy coffee on the finish. The best Schiava I’ve had - worth seeking out.

🍽️Had this with a potato salad and a herby dressing, and it worked beautifully.

🍷Terrano - from the rugged Carso plateau in Friuli, close to the Slovenian border, and grown on iron-rich red soils.

🍷Tart redcurrants, cranberries, a sprinkling of herbs and a blood-iron tangy finish (the most divisive wine of the lot!) - super refreshing and interesting rather than insipid.

🍽️ Loved this with a simple tomato, red onion & basil salad.

Save this - 5 light Italian reds worth hunting down

Kinda chic to have strong opinions on rosé shades and zero explanation for any of them What’s your kinda chic? Tell me b...
05/08/2026

Kinda chic to have strong opinions on rosé shades and zero explanation for any of them

What’s your kinda chic? Tell me below👇

Rosato of the month Sardinian seas👌Roman village 📍Nora (near P**a), south west SardiniaStudy, pool, wine repeatThe seas ...
04/08/2026

Rosato of the month

Sardinian seas👌

Roman village 📍Nora (near P**a), south west Sardinia

Study, pool, wine repeat

The seas stay beautiful even in a storm

Vibes

Everything with lashings of Sardinian EVO👌

Carignano/Carignon - our favourite Sardinian red (sorry Cannonau)

Back home to the rather dry Barolo hills ✨

But still traces of snow on the Maritime Alps

Practising for my Champagne trip🍾

Champagne by train👌

Iconic Mercier barrel - 200,000 bottles of Champagne and pulled all the way to Paris by 24 oxen (and a few horses on the hills)

Summer festival season🙌

Serralunga Barolo fest🍷

Date night🥂

Indirizzo

Monforte D'Alba

Sito Web

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