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Nero Buono’s history is unknown. Claudio Gargiulo of Carpineti explained. “We are working with the village of Cori to find the DNA origin of the Nero Buono grape, but we have not found a relative, and it’s possible that none exists today. So, we are [literally] writing the history of Nero Buono now.”
Riding the Wine Train is a combination of nostalgia and adventure; it is easy to imagine the amazement of the first travelers as they were wined and dined and entertained by the experience and views as they rode the rails. Today, the ancient train supplies modern conveniences like air conditioning, but the feeling of train travel during the time of the pioneers is still there. The difference lies in the miles of vineyards in every direction and mammoth world-class wineries lining the road as the train chug-chugs along Napa’s Vine Trail, whistle blowing as it passes crossroads along the way.
It is not for the faint of heart, flying hundreds of feet above the glaciers in a tiny plane that seems to be 100 years old, but drifting over glaciers while flying so close to craggy cliffsides that you feel you could touch them is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
The Relais & Châteaux GourmetFest is not, nor does it try to be, an event for the average food and wine lover. This is where true connoisseurs come to play, where elite wine collectors gather to share their very specialized obsession with like-minded folks such as legendary sommeliers Rajat Parr and Larry Stone.
Healdsburg is at the epicenter of three world-class American Viticultural Appellations. Just a few minutes outside town in any direction, estates and tasting rooms dot the rolling hills of vineyards wrapped around two-lane country roads.
“We gave our babies a huge haircut this year, and it wasn’t easy.” Katie was referring to the 117-year-old Zinfandel vines on the property her family has owned for almost 150 years.
When Prohibition was repealed in 1933, only 40 wineries had managed to survive and hundreds were left abandoned. Called “ghost wineries,” most were lost forever, but a precious few were later restored to their former glory. These wineries make up some of the oldest, most iconic, and cherished properties today.
Technically, it’s the French who say rosé; the rest of us have adopted their usage of the word. It’s right that we use the French version; France is the indisputable land of rosé wine.
The Tormaresca estate is almost as remote as Tasca D’Almerita’s Regaleali in central Sicily, and both are well worth the trip. We parked in what we later found out was the back of the winery and searched on foot for five minutes to find the entrance.
The trump card of the terme is an outdoor Roman thermal pool perched up against the mountain that looks out over the ski slopes and picturesque Alpine valley.