Nero D’Avola. 2007. Tenute Rapitala’
With the temperature hovering around the mid-90s, it maybe wasn’t the best day to uncork a bottle of hefty red wine when all I really wanted was an extremely cold beer. Under these circumstances, Sod’s Law then generally dictates that the bottle of red in question is positively without question the very worst bottle of wine you’ve tasted ever and you then spend the rest of the day nursing the murderous headache generated by a single sip. Actually, this bottle of Sicilian Nero D’Avola from the island’s renowned Rapitala’ stable was…

(…like nectar ? Like bathwater ? To find out - click on the headline title above. You’ll get the full story - with pictures !)

La Sagra dei Saraceni commemorates the miraculous delivery of the nearby village of Villamagna from Saracen raiders in 1556.

On the outskirts of the village, a young girl dressed in beautifully-coloured robes suddenly appeared before them and caused a curtain of fire to halt their advance…

(Click on the headline title above for the full story of a day out at an Abruzzo sagra - with pictures !)

Tirabuccia. ‘Gocce di Pecorino’. 2007. Cantina Miglianico
Here’s a real treat - a brand-new white wine in a brand-new range from Abruzzo’s brilliant Cantina Miglianico. Pecorino is yet another of Italy’s heritage grape varieties - but one which was thought to be extinct before the chance discovery of a few spindly vines growing wild in Le Marche 30-odd years ago resurrected its fortunes…

(Click on the headline title above for the full story - with pictures !)