The Auswine Forum

Just created this brand new forum here at auswine.

Its all things Italy and Italian, because I can , and because am in love with all things Italian.

I hope anyone interested in Italy will join us, post tasting notes, wine ideas and possibilities, travel in Italy, restaurants, food, and well, whatever is of interest.

Come and join me!

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Very happy to see this. There has certainly been a growing interest in Italian wines here, but also hopefully a similar interest in the food and culture of this wonderfully resilient nation.

Anyone watching the Giro d'Italia cycling at the moment? They've just recently passed through Fara (one of the tiny DOCs near Ghemme and Gattinara), having earlier been up Etna, 'wine trialled' through Montefalco and now heading up into the high mountains perhaps better known for cheeses Asiago and (*Puzzone di) Moena. The scenery breathtaking, the cornering flipping scary.

regards
Ian

* Literally 'stinker'

Have a bunch of tasting notes and musings to write up after the last week in Piedmont.

Sneaky preview: Olek Bondonio and Giovanni Rosso are crushing it (still). Rizzi and Marcarini offer great value and traditional wines. Tourism is exploding, come soon because it's all changing...

I'd agree. It is changing, though year on year you might not spot the changes, but decade on decade you will.

Rick Steves guide has re-ignited American interest, and whilst the books should be credited at looking beyond the really obvious, persuading their readers that a trip to Rome, Venice & Florence (+ half day to Pisa) does NOT constitute 'seeing Italy', the readers are now victims of the success of those books. I often think there is similarity with the huge popularity of Parker, driving up demand and prices for certain wines, with the affect Steves has had for the 2nd line of tourist hotspots.

In Piemonte, we've certainly seen change in the village of Barolo, with some swanky new developments, a few too many ill-disguised tourists shops, and more coach tours detouring to take in the famous wine village. Places like Verduno and Treiso have much less tourist traffic and are better for it.

In more general terms, places like Cinque Terre, San Gimignano, Verona etc. are all over-touristed now, but astute timing / planning can still make them worthwhile.

I can only echo the advice to make that trip though. It's a wonderful country, with stubborn tradition allowing for retention of things lost elsewhere, plus an anarchic element that allows for interesting innovation. It's also easy to hit the right balance of touristy vs. non touristy, with a likely trend from mainly the former to mainly the latter. Learning a little Italian very much helps and encourages that transition.