Next stops: Maremma and Genoa

I'll be landing at Pisa tomorrow for a fast trip to the Maremma, Genoa and the Veneto.  Already I'm panting.  The Sprint through Italy.

"Maremma" comes from "maritime". You see why

First stop will be to see a very engaging winemaker from the province of Grosseto, whose wines, blogs and wife I admire tremendously.  You'll have to click here to see who I mean.  (Sssh! It's sort of a surprise visit.)

Then we will together motor up to Genoa for Filippo Ronco's very well organized Terroir Vino manifestazione, 4th edition, a one-day affair that presents hand-picked smaller wineries from various regions of Italy and neighboring sections of France.  (Fil heads up a blind-tasting panel.  Note significant hyphen.  Mr. Magoo is not on it.)  I went to the 3rd edition last year and immediately committed to return. Remember: Palazzo Ducale, Genoa, (Monday) June 16.

As Fil wrote on his site:

        After the success of the first three Meetings, which took place in some         of the most beautiful locations of the Riviera, with this Fourth edition         we are taking a gamble. The meeting is moving to the Palazzo Ducale, the         Ducal Palace, one of the most prestigious historical buildings in Genova,         which will probably become the permanent site of our event. Our motto,         "where wine, people and the web meet", underscores the need to stimulate         communication and feedback between winemakers, professionals, consumers         and independent media ; this year we added the title, terroir vino, in         an effort to bring about a common ground for dialogue and exchanges between         viticultural areas. 

Let us remember that the French-Italian border is more or less notional now, and it's always been a fluid thing.  The wines and food on each side of the vanishing frontier are pretty much the same, as are the local dialects, architecture and agriculture.  It's an interesting area to visit once you get away from the hideous sprawl all along the coast and head for the hills.  It's also an up-and-coming wine zone, at least in Italy.  Maybe Mike Tommasi can give us the real dope on the French portion.

In the hills above Chiavari

Comments

[th]

thanks for the tirade! i stand corrected. yes, food sucks around nice. the undesirable foreign element there, you describe perfectly -- it's like being in a european miami, not a good thing. outside of nice, though, i can't say the people struck me as all that different. and it sure looks the same! anyway...

a genova!

[gianpaolo]

see you tomorrow....

[Filippo Ronco]

I'm waiting to embrace all of you ! :-)

Bye, Fil

[michele colline]

The Italian side is referred to as the 'Riviera dei Fiori' though it should be 'Riviera delle Serre'. Greenhouses everywhere you look. What's interesting to me is the border between Tuscany and Liguria. Grapes there nobody's ever heard of..

[Luca Risso]

@Michele
Border between Tuscany and Liguria?
Oh, I have some knowledge about that area. What grapes are you talking about?
Luk

[tracie b]

oh come on terry, what's wrong with a few mafiosi russi? their yachts are way bigger than 100 ft. ;)

kidding aside, all that traveling and wine drinking must be hard for you.

[michele colline]

Luk, generally speaking I just think that that part of Liguria is much prettier and more interesting...the Magra valley on the Tuscan side as well. When I first lived near there I discovered vermentino nero, massaretta, merla(which I think I read is a biotipo of canaiolo), and pollera nera. I was already familiar with vermentino, bosco, albarola, and pigato. I did have a wine a few years ago from the Garfagnana(I know, not RIGHT on the border) made with two white varieties that I can't recall that was dry and acidic but interesting. I read recently(I think in Terre del Vino)of another ancient variety rediscovered north of La Spezia the name of which escapes my memory...or as my wife says "what memory?" If you can enlighten me more, please do...