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 1) What is a Super Tuscan?   Known mainly for its Chiantis until the 70s, Tuscany experienced a real wine revolution when Marchesi Antinori bottled his first 'Tignanello'. Composed of a blend of 80% Sangiovese 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc, this wine was a real upheaval and questioned the established order.   Indeed, the rules of the DOC appellation of the Chianti zone were, at that time, extremely restrictive. The blend could only contain a maximum of 70% Sangiovese and a minimum of 10% of another white grape variety. International grape vari...
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All about the hierarchy of Italian wine appellations If you look at a bottle of quality Italian wine, you will find the following acronyms on the label: DOP, IGP, DOC, DOCG or IGT. What are the differences?In Italy, the system of Italian appellations has evolved considerably since the 1960s. Despite all the richness and diversity of the country, transcribed in an impressive number of appellations, the system became more readable, until European legislation came back to reorganize the system again not long ago. In summary: "Old" systemVino da Tavola: This designa...
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All you need to know about Amarone della Valpolicella aging wines The yields are the key to great wines. The lower the volumes of grapes extracted from a single plot, the higher the aromatic and structural quality of the grapes. This is the case with wines from the Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG.The location of the vineyard is paramount, to say the least. The Classico sub-appellation is a geographic indicator of where the grapes come from.The climate is cool Mediterranean in the wine regions of Veneto. The latter determines the ability of the vine to harm...
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How to choose the Top 10 best Italian wines? To establish a Top 10 wines of a country or a region is often subjective since appreciations and tastes are different from one individual to another. Nevertheless, it is agreed that certain winemakers and certain vintages often come out on top. Therefore, certain factors are important and serve as a reference. The quality of the wine itself is an important factor. Let me explain: During a tasting by wine professionals (winemakers, oenologists, sommeliers,...) what is finally judged is the structure of the wine, its bala...
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Even if a ranking can sometimes seem subjective, it is certain that the national and international recognition of the wines through the vintages and their constant prices are sure values on which to base a ranking. You will find here a top 10 of the most expensive Italian wines, made in no particular order but which we believe is quite representative of what is done on the other side of the Alps. Enjoy your reading...The top 10 most expensive wines in Italy Masseto - Tenuta dell’OrnellaiaEmblematic wine of the Tenuta dell'Ornellaia. This wine born in 1986 is...
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Like France, Italy has a vineyard with a rich history and all the regions of the peninsula produce wine. So when we talk about typical Italian wines, it is of course difficult to make generalizations because each province of the boot has its own specificities that make them all typical. It is good to first ask the question, what is a typical Italian wine?What is important to take into account is the representative aspect that the wine develops. A wine that is among the top Italian wines or the most expensive Italian wines is not necessarily a typical wine. The m...
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Before exploring the possible food and wine pairings in the Italian peninsula, it seems important to us to address a notion that, according to the philosophy of alfavin.ch, is the foundation of any tasting, whatever it is: pleasure!Without pleasure there is no tasting and even less food and wine pairing. To take pleasure in tasting a wine, a dish, or both together, you need to experience this feeling. Being an epicurean is an art of living that must be cultivated, developed, but above all shared.For a long time reserved for sommeliers, food and wine pairing is bec...
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What you need to know about Primitivo The first traces of this emblematic grape variety of Puglia wines can be found in the region of Gioia Del Colle, a province located south of Bari. After much scientific research in the United States in California, we know that Primitivo is a variety native to Croatia, known as Zinfandel in the USA and Crljenak Kastelansky (Croatia). In Italy, its name was given by a priest named Francesco Filippo Indelicati who after research noticed that this variety had an early maturity hence "Primitivo": the one that ripens first. It was ...
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Unlike countries like France and Spain, Italy is a country where wine is produced in all regions. Nicknamed Oenotria by the Greeks, the Italian peninsula is no stranger to its nickname and the richness of its vineyards is as important as its cuisine. With a favorable climate and a wide variety of soils, Italy has a lot to surprise us. Between the native grape varieties and the international ones, Italy offers us a palette of wines overflowing with quality and creativity. An unforgettable wine experience, reflecting not only the taste of the different terroirs but ...
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Everything you need to know about Spanish food and wine pairing A rich history, a culture resulting from different influences through the past centuries, have shaped the gastronomy in the broadest sense of the term in this beautiful country. As in other countries and regions, the first rule in food and wine pairing is the regional pairing; the easiest, the one that works best. The association of a wine always finds a resonance with a product of the region to which it belongs. Even if we hear less about gastronomy compared to France or Italy, Spain offers a wealth ...
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As with our top 10 Italian wines, establishing a ranking of Spanish wines is a subjective notion, as we do not all have the same tastes or the same rules for establishing this hierarchy. In our case, we have chosen to share with you our ranking and our vision of the wines that represent the best of Spanish wine. How to establish the ranking of the best Spanish wines? As mentioned in our previous article on the best Italian wines, there are always fundamental criteria in a ranking that cannot be omitted and that often, if not always, allow certain winemakers to be...
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The History of Wine in Spain Like many other countries on the old continent, the Iberian Peninsula has a rich and varied history when it comes to its wine. The wine landscape as we know it today is the result of centuries of work. The first traces of vineyards date back to the time of the Phoenicians on the Andalusian coast, near Cadiz. They then developed viticulture inland and began to export the production throughout the Mediterranean. But it is really under the impulse of the Romans that the vineyard grew. With the development of the empire, the Romans needed ...
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With the largest vineyard area in the world, Spain offers from north to south and from west to east, a varied range of wines. Like its Latin neighbors, its history goes back to antiquity. Its evolution and how it appears to us today is the result of the work of the Romans, as in many other regions of Europe as well. With a harsh climate, hot and dry in summer, cold winters, the Spanish wine regions suffer every year and their yields are often low. Whether you are in the south of France or in Sardinia to name a few places, you will regularly find grape varieties o...
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Amarone, the star of the Veneto region. With a reputation that today exceeds the borders (of Italy, of course), Amarone has acquired an international status since its wines are found in the four corners of the world and on the best tables of the planet. And yet, it is not the oldest of the wines produced in the Veneto region. Unlike Recioto, which is a sweet wine, Amarone is a dry red wine with a little residual sugar. The fame of this style of wine is due not only to the opening of international markets but also to the evolution of tastes. In fact, if in the past...
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Before discussing the possibilities of food and wine pairing in Valpolicella, and in particular Amarone, it is worthwhile to review some of the principles related to food and wine pairing. As mentioned in the article "Which Italian wine for which dish?", one of the points is to choose the wine that will be able to sublimate the dish without erasing it and vice versa, in short to find the balance. A very important notion is also the composition of the dish; the garnish, the cooking and especially the sauce that plays the role of binder between the dish and the wine...
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Located north of Verona and close to the shores of Lake Garda, the Valpolicella wine region is the birthplace of one of Italy's greatest and most renowned wines, Amarone. As a province that is attached to its roots, Valpolicella and its consortium of producers are scrupulous in their care for the wine heritage of this appellation area. With autochthonous grape varieties such as Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella, the producers offer a range of wines that can be found not only on local tables but also in the world's greatest restaurants. The Amarone is a wine that ...
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If you have never heard the expression "Barolo, king of wines, wine of kings" then this is for you! Probably with Amarone della Valpolicella, one of Italy's best known and most prized denominations of origin. Nestled in the heart of Piedmont, the Barolo vineyard is one of the most beautiful in the region. Known for its gastronomy and in particular the white truffle of Alba, this wine region has many surprises in store for you. In this article we will discuss its history, how men have shaped it to become what it is today, without forgetting to talk about its produc...
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What to eat with a Barolo? The diversity of red wines found in the Barolo appellation allows for a multitude of food and wine pairings. The cuisine of Piedmont is as rich as its viticulture and as famous as the white truffle of Alba, so the combinations of flavors around Barolo wines are legion. The origin of this local gastronomy lies in the ancestral history of two worlds that live side by side: the nobility with a refined cuisine and the peasant world with a simpler but still tasty cuisine.From appetizer to dessert, the richness of this cuisine is such that ev...
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Aging your wine is an important step when you decide to build a cellar. One question that is important to ask and that will determine your future purchases is what type of consumer you are. If you are a wine lover who appreciates wines when they are open, expressive, on the fresh fruit, then you prefer to taste wines when they are young. On the other hand, if you appreciate wines with more complex, more evolved aromas, you are more likely to drink older wines. Below we will explain some important rules for aging wines and why some Barolo wines age better than othe...
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The wine store in Lausanne Recognized worldwide for its quality of life and a real melting pot, Lausanne has been a city on the move and evolving for a good ten years. Real economic lung of the region, this city surrounded by vineyards, including Lavaux, a wine region listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, has become a place where the world of gastronomy is in perpetual movement. Trendy cafés, cocktail bars, neighborhood restaurants, gastronomic tables and great chefs make this city not only a trendy place but also an open-air laboratory. And in this context...
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Alfavin.ch, your wine store near Morges, Crissier and Echandens At the origin of this family adventure, we meet Giorgio. Italian by origin, he created in 1991 in Penthaz this wine shop focused on Italian wines, his native land, but also on Spanish wines, the native land of his wife. Seeing the craze around the wines of these two countries materialize and become sustainable, Giorgio then decided to move to a new location in Echandens. In 2016, when he was ready to retire, Giorgio was looking for a new owner, and it was quite naturally his son Jean-Daniel who took o...
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