One of the world’s most recognized and well-loved red wines, Chianti is nonetheless, a mystery to most wine drinkers, afficionados and novices alike. That may seem a bit odd, but given that Chianti is lost in the discussion of Italy’s wines is due to a great deal of confusion. This confusion is easy to comprehend, given that many people associate Chianti with Chianti Classico. This latter wine is made from a production zone between the Tuscan cities of Florence (Firenze) and Siena and has several centuries of history and good will behind it.  Yet, the zone for producing Chianti is much w ..read more

The Winter issue of my Italian Wine Report has recently been published, and this issue contains reviews of some of the most eagerly awaited wines of the year. These include new releases of Barolo from the 2018 vintage, as well as the 2016 Barolo riservas, as well as 2017 Brunello di Montalcino and the 2016 Brunello reserves. The riserva wines in both cases, are quite special, and I think some of these wines are spectacular. Here is a brief excerpt from this issue: Ratti (Annunziata, La Morra) Barolo Marcenasco 2018 Pale young garnet; aromas of morel cherry, wild strawberry, red currant an ..read more

There is a time-honored principle taught in every journalism school – “write what you know.” Every successful author has followed that advice as well, and why not? If you write about the people you encounter on an everyday basis and the places you live in and visit, your writing comes alive – and that is what makes any book engaging. Suzanne Hoffman is clearly a believer in writing about people, places and events she knows. We saw this a few years ago with her excellent book Labor of Love: Wine Family Women of Piemonte, a non-fiction account of some of the most famous wine estates in Piemonte ..read more

I love Italian white wines and believe that the best examples, be they from Campania, Alto Adige, Sardegna, Piemonte or several other regions need to be better recognized for their excellence. In my Italian Wine Report, I always include reviews of numerous Italian whites, and note their complexity as well as their longevity. The Winter issue of Italian Wine Report will be published in a few weeks, and in this issue, I list the best wines of the year: white, red, rosato and sparkling. Usually I have a difficult time choosing one in each category as the single best, but for the white wines from ..read more

Gian Luca Colombo, Roddi (Photo ©Tom Hyland) The Autumn issue of my Italian Wine Report has recently been published, and in this issue, I review new releases of wines from Chianti Classico, Campania and Piemonte, along with a few other regions. From Piemonte, I have my initial reviews of the soon-to-be-released Barolos from the 2018 vintage; I tasted these wines during my recent visit to the area. These are very impressive offerings, ones that are elegant with excellent varietal character, notable harmony, and a fine sense of place. 2018 should be a very good preview of what is to come for Bar ..read more

The Summer issue of Italian Wine Report has recently been published. This issue is 70 pages in length and includes reviews of 2017 Barolo (along with a few releases of 2016 and 2015) as well as notes on new wines from Puglia, Alto Adige, Lombardia, Abruzzo and a few other regions. I have also included reviews of the latest releases from Maison Anselmet in Vallée d’Aosta in the far northwest reaches of Italy. Wines from this region are vastly underrated, so it’s no surprise that you might not have heard of this producer. I guarantee that if you do taste the wines from Maison Anselmet, you’ll b ..read more

Castello di Soave in the town of Soave (Photo ©Tom Hyland) The latest issue – Spring 2021 – of my Italian Wine Report has recently been published (more on that below). Included in this issue are reviews of the latest releases of two of Italy’s most iconic and long-lived red wines: Barolo (from the 2017 vintage) and Brunello di Montalcino (from the 2016 vintage). Every Italian wine lover looks forward to tasting as many of these new wines as possible and learning the characteristics of the latest vintage to be available, but for this post, I am going to concentrate on far less expensive wines ..read more

The second issue (Winter 2020/2021) of my Italian Wine Report has just been published, and at 90 pages, it covers a lot of Italian wines from several regions. Featured regions include Campania, Abruzzo and Marche, while I have also written reviews of wines from Chianti Classico, Montefalco, Nizza and Amarone. Regarding Amarone, while I have included reviews of current releases, I have focused on older releases; I thought as Amarone is rarely a wine that is approachable upon release, it made more sense to mention wines that have had several years of aging; these include older examples of Amaron ..read more

Vineyards at Serralunga d’Alba (Photo ©Tom Hyland) I have been conducting webinars for the past several months with Italian producers. Now I am excited to announce a new series of webinars with some of the top producers in Piemonte. Experience the excellence of Piedmont wines with Tom Hyland is a series of webinars for professionals and wine lovers presented by Top Cluster, the new project aimed to present Piedmont excellence through the voice of wine experts and key figures in different wine markets around the world. Follow Tom Hyland, US ambassador for the Consorzio I Vini del Piemonte, in h ..read more

I am pleased to announce that I have now started a new Italian wine publication. Titled Italian Wine Report, this publication features reviews of new releases exclusively from Italy. The first issue is 70 pages in length, and features reviews of: 100 Barolo from the 2016 vintage 50 plus Brunello di Montalcino from the 2015 vintage along with reviews of new releases from Alto Adige, Campania, Sicily and Chianti Classico. Here is a brief excerpt (text ©Tom Hyland) Cavallotto Barolo Bricco Boschis 2016 Beautiful young garnet; classic aromas of morel cherry, cedar, orange peel and tar. Medium-full ..read more