News

Syrah is a grape originally from France, but today it is also grown in Australia, South Africa, Argentina, California, Spain and other regions. It is a varietal that gives rise to wines with an intense red color, structured body and high alcohol content, which lends itself well to barrel refinement and aging. Syrah has an aromatic bouquet characterized by berries, but compared with other red varietals it has an unmistakable underlying aroma: black pepper. The aroma of black pepper is given by a molecule present in the skins of the grapes and can be perceived in many red wines. In Syrah it is...

Nebbiolo is a varietal grown mainly in Italy. It is the base of exceptional wines such as Barolo and Barbaresco, both produced exclusively with the Nebbiolo grape. It is a varietal that gives rise to wines with a not very intense color and a medium body, but with a high degree of tannins that make them ideal for aging. In fact, a Nebbiolo-based wine, if drunk young, can be quite "hard", as the astringency of the tannins prevails over the other sensations. The aromas are reminiscent of pepper, earth and unripe fruit. With the passage of time the wine softens,...

Cabernet Sauvignon is the most cultivated red grape in the world for its ease of cultivation and resistance. It is highly appreciated because it can express wines with full body and excellent aromatic potential. It is a grape variety that was created in Bordeaux in the 17th century from the crossing of Cabernet Franc with Sauvignon Blanc. Together with Merlot, it is the base of Bordeaux wines ("Bordeaux" blend). Depending on the region and the climate where it's cultivated, it can give rise to wines with very different aromas and characteristics. European Cabernets are generally full-bodied, tannic, with aromas that recall vegetable...

We sometimes hear that we have one nostril that works better than the other in smelling. And when smelling food or wine, some may tilt their heads to facilitate access to one of the two nostrils. But is it really the case that one nostril is stronger than the other? Let's start by saying that only a small percentage of the air we inhale reaches our olfactory receptors. It is therefore important to have the "passage" unobstructed and indeed "sniff" strongly to increase the amount of air (aromatic molecules) that reaches our olfactory receptors. The existence of a stronger nostril is actually...

It has happened to everyone... either while doing a wine tasting or upon entering a room... suddenly you realize: "I smelled a specific scent earlier and now I can't detect it anymore: has it disappeared?" This phenomenon is in great part due to the naming process of habituation that allows our brain to unconsciously "filter" the smells already detected and known, and is probably a primordial defense mechanism. In fact in the human's early days, one of the main uses of the olfactory sense was to smell dangers even before they manifested themselves to the other senses (sight, touch, hearing). It was important to...