Looking through the last however-many posts, things have been getting a bit wordy and serious here. So time for a quick bit of light relief — though in the form, I’m afraid, of recommending another weighty tome. But what a book! The Gambero Rosso Italian Wines 2008 will damage your wallet a bit if you can’t resist some of the ‘tre bicchieri’ recommendations, but it will sure improve your quality of life.
Since the daughter went off to live in Italy and marry an Italian, I’ve more or less been sticking to drinking the Italian wine (getting up to speed on the culture and all that). The variety is wonderful even from neighbouring vinyards, and the quality can be amazing — though it can be very unexciting too, but that all adds to the thrill of the chase, finding the good stuff (even sometimes buried in Tesco’s). But if you stick to the Gambero Rosso recommendations, you won’t go far wrong.