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Jennifer Gentile Martin

Being of Italian ancestry, Jennifer has a strong passion for her culture and wine, especially that produced from Italy. She writes a wine blog, Vino Travels, that promotes and educates folks around the world of the wide variety of grapes and regions throughout Italy. www.vinotravels.blogspot.com

In highlighting Ramato wines of Italy this month I was shocked to see that I haven’t discussed these wines on my sight yet.  With the rosè market on the rise it is the perfect time to highlight these wines.  They’re not red, white or rosè wines, but the best of all worlds.  Ramato wines are home to the Friuli Venezia Giulia region in the northeaste...

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Orvieto is town set up high on a hillside made of tufo in the landlocked region of Umbria in central Italy.  The wines of the Orvieto DOC span both Umbria and the northern part of the Lazio region.  The vineyards are influenced by nearby Lake Corbara and Lake Bolsena as well as the Paglia and Tevere Rivers.  This area was once covered by an ancient...

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Tenuta Sassoregale, founded in 2002, is located in Civitella Paganico of the Grosseto province in the northern part of the Maremma known as the Alta Maremma.  There are 2 other parts including the southern Maremma, known as Maremma Grossetana, and the Maremma Laziale.  It’s located on the southwestern part of Tuscany close to the Tyrrhenian Sea.  T...

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Whether you may have heard the name Lazio or not, if you’ve been to Italy most likely you visited Rome, which is actually in the central region of Italy called Lazio.  Lazio is a region dominated by white wines by about 70% over reds that are primarily based on the Malvasia and Trebbiano white grapes.  In Lazio you’ll find a couple different types...

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The Piedmont wine region in northwestern Italy produces some of my favorite Italian wines and the fact that they were all based on the Nebbiolo and Barbera grapes were just icing on the cake.  The winery I’m highlighting today, Terre da Vino, was a first for myself to experience.  Terre da Vino plays a large role in the wine industry in Piedmont.  ...

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The Primitivo grape hails from southern Italy, primarily in the region of Puglia located on the heel of the boot.  In Puglia it’s the 3rd most planted grape that grows well in the hot, dry conditions.  It’s a grape that is genetically related to zinfandel, although quite different in style.  Those from California are typically higher in sugar and t...

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I love Italian wine for a reason because I really enjoy them all from northern to southern Italy.  Sangiovese was my first love and even as I traveled the map of Italian wine it still remains my favorite. We're not just talking Chianti because if I really had to narrow it down to a singular wine it would be Brunello di Montalcino.  Sangiovese is th...

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As we start to round out this challenging year I think we all need a little bubbly to raise our spirits. This month I am featuring sparkling wines from all over Italy.  My focus is on the wines of the Valdobbiadene and Conegliano Superiore DOCG.  I recently attended a tasting hosted by the Consorzio and IEEM and led by Anthony Giglio where we did a...

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Birthdays are the perfect time to celebrate popping bottles and drinking the good stuff.  Earlier this year I had received a couple of bottles of Barbaresco and Barolo from Poderi Colla and no time like the present to sample them.  Although for a Barolo and Barbaresco these wines are in their youth, they will further benefit from aging.  Luckily I...

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Puglia’s history is known for producing bulk table wine that was sold to the rest of Europe and even Northern Italy.  Even though this still happens today, Puglia has focused on their quality and really established itself as a major player in today’s wine market.  Today it ranks in the top 3 regions throughout all of Italy for producing the largest...

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Over the last few months I’ve shared some wines from Calabria, a wine region of Italy that is one of the lesser discovered one that I love to explore and share.  Today is the first day I’m sharing a wine from the Greco Bianco grape and it’s a late harvest one from Tenuta Iuzzolini.  The Winery ~ Tenuta Iuzzolini  Four sibilings, Pasquale, Diego, An...

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Even though I’m not venturing outside Tuscany I am highlighting a lesser discovered appellation in the southern part called Montecucco.  Located in the Maremma, northeast of Grosseto not too far from the Tyrrhenian Sea.  The hills are set inland at the foothills of Monte Amiato, an extinct volcano.  Not too distinct are also the sangiovese based ap...

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