Hear the story of the Ukrainian woman turned winemaker in the Modena province of Italy who was on a mission to make a monovarietal wine from a rare grape that thrives only in high altitudes. She made several attempts and then Sgarbato was born. This Pet Nat sparkling wine made from 100% Uva Tosca,  an ancient grape whose wine was described as "really healthy" by a 17th century Italian agronomist, is like drinking cranberry juice as a sparkling wine. Uva Tosca was abandoned after phylloxera, and thanks to Irene of Frignano, it is making a comeback in Italy's Emilia Romagna region. Read on to learn about this "underdog grape" and to explore the rich cultural heritage in the land where this grape was born.

The world of wine is being revolutionized by a surge of talented women winemakers. These passionate innovators are crafting unique and delicious wines using sustainable practices and minimal intervention throughout the winemaking process. From meticulous vineyard management to exploring new fermentation techniques, they're bringing a fresh perspective that's pushing the boundaries of what natural wine can be. This rise of women in natural wine is not only exciting the industry, but also offering wine lovers a diverse and ever-evolving selection of delicious wines to discover.

We sat down with Luisa Corino, the first woman to take the helm with her brother Guido as the sixth generation of historic natural winery estate, Case Corini in Piedmont Italy. Get to know what makes her “tick,” what she does behind the scenes, her family and her hopes for the future of Case Corini. Check out this exclusive interview with this woman of wine in this article.

Dolcetto, a grape native to Italy's Piedmont region, ripens early and produces fresh, lively red wines. Unlike the area's famed Barolos, Dolcetto shines young, making it a beloved everyday red. We'll explore Dolcetto's journey, from sun-soaked vineyards in Italy to California, where a passion for Italian wines inspires a new chapter for this unique grape.

Hilde Petrussa, inheriting a generations-long legacy of winemaking in Friuli, Italy, carries the torch with passion and respect. From her grandfather's farm to her mother's pioneering spirit, Hilde honors tradition while embracing sustainability. Witness her meticulous care for the vines, her dedication to Schioppettino, and her innovative use of air-dried grapes. Discover her love for Richenza and Schioppettino di Prepotto, and get a glimpse into the future of Vigna Petrussa – a commitment to green practices and crafting wines that express the unique terroir. Dive deeper and savor the taste of her story.

In the captivating world of wine, there's an age-old secret that lies within each bottle—the vintage. It's a timestamp of history, a testament to the unique interplay of climate, terroir, and winemaking expertise. As we delve into the climatic nuances of wine vintages, we unlock a trove of stories, each sip an invitation to a specific moment in time. From the warmth of a sun-soaked harvest to the cool feeling of a late autumn rain, wine vintages encapsulate the essence of the year they were born. Find out how you too can assess a wine vintage in this article.

Michi Lorenz is a young wild winemaker in Austria. While crafting natural, organic, and biodynamic wines, from his family’s land where they’ve been winemaking since 1524, he is a breath of fresh air to the more typical traditionalists in Austria.

His motto in winemaking is “attention but not interference” to create expressive terroir driven natural wines. Despite his seriousness and talents when it comes to vineyard cultivation and winemaking, his playful side comes out easily, you’ll find out in this article, after we sat down to get to know him at our last VeroTalk where he marries his passions of wine and rock music with his natural wine creations. Discover also why he loves his Sauvignon Blanc white wine that comes from the schist rock of Austria.

While farm-to-table is the rage, have you thought about upping it to backyard-to-table?

What wild foods are growing in your backyard, or neighboring fields and woods, that you can add taste and originality to your dishes? And not only - backyard-to-table takes sustainability to the max!

We talked with master forager and vegan chef Beatrice Calia to learn how she cooks with wild foods in her kitchen. Get her tips and tricks in this article.

Meet Rosanna Melchionda, a native from Apulia (aka Puglia), in Southern Italy, whose passion for history led to passion for wine. What drives her is her love and commitment to her family and her region. Read this exclusive interview as she takes us through the history, culture and beauty of Puglia, and what is unique about her family estate’s terroir for wine making.

This is the story of a Ukrainian woman, farm raised who winds up immigrating to Italy and heading up a winery in the mountains surrounding Modena, called Frignano. Upon meeting Irene Balim, we were struck by her commitment and passion towards the unknown native grape varieties in her area and to making traditional and natural styles of sparkling wine, trailblazing in the heart of Lambrusco land. This woman in wine and farm girl at heart has an inspiring story. Read it in her words in this exclusive interview with this woman winemaker.

When one thinks of natural wines, it is not often that eastern philosophy or the Japanese art of wabi sabi comes to mind. Yet, the true appreciation for wine is in the beauty of imperfection. How a minimal intervention, farm-to-glass, wild and scare wine can create ‘perfect imperfections’ or even flaws in wines thats can be considered the ultimate representation of terroir. But where do you draw the line between an imperfection that goes too far? We explore this in this article.

Let’s discover what wabi sabi, meditation, beauty, and wine all have in common.

You want to give wine for gift, and you want it to be special, either something they don’t have already, or something that will surprise, and impress them, yet something that they will also like the taste of. That seems like a tall order for what seems like a simple task, especially with the myriad of wine selections out there.

We’ve made it easier for you to gift for wine lovers with our first wine gift guide, that we are introducing just in time for the holiday gifting season.

For the wine lover on your list, be it a friend, colleague, customer, family member, or significant other, use our wine and olive oil gift guide to find a wine in line with their wine taste preferences, whether it’s bold red wines, old world wine, natural wine, orange wines, rose wines, champagne style wines, pet nat wines, even EVOO, use our list to find the best wine for gift giving and build your own wine gift baskets.

Do you love wine but then struggle finding the ‘right words’ to describe it? Or are you on your way to becoming a wine expert and need a de-brief on terminology for wine tasting?

What does complex mean? Or what is a primary aroma? What is a smooth wine?

We are on a mission to teach you how to fish… for wine!

Here is a wine glossary of terms you can use during your next wine tasting or wine pairing to work your way to becoming a wine pro. Then put these descriptive wine words into practice by buying the wines which fit each definition. Then have wine tasting home party with your wine loving friends. Sooner rather than later you will master wine speak!

Get started by learning the wine description words inside.

At the base of the Italian-Swiss Alps in the Northern part of Piemonte (Piedmont), is the Canavese wine region. Meet on the newest Vero producers, Antonella Piatti who is from there and for over 20 years has been cultivating organic vineyards and making wine from native Canavese varieties. Discover this lesser known wine region of Piedmont, in the Langhe’s shadow, as well as white wine grape Erbaluce, a superstar wine capable of being vinified 3 ways, and woman winemaker Antonella Piatti’s lover for her pergola style vineyards and Erbaluce.

There’s nothing like a really good olive oil. We came across some while visiting Antonella Manuli, the owner of La Maliosa who crafts not only natural wines but also award winning organic extra virgin olive oils. Find out in this article what we discovered on our recent visit to La Maliosa farm in Maremma, Tuscany. And start enjoying the delicious and healthy ways to use amazing extra virgin olive oils, like those of La Maliosa, for your own meals and entertainment with family and friends.

There is an area of Tuscany, off the beaten track of cypress trees and postcard Tuscany. It has a wild and natural beauty that calls to nature lovers, yet is steeped in history, beauty and hidden culture. This is the Maremma.

Where is Maremma, Tuscany? Why visit Maremma?

Travel with us to discover its towns perched on tuff stone cliffs, vineyards, and ancient roads cut deep into the rock in this article.

During our last VeroTalk with Antonella Manuli, founder of La Maliosa farm and winery, we learned how she took the road less traveled with her vision turned to reality of starting her own farm and making natural wine in the wild west of Tuscany, Maremma. Read Antonella’s story here, and the twists and turns she took, in taking a walk on the wild side making natural wine and organic olive oil in Maremma.

In this next ‘Women in Wine Partners’ article, we get to know Claudia Pagliotti of Quercia Scarlatta.

A bit like a movie plot, Claudia took a chance with her husband and family when they had the opportunity to buy a countryside farmhouse. What started as a vacation home, then became the family business, farm and winery Quercia Scarlatta, making wine, olive oil, and other natural products.

Read Claudia’s journey in our latest blog article.

This is the second in our ‘Women in Wine Partners’ series which highlights a handful of the many women who hold the winery together, often ‘behind the scenes’, with their male partner who is the main face of the winery’s brand.

In this article we are bring the wife of Aldo Clerico to the forefront, Valentina, who, like Aldo, is born and raised in the Barolo wine country and also comes from a well known Barolo family dynasty: Conterno. Hear her story directly in this exclusive interview as she recounts her earliest memories of winemaking as a child, and her experience of running a family winery with her husband, Aldo Clerico.

First in our series on ‘Women in Wine Partners’, of women ‘behind the bottles’ of select Vero producers, we are featuring Gretel Meys Compton of Southern California estate winery Clos des Amis. In this exclusive interview, she shares her discovery of wine, how she came to work in wine, with partner Bruce Freeman, her role in the winery, and her joys and struggles.