Winemaker Antonella Manuli inspects a young La Maliosa vineyard she owns that’s full of biodiversity
Today May 22 is International Biodiversity Day, and I spent it exploring the Fattoria la Maliosa vineyards in Maremma, Tuscany with owner, winemaker, and vineyard manager Antonella Manuli. This is my third visit in as many springs, and this year, in particular, I am keen to see the rare and almost extinct grape Procanico which she helped resurrect. Procanico, a local clone of what’s known as Trebbiano Toscano, belongs to the large Trebbiano family, one of the most popular and oldest known vines that’s mentioned by Pliny the Elder in Naturalis Historia. La Maliosa’s Procanico vineyards come from Vigna Madre, a half hectare vineyard well over 60 years old that was abandoned and renewed by Antonella Manuli, the owner of Fattoria La Maliosa, a woman dedicated to the recovery of the historical authenticity of the area including the traditional grapes.
Procanico cylindrical clusters spread out on the stem
Do you love a classic Margarita, a sophisticated Cosmopolitan, or a smooth Espresso Martini— but you don’t want to mess with making them from scratch or searching out the ingredients? Mission Cocktails is on a Mission to deliver bar-quality, ready-to-pour drinks, AND to make a difference: every bottle sold helps fund meals for families in need, with over 100k meals provided so far. Wow! And today May 13 is World Cocktail Day! No better way to celebrate this Mission than with a Mission cocktail and light bites!
We recently enjoyed taste testing a sample box with five of Mission’s award winning cocktails, Continue reading →
Discovering Virginia Wine + Cuisine via the Governor’s Cup Case 2025
Given the opportunity to taste six of the top wines from Virginia, would you choose red or white wines? That was my dilemma when I was invited to taste either the white or the reds plus one sparkling and to participate in a ZOOM about them. This year marks the 43rd year of the Virginia’s premier wine competition “The Governor’s Cup Case” and my friend Frank Morgan’s second year serving as Director of Judging leading judges like Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher in sampling over 620 of the best Virginia wines, ciders and meads from 87 wineries to determine the highest 12 ranking red and white wines. The Virginia Governor’s Cup Competition is a partnership between the Virginia Wineries Association and the gubernatorial-appointed Virginia Wine Board where any wine made from 100% Virginia fruit is eligible.
VA Gov Cup Case winners
Here’s the list of the 2025 Governor’s Cup Case Wines with links to the wineries:
wine predator.............. gwendolyn alley 