Holiday travel is worth even the trials and tribulations of delays and crowded conditions when it means time with family and friends. A great coping strategy, when possible, is to turn unexpected circumstances into cause for an impromptu celebration! In today’s case, the key ingredients are bad weather and great wine!

When our day-after-Christmas return flight from Philadelphia to Los Angeles was delayed for several hours by snow and sleet — and we had, luckily, found out before leaving for the airport — Michele very graciously brought out a bottle of 2004 Mastrojanni Brunello di Montalcino to turn our delay into delight!

Continue reading Snow Day Brunello at Our Italian Table.

Most Italian wines are still named for their provenance (where they come from), which makes sense because the wines of Italy are so closely tied to the regional cuisines: they have emerged over time together, and pair well. We Americans are so used to labels that feature the grape varietal (Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio) that the Italian designations associated with place — even more complex and confusing than the French ones, not to mention featuring many more varietals — can seem overwhelming and possibly not worth the bother!

Continue reading Food-friendly Barbera at Our Italian Table.

We are very excited over here at Our Italian Table – we have some fun things in the works! My brother Joey is busily working on our soon to be submitted Our Italian Table iPad app and we are adding the Our Italian Table Bookshelf.  Our bookshelf will feature our favorite cookbooks and travelogues on our favorite topic – Italy (of course!) We will bring you recipes from our favorite authors along with notes and thoughts about these recipes as we recreate them at home.

Continue reading Risotto con le Salsicce e Vino Rosso: Sausage and Red Wine Risotto at Our Italian Table.