Straight from an authentic Italian restaurant is this delicious eggplant recipe. It is a baked eggplant parmesan that woman winemaker and chef, Jacqueline Mitchell of Ojai Pacific View has wowed her family and friends with while taking vacations back home in the US from her “real job” as chef at a local favorite trattoria in the Langhe Italy. Not suprisingly, the wine and food pairing with her own California Dolcetto is out of this world.

Make your own parmigiana con melanzane with this eggplant recipe baked inside.

Saint Laurent is not just in the fashion world: do you know that it is a wine grape too?

Learn fun facts about this grape which could become your next go-to red wine, like:

• Saint Laurent is the number one most planted red wine grape variety in the Czech Republic;

• its closest relative is one of the most famous red wine grapes in the world.

Plus, as a bonus in this article, we have a recipe for Beef Bourguignon, or Beef Burgundy, with a twist. What is it? Find out inside!

Let's spill the beans on the whole spaghetti and meatballs gig – turns out, it's more Italian American than straight up Italian. Say hello to authentic meatballs, or polpette, the real deal in Italy, where meatballs is the main character, and pasta isn't their sidekick. Learn many ways to serve and make homemade meatballs, and the secret to making a really good polpetta. Get an authentic recipe, that is both easy and versatile for meatballs, spice it up with some traditional Italian wine and food pairings. Get ready to cook, crunch, and sip your way through authentic Italian vibes.

A double threat, the Italian city of Alba has got a little bit of everything for both food and wine lovers. But what’s it like to live there? Are you ready for an insider's scoop on Alba? Our local guide spills the beans on all the nooks and crannies in this charming city. From hidden cafes with stories as rich as the coffee to secret spots that only the locals know about, we're peeling back the layers to show you Alba's true colors. Whether you're a newbie or a seasoned explorer, join us as we take you off the beaten path, sharing tips, tales, and the kind of inside info that turns a trip into an adventure. Alba's waiting – check it out through the eyes of a local.

It may be a discounted animal… but in many parts of the world the Wild Boar is an important part of life and the kitchen! Explore the world of wild boars, recipes, wine pairings and more traveling through Italy, the Czech Republic, and even the Americas. Stick around to the end for an authentic recipe for Pappardelle con Cinghiale or Pappardelle Pasta with a Wild Boar Ragu sauce including pairing foods of wild wines with wild boar.

Embark on a journey through the hills of the historic part of the Valdobbiadene wine region, where the enchanting and rare Boschera grape vineyards are hidden amidst an area where the Prosecco grape, glera, takes center stage. In the heart of Italian white wine growing, a story unfolds; one of tradition, sustainability, and the effervescent charm of Pet Nat natural wine. Join us on this odyssey, where craftsmanship and tradition intertwine, giving birth to an Italian sparkling Pet Nat that captivates the senses. Explore the nuances of the rare Boschera grape which makes a wine that not only tantalizes the palate but also reflects a commitment to the land and the timeless beauty of Valdobbiadene.

It is a simple dish found throughout Italy, a staple of family gatherings and the ultimate svuota frigo or pantry meal: the torta salata, aka an Italian version of quiche. With endless possibilities for ingredients, they can be both an exercise in culinary creativity and a way to finish up bits and bobs of food in the fridge. No wonder that the Italian nonna is often behind the makings. Straight from nonna Petrussa of 3 generations of women at Vigna Petrussa, we have this breakfast recipe casserole to share. Grab a pie crust and let your imagination run wild.

Did you know that winegrowers have their preferences when it comes to grapes? But it’s not based necessarily on the sensation when tasting the wine. Instead it’s based on the work and attention involved to cultivate the grape and make a good wine out of it. Barbera is one of those grapes. Think of it as the grape that’s a difficult child: needing extra rearing and care as it ‘grows up and becomes a wine.’ But, boy, can that extra effort yield great results!

And there is another silver lining: it weathers climate change quite well.

Find out more in this article.

Who doesn’t love home brunch ideas? Why not for your next brunch, choose a brunch recipe that is steeped in tradition. So much so that its name Duelos y Quebrantos could possibly have influenced the origin of the word “breakfast”.

Try a delicious and easy eggs and chorizo recipe, direct from the windmills in Spain and a Spanish amporae winery. Inside find out what Duelos y Quebrantos is, its historical importance in Spain and even influencing our culture. Then make this breakfast recipe casserole and try pairing it with a natural wine.

Nothing quite says summer like a big basket of juicy tomatoes, ready to be cooked down into a fresh tomato sauce or sugo. But that can be labor intensive and take ages… sometimes we need a pasta sauce quick to put on the table and enjoy! Enter the cherry tomato. These small ruby rounds have their own flavors and deliciousness to share. So come inside to find our Italian Vero Chef’s favorite recipe for a cherry tomatoes pasta and our suggested wine pairings.

In the countryside of Romagna, Italy, capretto al forno, or oven roasted goat, is a popular recipe, especially when drizzled with a really good Italian olive oil. We have an authentic recipe to share straight from the local trattorias of Romagna, thanks to the Braschi Boys sharing their passions of food, not only wine. In fact, Braschi’s recommended pairing wine with food with this goat recipe is a full bodied red wine: their riserva sangiovese wine. Check it out!

Tucked into the Adriatic coastline, is Le Marche Italy, a region full of delicious wines! They are famous in the world of Italian white wine for their age worthy wines like verdicchio or trebbiano. Discover the white wine grapes of Le Marche, hearing from Lombardy transplant and self-proclaimed Le Marche local Stefano Pintossi with his family farm and winery, Quercia Scarlatta. Find out why he doesn’t cultivate the most famous white wine grape of the region, what drew him to make organic, biodynamic and natural wines, and why he loves Le Marche.

Straight from the land of pasta, comes a journey exploring a traditional filled pasta. While it is not the more well known tortellini, it is just as delicious and versatile. It is tortelli pasta from Romagna, the eastern half of the Emilia Romagna region of Italy. Learn all about tortelli in this article, including pairing wine with food, and find an original homemade pasta recipe from one of the Braschi boys, Romagna natives who run the traditional Romagna winery Braschi.

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.

We’ve heard the dish Pasta Primavera before, right? Do you know why it’s called primavera?… Spoiler alert, it means spring in Italian, but what does the word primavera come from? Find out in the article and get yourself an authentic trattoria recipe from Italy to make your own sugo for vegetables with pasta, great for pairing with Sauvignon Blanc.

We might think of nettles as a nasty weed, but it actually has loads of benefits, from to curing ailments, to being a tasty and nutritional food. Find the inner forager in you as we continue to explore backyard-to-table cuisine in this article with a fresh homemade pasta recipe that uses this wild food plant, making it flavorful and healthy. Check out this article to discover nettles tea benefits, get the nettles pasta recipe, find out what sugo to serve it with, as well as natural wine to pair along.

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.

Our food foraging skills out in the wild may be part of our DNA as hunter-gatherers but the skill is lost. Beatrice Calia, a chef turned author, educator and consultant on wild plants took it upon herself to learn one new plant every day so to be able to live her life and livelihood centered on plants around her home in the hills of Bologna. What inspired Beatrice to become a wild food expert? What is there to know? Find out 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.

Meet Aldo Clerico, born into a family with vineyards that make some of the best red wines in the world, yet he was the first to make their own wine with them. What prompted him to take this initiative? How did he learn how to make wine? What are his secrets to making the really good Barolo wine? Get to know Aldo Clerico, his Barolo winery and exceptional red wines in this article.