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.

After you check the boxes off of Rome, Florence and Venice while visiting Italy, what else should you explore while visiting this beautiful country? Emilia Romagna.

Learn about this off-the-beaten path region for tourism and find out from an insider what there is to see and taste in the heartland of Italy. It has many tucked away corners which, sadly, have been damaged by the apocalyptic flooding that recently took place. Hurry and find out more, and help this region so it rebuilds in time for your next visit to Italy.

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.

Lambrusco is a historic, underrated sparkling red wine, with 17 grape varieties and many ways it’s wide, from dry to sweet, from charmat to champenois method. There is so much to know… and learn to enjoy! Read more to find out why you should be sipping on Lambrusco today.