If these trees could talk, they would tell you about the Febo family in Abruzzo farming their land as early as the 1500s.. Olives were the mainstay of their farming family, from the Febo family’s olive tree grove whose trees date back to 500 years ago. For centuries, they lived on a ‘cucina povera’ or poorman’s cuisine of which their treasured olive oil was a fundamental part of it. Find out what we learned about olive oil production on a small, artisanal scale from Davide Febo, winemaker of Febo’s natural wines, and their organic extra virgin olive oil they bottled from their family’s private stash just for us.

Let’s get to know the Czech Republic, tucked away next to Poland, Austria, Germany and Slovakia in Central Europe. A small yet fascinating country whose culture has been shaped by centuries of being taken over by other countries and empires and is fairly recently coming to its own. We have a local who takes us down the path of discovery in this article, where we also find out about its ancient, off-the-beaten track wines which are also steeped in history.

Want to know how to make a wedding extra special from an award winning expert? Are you planning an important event and need to make it extra special?

Find out from woman-entrepreneur Debra Thompson, a Knot hall-of-famer and Best of Westchester Event Planner how to plan and make the most of the special day.

We have practical tips too from this expert on what wine to buy for wedding wine and how much, wedding favor and welcome gift ideas. Whether you are planning your own wedding or helping someone do it, read on to find out the latest trends and get expert tips.

Ever wonder

• what cork is made of?

• where cork trees are grown?

• how cork is harvested?

• what cork makes the best closures for wine?

• what does it mean when a wine is ‘corked’ and what causes it?

Learn all about cork and cork farming in this article after our visit live with a cork farmer in Alentejo, Portugal.

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.

Film fans may have seen (before he went Searching for Italy) Stanley Tucci unveiling a sumptuous masterpiece called Timpano in the 90s film, The Big Night. We know we sure wanted a piece watching that climatic scene!

So we went searching, and found the history of the dish is actually found in an Abruzzese dish called Timballo. We got the recipe from a real Abruzzese, Gaia, who shared her family recipe for Timballo di Teramo with us! And surprise, it is not at all as difficult as we thought to pull together, very simple in fact!

So, pour yourself a glass of natural abruzzese wine, and read on about how to create your own Timballo at home.

Discover with us another Abruzzese traditional recipe, Scrippelle ‘Mbusse, or thin Abruzzese crepes served in homemade broth. A classic from the winemaking Abruzzese family’s kitchen, the Febos, and around the countryside in Abruzzo, Italy, this simple dish is easy to whip up for a quick and satisfying weeknight dinner. Get the recipe inside!

We’ve explored the landscape of Abruzzo, Italy… We’ve talked with a family winery about winemaking in Abruzzo… Now it’s time to discover the foods and dishes of Abruzzo! A flavorful, yet simple, cuisine, the Abruzzese culinary traditions are centered around the heart of their livelihoods: farming, sheep herding and fishing. Discover with us some of these traditions, and get the Febo family recipe for Pallotte Cacio e Uova or Meatless Meatballs, easy to make and pairs great with Febo’s natural wines.

When Nonno and Nonna Febo worked to buy and create a foundation for a family farm in Abruzzo, Italy, they could have only hoped for their grandchildren to have the same passion for the land as they did. Today, the Febo family winery now run by siblings Davide and Laura are certainly making their grandparents proud! Learn their family story, and about their passion for handcrafting natural wines in Abruzzo.

Abruzzo is not a top destination for tourists going to Italy, but that’s not because it’s not worth visiting. In fact it’s the opposite: it has the sights, food, wine, people and experiences that you seek out when going to Italy but without the crowds. It’s a land of emigrants, fishermen, shepherds and farmers. It could be your next destination in Italy. Read about it in this article.

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.

Calling all white wine lovers! Nestled in an area which was a former glacier, just south of Lake Garda in Northern Italy, is a little known winemaking region of great white wines called Lugana. In our last VeroTalk, with the family, Zamichele, who has been cultivating and making Lugana wines for 100 years, we explored the white grape behind these age-worthy white wines, along with the land, beauty, cuisine and last but not least, the animal-friendly vineyards of Zamichele estate winery. Discover Lugana and its delicious white wines in this article.

Check out the results of our recent forage for unique and delicious sparkling wines never before in the US market. We really go out of our way to seek out small production farmer-artisan wines which have never touched US soil, and the we have a lot of nice surprises in our most recent finds, including a super rare grape that has never been imported into the US before! Whet your appetite for these newcomer sparklers and get an exclusive look into what’s in store.

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.

Let’s face it: Natural Wine is having a moment. Everyone in the wine world is talking about it in some way or form. But what is natural wine? What’s the deal with natty wine? Is natural wine organic? Is natural wine better for you? What defects are their in natural wine and how can you identify them? Become a natural wine expert in this article.

Pieces found of 8,000 year old amphora clay wine jars show what an ancient winemaking technique amphora was for Georgians, Armenians, Greeks, Romans and other ancient cultures. The ancient tradition of making wine in amphora, or a clay jar/vessel, fortunately still continues, like with 200 year old family estate winery in Spain Bodega de las Estrellas which craft natural wines using amphora from the 19th century. Amphora is a great way to make natural wines, thanks to the characteristics of clay and the shape of amphorae clay jars.

Discover for yourself the uniqueness of clay amphora in winemaking as we explore in this article the history of amphora wine, how to make amphora wine, and why it's a great choice for making delicious, harmonious natural wine.

So what’s up the acidity? Why do wine professionals avoid the ‘A’ word when describing a wine? Does it conjour up negative images of sourness and drinking vinegar? Yet, acidity is the necessary ‘evil’ in wine. In fact, in these days of global warming, with northern and colder weather climates trending, guess why that’s so?

Yes, it’s because of acidity. It is the ‘tough love’ element of wine, that which makes a wine interesting and sometimes thirst quenching. And it’s what we reach for as the warmer months come upon us. What exactly causes acidity to occur in wines? How do professionals evaluate acidity in wine? Find out in this article.

Burley Tuggle is an entrepreneur and wine expert who is making inroads in her adopted home town of Newark, New Jersey to bring wine education and wine culture to the local community. How did she get to where she is today? Well, if you’ve been reading our recent Women in Wine life stories, it was not a straight line. Find out in the article.

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.