Born and raised in his family’s winery, Sandro of Sandro de Bruno’s passion as a winemaker is classic method sparkling wines, aka champagne style. But not only: he's fascinated by the native yet obscure grape, durella, that grows in ancient volcanic soil of the Prealp mountains surrounding his home and winery in Veneto, Italy.

We had sat down with him at a recent VeroTalk learn about his mineral rich, complex and age-worthy 95 point rated Durello Italian sparkling wines.  Read on to discover for yourself.

You want to give wine for gift, and you want it to be special, either something they don’t have already, or something that will surprise, and impress them, yet something that they will also like the taste of. That seems like a tall order for what seems like a simple task, especially with the myriad of wine selections out there.

We’ve made it easier for you to gift for wine lovers with our first wine gift guide, that we are introducing just in time for the holiday gifting season.

For the wine lover on your list, be it a friend, colleague, customer, family member, or significant other, use our wine and olive oil gift guide to find a wine in line with their wine taste preferences, whether it’s bold red wines, old world wine, natural wine, orange wines, rose wines, champagne style wines, pet nat wines, even EVOO, use our list to find the best wine for gift giving and build your own wine gift baskets.

Less well known wines are gaining traction in the US, with sommeliers, wine store owners and journalists talking and writing about them more. We, also, focus on curating off-the-beaten-path grapes beyond the most widely sold wine varietals in the US. Yet, with this trend, it can be difficult for our customers to select wines made from grapes they never had. Here we have some alternatives to suggest if you’d like to venture out on your own to try new types of wines. Whether you are a Chardonnay, Moscato, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, Malbec or Syrah wine lover, here are some other wines you should look out for and try. Let’s journey to discover unusual wines!

Find out what we learned when we sat down to sip and chat with the insider & top Czech winemaker Jakub Smrcka of Thaya in our VeroTalk. From its history as a crossroads, we found out how winegrowing has evolved over time in the Czech Republic, capturing its local market of beer drinkers and turning them into wine lovers. Get the full scoop in this article.

Do you love wine but then struggle finding the ‘right words’ to describe it? Or are you on your way to becoming a wine expert and need a de-brief on terminology for wine tasting?

What does complex mean? Or what is a primary aroma? What is a smooth wine?

We are on a mission to teach you how to fish… for wine!

Here is a wine glossary of terms you can use during your next wine tasting or wine pairing to work your way to becoming a wine pro. Then put these descriptive wine words into practice by buying the wines which fit each definition. Then have wine tasting home party with your wine loving friends. Sooner rather than later you will master wine speak!

Get started by learning the wine description words inside.

Need some tips on wine pairing for Thanksgiving or the Holidays?

Do you want to do winetasting like a pro?

Let us help you to master wine pairing Thanksgiving dinner and all the holiday celebrations coming down the pike with this first of a series of articles about wine tasting and pairing wine and food.

Let’s get to know Eros Zanon, crafter of Italian pet nat wines from native Italian grapes in the Prosecco wine region ranging from well known Prosecco glera grape to the super rare Boschera. Read this interview of Eros, about his land & vineyards and his vision and project of making naturally sparkling, unfiltered wines following passion and tradition.

We may have discussed sweet wine pairing in the past… but never with a recipe for crostata like this before! A classic Italian pie that every Nonna has in her arsenal, the crostata is versatile enough that it can pair with both the sweet white Moscato d’Asti and the sweet red Brachetto d’Acqui. How? Well come inside to find out! Read the full article and get the authentic recipe from an Italian chef inside.

Read the in-depth story of 4 generation winery Ivaldi, featured in our recorded VeroTalk. Explore with us the story of Andrea Ivaldi and his family through the lens of their land in the Monferrato area of Piedmont in Northern Italy and through the variety of their wines (which cover just about the full spectrum for every palate and occasion).

This is not a pot roast recipe from your grandma… but a beef roast recipe with a piedmontese cuisine flair. Explore the bold red Nizza barbera wine and enjoy it with this traditional Monferrato roast recipe. It has a Piemontese touch with a hazelnut gravy and a wine pairing that will wow at your next dinner, and warm you up as the days get colder heading into fall.

When one thinks of ‘Italian Food’… normally pasta is the first thing that comes to mind. Let’s explore some pasta dishes from the piedmontese cuisine of the Asti Monferrato (like mushroom pasta), and get the wine pairing to match (spoiler, a great barbera wine goes a long way).

Keep reading on to get our exclusive recipe for a mushroom sauce with fresh lasagnette from a Vero Chef living in Piedmont, Italy.

Explore the Monferrato on a journey through pots, pans, and plates. The Piedmontese cuisine based food culture of the Monferrato and Asti is as varied as the wines of Nizza Monferrato winery Ivaldi.

Try this traditional chicken salad recipe from a local chef in the Monferrato in Northern Italy, and discover this delicious wine pairing (hint is with a champagne style wine from the area). The combination of this recipe and wine is a great idea for your next lunch, brunch or party you’re planning!

To the east of the famous Langhe, lies the off the beaten track Monferrato in the province of Asti. While the Langhe is famous for its big bold Barolo and Nebbiolo red wines, the Monferrato excels in crafting a broad range of wines. They have fresh and bold Barbera red wines, structured champagne style sparkling wines and aromatic dessert wines, like the white and fizzy Moscato d’Asti and the red spumante Brachetto d’Acqui. Discover Asti Monferrato in this article, what could become the next trending destination in Piedmont!

Learn about the Corino family’s unconventional ‘back to basics’ way of farming, viticulture and natural winemaking. It’s based on tradition and learnings starting with Biagio Corino in the mid 1800’s, passing down from generation to generation. The baton was just passed from 5th generation Lorenzo Corino to 6th generation Guido and Luisa. Find out how, without formal training in viticulture and wine, the latest generation of Corinos are excelling at regenerative agriculture and making natural wines. Read this inspirational and informative article.

Learn about the wild and multi-faceted sauvignon blanc grape and sauvignon blanc best wines from winemakers across Europe. For example,. how does sauvignon blanc taste and what impacts its aromas and flavors? There are more than just grassy, green sauvignon blancs out there. Find out more in this article.

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.