Wines: a taste of.... life :-)

There are no doubts that wines makes not only table but life much more colorful :-) Today I enriched my home collection (destined to continously diseappear) with 5 new bottles. Following a short description of these tasteful and enjoyable wines:

1. Gavi di Gavi. This is a white wine, my favorite one. Made with Cortese grape it is traditionally grown in the area around the town of Gavi, Piemonte (North Italy). I spent several summers in that small town and as you can see, I'm always bringing with me this fantastic wine. Delicious to match with fish dishes

2.Falanghina, Irpinia. This is from Campania, South of Italy. Also white, this grape has been grown for thousands of years. It made wine for the Romans and now is keep doing so for the "New Ones"..:-) Ideal with scallops and fish dishes in general.

3. Sangiovese. Let's move to red wines. From a region close to the Lake of Garda, (North Italy), this is excellent with pasta dishes and risotto. To be served at "temperatura ambiente"...so, don;t put it in the fridge!!

4. Chianti Classico, Riserva 2004. Nothing to add to this Tuscany wine. Simply enjoyable, you never go wrong!

5. Barbera D'Alba. This is also a wine from Piemonte (North Italy). Before to drink it, a couple of suggestions could be useful. First, it is a great match with steak or meat. Second, to fully enjoy this wine, open the bottle at least 30 minutes before to drink it. It is an essential trick :-)

Hopefully you enjoy above selection. I will surely do....time to cook something that will match the first bottle..:-) Anyone for dinner? :-)

Ilhabela...or Beautiful Island

One week ago I visited this fantastic Island, spending good time with friends and enjoying the atmosphere of this place. In case you will be visiting Brazil, I strongly reccomend to spend some time in this Paradise..:-)

Below some useful information:

Ilhabela, or Beautiful Island, on Ilha de São Sebastião in the state of São Paulo, (see the interactive map from Expedia) certainly lives up to its name. Discovered in 1502 by Américo Vespúcio, the island has a long history of defense against foreign naval powers, pirate's refuge, black market slavery, smuggling base and failed colonial efforts at sugar and coffee plantations.

About 85% of the island’s almost 350,000 square miles is within Ilhabela State Park, with further development not allowed. Most of the development is on the west coat facing the mainland, and the island’s economy is based on tourism.

There are great 35 km of beaches, a coastal Atlantic rain forest, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, to explore, mountain peaks to climb and over 400 cool waterfalls cascading into the ocean. Add to that legends of pirate treasure, underwater wrecks to explore, great sailing, enough to make Ilhabela's annual Sailing Week a must, and you've got the makings of an attractive vacation destination.

I believe...just like a child...:-)

April 22th will be the Earth Day 2010, time to celebrate 40 years of common activities around the world.

In case you don't know about this movement, below some details (http://www.earthday.org/):

"Earth Day Network was founded on the premise that all people, regardless of race, gender, income, or geography, have a moral right to a healthy, sustainable environment. Our mission is to broaden and diversify the environmental movement worldwide, and to mobilize it as the most effective vehicle for promoting a healthy, sustainable environment. We pursue our mission through a combination of education, public policy, and activism campaigns. Earth Day Network has a global reach with more than 20,000 partners and organizations in 190 countries. More than 1 billion people participate in Earth Day activities, making it the largest secular civic event in the world."

Time to enjoy our lovely Planet...simply watch this video..:-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwGvfdtI2c0&feature=player_embedded#