About Vino E Cucina d’Italia

Neil Duarte Neil Duarte began his exposure to wine and food as one of life’s greatest pleasures many years ago in his native New Orleans. Though members of his family made their living from the food and wine industry, he left and followed a course that led him to Texas and management of a number of companies in the energy and electronics businesses. Through the guidance and superb cooking of his long-suffering wife and photographer, Terry, his focus changed from French wines and cuisine to those of Italy. Now retired from corporate America, he has spent the years since 2004 concentrating on the wines and food in Italy. His emphasis has been on finding new, reasonably priced wines or smaller wineries whose wines are not well know in the USA and the foods that go best with these wines.

Neil welcomes any comments on his articles and can be reached at nduarte65@yahoo.com.

Read Vino E Cucina d’Italia articles:

Some White Wines from Torre Rosazza

Felem: Hic et Nunc resurrects an almost-extinct grape

Pasqua Vigneti – House of the Unconventional

A Return to Cantina Fontursia

Amphora in Umbria

Elegance & Finesse from Campo alla Sughera

Italian Wines by Region: The Veneto

A Piera 1899 tasting

Tasting a Ladder of Brigaldara’s Amarones

Sardinia’s Sella&Mosca wine – a new treat

Tenuta Carretta: 555 years of wine

Cantina Tramin’s Alto Adige wines

Corvo – From Sicily with Love

Le Marche –The Adriatic Wine Jewel

An Italian Winemaker in Romania

Archeo-Enology in Abruzzo at Feudo Antico

Dentici: a turn to winemaking

A return to Piedmont

Sparkling holiday wines from Trentino

Pertinace is More Than Barbaresco

Monferrato’s resurgence in wine

Bardolino and its Rosé

More Mandrarossa

Enhancing and improving with Hic et Nunc

Blu Giovello: new wines, new label

Poggio Torselli: Land Driven, Organic and Biodymanic

Cecchi – The Pure Truth of Wine

An Attitude for Classico: Villa Trasqua

Ruchè – another Piedmont jewel

Determination and love of land at Cantina Pertinace

Vintage Ports: not Italian, but very good

Sicily’s Mandrarossa – new labels, new wines

Bolgheri Super Tuscans from Tenuta Argentiera

Cantina Tollo – Organic and Vegan Wines from Abruzzo

Italian Wines by Region: Sicily

The Wines of Fattoria Uccelliera

The Mazzei family’s Siepi Super Tuscan wines

Planeta’s New Etna Wines

Umbria – more than just red wine

Fontezoppa’s Ribona & Vernaccia Nera

Two Tenuta Carretta wines – and a Port

Castello di Radda’s Chiantis

Simone Capecci: innovation in wine

Tenute Murola: A Polish/Italian Success Story

Officina del Sole: Sun, Wine and More

Really Good Wines from Lazio

Cantine Settesoli SCA’s Mandrarossa wines

Puglia’s surprisingly good wines

The resurrected grape: tasting Timorasso wines

A return visit to Lecci e Brocchi

A Texas Hill Country Winery Visit

La Lama – small but excellent

A visit to Antonelli San Marco

Conte Leopardi of Le Marche

Moroder – organic wines in Le Marche

Santa Liberata – A Family Affair

Anteprima Amarone: more visits, more wines

A Visit to Azienda Albino Armani

Cesari Fine Wines of Verona

Amarone – A Winner from the Veneto

Italian Wines by Region: Campania

Wines of Umbria

A tour of the wines of Tuscany

Italian Wines by Region: Piedmont

Back to the Future in Italian Wine

Sicily Again

Velenosi – tradition and innovation in Le Marche

Biancaluce – A Surprising White Wine from Puglia

Bonci – Four Generations of Verdicchio

Raising the Organic Bar

The passion of Vignaioli Morelino di Scansano

Earlier Vino E Cucina d’Italia archives