See Naples and die they say. It is a phrase that has long been banded about by this notorious group of gossips. I had a better idea though; see Naples, explore the wines of Campania, eat far more Neapolitan pastries than is advisable and get myself safely out of Dodge two days later. My quick visit to Bella Napoli was a two day entrée to a ten day immersion in the countryside that has sprung from the volcanic soils of Etna, the largest active Volcano in Europe. Napoli as we all know is not without its own Volcanic skyline and the impressive Vesuvius dominates a number of key tourist attractions in the area such as Pompei and Herculaneum. So two days in Naples. Why not.

The best way of describing the sudden change in climate that greeted me as I stepped off the plane over an hour late, par for the course down here, was an inferno. The 35 August degrees amounted to an outrageous jump from Liverpool’s 12 shivering degrees and a very budget airlines unnecessary application of air conditioning. It was clear that this intrusive heat was going to pose a logistical challenge to my ambitious plans to … Read more…

When one confesses to the general public that he or she is a wine importer one is faced with a number of standard comments. The seemingly endless recital of said comments generally allude, with a tone indicating I may not be fully in the ‘real’ world , that it must be ‘difficult’, all that wine drinking and international travel. The wine importers response is equally well rehearsed. “It’s not as glamorous as you think” and the usual reminders of the realities of tasting cold tannic wine and 9am on a wet winter morning are reeled out.

As with all things, the truth lies somewhere between the two. Wine importing is both challenging and extremely enjoyable, but one thing is certain; the lives and wines of people in beautiful places make for excellent reading, so I have therefore decided to share my thoughts and experiences of roaming Europe’s vineyards searching for artisan wines of character and identity. Over the next year I hope to make numerous installments from slightly off the beaten wine track, sharing my passion for the wines I choose, the people I meet and the places I visit.

I first met Tiziano of Il Molino di … Read more…

Day three, sweltering heat and the first signs of a hangover were knocking at the proverbial door. Nothing that a couple of pints of water and a good breakfast couldn’t solve, which was fortunate as the city was already gearing up for the festival of Sáo Joao, which has earned a reputation as Europe’s liveliest street party. Held every year on the 24th of June thousands flock to the old town to enjoy the party, which in reality runs from the evening of the 23rd through the early hours. Midnight is met with fireworks and the sky is intermittently filled with floating candle lit lanterns.

To escape the hectic pre festival preparations I opted to get out of the city for a few hours and make the short one hour trip to Braga. Boarding the train at the Sao Bento is more than the dreary period of pointless waiting and the tedious inconvenience of the general public which is train travel in the UK. It is in fact an attraction in itself. Around 20,000 tiles painted by Jorge Colaço, the famous Azulejo painter at the time of the station’s inauguration in 1916, cover the walls of the foyer depicting the … Read more…