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From Prosecco to Pecorino: A Guide to the Best Italian White Wines of 2023

December 22, 2023 by Luxury Gold No Comments
Close up of sparking wine being poured in to glass

It’s no secret that Italy produces some of the world’s best wines, both red and white. But the sheer variety of its regions, grape varietals and terroir can be dizzying; from sparkling bottles that provide a great-value alternative to champagne, to crisp island whites just made for a seafood pasta pairing. 

For the best Italian wine, we’re now looking to the lesser-known regions: think central Abruzzo, with vines that pick up the Adriatic sea breeze; or Friuli, with its Alpine proximity creating an aromatic peachiness. Chardonnay’s had its moment and Prosecco is a thing of the past: here are the top Italian wines to watch out for.

 

Orlandi Contucci Pecorino Superiore DOC 2019

Wine bottle - Orlandi Contucci Pecorino Superiore DOC 2019You may know Pecorino better as a cheese ‒ and indeed, it shares its moniker with a hard, flaky Tuscan number often used in pasta sauces. But in the world of white, this is one of the best Italian wines. Largely produced in Italy’s Abruzzo region (but also made in Marche, Umbria, Liguria, and Tuscany), Pecorino is a native Italian grape that grows well at high mountain altitude and by the coast. 

Its notes of stone fruit, sea salt and rosemary that have seen it compared to the top Pinot Grigios and Sauvignon Blancs. Take the Abruzzo-made Pecorino Superiore 2019 by Orlandi Contucci, which scooped 98 points in the Luca Maroni Awards and 4 grape bunches in the Bibenda Guide; not only a critics’ favorite, but an affordable bottle at around $40 online.

Foodies read on: Indulge your inner gourmet with these luxury food experiences

 

Tenuta Stella Ribolla Gialla Collio 2021

Wine bottle - Tenuta Stella Ribolla Gialla Collio 2021The Ribolla Gialla is a grape is so fashionable that it’s now being used in Napa Valley, but it also produces some of the new top Italian wine, most prominently in the Friuli-Venezia region of northern Italy. Typically producing light-bodied, greenish-hued white wines, this ancient variety is often paired with seafood or creamy dishes due to its zingy acidity. Tenuta Stella’s Ribolla Gialla Collio, is a classic choice. Not only did it win in this year’s Decanter Awards; critics at Wine Enthusiast awarded it 85/100, describing it as “a lean, simple white” that “offers yellow flower, citrus zest and grilled herb flavors”.

Food for thought: Acclaimed Sydney restaurant Bennelong and its love affair with Australian food

 

Podernuovo Palazzone Nicoleo, Toscana Bianco 2020

Win bottle - Podernuovo Palazzone Nicoleo, Toscana Bianco 2020Anyone who doesn’t know the top Italian wines beyond the odd glass of Pinot Grigio may not be acquainted with Grechetto. Primarily used in blends, this white grape originated in Greece (hence the name), but grows well in the Italian regions of Umbria, Lazio and Tuscany and used for its concentration of flavour. 

In Podernuovo Palazzone’s Nicoleo 2020 ‒ named for the winemaker’s two sons, Nico and Leone, Grechetto is blended with Chardonnay to great effect, producing one of the best Italian wines of the year. Wine magazine Falstaff praised its “delicate aromas of lemon and pear, with freshly cut grass and a hint of stony minerality”; while USA Wine Ratings awarded it a 2023 Gold Medal.

Save for later: Where to find the most rare and expensive food in the world

 

Orvieto Classico Superiore Castagnolo 2021

Win bottle - Orvieto Classico Superiore Castagnolo 2021Another wine region that uses Grechetto with flair is the Orvieto DOC, which spans Umbria and Lazio. Winemaking has been here since the Etruscans, with the namesake wines traditionally perceived as sweet; but plenty of dry, bright whites are being produced there these days. An example of a top Italian wine from the region is Barberani’s Orvieto Classico 2021: with notes of green apple and almond opening up to a peachy fullness, with moderate acidity. The maker’s most popular bottle, the 2021 pairs beautifully with garlic prawns, shellfish risotto or swordfish and salad.

Read next: Seven ways you’ll celebrate Tuscan food when you travel with Luxury Gold

 

Tenuta di Tavignano Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Riserva 2018

Win bottle - Tenuta di Tavignano Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Riserva 2018If you’re after a refreshing, easy-drinking table wine for an Italian lunch, look for a Verdicchio from Italy’s Marche region. These bright white wines often have a nutty, almondy note as well as zingy fruit profiles; this year Forbes called it “arguably the greatest white varietal” from Italy, while Vivino users praise Tenuta di Tavignano’s bottles for their mixture of sweet peachiness and salinity. 

Made from 100% Verdicchio in the Marche region of Italy, Tavignano’s Verdicchio dei Castelli 2018 is a solid choice, with textures of beeswax and roasted hazelnuts. The makers have been farming organically for the past five years, as well as hand-harvesting their grapes. 

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Bruno Giacosa Roero Arneis 2022

Wine bottle - Bruno Giacosa Roero Arneis 2022Another genre to watch in the category of “best Italian wine” is Roero Arneis ‒ that is, white wines made in the Roero area of Piedmont, Italy, from the Arneis grape. Distinctive for their yellowish, straw colour, these whites The critics’ choice for this year is the Bruno Giacosa Roero Arneis 2022, from a Piedmont winemaker better known for his reds. 

The 2022 vintage was raved about for its accents of citrus, minerals and white flowers; a higher-alcohol choice at 14% ABV, Giacosa’s take on the wine is praised on Vivino for being a “crowd pleaser” and “the benchmark by which all other Arneis producers should be compared”.

We think you’ll also like: Journey into the world of luxury coffee: Meet the award-winning producers

Luxury Gold’s Ultimate Italy journey involves an expert wine tasting in Tuscany.

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Cuisine

These are the best orange wines of 2023

December 19, 2023 by Luxury Gold No Comments

When presented with a wine list any contemporary and acclaimed restaurant today, you’ll notice that the alongside the expected options for reds, whites, and rosés is another listing – orange wines. 

But orange wine is no new phenomenon: it’s been around famous wine regions like Italy and Slovenia for centuries and traces its route back to Georgia millennia before that.

So why are orange wine brands currently trending and what makes the best orange wines rival the classic vinos dominating the wine industry? Here’s what you need to know about orange wine, the top orange wine producing countries, and the best orange wines from the last year that you need to try.

 

Unpeeling the orange wine phenomenon

Before you order an orange wine, here are a couple of “tasting notes” to keep in mind that will help you savor every sip.

Orange wine glass and bottle on a basket with flowers in a field

What is an orange wine? 

The first important detail to know about an orange wine is that its name is derived from its color, not from any fruit-fusion grape. Its color, which often gives it the alternate classification of an amber wine, is a result of the fermentation process.

Uncork more wine knowledge: The Luxury Gold Guide to Private Wine Tasting in Italy

How is orange wine made?

It’s a very similar process to other white wines, but with one key difference. White grapes used for orange wine do not have their skins removed during the fermentation process. This increased skin contact impacts the color, the texture, tannins, and other qualities of the wine.

What countries are the top orange wine growers?

Although orange wine processing dates back to the Caucasus area now known as the country of Georgia — which is also where the most ancient records of wine techniques were unearthed — other countries tend to be producers. Italy, particularly the northeastern area, and Slovenia produce some of the best orange wines available today. 

Read next: Award-Winning Argentine Wines You Must Try on Your Next Trip

Bottle and glass of orange wine in field with building in background

What are popular orange wine brands?

Like any other wine variety, brands span the spectrum – from smaller makers, like the family-owned Dominio de Punctum winery, to more popular brands including Milan Nestarec and Gérard Bertrand. 

Why is orange wine so popular right now?

Orange wine has become something of an overnight sensation in 2023 for a number of reasons. Its profile offers the best of both worlds: the refreshing, easy-drinking nature of a white wine with the full-bodied flavors and notes that one would expect from a red wine. The best bottles are also starting new conversations about wine production and wine history, often with adults who are only casual wine drinkers. 

What are the best orange wines of 2023?

A look into some award-winning wine brands of 2023. 

Nerica Vina’s Pošip 60 2020 | Croatia

Gold winner of the Decanter World Wine Awards 2023

Orange wine bottle - Nerica Vina’s Pošip 60 2020 One of the best orange wine makers you’ll find in Croatian restaurants, Nerica Vina showed the Decanter World Wine Awards that the country is refining its winemaking techniques. Nerica Vina’s Pošip 60 2020 earned a gold award in 2023. It was one of the only wines to earn the year’s gold distinction, making it one of the best in the world. 

Keep chilled: A look inside South Africa’s most beautiful and exclusive wineries

Wipach Wine Estate’s Rebula 2016 | Slovenia

Platinum Orange (Ext. Maceration) winner of the Great American Intl. Wine Competition 2023

Orange wine bottle - Wipach Wine Estate’s Rebula 2016A small, family-run boutique winery in Slovenia is now home to one of the best orange wines of 2023. No stranger to awards from Decanter, AWC Vienna, and other competitions, Wipach Wine Estate’s Rebula 2016 won a platinum award in the Great American International Competition in 2023. 

Parley Lake Winery’s Parley Vu Rose 2021 | USA

Silver winner of the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition 2023

Orange wine bottle - Parley Lake Winery’s Parley Vu Rose 2021As the largest competition of North American wines, San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition no doubt expected some of the best orange wines in America making their way to the judges’ table. Parley Lake, a winery in Waconia, Minnesota, won silver in the competition. Though named “Rose”, it’s actually an orange wine made with Frontenac Gris grapes to yield a medium-dry, crisp taste with notes of watermelon rind and chokecherry.  

Latah Creek Wine Cellars’ Orange Moscato 2021 | USA

Gold Best of Class winner of the Dan Berger’s International Wine Competition 2022

Wine bottle - Latah Creek Wine Cellars’ Orange Moscato 2021On the eve of 2023, Latah Creek Wine Cellars took home a Best of Class Gold award from the Dan Berger’s International Wine Competition. This 100% Orange Muscat is grown on Lonesome Spring Vineyard in Washington state yet brings a more tropical taste with its notes of sweet orange blossom and orange cream. 

Breathe it in: An exclusive invitation from La Famiglia Mazzei, a Tuscan wine dynasty

Where can I try an orange wine?

Orange wine may be limited in growth production compared to reds and white, but you can still find a bottle behind the bars of the world’s most luxurious hotels and in the cellars of countless wineries. Order a glass in:

Argentina, on Luxury Gold’s Grand South America tour. You’ll spend a day exploring Valparaiso and Chilean wine country where you can explore how South America’s best orange wines pair with fantastic seafood.

France, on the Ultimate Southern France tour with Luxury Gold. When you’re not sipping Bordeaux in Bordeaux, visit the Languedoc wine region where you’ll learn about its strong white grape growth despite being a predominantly red wine country

Italy, on Luxury Gold’s Ultimate Italy tour. This tour brings you to Venice in Italy’s northeastern region where the majority of the world’s best orange wine production takes place.

Vineyard in Tuscany st sunrise with low level mist

 

Croatia, on a Luxury Gold Croatia & the Dalmatian Coast tour. After touring Krka National Park’s waterfalls, you’ll sit down for lunch and a wine tasting at Biblich Winery, home to the Maximilian Rebula 2011 that is made in cooperation with a nearby Slovenian winery.

Australia, on the Inspiring Australia tour with Luxury Gold. Leave the outback and enter the Hunter Valley Wine Region, the country’s most renowned wine producing region.

Vinegar in Australia with blue sky and mountainous background

Discover another: The perfect Australian grape by wine expert Nick Williams of Hungerford Hill

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Luxury Journeys

What happens on a private tour of Vienna’s iconic Royal Palace

December 16, 2023 by Luxury Gold No Comments
Sconbrunnpalace in Vienna and gardens in foreground

Schönbrunn Palace is an iconic landmark — and you get to savor it after-hours during a VIP visit on Luxury Gold’s Harmony of Central Europe tour. 

A private tour of Vienna, and this Vienna royal palace, is the perfect introduction to the grandeur of Wien. Famous for a myriad of reasons, including hosting a performance by a young Wolfgang Mozart, Schönbrunn Palace sits on a site that’s been occupied since the Middle Ages. 

Skip the line at Schloss Schönbrunn and enjoy a crowd-free visit to this Vienna royal palace on your fourth day of travel with Luxury Gold. Until then, here’s everything you need to know about this private tour of Vienna’s regal estate. 

The Royal Treatment: All the ways we make your trip exceptional

 

A Brief History of Schönbrunn Palace

Front facade of Schonbrunn palace in Vienna

Long before Mozart’s music filled these halls, a summer retreat and hunting lodge were just two of a number of guises this storied building took in its early years. 

 

The Middles Ages through Schönbrunn Palace’s naming

Glasshouse at schonbrunn palace, vienna

Since the Middle Ages, the land that Schönbrunn Palace sits on has been developed and redeveloped to suit the owners of the day. It wasn’t until hundreds of years after the first structure was erected that the estate began appearing in historical record as the Katterburg estate. 

1548 saw a major extension of the estate, which was extended further in 1569 to include a game park. The estate gained the name we know it by today Emperor Matthias found a fair spring (or Schöner Brunnen) while hunting. The official name change was first documented in 1642.

17th & 18th Centuries

Interior of grand room at schonbrunn palace with visitors, Vienna

Despite such continued architectural attention, Schönbrunn Palace was heavily damaged when  invading Turks seized Vienna in the late-1600s. The former manor house was then rebuilt as a hunting lodge for Emperor Joseph I, though he died before it was completed. 

The palace changed hands again and again, before Emperor Charles VI gave it to his daughter, Maria Theresa. She had the hunting lodge rebuilt as a palatial summer residence where it would become a center of political and court life in Vienna.

Her husband, Franz Stephen of Lorraine, was crowned Roman-German Emperor in the 1740s, and the palace began to grow alongside the new imperial family. Opulent staircases, grand galleries, a theater, and more were designed with ceiling frescos and intricate stucco detailing. More than 1,000 people were accommodated in this Vienna royal palace. Maria Theresa continued renovating the palace even after her husband’s untimely death. 

She died in 1780, just before the palace and garden renovations were completed. 

 

Read next: What to expect when you meet Princess Anita Von Hohenberg

19th Century

As you stroll the halls during a private tour of the Vienna royal palace, you’ll wonder how this magnificent palace could remain relatively empty from the time of Maria Theresa’s death until the 1810s. Save for Napoleon occupying it in both 1805 and 1809, the beautiful Vienna royal palace began to wilt. 

By 1814, Schönbrunn Palace began another decades-long chapter of renovations and regal residences. The state took over ownership of Schönbrunn Vienna royal palace after World War I and it was deemed worthy for inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1996.

 

Schönbrunn Palace Today

No matter the century, Schönbrunn Palace has always been and will likely always be one of the most prestigious landmarks in Austria’s capital. International tour groups as well as Vienna tours by locals almost always include either a public guided or an audio-guided private tour of Vienna’s royal palace on the itinerary. 

Learn more: A Taste of the Roaring Twenties: Inside Zagreb’s Stunning Hotel Esplanade

 

What to know before a private tour of Vienna Schönbrunn Palace

Schonbrunn palsace closeup of stucco facade

Any traveler can come to Schönbrunn Palace without required reading and instantly fall under its opulent spell — though we recommend knowing a few key facts about this Vienna royal Palace:

  • It was designed by Fischer von Erlach, an architect who also designed the Palace Schwarzenberg and the Karlskirche.
  • Mozart performed for the royal family in Schönbrunn Palace when he was only six years old.
  • Marie Antoinette, daughter of Maria Theresa, was born inside this Vienna royal palace. 
  • The hallmark yellow color of Schönbrunn Palace isn’t the hue it’s always shone; testing suggests it was orange, red, and white prior to its new yellow coat in the 1800s. 

And one critical fact to remember: an estimated 8 million people visit Schönbrunn Palace each year, but with a private tour of Vienna’s palace from Luxury Gold, you get to explore its splendor without the crowds.

 

Other harmonious activities on this journey

Closeup of Prague's Astronomical Clock

Schönbrunn Palace is a favorite for many on our 13-day Harmony of Europe journey, but it’s far from the only gem on the itinerary. You’ll also:

  • See Prague’s Astronomical Clock
  • Sit front row for a Mozart and Strauss concert
  • Dine at the Michelin-starred Borkonyha Winekitchen in Budapest
  • Visit Melk’s historic hilltop Abbey
  • Stay at the Grand Hotel Krakow

Experience a VIP private tour of a Vienna royal palace this year with Luxury Gold.

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