Sad news to announce this week as the much loved Cork-based importer Karwigs in Carrigaline have decided to wind down after 40 years.

I was asked recently what wine region I would most like to live in full-time and after a few moments thought I surprised myself by choosing not Burgundy or Provence but Piedmont in Northern Italy.

I’M JUST back from Slow Food Terra Madre Salone Del Gusto 2018, the biggest international event dedicated to food — 1.2m people attended in 2016.

I was asked recently which wine region I would opt to live in given an endless budget and unlimited resources. After much deliberation I picked Piedmont in Northern Italy, home to the Slow Food movement, white truffles, hazelnuts, and wines made from Nebbiolo, Barbera and Dolcetto, writes Leslie Williams

School is back, holidays are over but don’t despair, wine is here to

I don’t do favourites. I have no favourite colour, book, song or wine. However, if I have noticed that in recent years I am drawn to fresher brighter red wines — Mencía from Spain, Blaufrankisch from Austria, Pinot Noirs from almost everywhere, and Nebbiolos from Piedmont.

This week Leslie Williams recommends two juicy reds and three northern whites

The boy from the small Argentinian town of Murphy has taken a long and winding road via Barcelona, Southampton, and Tottenham, to see for the first time his family’s ancestral home in Piedmont, Italy, but Mauricio Pochettino feels at home in Turin — and does not think Spurs should feel out of place at the Allianz Stadium where they face Juventus tonight.

A wine bar and restaurant company co-owned by TD Mick Wallace made a profit of €40,000 last year, although the firm’s debts continued to grow by €63,732 to nearly €400,000.

This week I am returning to Italy with a scattered selection of suggestions that range from north to south.

The dreaded ‘C’ word is fast approaching so if you can be disciplined (or can lock the wine away somewhere) it is good to begin picking up some wines or at least thinking about what you will need.

It is no great revelation that our tastes in wine frequently change with time.

At the time of writing we are enjoying a bit of a heatwave but spare a thought for French winemakers who have once again been hit by late frosts and hail.

It is now 40 years since the Judgement of Paris when a blind tasting of Napa Valley cabernets and chardonnays scored higher than many famous names from Bordeaux and Burgundy.

Sad news to report as in case you didn’t hear the legendary Cork-based wine importer Joe Karwig died suddenly on October 26.

In recent days the vineyards of Champagne and those of the Cote d’Or in Burgundy were both given United Nations World Heritage Status for the continuity and quality of their wines and ancient vineyards.

VENEZUELA: A woman who bashed President Nicolas Maduro on the head with a mango has been promised a new house for her troubles in a surreal tropical tale that has gone viral in Venezuela.

In recent weeks, I have been praising Spain as a source of good value but this week I want to focus on Italy.

A ‘time of great interior crisis’ early in his career turned Pope Francis into a family man and one who is determined that the Church puts the care of individuals above doctrine, writes Paul Valley

His autocratic style as leader of the Jesuits in Argentina was a chastening experience that shaped Pope Francis’ life and led to his transformation as champion of the poor, Paul Valley reports.

I mentioned last week of the sad death of Paddy Keogh of Wines Direct at the young age of 64 from a relatively short illness. 

THIS is an interesting time in the world of wine.

THERE is an old adage about the wine industry that if you want to make a small fortune, you need to invest a very large one first.

ARE there any wines that are not improved by being paired with an appropriate food?

EVERY WEEK seems to bring news of yet another Bordeaux Chateau being sold to a Chinese conglomerate or insurance company so it is comforting to know that there are still some family operated wine producers that are thriving.

ALTHOUGH increasing numbers of us buy our wine at the supermarkets, this week I want to encourage you to remember the independent wine shops who can often provide more variety and unusual styles.

SO how many new year’s resolutions have you broken yet?

It’s too late now, the cake is eaten, the wine is drunk and Christmas is over for another year. It is safe to say that everyone puts on a few pounds over the Christmas season, if for no other reason than that we are rarely as active and are not eating at regular times.

A woman has been pulled alive from the rubble of an apartment building destroyed by an earthquake in Italy.

Deaths were reported today when a magnitude 5.8 earthquake shook northern Italy.

Italy

SOMETIMES you do have to suppress a giggle at the flowery language used to describe wine — the cherries, roses and truffles, let alone the rubber, farmyards and even cat’s pee — which are fairly commonly used to describe wines.

ITALIAN police arrested 24 people yesterday, most of them Chinese, on charges of laundering about €2.7 billion from tax evasion, counterfeiting, prostitution and stolen goods.

Both the curious and those convinced the Turin Shroud is the burial cloth of Jesus Christ can have a brief look starting today and for a period of six weeks.

Voters are casting ballots today in Italy’s regional elections, which are being seen as an important test of popularity for prime minister Silvio Berlusconi.

A massive oil slick released from a depot in Italy reached the country’s longest river today, threatening devastation to wildlife.

More than a million people have reserved places to see the Turin Shroud when it goes on public display this spring for the first time in 10 years.

AN Italian clinic said yesterday it would take in a woman who has been in a coma for 17 years whose family is seeking to have her life ended, as the Roman Catholic Church kept up pressure to keep her alive.