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Hugh Lindsay Preece

@fermented_boss

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Italian Wine Ambassador 🍷 | Italian wine, minus the intimidation | 40+ yrs in hospitality | 📍 NJ

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#sundayfunday☀️ #pizza #oonipizzaoven 🍕what did I pair this with? by @fermented_boss

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1

a year ago

Amatriciana is a classic Roman pasta sauce known for its simplicity and rich, flavorful combination of ingredients…most importantly Guanciale “If God didn’t want you to eat pork, he wouldn’t have made it taste like pork” 🐖🍝🍷 by @fermented_boss

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22

a year ago

Friday question — and this one comes up every week. 🍷

“How long does an open bottle actually last?”

Short answer: longer than most people think — if you treat it right.

The enemy isn’t time. It’s air.

Here’s my rule of thumb:

Sparkling — 1 to 3 days in the fridge, with a real stopper clamped on. The bubbles go first, so drink it sooner.

White and rosé — cork back in, back in the fridge, 3 to 5 days. That cold slows everything down.

Red — yes, the fridge too. Cork in, 3 to 5 days, then let the glass warm up in your hands. A big, tannic red — a Taurasi, a Barolo — can actually taste better on day two.

And if a bottle smells flat, sharp, or like vinegar? Let it go — or cook with it that night. No guilt.

Most of the bottles in this photo, at a long tasting table in Irpinia, never stood a chance of seeing day two. That’s the other honest answer.

Be honest — in your house, how long does an open bottle really last: it never survives the night, a few days in the fridge, or somewhere in between?

#italianwine #wineeducation #winequestions #winetips #italianwinelover #taurasi #irpinia #winefriday by @fermented_boss

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6 hours ago

Veneto is not just Venice. 🇮🇹

Don't get me wrong — Venice is magic. But get an hour or two outside the city and Veneto turns into a whole other Italy, one most visitors never see.

Belluno (this photo) — a quiet old town in the foothills, the Dolomites standing guard behind it. No crowds. Just espresso, mountain air, and aperitivo hour done right.

Lago di Alleghe — an emerald lake under Monte Civetta, and a village that looks built for postcards, then forgotten by the tour buses.

Bassano del Grappa — Palladio's covered wooden bridge, and grappa distilled there since the 1700s.

Soave — a walled town in a sea of vines, pouring one of Italy's great under-the-radar whites.

And in the glass, the gems keep coming. Durello — the sparkling wine nobody talks about, all volcanic bite from the Lessini hills. And Bardolino — the light, bright Lake Garda red that Amarone's shadow forgot. Pour it slightly chilled and tell me it's not perfect.

Venice gets the crowds. These places — and these wines — get my heart.

Have you been anywhere in Veneto beyond Venice — or is it still on your list?

#veneto #belluno #dolomites #hiddengems #italianwine #lagodialleghe #durello #bardolino #soave by @fermented_boss

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a day ago

That's not a meatball. 🇮🇹

This is canederli — bread dumplings from Alto Adige, up in Italy's far north.

They were born in mountain kitchens that wasted nothing: stale bread, milk, eggs, and a little speck. Rolled, simmered, and served a few ways — in hot broth, under melted butter, or like this plate, over tangy cabbage.

Simple food. Serious comfort.

Here's how I pour with this plate:

That cabbage is the key. It's bright and sharp, and the dumpling itself is rich. So I want a wine with real lift — an Alto Adige Pinot Bianco. Clean, mineral, enough acidity to cut through the speck and match the tang.

Want a red instead? Stay local and stay light: Schiava. Low alcohol, bright fruit, best with a slight chill. It's built for food like this.

Same dumpling can take three completely different servings — broth, butter, or cabbage — and the right glass changes with each one.

Have you ever had canederli — and would you take yours in broth, under butter, or like this?

#italianwine #altoadige #canederli #italianfood #winepairing #foodandwine #schiava #italianwinelover by @fermented_boss

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2 days ago

The town you can only reach on foot. 🇮🇹

This is Civita di Bagnoregio, in Lazio.

No cars. No shortcut. Just a long footbridge up to a stone town perched on a crumbling hill — the Etruscans put it here more than 2,500 years ago, and the hill has been slowly washing away ever since.

The Italians call it "la città che muore" — the dying town. Only a handful of people live here year-round now.

And I love that you have to earn it. That walk slows you down before you ever sit down. By the time you reach a little piazza table, you're already in the right frame of mind.

It's a short drive from Orvieto, over in Umbria — so my order is simple: an Orvieto Classico. Grechetto and Trebbiano, crisp and mineral, made for a slow afternoon after a steep walk. 🍷

Some places you drive through. This one you walk to, sit in, and remember.

What's the most out-of-the-way town in Italy you've ever had a glass in?

#italianwine #italytravel #civitadibagnoregio #lazio #orvieto #orvietoclassico #winetravel #italianwinelover by @fermented_boss

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3 days ago

The most useful words on an Italian wine label aren't the grape or the region.

They're these four:

SECCO — dry.
Learn this one first. A secco Moscato can smell like peaches and still finish dry. I've been hunting dry-Moscato producers lately, and this one word keeps showing up in all the right places.

ABBOCCATO — off-dry.
A touch of sweetness, nothing heavy. Lambrusco lives here — and it's exactly why a good Lambrusco is so much fun at the table.

AMABILE — medium-sweet.
Literally "lovable." These are the easygoing, generous pours.

DOLCE — sweet.
Dessert territory: Moscato d'Asti, Vin Santo, the great passiti.

One more tip: when the front label keeps quiet, check the back label. That's usually where the sweetness level hides.

Which of these four words have you seen on a bottle and wondered about?

#italianwine #wineeducation #winetips #secco #moscato #italianwinelover #winelearning by @fermented_boss

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4 days ago

Before I was a sommelier, I was 13 years old with blistered hands in a Virginia vineyard.

A family friend needed help clearing and planting vines, so there I was — a kid in the rows. Sun on my neck, dirt under my nails, learning what a vine looks like up close.

At 20 I got into hospitality in DC. The owner was a big California wine guy. He'd pour these big, rich reds and talk about them like they were the pinnacle of wine.

And I just... preferred Chianti. 🍷

Nobody got it. It wasn't rebellion — my palate just liked wine that tasted like somewhere. Leaner. Brighter. With a little bite of the wild.

Then Marilisa Allegrini (@marilisa.allegrini) changed everything. Her Valpolicella Ripasso. A bottle of Corvina. And Italian wine had me, hook, line, and sinker.

That was a long time ago. Since then: 40+ years in hospitality, studying wine professionally, becoming an Italian Wine Ambassador, about three trips to Italy a year for a decade, 16 of 20 regions and counting.

And it all goes back to being 13 with dirt under my nails.

The wine you love isn't an accident. Somewhere, there's a version of you that already knew. 🇮🇹

What's YOUR wine origin story? I want to hear it. 👇

#italianwine #wineeducation #wineoriginstory #chianti #valpolicella #corvina #italianwineambassador #winelover by @fermented_boss

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5 days ago

Sitting in a Paris bistro this week, notebook in my back pocket, watching the room work — I kept writing down the same three things. After 40+ years in this business, I should know them by heart. The French just do them better. 🍷

1. The table is never rushed.
L'apéro is sacred here. Nobody drops the check on you. The second glass of wine isn't upselling — it's the product. A guest who stays two hours comes back twice as often.

2. Small room, familiar faces.
The best bistros are tiny and the regulars have names. The server knows what you drink before you ask. Recognition is the best seasoning in the house.

3. A short menu, written with confidence.
Eight starters, not twenty-eight. A short menu means the kitchen actually masters what's on it — and so does the wine list.

I'm taking notes. A few of these ideas are coming home with me to Tavola. 🇮🇹

What's the one thing you wish every restaurant did?

#italianwine #restaurantlife #hospitality #parisfood #bistro #wineeducation #restaurateur #pvtavola #foodculture by @fermented_boss

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6 days ago

Pair to the sauce, not the protein.

Forty years in restaurants taught me that one. Nobody teaches it, but every good sommelier lives by it.

A chicken dish in a creamy sauce doesn't want a big red. It wants something with acidity to cut the richness.

Quick cheat sheet, from my table to yours:

Aglio e olio — Falanghina. Bright, savory, built for garlic and olive oil.

Cacio e pepe — Pecorino. (The grape, not the cheese.) Dry and textured, stands up to all that salt.

Vongole — Vermentino. Citrusy, a little salty, tastes like the sea it came from.

A slow ragù — Sangiovese. Same weight, same earth. Done.

The rule underneath it all: match the weight, add contrast where the dish needs it.

I'm in Paris this week, eating my way through the city, and this rule travels better than my suitcase.

What's a pairing you swear by — even if the books say you're wrong?

#italianwine #winepairing #foodandwine #wineeducation #vinitaliano #pasta #winelovers #sommelier by @fermented_boss

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9 days ago

The Trabocchi Coast 🇮🇹

This is Abruzzo's shoreline — about 50 miles of Adriatic coast dotted with trabocchi, the old wooden fishing platforms on stilts. Fishermen hauled up anchovies and shellfish from the water right under these decks for centuries.

Here's the part I love: come evening, several of the old trabocchi have been turned into tiny restaurants. You sit on the water, brodetto (the Adriatic fish stew) in front of you, and a glass of something local in your hand.

That glass should be from Abruzzo, obviously. Trebbiano d'Abruzzo is one of my all-time favorite whites — bright, mineral, made for seafood. And for reds, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo with the brodetto is hard to beat. Don't sleep on Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo either — it's a rosato, but this one drinks year-round. Cherry and savory with real backbone, not a summer fling.

Abruzzo is the Italy most people skip. Mountains on one side, sea on the other, wine in the middle. It sits quietly between Rome and the tourist maps, doing its own thing.

I've been to 16 of Italy's 20 regions, and Abruzzo is the one I tell people to stop overlooking.

Have you ever drunk wine on the coast where it grows? 🍷

#italianwine #abruzzo #trabocchi #italytravel #winetravel #trebbianodabruzzo #montepulcianodabruzzo #wineeducation #visitabruzzo by @fermented_boss

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10 days ago

France is the home of Champagne.

So why are French restaurants pouring more Prosecco than ever? 🍾

New numbers from FranceAgriMer just landed: Prosecco purchase volumes in French bars, restaurants, and hotels jumped 22.6% in 2025 — the strongest growth of any sparkling wine.

And the long view is wilder: Prosecco is up 175% since 2019. Champagne is still 25.7% below its pre-crisis volumes.

So here's the Wine School breakdown of what's actually happening:

1. THE MATH
In the French trade channel, an average bottle runs €21.16 for Champagne vs €5.30 for Prosecco. That's not a quality judgment — that's a real-world restaurant decision. 45% of French diners are spending more carefully right now. Bubbles you can afford to order twice win.

2. THE METHOD
Prosecco is made with the Charmat method — second fermentation in tank, not in the bottle. That keeps it fresh, fruity, and bright: pear, white flowers, citrus. Champagne's bottle aging gives you brioche and depth. Different tools, different wines, different moods.

3. THE MOMENT
Champagne says "milestone." Prosecco says "Tuesday." It doesn't need a reason — it IS the reason. And in a market where drinkers want something festive without the occasion tax, that's unbeatable.

This isn't Champagne losing. It's Prosecco being exactly what it's designed to be: the most approachable bubble in the glass.

So be honest with me — when's the last time you reached for Prosecco over Champagne, and were you glad you did?

📊 Source: Wine Intelligence / FranceAgriMer

#italianwine #prosecco #wineschool #wineeducation #glera #veneto #sparklingwine #winefacts by @fermented_boss

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11 days ago