Writing whilst in self isolation

It has been a couple of weeks since my last post and I have been wanting to write, but despite being in self isolation and having plenty of time, I can’t find anything to write about. Actually I do, there is plenty to write and talk about, it is just not about wine or food.

I could write of my attempts in making bread, I have been feeding my sourdough starter for almost 3 years now but I am still learning to make slow risen bread, I am aiming to get 48 hour fermented bread and it is not easy. I am getting better at each loaf but I am not yet satisfied, being Italian I love proper bread and I could easily live with bread and olive oil, so the bread has to be perfect.

And even though we are all in self isolation due to the Coronavirus, at Italyabroad.com we are still working very hard, we are making the most of this time by tasting the wines that we will be adding to our range once we get back to normality, we will be adding plenty of new wines, from Campania to Umbria, to Lombardy and Aosta Valley, we are preparing for when this unreal, like in a disaster movie, experience, ends. Until then, if you haven’t seen it on our facebook page, you can watch our videos, we are making lots of them, we have also created an online wine tasting tutorial, this is just the start, we will be doing plenty more videos in the future, just follow our channels to stay up to date.

Meanwhile, these are my self isolation’s wines and beer. Yes, beer, I am drinking plenty of it, always in a sensible way. I did not know I liked beer that much, maybe because it is easier, lighter, refreshing and low alcohol, so I can still work after lunch without falling asleep on my laptop, I have brought home plenty of our Toz, I am keeping the wine for the evening, after work.

I try to live a normal life as I possibly can and open the bottle just before I start cooking. If there is one good thing that self isolation has brought me, it is the time to cook, I love cooking. Our recipes section is still a work in progress, but there are already recipes for you to try, but remember that cooking is creativity, and use the recipe as a starting point, make each dish yours.

Going back to the wines, these are the ones I took with me, these are some of my favourites, Gavi di Gavi, Taurasi, Valpolicella Classico, Sotama and lastly, Cormelo, they are all great wines for different reasons and suited to different food and days. What are the wines you have chosen for your self isolation?