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italiangrapevine

We are deep into it now, Vinitaly 2014. The heat is on, here in Verona – temperatures are record-breaking, and the wines are sweating. The refrigeration just can’t keep up with the sun beating down on the Verona fairgrounds.

I’ve got to admit it, I prefer to sniff. The aromas are heady… I came to this realization somewhere toward the end of the First Level Sommelier course. In Italy, if you want to become a Sommelier you can do 3 levels of course with the prestigious Italian association Associazione Italiana Sommelier, affectionately known as AIS, which is pronounced ‘ice’. And we could have used some of that around here yesterday.

Crowds of people swarm through the pavilions to see the stands and taste vintages…

This is a time for chefs as well as winemakers.

And can I say something? They take their polenta seriously here in the Veneto!

Our day ends with a fabulous party, ‘the party’ of Vinitaly – at the Allegrini Estate. Here is yours truly with Marilisa Allegrini, definitely the hostess with the mostest! A feast for the eyes, as well as the palate!

Don’t those glasses just invite you to take another sip?

Suzanne Branciforte

has one foot firmly planted on either continent
is New York born and Harvard educated
is Italian and American and Italian-American
has resided on the Italian Riviera for the past 15 years
has a Masters degree and a Ph.D. from UCLA
is a writer, translator and interpreter
interpreted for the President of the Bundesbank and Nobel Prize winning economists and authors
is the author of the international best-selling textbook Parliamo italiano!
has lived extensively in California, France and Italy
knows that good wine doesn’t grow in ugly places
is convinced that living is your greatest work of art