It's official: Today I became a sommelier. The crowning glory of over 2 years of study with the AIS - Associazione Italiana Sommelier. It wasn't easy and it wasn't supposed to be. Memorizing grape varieties, vintages and wine-growing regions across the globe... Bad enough, Italy has 73 DOCG and over 330 DOC wines: you have to know…
Month: March 2015
Class is Not Water
Or so they say in Italian (La classe non è acqua!) Maybe it's Brunello, or Amarone, or Chianti, or Prosecco, or Furore. See what I mean? That phrase could have been the caption for Wednesday night's super gala dinner for Le Donne del Vino (the Women of Wine Association). The event is called Finitaly, a play…
Forever Young!
The last day of Vinitaly (Wednesday, March 25) was filled with excitement. As you may remember, the day before, we participated in the Young to Young tasting. A late evening phone call informed us that Italiangrapevine.com was chosen for best communication of that event. Hip, hip, hooray! And the winners of each of the three…
Those Boots were Made for Walking!
And that's just what they'll do. You know you are in Italy when you see fabulously dressed and hoofed women in vertigo-inducing high heels, with smiles on their faces after ten hours of balancing on stilettos. How many Americans (or Brits, or Germans, or you-name-it-nationalities) would hoof around a trade fair like Vinitaly…
Super Tuscans!
They never cease to amaze, these Super Tuscans. I met two in my hotel here at Vinitaly. They need no introduction: Tenuta San Guido, Bolgheri, Italy. Ring a bell? Sassicaia - the Super Tuscan by definition. These people not only make Sassicaia (they invented it, for Pete's sake!), but they also make superb Sardinian wines.…
Young to Young Reaches Out
I made my way to the 1st floor of Pavillion 10 this morning to participate in a tasting. Rising above the often very crowded floors of the Vinitaly fair, one gets a different perspective on the business of wine. Serious business, this tasting of wine. This morning at 11:00, we took our places in one…
Lest You Think This is All Fun and Games…
You should know that Vinitaly is a major conference for all those interested in wine. Parallel to the exhibits and stands, and myriad tastings, there are important meetings and conferences with major speakers from around the globe. There are 4000 companies here from 24 countries, and over 90,000 square meters of exhibition space (believe me…
Continue reading ➞ Lest You Think This is All Fun and Games…
Bottega… A Boutique Bottle!
Bottega Gold... Does that ring a bell? It should. They were celebrating 15 years yesterday at Vinitaly. Stunning packaging to match the bottle contents - award-winning Prosecco DOC Spumante! Anna Pesenti is a mover and shaker and one of the Donne del Vino (Women of Wine). She loves shiny things, and was proud to show…
Come Taste the Wine…
... Come hear the Band! For those of you who remember Cabaret! The 'band' at yesterday's inauguration of the 49th Vinitaly were a bunch of politicians, mostly from the Veneto area, as election time is approaching. The Minister for Agriculture, Maurizio Martina, gave a speech full of concrete facts and figures that confirmed that for…
That Cuomo Touch!
She calls it Furore. Furore is the name of the place, the name of the wine, and it is all the passion that Marisa Cuomo puts into her award-winning wines. I started out this Vinitaly 2015 by visiting this powerhouse, who was pouring it herself, and explaining how she makes her wines to the visitors…
Suzanne Branciforte's Italian Grapevine 