Vinitaly 2015 Opening Night

It's official: Vinitaly 2015 is off and running. Just like every year, the sneak preview comes with Opera Wine, the kick-off event sponsored by Wine Spectator and Vinitaly.  Held at the elegant Palazzo della Gran Guardia in Piazza Bra, it features 100 Italian vintages chosen as this year's 'Finest Italian Wines'. I like the stylized…

Peel Me a Grape!

OK, it doesn't get more luxurious than this: a hydromassage in red wine! And what an effect on the skin! So soft, so smooth -- it's all those anti-oxidants, right? When you emerge from the bath, a pleasant, smiling assistant gives you something to replenish the liquids you've lost: And this is supposed to be…

The Bacchus Treatment

Retreating into the Val d'Orcia for my pre-Vinitaly spring renewal. Driving through this part of Tuscany, I inevitably ask myself: do these greens really occur in nature? Got in just after lunch time. Now that is what I call a Room with a View! Do you really think those little lined-up trees happen naturally too?…

Winetherapy, the Perfect Preparation for Vinitaly!

Vinitaly is just around the corner... So how does one gear up for five days of sipping and spitting? Eating and greeting? To say wining and dining is an understatement... Fast? Feast? I have a ritual, and it includes bathing in thermal waters to detox my entire system, tired of the winter, craving the spring…