Suzanne Branciforte's Italian Grapevine

The people who came up with this idea of Opera Wine really were on to something. The combination of opera and wine isn’t incidental: there are divas in both worlds. Great personalities, dramatic stories, love affairs, betrayals, elaborate plans, soaring emotions, figures that are somehow larger than life, exquisite beauty… All the mixings of a great opera play out in the world of wine.

The great pairing is the iconic American magazine, Wine Spectator, teaming up with Vinitaly to present Italy’s finest wines.  And just to keep the musical theme going, Sting and his wife were not only on the cover, but at today’s inaugural event.

Here we are at the 50th Annual Vinitaly in Verona, a romantic, charming city criss-crossed by rivers and marked by that imposing presence of the Arena, one of Italy’s most successful opera theatres (in summer months!)

The soundtrack for this post is Verdi, so crank up the volume, and drink up! (That is a very rough translation of the aria’s lyric, Libiam, libiamo ne’ lieti calici!)

While the event is not open to the public, today it was crowded crowded crowded. Take a look:

Yes, yours truly was on the scene, doing her best to report on the goings on… It’s not easy to keep up with the movers and shakers in the wine world!

More convinced than ever that the best way to savour and sip is in the company of good friends, in a comfortable setting…

So the curtain is up… Tomorrow Vinitaly officially begins. Stay tuned for what develops in this operatic world of wine.

Buon Vinitaly everybody!