Suzanne Branciforte's Italian Grapevine

Maybe it is the bubbly, colorful logo of this year’s Opera Wine, but Vinitaly 2019 started with a bang! The cold and rather gray weather did not put a damper on the kick-off: Wine Spectator celebrated its choice of Italy’s 100 Finest Wines and Producers, so yours truly was on location to sample vintages, meet and greet, and in general be inspired to strike dramatic poses.

Moving through the crowd of eager sippers, I bumped into a familiar Italian American face: Joe Bastianich, whose Plus benefits from some botrytis cinerea. What a nose!

Lovely to see Wine Spectator’s Alison Napjus, an expert on Italian wines who helped to choose the top 100.

They say in Italian that ‘Class is not water‘, and I would have to agree… It’s Sassicaia!

Always a pleasure to see Luca and Marta De Ferrari of Boscarelli winery from Montepulciano. What is more noble than their Vino Nobile?

But the party did not stop with Opera Wine… The Consorzio Vino Chianti was enjoying an aperitivo in a lovely shop of men’s attire, Tailor’s and Ties, pairing Vin Santo with crostini. Yum!

Yours truly chatting with President of the Consorzio, Giovanni Busi

The Winter Garden was setting for the Wine Net dinner, an impressive network of wine cooperatives working together to promote Italian wine. This kind of collaboration is impressive, and the numbers speak for themselves (see the chart). What I find striking is the philosophy behind it, bringing together different regions and producers to find strength in numbers.

Wishing everyone a fun and productive Vinitaly! For those of you who are not in Verona… Stay tuned!