A Class Act

Re-imagining Italian Whites: this was a Master Class appropriately enough held by a Master.... of Wine. Gabriele Gorelli MW treated us to an informative, dare I say entertaining?, presentation of the unexpected: Italian whites. This was an unusual Vinitaly all around, from the freezing temperatures like some kind of April Fools joke, to a general…

Girl Power Forever

Young To Young is by now an annual appointment for Italian Grapevine at Vinitaly. Organized and led by the Food&Wine journalists Paolo Massobrio and Marco Gatti of Il Golosario, this event aims to connect young producers to young communicators and opinion makers. Today we had the pleasure of participating in a very session dedicated to…

The Producers

Nice thing about Vinitaly is getting to see the wine producers, whether old friends or new acquaintances. Meeting who is behind the wine is what it's all about. And besides, it's fun! So here are some of my highlights of the last Vinitaly!   Just another Italian American from New York living in Italy? Joe…

La Vie en Rosé

My father used to say I saw the world through rose colored glasses. That's what it felt like at this latest Vinitaly 2019. Never saw so much rosé in my life!   Ophelia (Macchie Santa Maria, Avellino, Campania)  Malgré (Tenuta Scuotto, Campania)  Lilianne (Tenute Cuffaro, Sicily, Nero d'Avola) Not surprisingly, the displays featuring rosés often…

Fifty Shades of Aglianico

One of Italy's best under-appreciated native grape varieties is Aglianico. Can I say how much I love it? It grows principally in the South of Italy, mostly in the regions of Campania, Basilicata, Puglia, and Calabria. Whether a wine is 100% Aglianico, or a blend, there is a lot to be said for this grape,…

Big Little Women

This year's annual tasting sponsored by Le Donne del Vino (the national association of Women of Wine) featured young women winemakers, all under 40. Led by Vinitaly International Academy's Ian D'Agata, an expert on Italian native grape varieties, this was an opportunity to taste some exceptional vintages made from some famous - and some not-so-famous…

The Magic of Very Old Vines

The national association of Le Donne del Vino - the Women of Wine - today presented a special tasting on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the association's founding: wines made from very old vines. That means even 80-year-old vines, and sometimes even older! You knew that some wines improve with age, but did…

Countdown Vinitaly: Time to Detox!

Breaking with tradition: we are not going to talk about wine. This is the Lent period in preparation for Vinitaly: time to give things up, purify, detox, and get ready for the biggest wine event in Italy, held every year in Verona. This year, from Sunday, April 15 to Wednesday, April 18, tens of thousands…

Name that Tune! Vinitaly 2017

Molise: The Sound of Wine. Love that. Not sure I know what it means. But it doesn't matter. What sound does wine make? Lots of different sounds, depends on where you are, at what point the wine is (pouring? drinking? slurping the last delicious drop?), and who you're with. As the following photos will attest,…