Back in the saddle, sipping again! Last Saturday I had the great good fortune to attend Wine Spectator’s pull-out-the-stops event, Opera Wine 2021 live and in person in Verona. This was one of the first live tasting events since the pandemic, and it brought together – as is tradition – producers, buyers, journalists from around…
Collisioni - that's what this mega-festival in the tiny hamlet of Barolo is called. And collide you do! With people, with ideas, with tastes, with energy. Talk about bringing things together. I'd heard about Collisioni for years. I'd viewed their over-stuffed programs with skepticism: how could they lure Elton John, Sting, Mark Knopfler to this…
When they invite you to a party in Portofino, you go. When they invite you to a party honoring Gualtiero Marchesi, you go. When they invite you to a party in Portofino honoring Gualtiero Marchesi, you can’t believe your good luck. The famous ‘cook’ (as he prefers to be called!), is the founder of new…
For those of you who don't know it, the University of Gastronomical Sciences in Pollenzo was the world’s first university entirely dedicated to the science of Food & Wine, promoting a new, ecologically sustainable, quality-based standard that also focuses on what is right and just for producers. Founded on an idea from guru Carlo Petrini,…
Talk about brand recognition! Masi's unmistakable label is synonymous with Amarone. The Boscaini family, with papà Sandro at the helm - but also Sandro's children Alessandra and Raffaele, not to forget brothers Bruno and Mario - are giving back in spades! Their devotion to culture equals their passion for great wine. For seven generations this…
Continue reading ➞ The Culture of Wine Part II: Masi Agricola
Today I participated in the Young to Young tasting for up-and-coming winemakers. It was a morning filled with emotions. Three heavy hitters: a Brunello di Montalcino, a Barolo and an Amarone. All this before noon! At this 50th annual Vinitaly, we've been talking about traditions and family and the land (more than the 'terroir'). This…
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…
Celebrate, good times, come on! The Genoa chapter of the Italian Association of Sommeliers (AIS) held its annual Christmas Party in Palazzo Imperiale's prestigious Salone delle Feste (if the building is called the 'Imperial Palace' and the room is 'the big room of parties', how can you go wrong? You can't!) As long as it's on…
"You did it! You did it! You said that you would do it, and indeed you did!" as they sing in My Fair Lady. The doubts were many, skepticism abounded. The challenges were remarkable, and yet... the Milan Expo 2015 was a success. Come on, it was! Millions of people visited, the message of 'Feed the Planet'…
It's that time of year... When driving along country roads, drinking in views of castles and spent vineyards, you reflect on the summer that was and the fall that is, and the wine that will be... And it's a time to taste the must. I know, the white looks like chicken soup, but it is going…
Suzanne Branciforte's Italian Grapevine 