Exploring Italian Wine One Grape at a Time
Last week, I restarted my weekly 15-minute wine talk after a couple of years’ break due to health issues. My idea is to give short updates about my wine travels and other news I want to discuss about wine and communication. I think video can be easier and quicker to digest. It also makes it … Read more
Freebie included in this newsletter article: 7 Wine Bars in Florence I’d Actually Send You To (Free Download) I love how powerful friendships in wine are, and how they show up for you at the right moment. Last weekend, we had decided to have a dinner among a few friends – the wild girls – … Read more
“I don’t believe in wine communication.” This is another thing I often hear wine producers tell me. At the beginning, it seemed odd. But then I thought about it more. Often, communication is reduced to social media. Then they add that they have their daughter, son, niece, or someone else in the family to help … Read more
In June, I returned to Puglia after a year to see friends, explore the current wine scene, and taste the latest vintages of wines from the southern Italian regions. I started in San Severo, where I visited my friends at D’Araprì winery, whom I had not visited for some years. I got to spend some … Read more
Pecorino is one of my favourite white grape varieties. I often drank Pecorino wines when I went to Le Marche years ago, before I got more into wine and wine writing. It is a white wine that is perfect for an aperitivo on the beach or for pairing with seafood at sunset. So, when Mike … Read more
Every spring, the hilltop town of Montefalco becomes the beating heart of Umbrian wine. The AMontefalco event is the annual preview tasting organised by the Consorzio Tutela Vini Montefalco. It showcases the full range of the region’s wines, from Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG and Montefalco Rosso DOC to Montefalco Bianco DOC and Trebbiano Spoletino via the … Read more
Eleva Winery in Sant’Ambrogio in Valpolicella, Veneto, is owned by Prof. Davide Gaeta and enologist Raffaella Veroli. I got to know Prof. Davide Gaeta a couple of years ago thanks to a fellow wine writer. I was collaborating with the Barrel Hunter Club in Canada and looking for a smaller organic winery in Valpolicella with … Read more
The Orcia River runs quietly through the valley, slightly north of Poggio Stenti winery and south of Montalcino, an almost unnoticed border between two wine worlds. On one side, the slopes rise toward Monte Amiata and the perhaps more rural world of the Alta Maremma; on the other, the vineyards of Brunello stretch across the … Read more
Last autumn, in November 2025, I had Andrea Lemieux – The Quirky Cork – as a guest at The WinesOfItaly Show. This was the second time as a guest on my livestream, and it’s always a pleasure to talk wine with Andrea. Last time, in 2022, she presented her debut book, The Essential Guide to … Read more
What is better than watching the Winter Olympic Games comfortably from the couch, feeling a bit like you are part of the athletes’ competitions, and learning about growth-mindset resilience? It sounds silly, I know. As I watched the ski slopes at Milano-Cortina 2026, I realised these Olympic lessons can be applied directly to the wine … Read more