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Eleva Winery in Valpolicella, Veneto: History, Terroir, Oseleta and a Story That Goes Beyond Wine

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 an interesting story and, of course, premium wines. Eleva Winery turned…

Poggio Stenti: A Montecucco Winery Rooted in Family Values and Tradition in the Alta Maremma

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 hills. It is here that Eleonora Pieri runs Poggio Stenti together with…

The Quick and Dirty Guide to Greek Wine: A Conversation with Andrea Lemieux at The WinesOfItaly Show

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 Turkish Wine, a comprehensive guide to the fascinating world of native grapes and winemaking in Turkey. This…

Growth Mindset and Resilience in Wine: From Olympic Ski Slopes to Sicilian Wine Slopes

What is better than watching the Winter Olympic Games comfortably from the couch, feeling a bit like you are a part of the athletes’ competitions, and learning about growth mindset and 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 industry. There are similarities between Olympic skiing…

Trasforma l'uva in parole...corso online gratuito per produttori di vino

Saper scrivere e strutturare una storia, un post o una newsletter è fondamentale oggi per una strategia di comunicazione e di storytelling a lungo termine per la tua cantina. Le regole del marketing stanno cambiando quasi ogni settimana. È chiaro che anche il contenuto stesso, il nocciolo della storia, è essenziale per “parlare” con il tuo pubblico. Quindi ho la cosa per te: un produttore di…

The WinesOfItaly Show Meets Masari Winery (Veneto)

This episode of the WinesOfItaly Show was a collaboration with Susannah Gold and our Substack project All That Wine. Susanna and I dive into one of Veneto’s most overlooked and hidden wine corners: the Valle d’Agno, northwest of Vicenza. Our guest, Massimo Dal Lago, co-founder of Masari Winery, takes us straight into the heart of this valley, where volcanic soils meet ancient marine layers, and…

Poggio Severo Arrives: Lisini Expands Its Brunello di Montalcino Legacy

A New Year, Wine on Our Own Terms: Italian Wine, Culture, and the Future of Drinking

Last year, I started the Substack publication All That Wine together with Susannah Gold to dive deeper into the beautiful world of wine. We did a couple of livestreams with producers last year; the articles about them will be published soon. I just published the first newsletter article of the year over on All That Wine, and I am publishing it here as well. I am adding an AI-generated audio file…

The Wines of Italy Show Explores Gorghi Tondi in Sicily

Reflections on Heroic Viticulture in the Ossola Mountains from my Couch

After two press tours in a row last weekend and early this week – to Alto Adige and Piemonte -, I am feeling a bit tired and under the weather today. I probably overdid it a bit with 6 days away. Though I feel better and better, I am still working on getting back in shape physically. I am writing to you from the couch, binge-watching old Blue Bloods episodes and reflecting on all the…

An Alpine Soul with a Wine Heart

Today, I am writing to you from a café at Walterplatz in Bolzano, with a view of the surrounding Dolomites. I arrived on Thursday, invited by Bolzano Winery – one of the successful cooperatives in Alto Adige – to attend a vertical tasting of their new wines, Tal 1930 and Tal 1908. It was also their official presentation of these premium wines in a limited edition. I love the Dolomites and South…

From Fisar Sommeliers to the Future of Wine

An evening walk in 2011 that changed everything! One day in late 2011, I was walking through the centre of Florence with my friend Giovanna when we saw a flyer for a sommelier course organised by Fisar, starting soon thereafter. It was to be held at a nearby wine bar. So, I told Giovanna, “Let’s sign up for the sommelier course.” Giovanna answered: “But I don’t really drink.” Me: Well, you’ll…

Zorzettig Is Transforming Its Wines for the Future with Sustainable Practices

Zorzettig is a historic winery on the Spessa hills close to Cividale di Friuli in Friuli Venezia Giulia. The winery dates back to 1874, and the Zorzettig family has always been closely tied to their territory, focusing on native grapes. In recent years, they have been investing in a focus on biodiversity and sustainability. Today, Annalisa Zorzettig is running the show. Annalisa is a charismatic…

WinesOfItaly Podcast with Giovanna Trisorio, Cincinnato Winery, Lazio

Watch the WinesOfItaly LiveStream/podcast HERE. Lazio is a wine region that has been overshadowed by other, more prominent regions until recently, despite having a rich viticultural history. In Lazio, we find the well-known grapes such as Cesanese del Piglio and Cesanese d’Affile, but also historical yet lesser-known grape varieties such as Bellone, Passerina del Frusinate, Capolongo, Pampanaro,…

Cincinnato, A Cooperative in Lazio Focused on Native Grapes

This article was first published at the beginning of 2020, while we were in the early days of the pandemic. My website was hacked during that period, and some articles never got republished automatically at the new website. So, here you can read about Cincinnato Winery again. The article was a part of the Italian Food, Wine, and Travel (#ItalianFWT) group theme in February 2020, namely Quality…

WinesOfItaly Podcast with Stephanie Cuadra, Lasorte Cuadra Winery, Puglia

Valle d’Itria is a historical viticultural area in Puglia that has been revitalized in recent years thanks to the work of local vintners and wineries. This has also brought attention to local native grapes such as Bianco d’Alessano, Minutolo, Verdeca, and Maruggiu (or Maresco). These are the grapes used as a blend in the Locorotondo DOC: Verdeca, 50%, Bianco d’Alessano, 35%, and the rest a mix of…

The Challenges of Wine Language

About one year ago, I invited the wine professional, wine and marketing consultant Pricilla Hennekam from Australia, to talk about The Challenges of Wine Language on my show, Wines of Italy LiveStream. I decided to republish it as the topic is as current as ever. My idea was to discuss how language changes over time, so also the wine language, and how there is a need for a more inclusive…

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