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“Iconic Women in Italian Wine” tasting: Who, Where & Why?

May 15, 2022 by evebushman

VERONA, ITALY (PRWEB) –  This unique event encompassed so much more than the sum of the individual women: two leading international female journalists, the female managing director of Vinitaly International, and seven renowned Italian women wine producers collaborated to create an event that set aside the natural competition between the players and focused instead on personal stories, camaraderie, and the aspiration all these women hold for the future of Italian wine.

Why has this event never happened before? An interesting question answered best by Monica Larner. “When Stevie Kim presented me with this idea, I was excited on many levels; however, most compelling was the opportunity to present beautiful Italian wines with a colleague whose magazine shares market space with my own. (Robert Parker) Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator have never collaborated on anything. With smug certainty I suspect our male colleagues would never pull resources together in this fashion for such a ground-breaking collaboration with important benefits. Post-pandemic we are all burning with a desire for new beginnings and being together. Inclusivity, camaraderie, creating togetherness. All seven of these individualistic and talents producers instantly recognised the importance and immediately agreed to participate.”

Stevie Kim pointed out that this event was the definition of ‘iconic’: “Two women wine critic titans collaborating for the first time, with seven Italian women who are giants in their industry, is a true demonstration of what it means to be iconic: ‘widely recognised and acknowledged for distinctive excellence.’”

Opening the event, Alison Napjus explained the real gravitas that informed the idea for the discussion. “Women are better communicators, using more words and more expressive words, with a better ability to listen and to empathise. These women are all around trailblazers, winery leaders, winery founders, wine makers. We all have to find new ways to connect and communicate after the pandemic pivot we all faced. This event gives us the chance to explore, as women, three particular themes in Italian wine; heritage/family, territory, wine ambassadors.”

The women winery leaders came from 5 different regions and their age gap spanned 40 years. The idea of women in wine is not new, women are everywhere in the industry, but the gathering to share stories and important vintages, to exchange experiences, ideas and ask questions with leading wine writers was ground-breaking. The honesty and open attitude of all the women involved was clearly part of the magic in the room and what will attract young and savvy wine lovers to the unique soulfulness of Italian wine.

Chiara Boschis of E. Pira & Figli in Barolo, commented ““What do I have of iconic in my life? I am not an iconic woman, I work like a donkey all day, but this vineyard, Cannubi, this is an iconic place, and the diversity in the area is incredible. When I first got together with my friends, the Barolo Boys, I was the only girl, but we all wanted to shine a light on all the differences of our area and understand the potential of our terroir.” She shared the 2010 vintage BaroloCannubi, a year that was important because her brother joined her, with his daughters who are all studying enology and will bring a new generation of women to the winery. “Wine makers usually work alone. When we start to work together, recognising everyone’s unique terroir, we start to learn new things and appreciate all the traditions, we find more opportunities.”

Elisabetta Foradori from Trentino expressed her perspective, in a different way. “I actually love making cheese, it’s another kind of fermentation. I’m a farmer. Our country has a beauty and a richness of variety and we have a mission to transfer into a bottle this pure message of the different terroirs. We have a great responsibility to save and improve the genetic variety and express the terroir in the most healthy and connected way possible. Be creative and responsible farmers for the future.” Her pomegranate logo represents 100s of tiny seeds, packed together in one beautiful container, 100’s of ideas, creative thinking, and out of the box innovation.

Arianna Occhipinti, from Sicily, youngest of the group, added her experiences as an explorer with a model for young winemakers. “Frappato is the original grape from Vittoria where I grew up. I needed an important grape to grow up as a wine maker. Thanks to the character of this grape, I learned to make wine. Now I vinify parcel by parcel to get better expression of the soils, the limestone, the tufa, the red sand. Now I have treasure, for me it is important to show what Vittoria really is, the fresh wines we can make even in the deep south of Sicily.”

Marilisa Allegrini spoke of her learning curve after the death of her father and finding her way in the world away from the winery. “Valpolicella was known for inexpensive wines in the 1980’s, and Amarone was a niche wine for high end consumers, so it was a challenge for me to communicate. The first time I went to America, the importer wouldn’t let me go out to promote the wine until I wrote down absolutely everything about the wine. Many people said they didn’t want a Valpolicella on their wine list, so I knew I had to communicate everything to make this area known and understood.”

Elena Fucci from Mt. Vulture in Basilicata felt much the same as she struggled to put her region on the map. “For me it is a dream to be with these special women in wine today. My journey started in 2000, when my family considered selling the vineyard because we weren’t making wines, just selling the grapes to the consortium. I decided to change the course of my study so the house where I was born and lived with my family would not be sold. I went to university to study enology and winemaking. No one knew where Basilicata was. I had 6 hectares and a single grape: my wine, my life, my Titolo. I travel a lot to explain my region and my wine, modern but not modernist wine, I work to respect and understand the territory where we are. The vintage I am sharing is 2012 because ten years ago I had no idea what would happen to me and my wine in these ten years since 2012 and how much communicating it would take.”

Heritage and legacy were addressed by Albiera Antinori with her family’s Tignaello and Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta with her legendary Sassicaia. Antinori said, “For me, looking at the history of the past 50 years since the start of Tignanello, and the diversity and uniqueness of wines that can be made in Italy — the terroir and the story are the future, terroir still to be discovered, every day you get surprised by wonderful areas with local varieties, an elegance, a minerality, they’ve got the sun inside. Even traditional vineyards have been replanted so new things will be coming up, but we must be centered on quality, personality, history and the story we can explain.” Regarding sustainability she added, “It’s a complicated word to use, it can mean different things. For me it is a puzzle made of many things, with the final objective of leaving something better for the next generation. Not only in the winery but also for our workers, our sales force, we need one certification in Italy for sustainable, for economic sustainability as well.”

Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta looked at the idea of safeguarding Italian wine history from outside investors and influences. “It’s not easy, there are real issues for family businesses, you have to have a strong sense of pride, family values and the family project. A responsibility to the next generations, we want to pass on what we got in an even better shape than when we received it. We are guardians. We have to combine financial goals with the family goals. Having a long-term view means we focus less on making short term cash, but we have to involve the family members to keep everyone interested, our estate is not only wine, we have other ventures and interests and my cousins and I have different interests on the estate. Consultancy helps deal with family generation change issues to and now we have the Primum Familiae Vini group which is a good place to share issues, know-how and support others in similar situations.

Summing up, Allegrini said, “We must put the agricultural product into the cultural context of Italy as a place of art, history, architecture, and beautiful landscape.” Larner added, “This is the real way to help Italian wine be more competitive, to communicate differently and better, to tell that story, down to the soil, down to the producer, down to the winery, down to the vineyard, down to the very last rock.” Stevie Kim remarked, “Everybody wants to be like Antinori, this is the problem I face as an agency, everyone wants that beautiful 26 generation story on their home page. Every winery has to find their own original story, not only the romance of generations and terroir, not only bio and organic and so on, but it has to be economically sustainable as well as. Each winery has to find the uniqueness of their story.” Najus concluded that, “You can teach people about wine, but to find the story is much harder.”

Looking back on this momentous event, Stevie Kim commented, “This session was never about men versus women or pigeon-holing anyone on the basis of gender, regionality, or points of view. Rather, Iconic Women in Wine at Vinitaly 2022 took a good long look at how to improve communication, highlight success and exalt the unique power of women to unite in challenging circumstances for a common good. Larner and Napjus absolutely found the story that needs to be told in order to secure the future of Italian wine in the global market.”.
__________________

About Alison Napjus: Alison Napjus divides her time between New York, where Wine Spectator is based, and a second home in Tampa, Fla. She regularly travels abroad, both personally and professionally. After graduating from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration, Napjus moved to New York to take a position as a manager at Tribeca Grill restaurant. She joined Wine Spectator in 2000 and was promoted to Senior Editor in 2012 and Tasting Director in 2016. She is lead taster for the wines of Spain, France’s Champagne and Alsace regions, South Africa and wines from regions throughout Italy. As Tasting Director, she oversees the scope and content of Wine Spectator’s annual reviews of more than 15,000 wines, working closely with the tasters and tasting coordinators in the New York and Napa offices.

About Monica Larner: Monica Larner is a Los Angeles native, her family moved to Rome when she was 11. After high school in both Italy and California, Monica earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees in journalismfrom Boston University and New York University respectively. She worked for the Italian daily La Repubblica, followed by the Rome bureau of BusinessWeek and two years as a staff writer with Italy Daily of the International Herald Tribune where she penned her first wine column. Monica is an active member of the Ordine dei Giornalisti and a certified sommelier with the Italian Sommelier Association. In 2003, Monica was approached by Wine Enthusiast to be the magazine’s first Italy-based correspondent, where her proudest achievement is the 185-page special collector’s Wine Enthusiast “Wines of Italy” edition that showcases her decade-long body of work. She was awarded the “Best International Journalist” Silver Grape Leaf three by the Comitato Grandi Cru d’Italia. Gambero Rosso recognized her as a “Leader of Italian Excellence,” and the Italian Trade Commission acknowledged her distinguished service to Italian wine. In 2013, she joined The Wine Advocate as the Reviewer for Italy.

About Vinitaly: the grand Vinitaly 2022 was held from April 10th to the 13th. Vinitaly 2022 counted 88,000 visitors of which 25,000 were top international buyers from 139 different countries. The premier event to Vinitaly, OperaWine “Finest Italian Wines: 100 Great Producers,” which was held on the 9th of April, one day prior to Vinitaly, united international wine professionals in the heart of Verona, offering them the unique opportunity to discover and taste the wines of the 130 Best Italian Producers, as selected by Wine Spectator. Since 1998 Vinitaly travels to several countries thanks to its strategic arm abroad, Vinitaly International. In February 2014 Vinitaly International launched an educational project, the Vinitaly International Academy (VIA) with the aim of divulging and broadcasting the excellence and diversity of Italian wine around the globe. VIA this year launched the 21st edition of its Certification Course. To date, there are 271 Certified Italian Wine Ambassadors of which 15 are also Italian Wine Experts.

Filed Under: Guests Tagged With: brand ambassador, cheese, covid, critic, farmer, grape, Italy, robert parker, terroir, valpolicella, variety, vineyard, vinitaly, wine advocate, Wine tasting, wine writer, winemakers

Vinitaly International Academy Welcomes 21 Italian Wine Ambassadors

May 5, 2022 by evebushman

VERONA, ITALY (PRWEB) The 23rd edition of Vinitaly International Academy was a joyful week full of intensive learning experiences, networking, tasting, studying, and a little bit of good old panic.

VIA is the gold standard of Italian wine education and this year showed off the course to its fullest potential. With the in-person return of both faculty members, Sarah Heller MW and Henry Davar IWE, the course rebounded from COVID restrictions with a subscription of over 50 international students and a tasting list over three days that encompassed close to 140 wines in preparation for a grueling exam that has a typical pass rate of 25%.

This edition of VIA saw an enthusiastic, passionate and seriously studious group of selected students with a broad base of experience in the wine sector spanning buyers, retailers, educators, writers, enthusiasts, sommeliers, and those very new to the world of Italian wine. VIA aims to create the longest table, welcoming everyone who is curious about Italian wine to join the conversation.

The course offers students a hybrid learning format, with a series of online lectures in preparation for the in-person event in Verona, where students are immediately immersed in the Italian wine world, with unique experiences such as an opportunity to taste the wine of the historic families of Valpolicella at the famous Antica Bottega del Vino at a private event, as well as master classes hosted by various wine consortiums from all over Italy. Professor Attilio Scienza, the VIA scientific advisor, also attended the course and delivered spectacular lectures with up to the minute research in vine DNA and history, specifically for the benefit of VIA students.

Students faced a challenging 4-part exam on Thursday 7 April, which resulted in the inauguration of 21 new Italian Wine Ambassadors, the most successful class to date. Congratulations to all the participants, all of whom have now become members of the VIA family, intent upon spreading the love for Italian wine across the globe.

The list of Italian Wine Ambassadors, Verona Flagship Class of 2022: Peggy Baudon, Bev Bourdin, Julian Di Donato, Noell Dorsey, Jodie Hellman, Cedric Izri, Elissar Kurban, Jules Lamon, Chunxia Liu, Michael Markarian, Hee Sung Park, Gabby Rossouw, Christpher Sachs, Thomas Sartori, Erik Schneider, Rodrigo A. Sepulveda Schulz, Emiliano Stratico, Scott Thomas, Jessica van der Schee, Ezra Wicks, Ashlee Brianne Howell.

About: Vinitaly International Academy (VIA) aims to be the gold standard of Italian wine education. It offers a complete educational path with standardized courses that will teach professionals and educators to master the diversity of Italian wine in a rigorous, organized manner. VIA’s main objective is to foster a global network of highly qualified professionals such as Italian Wine Ambassadors and Italian Wine Experts: in turn, they will support and promote Italian wine throughout the world. VIA was founded by Stevie Kim, Managing Director of Vinitaly International. The new VIA ecosystem avails of the guidance of Italian trade associations Federdoc, Federvini, Vignaioli Indipendenti FIVI, and Unione Italiana Vini as members of the Institutional Advisory Board. Italian vine genetics scholar, Prof. Attilio Scienza, oversees VIA’s scientific and educational direction as the Chief Scientist. VIA Faculty Sarah Heller MW and Henry Davar teach the flagship Italian Wine Ambassador course. To date there are 292 Certified Italian Wine Ambassadors of which 15 are also Italian Wine Experts.

Filed Under: Guests Tagged With: covid, Italy, Master of Wine, sommelier, valpolicella, vinitaly, wine education, Wine tasting, wine writer

Perlises Pick: Great Wines of Italy 2017 – Part Two

April 8, 2017 by Michael Perlis

Last week Karen and I told you our top picks from the JAMESSUCKLING.COM Great Wines of Italy event.

But we did have a lot of other favorites as well…

(The comments in quotes are Mr. Suckling’s [some abbreviated] from the 200 page program, along with his point score.)

Photo courtesy James Suckling Facebook.

Photo courtesy James Suckling Facebook.

Tenute Ambrogio & Giovanni Folonari –

Tenute Ambrogio & Giovanni Folonari Cabreo Toscana Il Borgo 2013

“…A beautiful blend of sangiovese and cabernet sauvignon. 93 Pts.”

 

Tenute Ambrogio & Giovanni Folonari Tenuta di Nozzole Chianti Classico Gran Selezione La Forra 2012

“…Excellent and special selected Chianti Classico. Drink or hold. 93 Pts.”

 

Bellavista –

Bellavista Franciacorta Teatro alla Scala Brut 2011

“…Aromas of sliced apple, lemon and flint…Delicious at the end…94 Pts.”

 

Bosco Agostino –

Bosco Agostino Barbera d’Alba Superiore Volupta 2013

“A barbera with dried berry, lemon and almond aromas and flavors…90 Pts.”

 

Bosco Agostino Barolo La Serra 2012

“Lots of ripe strawberry, licorice, aniseed and rose petal on the nose…94 Pts.”

 

Brancaia –

Brancaia Toscana Il Blu 2011

“…Full body, chewy but polished tannins and a flavorful finish. This is so beautiful now to drink but will reward those who are patient. 93 Pts.”

 

Brancaia Toscana Ilatraia 2012

“Plenty of blueberry, chocolate and light toasted oak character. Smoky meat, too. Full body, chewy tannins and a flavorful finish. Needs a year or two to come together. 93 Pts.”

 

Castelli del Grevepesa –

Castelli del Grevepesa Chianti Classico Clemente VII Riserva 2013

“A density and freshness to this withoyster-shell, blueberry and dark chocolate character. Full and savory. Drink now or hold. 92 Pts.”

 

Castelli del Grevepesa Chianti Classico Clemente VII Gran Selezione 2011

“Flamboyant Chianti Classico with chocolate and berry character…Long and flavorful finish. Drink now. 92 Pts.”

 

Cordero di Montezemolo –

Cordero di Montezemolo Barolo Monfalletto 2012

“Muscular and buff for the vintage with plenty of plum, terra-cotta and dry soil aromas and flavors. Full body, flavorful finish. Drink in 2018. 94 Pts.”

 

Cordero di Montezemolo Barolo Bricco Gattera 2012

“Gorgeous aromas of rose petals, strawberries and lavender follow through to a full body and ripe fruit and tannins. Flavorful character of tangerines and dried Strawberries…93 Pts.”

 

Elio Grasso –

Elio Grasso Barolo Gavarini Chiniera 2012

“Extremely perfumed with flowers and plum. Full-bodied, deep and dense yet agile and fresh…95 Pts.”

 

Gianni Gagliardo –

Gianni Gagliardo Barolo Castelletto 2013

“Love the perfume and berry character to this one…Full to medium body, round and velvety tannins and a long and flavorful finish…93 Pts.”

 

Gianni Gagliardo Barolo Preve 2013

“Aromas of licorice, rose petals and berries. Full body, chewy tannins and lots of fruit. It’s tight and polished, and there’s so much going on. Very cool. Best ever from this vineyard…96 Pts.”

 

Orma –

Orma Toscana 2014

“Fascinating aromas of stone, wet concrete and dark fruit. Full body, firm and silky tannins and a flavorful finish. A structured and firm wine. Give it two or three years to soften. 94 Pts.”

 

Orma Passi di Orma 2015

“Very pretty aromas of currant, tobacco, and mint. Subtle. Full body, silky tannins and lots of fruit and richness. Beautiful length to this. Better in 2020. 95 Pts.”

 

Podernuovo a Palazzone –

Podernuovo a Palazzone Toscana Therra 2013

“Blueberry and currant character with hints of mint and spearmint. Medium body and a solid core of fruit and tannins. Fresh finish…92 Pts.”

 

Podernuovo a Palazzone Toscana Argirio 2013

Plenty of blackberry, spice and hints of grilled veggies. Cabernet is there! Full to medium body, silky tannins and a flavorful finish. Fresh yet rich. Mostly cabernet franc. Drink or hold. 94 Pts.”

 

Prà –

Pra Amarone della Valpolicella 2010

“This is rich and chewy with lots of black pepper and berry character…This will be even better with a few years of bottle age when it softens, but it’s so good now. 92 Pts.”

 

Tommasi –

Tommasi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2012

“A red with dried fruits such as raisins and sultanas. Full-bodied, round and fruity. Soft, velvety tannins and a flavorful finish. Very classic style of Amarone. Drink now. 93 Pts.”

 

Tommasi Valpolicella Classico Superiore Rafael 2014

“A lovely Valpo that is delicate and spicy with a lemon-rind and blueberry character. Medium body, vibrant fruit and wonderful acidity. Flavorful. Drink now. 91 Pts.”

 

Vignamaggio –

Vignamaggio Chianti Classico Riserva di Monna Lisa Gran Selezione 2013

“A Chianti Classico with energy and density, yet this remains lively and bright with an underlining backbone of acidity. Medium body, bright fruit and a clean finish. Drink or hold. 92 Pts.”

 

Vignamaggio Cabernet Franc Toscana 2013

“This is so beautiful with a clarity of blueberry and rose petal character. Medium body, ultra-fine tannins and an elegant and refined finish. Drink now or hold. 94 Pts.”

 

MP: I was really impressed by the depth of flavors in the wines I tasted. Admittedly, my wine drinking choices have left me with a California palate, and I often have to work a little harder than I might like at appreciating the nuances of some European wines. Not so with these, and I recommend anyone who thinks they only like California wines to broaden their horizons with some of these Italian offerings.

And Karen to wrap it up: The evening felt like we were in Italy, right down to most of the winemakers and reps having Italian accents – and they were all charming to boot. That along with the great wine and food, made for a wonderful night.

Michael Perlis has been pursuing his passion for wine for more than 25 years. He has had the good fortune of having numerous mentors to show him the way, as well as a wonderful wife who encourages him and shares his interest. After a couple of decades of learning about wine, attending events, visiting wineries and vineyards, and tasting as much wine as he possibly could, he had the amazing luck to meet Eve Bushman. Now, as Contributing Editor for Eve’s Wine 101, he does his best to bring as much information as possible about wine to Eve’s Wine 101 faithful readers. Michael is also Vice President of Eve Bushman Consulting (fka Eve’s Wine 101 Consulting) http://evebushmanconsulting.com/ and President of MCP Financial. Michael can be contacted at michaelthezinfan@aol.com or michael@evebushmanconsulting.com.

Filed Under: Michael Perlis Tagged With: barbera, body, brut, cabernet sauvignon, California, chianti classico, chocolate, finish, flavor, Italy, james suckling, Reserve, Sangiovese, tannins, tasting notes, valpolicella, Wine tasting

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