Customer Trip to Spain October 2023
It had been a few years since I had the pleasure of escorting a group of VinConnect customers on a tour of one of Europe’s major wine regions. The global pandemic interrupted our plans, and while I personally have been traveling and visiting our estates in various countries over the past few years, coordinating a […]
Customer Trip to Sicily June 2019
These days wines from Sicily (and specifically Mt. Etna) are among those gathering the most interest among U.S. consumers, sommeliers and wine media. I know a bit about the region and have enjoyed the wines for several years, but do not have the kind of detailed knowledge of Mt. Etna’s grapes, soils and wines that […]
What You Must Know When Planning Winery Visits in Europe
Visiting wineries in Europe can be a very different experience from visiting them in the U.S., for a variety of reasons. Largely these reasons all relate to the fact that wineries in Europe are more generally agricultural operations, not tourist attractions — the are typically small, family run operations, and few if any have the […]
VinConnect Customer Tour to Tuscany — June 2015
Earlier this month we launched another VinConnect Customer Tour, this time to visit the region of Tuscany. I was accompanied by some of VinConnect’s customers, who joined me for tours and tastings at our winery partners, some wonderful meals and visits to many beautiful places. We were able to taste wines across several recent vintages, from […]
VinConnect Customer Trip to Barolo and Barbaresco
[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text] Travel Day: Sunday-Monday This year’s VinConnect Customer Trip began for me in Washington, DC on Sunday afternoon, November 16th. Once I arrived at Dulles, I decided to indulge myself at the VinoVolo (website) outpost there to help set the mood while awaiting departure. I really enjoy those VinoVolo locations that seem to be popping up […]
25 Years of Il Caberlot — A Spectacular Vertical Tasting
I must preface by admitting that I am enchanted by all things Il Carnasciale. For me, the winery, its proprietors, collaborators and the wine itself embody what wine should be – meticulously crafted by passionate, dedicated people in respect of nature and the territory, with a constant eye to innovation and extraordinary quality. I could […]
Wine Travel in Spain? Absolutely!
I just returned from doing my first set of wine tasting visits in Spain, and I must say, I was very impressed. While I’ve done several trips to Burgundy, the Rhone, the Piedmont and Tuscany, it’s fair to say I didn’t have much of a picture in my mind of what to expect from Spainish […]
Il Caberlot Vertical Tasting
On February 6th I was honored to attend a 10-vintage vertical tasting of the singular Il Caberlot wines of Podere Il Carnasciale. As you may know, Il Carnasciale is a Tuscan producer of wines made from a variety unique to them — what is believed to be a hybrid of Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Proprietor […]
Visiting Vinitaly — Insider Info and Tips
Vinitaly — the event held each March that (pretty much) everybody in the Italian wine business has visited…at least once. It’s overwhelming, chaotic, impossible to park, and even more impossible to find a clean bathroom, but all in all, worth it. It’s a chance for trade and the common wine lover to visit Italy’s most […]