Very excited to be leaving for New York at the crack of dawn on Super Bowl Sunday to attend VINO 2015. When it comes to wine geekiness, this celebration of the wines of Southern Italy means Russell Wilson times Tom Brady times Katy Perry levels of excitement for me. This sponsored media trip will allow me to not just stick my big toe into the world of Southern Italian wine, but to swim in the deep end and slake my thirst for knowledge. And wine.
So what’s on the agenda? Here are the seminars I will be attending:
Preserving the South’s Cultural Heritage while Celebrating its Innovative Role on the Global Stage
This panel is moderated by Elin McCoy of Bloomberg News, who I had the pleasure of meeting while on a trip to Burgundy.
Read: Chablis and the Stairway to Chardonnay Heaven
Sicily from Myth to Realty
Bill Nesto MW (as in Master of Wine) is the speaker here. Appropriately, I shared a couple meals with Bill and Frances Di Savino–authors of “The World of Sicilian Wine”–in Sicily. A pleasure to have them on my podcast, too.
Read: Get to Know the Authors of “The World of Sicilian Wine
Build a List and They Will Come
This should be a really interesting discussion about Southern Italian wines and their place in restaurants. A couple sommeliers will be on the panel and we’ll find out if people are asking for wines from this region or if sales are the result of passionate wine professionals. And are these wines (and the history, culture, and geography from where they hail) too diverse to be compartmentalized under the “Southern Italian” category?
Read: Frappato From Sicily: A Great Dinner Red Wine
Getting into a boat to head to Mozia. Anyone need some sea salt? This was the trip where I met Annie B. Copps.
Love Brews for Italian Craft
No discussion about Italian wine is complete without talking about…beer?!? We’ll look at the rise of craft beer in the US and how the wine industry can learn from it. (And vice-versa.) There will be talk of the craft beer industry in Italy, too. (I am hoping some beers will be poured.) Also excited that on this panel is Annie B. Copps, who I haven’t seen since a trip to Sicily, Sardinia, and Campania in 2011.
Read: Getting to Know Grillo from Mozia
Italy’s Great Rosés
Am I partial to dry pink wine from France? Absolutely. But this overview of the Italian rosé scene moderated by Anthony Giglio is sure to introduce me to some new favorites.
Read: Italian Rosé Update: Il Chiaretto
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. For on-the-scene updates, follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
Very nice. Very, very nice!