The normal course of action, In August, for an Italian, is to take the whole month off. While it is not as prevalent as it once was, there a...

Back around 1984 I was talking with an Italian wine importer, at Vinitaly. I worked for a small company that brought his wines into the Sout...

A vertical of Brunello and a slab of meat or a delicate glass of champagne and a beautiful woman – which would you choose? It’s Monday, day ...

Montalcino Report: Millenovecentosettanta “Excuse me, do you know where I could find a vegetarian restaurant?” I asked the person in my pens...

Too marvelous for words New Orleans, summertime, pre-Katrina, a crowded Italian restaurant, Maximo’s, and I’m sitting at the bar. The owner,...

This is the moment we live for. Hotter than hot, slower than slow, this is the time when one goes out with a bag of Italian wine and tries t...

From the dog days of summer department Photo by Teresa Rafidi After a week of trauma and high drama I am resting and content to stay on my l...

From a day in the "life" of a wine salesman fool department 5:40 AM – Wake up, look at the clock. Not 6:45 yet, but up. It'...

The unbearable heat of summer makes for an unexpected adventure of remembrance We were supposed to be flying over Etna, but for some reaso...

From the archives October 15, 2008 Last month at the Illuminati estate in Abruzzo, I had lunch with my people. No, they weren’t Sicilian or ...