Cristina Mariani-May is the chair of the 2024 Cincinnati International Wine Festival (March 7-9). It was my pleasure to talk with Cristina and write this story about her, also published on the Festival website. Drink good wine. Travel to see beautiful places. Come visit Castello Banfi in Italy. Cristina Mariani-May This glorious bit of advice…
Author: Kathy Merchant
Napa Valley Redux
Happy Valentine’s Day! 2024 is the 30th anniversary of the year I fell in love—with Napa Valley and the world of wine. For a quarter century, I visited California wine regions at least twice a year. The lapse wasn’t intentional. My most recent visit to Napa Valley was almost exactly five years ago, 18 months…
A Tuscan Gem: Tenuta Valdipiatta
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is one of Tuscany’s great wine gems. Meet a winemaking star, Tenuta Valdipiatta.
Cooking Experiences in Italy
2023 is going to be a big year for travel in Italy! Come home cooking like an Italian after taking a class in Emilia Romagna, Tuscany, Sicily and more!
Le Marche: Italy’s Road Less Traveled
Discover the riches of Le Marche, a jewel in Italy’s cultural crown. Enjoy regional food and wine specialties while taking in spectacular views of the Mediterranean’s northernmost arm, the Adriatic Sea.
Italian Cooking with a Heart, Kitchen & Chat
When you meet Elisa Venturi, within moments it will be 100% clear why she named her business Elisa Cuore (heart), Cucina (kitchen), and Chiacchiere (chat). Ten American women recently descended on Elisa’s home kitchen in Pesaro, Italy, for a cooking class. She was admittedly nervous. So were we! It was our first evening together as…
Mt. Etna’s Benanti Winery: Va Bene!
Explore a brief history of Sicilian wine and the pioneering work of Dr. Giuseppe Benanti to produce wine made from outstanding white and red indigenous grapes.
Michelin Dining in Sicily
Italy boasts 371 Michelin star restaurants, ranking third behind France and Japan. Sicily is just beginning to come into its own in this culinary realm with two 2* and fourteen 1* restaurants. I had the pleasure today of a five-course “Equilibrio” lunch at 1* Ristorante Coria in Caltagirone. The hilly town of Caltagirone is perhaps…
Aging Gracefully: Connecticut’s Haight-Brown Vineyard
Many of America’s first wineries were established by state farm acts permitting small vineyards to sell wine commercially. Haight-Brown Vineyard was #1 in Connecticut.
Future of Wine in 2021? Some Answers.
In my post last weekend about the post-pandemic future of wine, I included a few questions posed during industry webinars in February and March. April brings more than May flowers! See the latest projections from SevenFiftyDaily. U.S. distributors are optimistic about the future of wine. “Vaccinations are here, weather is warming, and restaurants in every…