Ep. 2397 Barbara Fitzgerald interviews Andrea Eby of Wine Scholar Guild | Masterclass US Wine Market

Welcome to Episode 2177, in which Cynthia Chaplin interviews Nikki Lamberti in this installment of Voices on the Italian Wine Podcast. Nikki Lamberti is a certified wine professional (CWP), educator and owner/winemaker based in Napa Valley.    About today’s guest: Nikki Lamberti is a dynamic and entertaining Certified Wine Professional (CWP), wine educator and owner/winemaker of a boutique wine brand in Sonoma County, CA.  As a New Jersey native, she earned a BS in Environmental Science from Rutgers University before working in animal husbandry and conservation education for the Disney Company in Orlando. She eventually moved into hospitality, sales and recruitment and traveled the world on the Disney Cruise Line, where she discovered a deep passion for food and wine and the places and people that bring them to life! After vacationing in Napa and Sonoma and feeling drawn to wine country, she made a life-changing move to St Helena to study wine and work as a wine educator, completing her Winemaking Certificate from UC Davis in 2018.  In 2019, Nikki and her partner Michael launched Sollevato Wines, a boutique wine brand specializing in Sonoma County Sangiovese that’s focused on bringing people together with food-friendly wines on the table. As self-proclaimed foodies and at-home Pizzaiolos, they just harvested their 6th vintage of Sangiovese and have also added Grenache and Petite Sirah to their small portfolio.  In 2023, Nikki created the “Sip With Nikki”podcast, and as host/producer she uses her wine background and Disney experience to create magic for her podcast listeners through teaching (and entertaining) about wine appreciation, food and wine pairings, travel and how to find more joy (and less confusion) in all of those things! Connect: Website: www.sollevatowines.com and www.sipwithnikki.com  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikkilamberti/?hl=en LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikki-lamberti-6408406/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sipwithnikki/   About today’s Host: VIA certified Italian Wine Ambassador and sommelier with FIS, Cynthia Chaplin is a professor of Italian Wine and Culture, with 20 years experience in the wine industry. Cynthia is a wine content creator, author and judge for several international wine competitions. She designs and presents events for embassies, corporate and private clients, develops Italian wine collections for restaurants and private clients and works with Italian wineries to train their sales and export staff. Hosting Voices has increased her commitment to DEI in the wine sector, interviewing emerging and established wine professionals and discussing topics such as inclusivity, equity, language, sustainability and challenges facing under-represented groups and cultures as they move into careers in wine. As a certified WSET Educator, Cynthia is passionate about developing wine education for a future that will have a place at the table for anyone interested in wine.   Connect: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Italian-Wines-in-English/100036868372598/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kiss_my_glassx/?hl=en Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-chaplin-190647179/    _______________________________ Let's keep in touch! Follow Italian Wine Podcast on our social media channels: Instagram: www.instagram.com/italianwinepodcast/  Facebook: www.facebook.com/ItalianWinePodcast  Twitter: www.twitter.com/itawinepodcast  Tiktok: www.tiktok.com/@mammajumboshrimp  LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/italianwinepodcast  If you feel like helping us, donate here www.italianwinepodcast.com/donate-to-show/   Until next time, Cin Cin!   Share this pod! Remember Voices is all about diversity, equity, and heart-warming personal stories about real people!

4 Dec 202441min

Welcome to episode 2176 of the Italian Wine Podcast, and episode 168 of Wine, Food & Travel with Marc Millon. Marc’s guest today is the Lebanese wine maker Sami Ghosn of Massaya winery in the Beqaa, a fertile valley region in eastern Lebanon. More about today’s guest: Lebanon's association with wine is as old as time. It is well established that wine making was already prevalent there thousands of years ago and that it was one of the joys of early civil society. From the first miracle of Christ, turning water into wine, to the Romans who built a temple in honour of Bacchus, the god of wine in the Beqaa valley, this tradition has been continuously present with over 50 winemakers operating today in Lebanon. One of the clear stand-out producers of the new generation celebrating its 25th anniversary is award-winning Massaya. Sami Ghosn, literally a renaissance man. He created Massaya from the wreckage of his family's estate in the Beqaa. Since returning from the United States in 1992 after civil war devastation, he and his brother Ramzi have built a winery in the Beqaa and a fabulous wine resort in Faqra, Mount Lebanon. Sami travels widely to promote Massaya thereby also serving as a roving ambassador for the country. Looking back at his family's legacy, the struggles in the Middle East, and the pride in his homeland, wine has a special significance for Sami. He says: “A glass of wine from Lebanon is more than an alcoholic beverage. It is a message of civilization, resilience, tolerance, and identity”. Connect Website: http://www.massaya.com/english/home  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/massayalebanon/?hl=en More about the host Marc Millon: Marc Millon, VIA Italian Wine Ambassador 2021, has been travelling, eating, drinking, learning and writing about wine, food and travel for nearly 40 years. Born in Mexico, with a mother from Hawaii via Korea and an anthropologist father from New York via Paris, he was weaned on exotic and delicious foods. Marc and his photographer wife Kim are the authors of 14 books including a pioneering series of illustrated wine-food-travel books: The Wine Roads of Europe, The Wine Roads of France, The Wine Roads of Italy (Premio Barbi Colombini), and The Wine Roads of Spain. Other titles include The Wine and Food of Europe, The Food Lovers’ Companion Italy, The Food Lovers’ Companion France, Wine, a global history. Marc regularly lectures and hosts gastronomic cultural tours to Italy and France with Martin Randall Travel, the UK’s leading cultural travel specialist. He has also been the host of the ‘Wine, food and travel with Marc Millon’ series on the Italian Wine Podcast since 2021. When not on the road Marc lives on the River Exe in Devon, England. Connect: Website:  https://www.quaypress.uk   https://www.marcmillon.co.uk  https://www.vino.co.uk    https://www.quaypress.com  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marc-millon-50868624/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/Marc_Millon  _______________________________ Let's keep in touch! Follow Italian Wine Podcast on our social media channels: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/italianwinepodcast/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ItalianWinePodcast  Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/itawinepodcast  Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mammajumboshrimp  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/italianwinepodcast  If you feel like helping us, donate here: https://www.italianwinepodcast.com/donate-to-show/  Until next time, Cin Cin! Thanks for listening! This show is all about food and wine pairings, and traveling through Italy with Marc. Join him on this food, wine and cultural journey!

3 Dec 202438min

Welcome to Episode 2175 of the Italian Wine Podcast. In this episode of Masterclass US Wine Market, host Barbara Fitzgerald interviews Tom Wark, Founder of Wark Communications. More about today’s guest: Tom Wark He is a wine industry marketing and media relations specialist. He founded his Wark Communications consultancy in 1994 and has worked with numerous wineries, media firms, wine tech companies and associations. He is a founder of the Wine Bloggers Conference, the founder of the American Wine Blog Awards, and a longtime champion of alternative wine voices in the media. Wark also serves as the executive director of the National Association of Wine Retailers. He lives in Salem with his wife Kathy and son Henry George.  Connect: Website: https://warkcommunications.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tomcwark LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-wark-0011071/  More about today’s host: Barbara Fitzgerald With a career of nearly two decades in the wine industry, Barbara specializes in D2C marketing and business development. She's led roles from entry level to senior management, combining her extensive experience with data analysis, critical thinking and storytelling while driving revenue growth and brand recognition for California wineries. As a part of the 4th generation of an Italian-American family among the California wine industry pioneers, Barbara has spent her life around wine growing, production, marketing, distribution and hospitality. A Syracuse University graduate, she returned to California to gain diverse industry perspectives from a range of wineries. As an Italian Wine Ambassador, she brings her expertise to the Italian wine market, known for its authenticity and consumer demand. Barbara now runs Apri La Creative Consulting, coaching wineries in Italy and the US to strategically develop their D2C channels in line with their brand values. Together with her husband, Barbara also owns and operates a boutique wine production company, and a small import company specializing in Italian wines to the US. Connect: Instagram: www.instagram.com/aprilabottiglia LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/barbara-fitzgerald-iwa/ Website: www.aprilacreative.com _______________________________ Let's keep in touch! Follow Italian Wine Podcast on our social media channels: Instagram: www.instagram.com/italianwinepodcast/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/ItalianWinePodcast Twitter: www.twitter.com/itawinepodcast Tiktok: www.tiktok.com/@mammajumboshrimp LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/italianwinepodcast If you feel like helping us, donate here: www.italianwinepodcast.com/donate-to-show/ Until next time, Cin Cin! Tune-in and hit the like! - Business, US Market advice, importing, exporting, business, personal stories and advice, plus she is very fun to listen to!

2 Dec 202430min

Welcome to the Next Generation and Episode 2174 of the Italian Wine Podcast. Today Giulia Stocchetti Interviews Santiago Marone Cinzano of the Col d'Orcia winery in Tuscany. More about today’s guest: Santiago Marone Cinzano is an 11th generation winemaker, with his family managing vineyards since 1568. The Marone Cinzano family comes from Piemonte, pioneering the commercialization of Vermouth in the late 1800s and of sparkling wines in the 1900s. The family has been active in Montalcino for over 50 years, being one of the early believers in Brunello di Montalcino. Santiago was raised on the organic vineyards the family owns in South America (Maule Valley, Chile) until the age of 12, and joined the family business shortly after university. After a few years following production at the estate, today Santiago is active on the sales side of the family’s wineries, both in the domestic Italian market and abroad. In 2019, Santiago produced the first Brunello di Montalcino which bears the family name (Lot.1 by Conti Marone Cinzano), a small release of hand numbered bottles set to hit the market in January 2025.  Connect:  Website: www.coldorcia.com   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coldorcia/ and https://www.instagram.com/s.mc94/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/santiago-marone-cinzano-70a7448a/ More about the host:  Giulia is an AIS Sommelier and holds the WSET Diploma. She has 360° experience in the cellar, harvesting, tasting and teaching. Enthusiastic communicator of wine, she believes every bottle is a small universe to discover and her slogan is “sharing wine means love.” She’s passionate about terroir wines made with autochthonous grape varieties and constantly looking for them and their small producers. Connect: Facebook: Giulia Stocchetti Caravaggi Instagram: theWineSoulGirl LinkedIn: Giulia Stocchetti Caravaggi

1 Dec 202429min

Welcome to Episode 2173 of On The Road Edition with Stevie Kim. Today Stevie meets Gabriella Favara from the Donnafugata winery at Sicilia Enosimposio 2024. Gabriella is the sixth generation of a family that has been able to innovate the style and perception of Sicilian wine in the world. The Enosimposio of Assoenologi Sicilia took place in Pollina from 5 to 7 July 2024. The theme for this year’s annual event was: ‘The winemaker between history and future: territory, research and culture’. The event explores the evolution of the sector and the role of the modern winemaker. More about today’s guest:  Donnafugata produces tailor-made wines with a focus on small, prestigious productions from unique territories and vineyards. It produces environmentally friendly wines that appeal to enthusiasts and collectors from all over the world. Its trademark labels tell the colours of Sicily and the character of the wines in a distinctive and fantastic feminine style. Giacomo Rallo, the fourth generation of a family with over 170 years of experience in producing quality wine, founded Donnafugata in 1983 together with his wife Gabriella, a pioneer of feminine viticulture. Today the company is led by their children Antonio and José. Connect: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabriella-favara-a48390109 Website: https://www.donnafugata.it/en/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/donnafugatawine/ More about the host Stevie Kim: Stevie Kim hosts Clubhouse sessions each week (visit Italian Wine Club & Wine Business on Clubhouse), these recorded sessions are then released on the podcast to immortalize them! She often also joins Professor Scienza in his shows to lend a hand keeping our Professor in check! You can also find her taking a hit for the team when she goes “On the Road”, all over the Italian countryside, visiting wineries and interviewing producers, enjoying their best food and wine – all in the name of bringing us great Pods! Connect: Social Links: https://zaap.bio/steviekim  Website: https://www.vinitaly.com/eventi/operawine/stevie-kim/  _______________________________ Let's keep in touch! Follow Italian Wine Podcast on our social media channels: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/italianwinepodcast/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ItalianWinePodcast  Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/itawinepodcast  Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mammajumboshrimp  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/italianwinepodcast  If you feel like helping us, donate here https://www.italianwinepodcast.com/donate-to-show/  Until next time, Cin Cin! Remember to follow us! Travel Italy, food and wine, winery visits and so much more!

30 Nov 20244min

Welcome to Episode 2172 of the Italian Wine Podcast and Everybody Needs a Bit of Scienza, where Professo Scienza takes questions from the international wine community and answers them in his own inimitable way! These shows are generally in the Italian language.  Today’s questions come from Giulia Stocchetti & Veronica Pimazzoni. Today’s questions:  Piwi or Indigenous varieties - what’s the best answer to climate change and new climate conditions? Piwi e varietà indigene: quali sono le risposte migliori ai cambiamenti climatici e alle nuove condizioni climatiche? More about Professor Scienza: Professor Atillio Scienza is the one who checks all the facts and regulates when we mistakenly type “Verdicchio” instead of “Vermentino.” He is a full professor at the University of Milan in the Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences where he teaches courses on genetic improvements to the vine; he also teaches Viticulture in the Master’s program of the University of Turin in Asti. He has been the lead for many national research projects in the field of physiology, agricultural techniques, and vine genetics. As the author of over 350 publications on vine and viticulture in national and international journals, you can bet he knows his stuff! To find out more about Attilio Scienza visit: https://www.vinitaly.com/formazione/vinitaly-international-academy/attilio-scienza/  _______________________________ Let's keep in touch! Follow Italian Wine Podcast on our social media channels: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/italianwinepodcast/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ItalianWinePodcast  Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/itawinepodcast  Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mammajumboshrimp  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/italianwinepodcast  If you feel like helping us, donate here: https://www.italianwinepodcast.com/donate-to-show/  Until next time, Cin Cin! Share your love for our lovely Professor if you are a true Italian Wine Geek :)

29 Nov 202413min

Welcome to Episode 2171 of the Italian Wine Podcast and Stevie Kim’s Ambassadors’ Corner on Clubhouse. In this episode Cameron Jones interviews Alessia C. Travaglini from the historic Travaglini winery of Gattinara in Piemonte, northwestern Italy. Today’s learning objectives: listeners will gain insights into how Travaglini balances tradition with innovation, the unique terroir of Gattinara, and the winery’s adaptations to climate change. They'll also learn about the impact of recent investments on Travaglini’s approach, Alessia’s future vision for the winery, and her deep personal connection to Italian wine culture. To top it all off, Alessia shares her favorite wine-pairing comfort food, her first memory tasting wine, and a beloved Italian proverb that captures her family's winemaking philosophy. Expect a mix of inspiration, knowledge, and some fun along the way! Co-Moderator – Cameron Jones  Cameron spent his first 25 professional years as an investment banker in London, Sydney, Mumbai, and Singapore before moving to France in 2017 and embarking on his second career. He completed the Chef de Cuisine Diploma at Cordon Bleu in 2018. He then turned his focus to the wine industry completing the WSET Diploma and soon after became a certified WSET educator. He was based in the Cru Beaujolais village of Saint-Amour since 2019 and has just returned to live in Australia and has just been accepted into the Master of Wine program. He is a professional wine judge at various wine competitions across Europe. He is a Valpolicella Educator, Barolo and Barbaresco Ambassador, Sherry Educator and now a Vinitaly Italian Wine Ambassador. Connect: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bojo_bonvivant/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameron-jones-76416815/  Guests Bio – Alessia C. Travaglini   Alessia was born and raised in the little city of Gattinara, surrounded by nature, hills covered by beautiful vineyards and the crisp air of a small town whose business revolves around two things: Lavazza coffee and food and wine.  From a young age, her future was quite clear: to follow in the footsteps of her parents and previous generations. In fact, she based her academic career on this, studying economics, a master's degree in Wine Business Management and sommelier courses. In 2019 she joined the family business and immediately took care of export and business relationships and some organizational and operational restructuring in other areas.  Connect: Facebook:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travaglinigattinara and https://www.instagram.com/alessia_collauto_travaglini/ Website: https://www.travaglinigattinara.com/en-gb _______________________________ Let's keep in touch! Follow Italian Wine Podcast on our social media channels:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/italianwinepodcast/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ItalianWinePodcast  Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/itawinepodcast  Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mammajumboshrimp  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/italianwinepodcast  If you feel like helping us, donate here: https://www.italianwinepodcast.com/donate-to-show/  Until next time, Cin Cin! Follow Italian Wine Podcast for more great content – winery interviews from the Clubhouse sessions!  Psssst…FYI this show is our most popular show, find out why by tuning-in!

28 Nov 202454min

Welcome to episode 2170 of the Italian Wine Podcast, and episode 167 of Wine, Food & Travel with Marc Millon. Marc’s guest today is Valentina Todino. Valentina is Marc’s Italian teacher (for the past 20 years or more), is originally from the province of Avellino in Campania, and has a great knowledge and love of her area. In this episode they talk about life, wine and food in Irpinia (Avellino and Benevento) and also about life, wine and food in general in Campania. More about today’s guest: Valentina Todino is Honorary Associate Research Fellow for the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures (MLC) and MA in Applied Translation, at University of Exeter (UoE), following her BA Hons in Modern Foreign Languages at the University of Rome, La Sapienza.  Being herself a migrant to the UK since 2002, her interest has focused on migration and translation of identity for several years. Since 2017, she worked on a project called Transcultural Devon. This draws inspiration from her central role of community connector, especially within the Italian diaspora as founder of the Italian Cultural Association Exeter, but more in general within the whole international and migrant community based in Devon.  As a believer in praxis and inspired by her will to continue her research into migration issues, she decided to build first-hand experience of working with asylum seekers and refugees. Alongside her independent research role, she is now become Drop-in and Events coordinator for the charity Refugee Support Devon.  Valentina Alba Todino was born in Italy, were she remembers spending many Sundays in her uncle’s backyard, under a roof of grapevines, singing along all the cliche Neapolitan songs that you can think of, accompanied by an accordion and some dancing too, depending on the quantity of wine offered by the host. She always had a keen interest in music, so she started learning some jazz standards from a friend double bass player in her twenties and then went on to folk music, by singing in an amateurs’ local bands, when still in Italy. After moving to this country, she had a long break from singing until she became co-founder of southern Italian folk band Trikkeballakke, inspired by the traditions of Tarantelle, especially Tammurriate and Pizziche. Her research interest in music in migration has led her to meet many talented local artists and she enjoys occasional jam sessions with them and some gigs too, including some collaboration with Spanish, Latin American, Kurdish, Mexican musicians and many more.  Connect Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/italian_association_exeter/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ItalianCultureExeter More about the host Marc Millon: Marc Millon, VIA Italian Wine Ambassador 2021, has been travelling, eating, drinking, learning and writing about wine, food and travel for nearly 40 years. Born in Mexico, with a mother from Hawaii via Korea and an anthropologist father from New York via Paris, he was weaned on exotic and delicious foods. Marc and his photographer wife Kim are the authors of 14 books including a pioneering series of illustrated wine-food-travel books. Marc regularly lectures and hosts gastronomic cultural tours to Italy and France with Martin Randall Travel, the UK’s leading cultural travel specialist.  Connect: Website:  https://www.quaypress.uk   https://www.marcmillon.co.uk  https://www.vino.co.uk   https://www.quaypress.com  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marc-millon-50868624/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/Marc_Millon

26 Nov 202429min