Happy holidays (and a prosperous O-N-D)!
An American in Pollenzo

Happy holidays (and a prosperous O-N-D)!

It doesn’t offend me whatsoever, by any means. But I always have to laugh a little when I receive Christmas wishes from winemakers and wine trade marketing professionals and publicists. Does it every occur to them that maybe I don’t celebrate Christmas? Even though I’m a Jew, I do observe Christmas with my family. I’m … …read more

The Wine Spectator Top 100 and why it matters (now more than ever)
An American in Pollenzo

The Wine Spectator Top 100 and why it matters (now more than ever)

Above: Bruce Sanderson, senior editor for Wine Spectator, and reviewer of Tuscan and Piedmontese wines (among others). He’s really expanded the horizons of the magazine’s critical apparatus since he took over as reviewer of collectible and high-end Italian wines. And he’s one of the most respected and admired players at the highest end of Italian … …read more

Master’s in Italian wine and food culture to be offered in English @Unisg (I’ll be teaching 3 courses)
An American in Pollenzo

Master’s in Italian wine and food culture to be offered in English @Unisg (I’ll be teaching 3 courses)

Please click here for info on the UniSG Master’s in Italian Wine Culture. And here for the Master’s in Food Culture & Communications. Both programs will be offered in English for the first time next year. Wine’s role and function in Boccaccio is just one of the three courses I’ll be teaching next year for UniSG. … …read more

English-language wine blogs that matter for Italian wine (a hand list)
An American in Pollenzo

English-language wine blogs that matter for Italian wine (a hand list)

Above: Dallas-based Italian specialist for behemoth wine importer and distributor Southern-Glazer’s, Alfonso Cevola is the author of “On the Wine Trail in Italy,” one of a handful of English-language blogs focused on Italian viticulture. One of the topics we covered in my recent seminars on English-Language Wine Writing and Wine Blogging (for the Master’s in … …read more

Italian wine culture and (happy) Thanksgiving
An American in Pollenzo

Italian wine culture and (happy) Thanksgiving

If you’re reading this from Italy, the Thanksgiving plate in the image above probably seems pretty exotic to you. If you’re reading this from the U.S., depending on what part of the country you live in, you probably recognize most (maybe not all) of the dishes. Either way, you can immediately identify the plate as … …read more

“Social networks are helping to fundamentally rewire human society” (including wine culture)
An American in Pollenzo

“Social networks are helping to fundamentally rewire human society” (including wine culture)

Just a quick follow-up to my post yesterday “What’s Trump got to do with it?” on the power of social media in marketing today (including wine). In an article today for the New York Times (“Social Media’s Globe-Shaking Power”), technology columnist Farhad Manjoo writes: “The election of Donald J. Trump is perhaps the starkest illustration … …read more

What’s Trump got to do with it?
An American in Pollenzo

What’s Trump got to do with it?

It felt like the first real day of winter on Wednesday, November 9 in Pollenzo as the temperature dipped into topcoat-and-scarf weather for the first time this year. It was the day after the American elections and Donald Trump, the American real estate tycoon and television celebrity, had surprised the world with his out-of-left-field win … …read more

Campus life in Pollenzo: My first seminar, Wine Writing and Wine Blogging 101
An American in Pollenzo

Campus life in Pollenzo: My first seminar, Wine Writing and Wine Blogging 101

What a thrill for me to lead my first seminar on the UniSG campus this morning! My first seminar in the Master’s in Italian Wine Culture program seemed to fly by as the students and I discussed the power of social media in marketing wine; the subjective and self-referential nature of wine writing and wine … …read more

Wine blogging degree zero
An American in Pollenzo

Wine blogging degree zero

Wine blogging: A closer look at the anatomy of a wine blog post. Click here to learn more about the Master’s in Italian Wine Culture program at UniSG where I begin teaching this week. Above: Taking a photograph of grapes (like these Chardonnay grapes) is a form of enography or wine writing. Some would argue … …read more

Truth in wine (writing)? Looking more closely at “in vino veritas”
An American in Pollenzo

Truth in wine (writing)? Looking more closely at “in vino veritas”

As I continue to prepare for the seminars on English-language wine writing and wine blogging that I will be leading next week and the following (as part of the UniSG Master’s in Wine Culture program), I’ve been thinking a lot about the notion of truth in wine (writing) and how we perceive absolute truths in … …read more