One Woman. Many Wines

Lia Tolaini Banville and her father, Pier Luigi Tolaini, started importing wines from Italy 16 years ago (2004), expanding the operation in 2016 to include wines from France, Germany and the UK. In 2011, Banville added Italian spirits to her portfolio, introduced a wholesale division and, a few years later, extended her reach to include Washington, DC […]

The French Vineyards of Occitanie

Occitanie is considered one of the newest French wine regions and it is located only 2 hours from Barcelona. The name for the region references a large southern European realm where people spoke a Latin-derived language called Occitan. This French vineyards region covers a territory similar to that ruled by the Counts of Toulouse in the 12th […]

Delicious Wines in Australia

Looking for an easy and delicious way to explore Australia?  May I suggest getting a wine glass, reading my notes, and discovering the wonders of Australia by sipping a few of its wines. Wines by Design Australia is the smallest continent, but the sixth-largest country, slightly smaller than the continental USA. It features snowcapped mountains, arid […]

A Big Deal for Wine Partisans

If you grow grapes, make wine, drink wine, sell wine, are a wine educator, wine writer, or have anything at all to do with the wine industry, then it is likely that you would have been spotted tasting wine in New York at the recent Robert Parker, Matter of Taste event (2019). This exclusive program is part […]

Introducing Nizza DOCG, Italy

Learning by Sipping What I did not know about Nizza DOCG before I attended the Master Class in Manhattan would fill at least one book (more likely two). First of all – where is it? Nizza Monferrato is located in the Asti territory between the hills of Asti, Alba, Alessandria and Acqui Terme, and recognized as part […]

Wine Discoveries

At a recent event announcing the acquisition of The Robert Parker Wine Guide by Michelin Guides, wine reviewers introduced a few of the wines they personally enjoyed throughout 2019 and shared as a prelude to a “Matter of Taste,” event. While 10 wines were available, my favorites included: La Dama is owned by Enrique Basarte and Elisa […]

Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. Press ESC to cancel.

Back To Top