You cannot stop talking about the wonderful business meeting/holiday/anniversary party you scheduled in Manhattan. Moving on UP You loved the energy, the quickness of pedestrian steps, the boundless shopping, totally ignoring the exorbitant prices, homeless sleeping on the streets, motor bikes careening on the sidewalks, and hazards of…just about everything. Disregarding the armed security personnel […]
Italian wines triumph in the US, UK and Germany
Navigating Spanish Wines, Including the Important Label
Frequently, when I enter a neighborhood wine shop in Manhattan, I am stopped from browsing by aggressive salespeople which is counterproductive if the store owner is interested in increasing bottom line profitability. When I walk into a shoe store, I am given lots of time to look at each shoe on display, turn it over […]
Sparkling Wines from Spain Challenge “The Other Guys”
The French have spent many marketing dollars conditioning us to equate Champagne with good times, simultaneously encouraging us to believe that all sparkling wines are French. Results? Champagne has become a word that is ubiquitous. If we have an urge for a glass of sparkling wine our brain immediately latches onto the word Champagne, and […]
Older is Better. Moscato d’Asti Sparkles in Italy
Moscato d’Asti (DOCG) is part of the Moscato family…a close member of the Moscato family, but not a twin. Moscato d’Asti is made from the Muscat Blanc a Petits Grains strain of grapes, a petite berry varietal that ripens early, producing a wide range of wine styles from light, dry, slightly sweet and sparkling to […]
Only in France: Champagne with Romantic Happy Bubbles
Oscar Wilde said, “Only the unimaginative can fail to find a reason for drinking champagne.” The production of Champagne dates back hundreds of years, and the accumulated know-how and substantial public relations have made France and French products one of the most emblematic “wine countries” on the planet. France is the only place in the […]
Guardian of Italian Luxury: Lust not Love
I was recently asked what I would buy with my lottery winnings (should I be so lucky) if real estate, yachts, and airplanes were not allowed. My thoughts immediately turned to Italian luxury fashion, fixtures, furniture, and experiences (including wine, spirits, and travel). Italy is at the head of the line in the highly competitive […]
Wine Rich Italy Nothing New: Grapes Go Native
Italy is the only country in the world with viticulture in all its regions, extending from the damp sea coast to the foot of the Apennine Mountains, the Italian Alps and the Dolomites. Vines grow from a latitude of 36 degrees on the southernmost island of Pantelleria to about 47 degrees in the Alpine valley […]
Tourism Impasse: Cannot Stop or Go
The hotel, travel and tourism industry contributed to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, most notably cruise lines and airlines; however large their role, these enterprises cannot be held accountable for its origin or for the irresponsible approach of governments and global health agencies to the identification, mitigation, control, and elimination of the virus. First Hide, […]
Will meetings return? Can hotels really open safely?… Or should we stay home?
Tourism Encounters a New Paradigm Up to, and including the beginning of 2020, many professionals in the hotel, travel, and tourism industry would have agreed that “bigger is better.” Demand created a need to build larger cruise ships, more and differentiated hotels, additional stadiums and convention centers, faster and bigger aircraft. There appeared to be […]