Sometimes an event is just an event, and sometimes (when I am lucky) the event turns into a wonderful Saturday afternoon experience that is good by doing good. Recently, I was invited to the Barolo en primeur at Il Gattopardo (with a Zoom simulcast from Grinzane Cavor Castle in Piedmont, Italy). The event was also […]
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 […]
NY drinks NY wines: History and hybrids
New York Wines: Disaster in the Beginning Historians have documented the fact that grapes were first introduced to New York by the Dutch (1647-1664); sadly, the crops failed. A few years later, the French Huguenot settlers in Ulster County tried to plant European varietals (1667) and they too were unsuccessful. William Robert Prince (1795—1869) Finally, […]