What Italy Taught Me About Wine, A Note from My Experience.
What Italy Taught Me About Wine, A Note from My Experience.
Ciao Ragazzi,
Some days, I find myself thinking about how people experience Italian wine here in Texas. Most of the time, it starts the same way—someone asks for a Barolo, maybe a Chianti. Safe choices. Familiar names. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
But if I’m honest…that’s not the Italy I know. When I think about Italy, I don’t think about labels first. I think about places.
I think about the heat in Calabria, where the sun feels heavier and the wines reflect it—bold, honest, a little wild. The kind of wines that don’t try to impress you, they just are. I remember tasting wines from small producers there that never make it to big markets, and thinking… this is what people are missing.
And then there’s the smell of citrus in the air—bergamot, something you don’t forget once you’ve experienced it. It stays with you.
A completely different feeling comes when you stand near Mount Vesuvius.
The soil is dark, almost unreal. You taste the wines and there’s something in them—structure, energy, a tension that feels alive. Wines from that area don’t feel soft or easy. They make you pay attention.
That’s what I love about Campania; The Amalfi Coast is another world entirely.
Steep vineyards, the sea always in sight. Everything feels extreme there—the slopes, the work, even the light. And the wines? They carry that same precision. Bright, clean, almost sharp in the best way.
They remind you that wine isn’t just made… it’s fought for.
Of course, I still go back to Piemonte often in my mind.
Barolo has a way of grounding you. There’s discipline there. Patience. You don’t rush those wines, and they don’t rush you either. Every time I open one, I’m reminded why tradition still matters.
But what excites me the most lately isn’t just the classics.
It’s what’s happening across regions like Puglia, Veneto, Sicilia, places where producers are redefining what everyday wine can be. Wines that are approachable, but never boring. Wines people can actually enjoy often, not just on special occasions.
That’s where I see the future.
And maybe the most important thing I’ve learned over the years is this: Wine alone is never the full story. You need food. You need people. You need a table, noise, conversation… something real. That’s how these wines were meant to be experienced.
That’s exactly what I’ve been thinking about as we prepare for the
Above Wines Expo 2026
For me, it’s not just another event.
It’s a way to bring all of this, these places, these producers, these stories—into one room here in Texas. To let people taste what I’ve tasted, and maybe see Italian wine a little differently after. If you’ve ever been curious to go beyond the usual bottles…
this is where it starts.
You can find tickets here: ABOVE WINES EXPO TICKETS
Tonight, I’ll probably open something simple. Maybe from the south.
Something that reminds me why I started doing this in the first place.
Aldo 🍷
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