The Luxury Report

Wines of Catalonia

Marisa DVari — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 01:57:09 +0000

Wines of Catalonia

Catalonia may be part of Spain, but when it comes to wine, culture and identity, it is very much a region unto itself.

Catalonia’s secrets were revealed in the masterclass and tasting called Discover the Best Wines of Catalonia.

The event was held at the historic La Nacional, initially founded in 1868 as the Spanish Benevolent Society. In the tasting room, one could see historic black-and-white photographs lining the rooms recall an earlier era of Spanish community life.

It also offered a preview of Barcelona Wine Week, taking place in early February of 2027.

The masterclass was presented by Catalan wine expert Lucas Payà, whose impressive career includes working as a sommelier at Ferran Adrià’s legendary elBulli restaurant. Introducing him was Marcos Gonzalez, Director of Catalonia Trade & Investment.

Geography Changes Everything

Catalonia occupies a relatively compact area, yet its geography changes rapidly.

Payà pointed out that in little more than an hour it is possible to travel from the Mediterranean coastline to elevations of more than 10,000 feet in the Pyrenees.

That creates an extraordinary range of growing conditions.

Some vineyards experience a distinctly Mediterranean influence, while others are affected by altitude, continental conditions, significant differences between daytime and nighttime temperatures, and much cooler growing environments.

That geographic diversity helps explain why it is difficult to talk about “Catalan wine” as though it represents one particular style.

Looking Back to Indigenous Grapes

Another important change is happening in the vineyards themselves.

For decades, international grapes such as Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah were planted throughout many European wine regions, including Catalonia.

Today, the direction is increasingly turning back toward native grapes.

Payà pointed to the growing importance of Xarel·lo, once thought of primarily as one of the traditional grapes used for Cava, but now increasingly valued as a serious still white wine grape.

White Garnacha is also receiving greater attention, along with red Garnacha and other indigenous varieties.

That was one of the most convincing parts of the tasting upstairs.

The white wines were particularly impressive. They were complex, beautifully crafted and capable of delivering considerable dimension.

The character was already in the grape.

At a time when even an introductory white Burgundy can exceed a hundred dollars, these wines also offered an interesting reminder that complexity, acidity and a full palate can come from less internationally famous grapes and regions.

A Different Approach to Maturation

One discovery were the producers using amphora for maturation, especially for their white wine.

Amphora occupies an interesting position between stainless steel and oak. Its porous surface allows a measured interaction with oxygen, helping develop texture and richness, but without adding the flavor of oak.

For wines based on indigenous varieties, that can be especially valuable. The vessel contributes to the development of the wine without overwhelming the personality of the grape itself.

The reds showed the same combination of freshness, acidity and depth that impressed me in the whites.

And the sparkling wines were equally compelling. The best Cavas showed freshness, complexity and elegance that made them serious alternatives not only to Italy’s top sparkling wines but, in some cases, to Champagne.

Perhaps the most intriguing development is taking place in Priorat.

Rather than treating every wine within the appellation as essentially equal, Priorat has developed a hierarchy based increasingly on where the grapes are grown.

The system progresses from regional Priorat through village and specific-site wines to Vinya Classificada and finally Gran Vinya Classificada.

It is difficult not to think of Burgundy.

The underlying idea is similar: as the geographic origin becomes more precise, the identity of the individual site becomes more important.

For a region already known for powerful and distinctive wines, it represents another step toward defining quality through place rather than simply winemaking technique.

That may ultimately have been the most interesting message of the afternoon.

From the presentation today, Catalonia has technology, talented winemakers and centuries of experience. Along with delicious and affordably priced wines.

Marisa DVari

Marisa D'Vari, DipWSET is founder and publisher of TheLuxuryReport.com. Her two newest books are France's Champagne Region and Wine Travels in Italy. She obtained her OIV MSc diploma in Wine Business Management and contributes to Forbes.com, Financial Times, World of Fine Wine, Quarterly Review of Wine, Decanter Robb Report, San Francisco Chronicle, South China Morning Post , and more. She holds the (WSET) diploma, Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers, a Certified Wine Educator through the Society of Wine Educators ... to see it all, please click on bio

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Donnafugata Winery “Sicilian Magic”

Marisa DVari — Wed, 14 Oct 2026 20:15:35 +0000

Donnafugata Winery "Sicilian Magic"

Would you agree that fine wine is one of the “finer things” in life?

You’ll love this story about one of Sicily’s finest wine producers and the amazing journey that took her family from its roots as one of the pioneering Italian families producing classic Marsala to becoming one of Sicily’s early quality-driven dry wine producers.

The “Meet-Cute”

Nearly a decade ago, I was on a trip to Sicily with other wine journalists.

A woman who, to my imaginative mind, resembled a brightly colored tropical parrot in her vivid yellow, orange, and blue apparel boarded our bus.

“José Rallo,” she said by way of introduction.

We fell easily into conversation about wine, Sicily, and her family, founders of the Donnafugata winery in Sicily.

At the time, Sicily itself was still relatively new to me in a practical sense.

I had studied Sicilian wine while earning my WSET Diploma, which I obtained in 2009. But that was still relatively early in Sicily’s modern wine evolution, and our studies of Sicily focused almost entirely on its iconic wine, Marsala.

José told me quite a bit about her family that day. Yet it wasn’t until I happened to see her and her brother Antonio on two separate occasions this past year that I realized the power of what the Rallo family had built.

The family brand is Donnafugata, and much of the credit for its creation goes back to José’s parents, Giacomo and Gabriella Rallo.

In today’s modern era, when people change jobs, locations, homes, and more without hesitation, I hadn’t fully appreciated the enormous emotional and financial issues involved when the Rallo family faced a choice between sustaining its historic Marsala business…

…or investing in new technology and transforming its vineyards for the production of fine dry wine.

For a family with generations of history connected to the traditional Sicilian wine business, embracing premium dry wines was not simply a matter of producing something new.

It meant committing money, vineyards, and reputation to a different vision of Sicily’s future.

Yet the part of the story that fascinated me most was Gabriella.

She had not gone to wine school or earned a marketing degree, yet she instinctively understood the importance of storytelling and show-stopping label design.

transformation into one of the most exciting wine regions in the world.

Part of that understanding came from her profession as a schoolteacher and seeing how her young students responded to both color and stories.

Donnafugata’s labels eventually became famous for their exuberant artwork, vivid colors, and dreamlike figures. Remembering that day José and I first met in Sicily, I suddenly realized that José herself seemed to be wearing the spirit of the winery’s brand.

Earlier this year, I encountered another member of the family, José’s brother Antonio Rallo, at a Coldiretti trade tasting in Rome.

Among the many wines being shown, what caught my attention was Donnafugata’s sparkling wine collaboration with Dolce&Gabbana.

Once again, the Rallo family’s fundamental beliefs seemed to come together in color, fashion, Sicily, and wine.

As someone who has always loved Dolce&Gabbana’s flamboyant Italian aesthetic, I immediately understood the appeal of this venture between a famous Sicilian winery and an iconic fashion house.

The idea of walking into an Italian boutique and sipping sparkling wine while surrounded by equally exuberant clothes strikes me as brilliant marketing.

The larger story is the feature article in the October 2026 issue of Sommelier India, and I hope you’ll read the Rallo family story in its entirety there.

Yet the key takeaway is that this is the saga of a family willing to take risks, a woman who understood the power of storytelling without ever studying marketing, and a winery that became part of Sicily’s transformation into one of the most exciting wine regions in the world.

Marisa DVari

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Sangiovese from Tuscany: New Look

Marisa DVari — Wed, 07 Oct 2026 23:49:13 +0000

Sangiovese from Tuscany: New Look

Tuscany offers many famous wine regions, yet Maremma offers a different side of the story. A recent wine event in Manhattan, three appellations, Maremma Toscana, Morellino di Scansano and Montecucco, came together for a master class and walk-around tasting with 40 producers.

This event offered a look at wines shaped by Mediterranean influences, from increasingly popular white Vermentino to distinctive expressions of red Sangiovese.

The full story began the night before, over dinner at Casasalvo in SoHo.

There I met Francesco Mazzei, president of the Consorzio della Maremma Toscana, Bernardo Guicciardini Calamai, president of the Consorzio Morellino di Scansano, and communications organizer Cecilia Zanasi.
Six courses and six wines later, what had started as a formal wine dinner had become something much more interesting.

It turned into a conversation about the wines, the region and why Maremma deserves the attention usually given to its more famous neighbors.

The Conversation Started With Vermentino

As so many wine conversations do these days, ours started with Vermentino.

Why has it become so popular?

My first answer was not particularly scholarly. It has an easy-to-pronounce, easy-to-remember name.

But joking aside, the appeal becomes fairly obvious once the wine is in the glass.

The Vermentino we tasted was fragrant with soft white peach and apricot, balanced by soaring acidity. It was the kind of wine that immediately suggested possibilities beyond the usual seafood pairing. It had enough freshness to start a meal, but enough character to keep going when the food became more complicated.

That versatility became one of the themes of the evening.

As the courses progressed, the conversation loosened up too. Bernardo, who has a wonderfully dry sense of humor, supplied a steady stream of comments.

By then it no longer felt like a formal promotional dinner.

It felt like people talking about wine over dinner, which is probably where wine makes the most sense anyway.

The Masterclass

Wine Spectator senior editor Bruce Sanderson moderated the master class for the three regions. Interestingly, the presentation name was MareMMMa.

The name mareMMMa plays with mare, the Italian word for sea, and the three M appellations represented at the event: Maremma Toscana, Morellino di Scansano and Montecucco.

They are not identical regions, nor are they all sitting directly beside the water.

But they are part of the greater Maremma territory, stretching from the coast toward the hills and mountains. Maritime influence playing an important role in the climate.

That diversity is part of the point.

On the panel, moderator Bruce Sanderson was joined by Mazzei, Guicciardini Calamai and Giovan Battista Basile, president of the Consorzio Tutela Vini Montecucco. It was refreshing to see a sommelier on the panel. This was Josh Nadel, sommelier and Beverage Director for the NoHo Hospitality Group.

Georgraphy

Maremma Toscana alone covers a broad range of soils, elevations and grape varieties. Morellino di Scansano gives Sangiovese a particularly coastal expression. Montecucco sits farther inland, including vineyards on the slopes of Monte Amiata.

Together, they present a side of Tuscany that can look quite different from the Tuscany many American wine drinkers know best.

Why Vermentino Matters

One of the clearest stories to emerge from the master class was the rise of Vermentino.

Sanderson described it as an increasingly important driver for Maremma Toscana and potentially one of the grapes that can communicate the identity of the region most clearly. Plantings have expanded dramatically over the past two decades.

The tasting showed why.

Two Vermentinos opened the master class: the Rocca delle Macìe Vigna L’Aja Bruciata Maremma Toscana DOC Vermentino 2024 and Belguardo V Maremma Toscana DOC Vermentino Superiore 2023.

They also demonstrated that Vermentino does not have to mean one style.

The grape can give the crisp, salty, mineral character many drinkers expect, but it can also move toward a richer and more textured expression.

From a restaurant perspective, that range is particularly useful.

Nadel spoke about the demand he sees for fresh, Mediterranean-style wines and the ability of Vermentino to work in different roles throughout a meal. The wine can accompany seafood and salads, but richer versions can move easily into more substantial dishes as well.

That sounded very familiar after the previous evening’s dinner.

Sangiovese by the Sea

If Vermentino provides an easy entry into Maremma’s whites, Morellino di Scansano offers another way of looking at Tuscany’s most famous red grape.

The simplest description to emerge during the master class was also one of the best:

Sangiovese by the sea.

That does not mean that every vineyard is planted on the beach. It means looking at Sangiovese through the climate of this part of southern Tuscany, where sea breezes and Mediterranean conditions can help retain freshness even in a warm region.

Guicciardini Calamai made an important distinction. The goal is not to argue that Morellino is better than Sangiovese from Chianti Classico, Montalcino or elsewhere in Tuscany.

It is different.

And that is a much more interesting argument.

The four Morellino di Scansano wines in the master class demonstrated several expressions of the appellation, from bright, accessible younger wines to more structured Riservas.

Again, the common thread was not sheer power.

It was freshness.

Montecucco Moves Up the Mountain

Montecucco added another dimension.

Located in northern Maremma near Monte Amiata, the appellation is smaller and less familiar to many American drinkers.

Altitude is increasingly part of its story.

During the discussion, Basile talked about vineyards moving higher on the slopes of Monte Amiata as growers adapt to warmer conditions. What once might have seemed unusually high for viticulture is becoming increasingly attractive.

The two Montecucco wines tasted at the master class were Colle Massari Montecucco Rosso DOC Riserva 2021 and Basile Ad Agio Montecucco Sangiovese DOCG Riserva 2020.

Both showed another face of Sangiovese, somewhat more structured than the Morellino wines tasted immediately before them, while retaining the freshness that kept coming up throughout the seminar.

What Wine Drinkers Want Now

Perhaps the most interesting part of the master class came when the discussion moved away from individual appellations and toward what people are actually drinking.

Sanderson spoke about growing interest in lower-alcohol wines and increasing attention to whites.

Nadel put it another way.

What he is seeing is a desire for freshness and brightness.

He also talked about people drinking with more intention and responding to wines that offer authenticity, a sense of place and a story behind them. v

That matters because restaurant guests are not necessarily looking for a geography lesson when they order dinner.

One of Nadel’s comments made the point particularly well. Diners came to the restaurant to spend time with their friends, not to spend the evening talking to the sommelier.

His job is to give them enough useful information to make a choice they will enjoy.

That may be one of the opportunities for these wines.

“Vermentino” is easy.

“Sangiovese by the sea” is easy.

Fresh, food-friendly wines at approachable prices are easy to understand too.

The complicated part can come later.

The Other Side of Tuscany

By the time the 40-producer walk-around tasting began, the name The Other Side of Tuscany made considerably more sense.

This is still Tuscany.

Sangiovese remains central to the story. Tradition matters. So do individual vineyards, soils and generations of producers.

But Maremma also offers Vermentino, Ciliegiolo, international varieties and very different interpretations of familiar grapes.

Most importantly, the wines I tasted over those two days seemed comfortable at the table.

The master class gave me the geography, statistics and technical explanation.

But in a way, the dinner the night before had already made the argument.

Six courses. Six wines. Very different dishes.

Delicious, and affordable for a thirsty crowd.

Marisa DVari

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Mount Etna Comes to NYC

Marisa DVari — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 06:17:30 +0000

Mount Etna Comes to NYC

Etna: A Snapshot of Wine History

The wines of Mount Etna are some of my favorites, so I was excited to attend this Wine Spectator sponsored tasting of wines from the region.

It’s hard to believe that when I received my diploma from the Wine and Spirit Educational Trust in 2009, Sicilian wine was hardly available in Manhattan wine shops. And today, the wines of Mount Etna grace the tables of the world’s finest Michelin-rated restaurants.

Though the consorzio offered a walk-around tasting of the wines, I was able to attend an earlier VIP masterclass.

I enjoyed that the speaker sprinkled in her personal history of Italy, first as a student and then as a wine scholar, sharing those anecdotes as she guided us through a tutored tasting of the wines.

One of her core concepts was describing Etna wine as a snapshot of history.

It is an especially appropriate description for a wine region where the past and present seem to exist side by side.

I’ve been following Sicilian wine for years, writing about many of the families who helped transform its wine industry.

Sicily’s current reputation for distinctive wines from indigenous grapes and dramatically different terroirs is relatively recent.

For much of the 20th century, the island was better known for Marsala and for producing large quantities of wine, much of it destined for blending.

That began changing as producers increasingly focused on lower yields, better vineyard management, native varieties and wines capable of expressing where they came from.

Etna has become one of the most exciting examples of that change.

Old and New at the Same Time

Perhaps that’s because Etna contains so many contradictions.

It is an ancient wine territory on an active volcano. Vineyards grow on volcanic soils of different ages and at different elevations. Old vineyards exist alongside a contemporary generation of wines that has captured international attention.

The speaker made an interesting point about old vines during the tasting. We tend to associate vine age automatically with quality. Her argument was more nuanced.

Old doesn’t necessarily mean better.

It means different.

An older vineyard gives us another opportunity to understand what vine age, site and time can contribute to a wine. That seems particularly relevant on Etna, where the history beneath the vines is itself constantly changing.

Sicily isn’t one terroir. It is an island of dramatically different soils, climates, elevations and indigenous grape varieties. Etna may be its most vivid demonstration.

Even the Wine Doesn’t Stand Still

During the seminar, the speaker returned to another kind of change: what happens to the wine after it reaches the glass.

She had tasted the wines before the seminar to check the bottles. By the time we tasted them together, some had already changed. Fifteen minutes later, they could show something different again.

Anyone who tastes wine regularly knows that moment. You return to a glass and discover something you hadn’t noticed before.

The speaker called it the “chameleonic nature of wine.”

She also questioned why the ability of Etna wines to age is still discussed with uncertainty. Rather than endlessly asking what these wines might become, she suggested giving them some age and finding out.

That brings us back to her idea of Etna wine as a snapshot of history.

A snapshot captures only one moment.

On Etna, the vines continue to age. The volcano continues to shape the landscape. Producers continue to explore individual sites. And the wine itself continues to evolve after it enters the bottle and even after it reaches our glasses.

Perhaps that’s one reason Etna continues to fascinate me.

Every time we return, the snapshot may be a little different.

Marisa DVari

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Albert Bichot Chardonnay Experiment

Marisa DVari — Sun, 27 Sep 2026 03:40:31 +0000

Burgundy may be steeped in centuries of winemaking tradition, but that hasn’t stopped its producers from exploring new ideas.

Recently, I attended a tasting hosted by Albert Bichot, the historic Burgundy wine house, aboard a sailing cargo ship docked in New York City. The vessel belonged to Grain de Sail, a French company that is reviving wind-powered shipping as a more sustainable way to transport goods across the Atlantic.

The occasion offered an opportunity to explore two developments. One was Albert Bichot’s commitment to reducing the environmental impact of transporting its wines. The other was a rather unusual experiment involving a barrel of Chardonnay that had spent several weeks traveling across the Atlantic.

Burgundy Under Sail

Shipping wine internationally presents an environmental challenge. Bottles are heavy, and transporting them thousands of miles contributes to the industry’s carbon footprint.

Albert Bichot has partnered with Grain de Sail to explore an alternative to conventional freight. The company’s purpose-built sailing cargo vessels use wind power to transport goods across the Atlantic while maintaining temperature-controlled conditions for their cargo.

According to the companies, shipping aboard Grain de Sail’s vessels can reduce transport emissions by as much as 95 percent compared with conventional freight.

For a Burgundy producer with an international customer base, the potential benefits are considerable. Wine can reach overseas markets without relying entirely on the fossil fuels traditionally associated with maritime shipping.

The New York event gave guests an opportunity to see the vessel firsthand. We toured the ship in small groups, getting a closer look at the sailing cargo operation that had brought Burgundy wines across the ocean.

But Albert Bichot had another reason to invite us aboard. One particular barrel had made a rather more interesting journey than the bottles destined for American wine shops and restaurants.

A Chardonnay Takes to the Sea

Among the wines poured during the event was the 2024 Albert Bichot Bourgogne Côte d’Or Chardonnay “Secret d’Océan,” the result of an experiment in aging wine aboard a sailing vessel.

A barrel of the 2024 Chardonnay had traveled aboard Grain de Sail II, crossing the Atlantic from France and returning home again.

During the voyage, the wine experienced conditions quite different from those in a traditional Burgundy cellar. The movement of the vessel, variations in temperature and humidity, and the constant motion of the ocean introduced a new set of variables into the aging process.

For comparison, wine from the same production remained in the cellar in Burgundy.

The question was whether the journey would produce noticeable differences in the finished wine.

According to the producer’s reported tasting and analysis, the ocean-aged Chardonnay developed delicate saline notes, pronounced freshness and a distinctive richness compared with its cellar-aged counterpart.

Of course, the relationship between the conditions experienced during an ocean crossing and the characteristic of the finished wine is not necessarily straightforward. A salty impression on the palate, for example, does not establish that the wine absorbed salt from the sea.

Nevertheless, the experiment raises interesting questions about the influence of movement and environmental conditions during maturation.

Regardless, the resulting Chardonnay was certainly delicious and the evening at sea memorable.

Marisa DVari

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Conegliano Valdobbiadene Masterclass

Marisa DVari — Thu, 24 Sep 2026 02:25:05 +0000

Conegliano Valdobbiadene Masterclass

Exciting presentation today of the wines of Conegliano Valdobbiadene.

Sommelier Taylor Parsons, a masterful speaker and sommelier with Marq Wine Group, titled the class “Pride and Prejudice.” The prejudice, he suggested, comes from the way “Prosecco” has come to mean a category of wine more readily than a particular place. For many wine lists, it occupies one slot: Prosecco. The name’s commercial reach can eclipse the landscape and producers behind it.

That was a useful starting point for a trade audience. Conegliano Valdobbiadene has long been described as a superior part of the Prosecco region. The presentation gave reasons why this could be the case.

Diego Tomasi, director of the Consorzio di Tutela and a soil scientist, brought the region’s geography into focus. Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG is a hilly area, distinct from the much broader, flatter Prosecco DOC. Here, vines climb steep slopes, and most grapes are hand harvested. The landscape is a patchwork of elevations, exposures and soils, rather than one continuous stretch of vineyard.

The denomination includes 15 communes and 43 Rive. A Rive is a named hillside area, shaped by local topography and growing conditions. It may bring together parcels farmed by different growers. The name on the bottle gives buyers a way to look beyond sweetness level and style, toward the place where the grapes were grown.

The Glera grape itself has particular needs. Its thin skin makes it vulnerable to disease, and it requires ample water. Tomasi noted that rainfall has become less predictable, arriving in heavier bursts after dry periods. That makes the differences between sites, and the work of the growers, all the more significant.

Cartizze is the region’s best-known small area. Roughly 100 hectares are divided among about 150 owners, and the vineyard land is among Italy’s most valuable. The name carries a long history and often brings to mind richer, sweeter wines. Yet the masterclass was not a parade of one style. Parsons organized the tasting into four flights, moving across sites and winemaking approaches.

The first flight focused on the southern curve, where lower, warmer vineyards and heavier, iron-rich clay soils tend to produce more generous wines. Gil Allori’s Le Tose was juicy, lively and pleasant. The winery is run by three women cousins and holds SQNPI sustainability certification. Conte Collalto’s Isabella felt lighter and more elegant. A 2019 wine from Tenuta degli Ultimi showed how age could bring a fuller body and more texture. Sommariva’s Rive di San Michele had a broader, more expressive feel.

The flight helped translate the landscape into something I could taste. The wines were not merely variations on a familiar sparkling style. They showed differences in weight, freshness and texture that made the map matter.

The central hills brought stonier, more linear expressions. Masottina’s RDO Ponente was fresh and lively, with enough structure to recall a substantial still wine. Bellenda’s Sei Uno, from 2022, stood out for its elegance and delicious nutty, autolytic notes. It was also a departure from the Charmat method most associated with Prosecco, and a reminder that producers are testing what the category can express.

La Vigna di Alice was smoky, energetic and vivid on the palate. I preferred it to L’Antica Quercia’s Matiu, which was a little frothy with refreshing acidity. Parsons noted that Matiu was the first wine in the flight fermented with native yeast during primary fermentation. The comparison showed how winemaking choices can shape a wine even among neighboring sites.

The third flight set “nervy” energy against opulence. A Cartizze Extra Brut made from old vines had striking acidity and an interesting history. Adami’s Col Credas, from the Rive di Farra di Soligo, was elegant. Parsons described it as central to the winery’s identity. From Guia, the highest and coolest Rive, came another contrast: a site once considered difficult to ripen, now valued for freshness as the climate warms. Bortolomiol’s G.C. Dal Fondatore finished the flight with appealing freshness.

The final group widened the picture further. Mongarda’s Extra Brut Metodo Classico and Ca’ dei Zago’s Metodo Classico showed producers working beyond the expected mold. Parsons spoke especially warmly about Christian Zanette of Ca’ dei Zago, whose close attention to the vineyard includes reading what plants such as dandelions reveal about the soil. The winery’s concrete eggs and careful work in the vineyard reflect an unusually hands-on approach.

Malta Ribelle’s Brut Nature Sui Lieviti offered another interpretation. Casa Coste Piane’s Frizzante, made from vines about 120 years old, had gentler bubbles and a complicated fermentation behind it. That wine made clear how wide the range can be, even within a tasting focused on one denomination.

The masterclass really proved the exciting diversity and high quality of the region.

Marisa DVari

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Daurada Food and Wine Experience

Marisa DVari — Wed, 23 Sep 2026 10:07:35 +0000

Daurada Food and Wine Experience.

You’ve spent a good part of your life following wine back to its source when you explore bottles in a wine store.

Maybe you’ve listened to winemakers explain the soil, the weather and the harvest.

This autumn, I’ll take introduce you to the wine and food of Cambrils, Spain for a conference called the International Food Tourism Conference (IFOODTC).

Organized by Wine Events Worldwide, the conference takes place November 10 and 11 on Catalonia’s Costa Daurada. The press program extends beyond the talks, with evening and post-conference visits planned to introduce us to the region’s food and drink.

I knew Cambrils had a reputation for good food. I knew much less about the wines within reach of its tables. The wider Costa Daurada includes Priorat, Montsant, Tarragona and Conca de Barberà, each with its own wine traditions.

In Priorat, Garnatxa and Carinyena are principal native grapes. Conca de Barberà has Trepat, traditionally made into rosé and now also used for red wine. I’ve been reading about smaller producers and organic wineries, and I hope to meet some of the people behind those bottles.

But a list of grapes only gets me so far. I want to know what someone in Cambrils pours when the food arrives.

The conference program gives me plenty to anticipate. At the fishermen’s guild, delegates will explore romesco and the local fishing kitchen. Other experiences focus on olive oil and Mediterranean vermouth. There’s a bluefin tuna tasting planned on the water, followed by an evening beside the harbor with fideuà rossejada, a toasted noodle dish tied to the town’s maritime heritage. I’m curious about the dishes themselves, of course. I’m just as curious about the wines people choose to drink with them.

The talks will raise questions that go beyond what’s on my plate. Speakers will look at how food shapes a destination, how local producers fit into the visitor experience and how a place can share its culinary traditions without losing what makes them local. Those ideas sound persuasive in a conference program. I’ll be interested to hear what the cooks, growers and producers think when we meet them.

I can listen to the discussions, then step outside and see how the story is told over a meal, at a market or perhaps across a winery table. I may find a pairing I would never have thought to order. I may find that the person pouring it has a better story than the speaker I heard that morning.

I’ll arrive with questions and an appetite. When I return, I’ll tell you what I tasted, who I met and which parts of Cambrils I’m still thinking about.

Marisa DVari

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VINTUS: Emotional Wine

Marisa DVari — Tue, 15 Sep 2026 13:50:36 +0000

VINTUS: Emotional Wine

The Rare Room: VINTUS Brings the World of Fine Wine to New York

One exceptional bottle can transport us thousands of miles.

This week, I returned to the steep vineyards of Côte-Rôtie without leaving Manhattan. A wine from E. Guigal brought back the dramatic Rhône hillsides where some of the world’s most celebrated wines begin.

The journey occurred inside the Rare Room at the VINTUS New York Fall Portfolio Tasting.

The tasting was held at Tallow Steakhouse, a sleek destination at Fifth Avenue and 39th Street. Its glass frontage opens the restaurant to modern Manhattan. Inside, historic black-and-white photographs suggest an earlier New York.

In one photograph, a chubby child poses beside his father. In another, a man stands proudly near hanging cuts of meat. The names were unfamiliar to me, but the images created a sense of continuity. They recalled a time when businesses were built through family labor, personal pride, and attention to quality.

That made Tallow an especially fitting setting for VINTUS.

Michael Quinttus founded the national importer in 2004. His original goal was focused and uncompromising. He wanted to build a portfolio of exceptional, family-owned estates producing handcrafted wines.

VINTUS New York followed in 2019. It was created to connect those producers more directly with the city’s restaurants, retailers, and fine-wine consumers.

At the Fall Portfolio Tasting, those intentions could be felt in every detail.

The event filled Tallow’s spacious, contemporary rooms. The staff circulated quietly, keeping glasses and water refreshed. Everything moved smoothly despite the number of people tasting, talking, and reconnecting.

The Rare Room formed a special experience within the larger event. It showcased what might be called the jewels of the VINTUS portfolio. These were bottles from distinguished producers, including wines one might choose for a wedding, an important anniversary, or another occasion that deserves to be remembered.

The room was not designed around lectures or formal presentations. Guests could move at their own pace. They could pause at a familiar label, discover a producer, or return to a wine that invited a second taste.

Its luxury came from access, context, and careful presentation.

Each table represented another part of the wine world. More importantly, each bottle possessed its own identity. These were not anonymous luxury products gathered together simply because they commanded high prices. They represented vineyards, families, regions, and traditions.

For me, several also held memories.

A bottle from E. Guigal brought back Côte-Rôtie and its famous “La La” vineyards. I remembered the steepness of the land and the extraordinary experience of standing where those wines begin. I also remembered that I had arrived wearing heels, having no idea that exploring the vineyards would require something closer to climbing shoes.

Other bottles created similar moments. I have been fortunate to visit many of the world’s great wine regions. A label can bring back the shape of a vineyard, the light on a hillside, a cellar conversation, or a meal shared years ago.

That is one of wine’s quiet powers. It preserves places within us.

The people in the room carried memories too.

I recognized familiar faces from New York’s restaurant, sommelier, retail, and wine-journalism communities. Others had traveled from Philadelphia and Boston specifically for the tasting. Some were people I had met during earlier wine trips.

Among them was John Camacho Vidal, a gregarious wine ambassador with several Italian wine credentials. We had previously traveled together in Rome in a trip organized by Paolo Paven of OPC International and Silvia Meloni of I Love Italian Food. Also on the trip and at the Tallow event were NYC based Tomohiro Sato owner of Creston Wine Bar and the bar’s managing director Arisa Odaka.

These reunions added something no tasting sheet could provide.

Before Covid, New York’s professional wine world maintained an extraordinary pace. On a busy day, five different tastings or events might compete for attention. Invitations arrived from producers around the world. Winemakers came to the city, while journalists and members of the trade traveled regularly to wine regions.

That rhythm was interrupted. Although events have returned, the wine world has not completely recovered its former speed or intimacy.

Walking into the VINTUS tasting felt like being welcomed back.

The feeling was not nostalgia alone. The room was alive with working professionals. Buyers were discovering wines for restaurants and shops. Sommeliers were renewing relationships. Importers and representatives were presenting the estates entrusted to them.

Wine was being tasted, but connections were also being restored.”A

That may have been VINTUS’s greatest achievement. The company did more than line up expensive bottles. Its team created an environment in which its producers received individual attention. The wines were presented as the work of serious estates rather than entries in an enormous commercial catalog.

The Rare Room expressed that philosophy most clearly.

Great hospitality often appears effortless. The guest sees the beautiful room, the polished glassware, and the exceptional bottle. What remains invisible is the planning required to bring every element together.

The VINTUS team made that work visible through its results. Its most important producers were given room to stand apart. Guests could experience them without being hurried. Professionals from several cities considered the trip worthwhile.

For a few hours on Fifth Avenue, vineyards separated by countries and oceans occupied the same room.

I arrived at a New York steakhouse. With one glass, I returned to a steep hillside in Côte-Rôtie. With the next, I traveled somewhere else.

That is a rare experience indeed.

Marisa DVari

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Wine & Tarot at Morgan Museum

Marisa DVari — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 01:25:05 +0000

Wiine Tarot at Morgan Museum

Living in Manhattan, I’m constantly reminded that some of New York’s greatest experiences are hiding in plain sight. The Morgan Library & Museum is one of those places I find myself returning to every so often. Originally the private library of financier J. P. Morgan, it never fails to surprise me.

This summer’s exhibition, Tarot! Renaissance Symbols, Modern Visions, surprised me more than any I can remember.

Like many people, I walked in assuming tarot had always been connected to fortune tellers, crystal balls and attempts to glimpse the future. Within minutes, that assumption completely unraveled.

The exhibition begins not with mysticism but with Renaissance Italy, where tarot originated in the fifteenth century as an elaborate card game played by members of the aristocracy. These weren’t mysterious objects hidden away in dark rooms. They were luxurious works of art commissioned by powerful families and enjoyed as sophisticated entertainment at court. Only centuries later did tarot become associated with divination.

That revelation alone made the visit worthwhile.

As someone who loves Italy and has spent years writing about its culture, wine and history, I had never connected tarot with the elegant courts of Milan. Somehow, I’d always imagined it belonged to a much later world of psychics and occult traditions. Discovering that these beautifully painted cards began life in the drawing rooms of Renaissance nobility completely changed the way I viewed them.

The history was fascinating, but the craftsmanship stopped me in my tracks.

Standing just inches away from cards painted nearly six centuries ago, I couldn’t believe how vibrant they still looked. Brilliant reds, luminous blues and shimmering gold leaf seemed almost untouched by time. Many of the backgrounds glowed like tiny mosaics, while the richly detailed figures reminded me of the illuminated manuscripts and religious paintings found throughout Italy’s churches and museums.

Even more remarkable were the manuscripts displayed alongside the cards. Their colors remain astonishingly fresh after hundreds of years, a testament both to the skill of Renaissance artists and to the extraordinary care with which these treasures have been preserved.

One of the exhibition’s strengths is placing tarot within the broader artistic world that produced it. Rather than treating the cards as isolated curiosities, the Morgan surrounds them with paintings, manuscripts and decorative objects that reveal the visual language of Renaissance Italy. Suddenly, familiar tarot figures such as Justice, Fortune and Love no longer seem mysterious. They emerge as part of a larger artistic tradition that would have been immediately recognizable to educated Italians of the period.

The exhibition eventually moves into the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, exploring tarot’s influence on modern artists and popular culture. While many visitors may find those sections especially engaging, I found myself continually drawn back to the earliest galleries. For me, the real stars were the original Renaissance cards and the remarkable craftsmanship behind them.

The atmosphere on the Friday I visited reflected the exhibition’s broad appeal. The galleries were lively, filled with New Yorkers chatting over drinks before wandering through the displays. It felt less like entering a mystical world than spending an enjoyable evening surrounded by extraordinary works of art.

Perhaps that’s what I appreciated most.

Instead of reinforcing popular myths about tarot, the Morgan tells a richer, more nuanced story. It reminds us that objects often outgrow the purposes for which they were created. What began as an elegant pastime for Renaissance Italy’s elite gradually evolved into one of the world’s most recognizable systems of symbolism, inspiring artists, writers and spiritual seekers for centuries.

I walked in expecting an exhibition about fortune telling.

I walked out with a deeper appreciation for Renaissance art—and a newfound respect for a deck of cards whose story turned out to be far more fascinating than I ever imagined.

Marisa DVari

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Reims Les Relais du Goût

Marisa DVari — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 20:23:34 +0000

Reims Les Relais du Goût

Reims Sets the Table for Les Relais du Goût

The third edition of the Champagne and culinary festival Les Relais du Goût returns from September 18 through September 20, 2026.

This festival transforms Reims into an expansive celebration of gastronomy, history, and craft, offering wine lovers an irresistible reason to visit.

Last year, the first sight greeting me upon entering Reims looked remarkably like a giant Ferris wheel. Drawing closer, I realized people were dining suspended in the air.

That attraction, “Dinner in the Sky,” hoisted guests high above the rooftops to savor a meal prepared by Michelin-starred chef Philippe Mille.

It was glamorous, theatrical, and slightly terrifying—capturing the adventurous spirit that drew 27,000 visitors in 2025, a ten percent increase over the prior year. After attending last September, the growing appeal makes total sense.

A Lively Epicenter: Village des Relais du Goût

Most wine lovers know Reims for its famous Champagne houses and Gothic cathedral, yet the city assumes a distinct personality during this festival.

Historic landmarks become dining rooms, subterranean chalk cellars host intimate tastings, and chefs set up across markets, chapels, and plazas.

The epicenter remains the Village des Relais du Goût on the Porte de Mars esplanade, hosting around forty winemakers.

During my visit last year, music drifted across the lawn as families and wine lovers strolled between stalls under the warm September sun.

Tastings were generous, and producers were eager to chat. Many represented smaller, grower-focused houses not typically found on American shelves, making every stop an authentic discovery.

Asking where the fruit was harvested and how each cuvée was crafted turned Champagne into an approachable, personal dialogue.

For 2026, the Village adds large communal tables, extended Saturday hours until 10:00 PM, direct Champagne purchases, and the debut competition

“The Coronation of the Pâté en Croûte,” where visitors can sample artisan entries and cast votes for the People’s Choice Award under jury president Christophe Raoux.

Intimate Dining and Heritage Settings

Philippe Mille returns this season with the Secret Table, a pop-up restaurant tucked inside an undisclosed heritage landmark revealed only shortly before service.

Another notable debut is the Suspended Table Facing the Cathedral, set on the fifth floor of the five-star La Caserne Chanzy. Limited to twelve guests per seating, Chef Julien Raphanel partners with guest chefs to present bespoke menus paired with front-row terrace views of Régalia, the cathedral’s evening light show.

Having dined at La Grande Georgette inside the property, I can attest that the cathedral backdrop is extraordinary; watching Notre-Dame glow during Régalia elevates the meal into something truly cinematic.

For a contemplative setting, the Carmel Banquet will place a communal table right in the nave of Chapelle du Carmel, where Chef Matthieu Audinot will serve a globally inspired four-course menu. In Reims, history is never confined behind museum glass—you drink and dine directly inside it.

Cellars, Markets, and Bold Pairings

Beneath the streets of Reims lies the city’s ancient network of chalk pits (crayères), where houses age their wines in cool darkness.

Champagne Abelé 1757 opens its historic stone galleries for guided tours led by Cellar Master Étienne Eteneau, pairing four flagship cuvées with dishes from Michelin-starred chef Nawal Rezagui. Descending into these limestone quarries makes the heritage of the region tangible.

Above ground of Reims, the historic park of Domaine Les Crayères will host its open-air Farmers Market. Having stayed at Domaine Les Crayères, the estate feels like a private kingdom of classic French luxury. The market transforms these aristocratic grounds into an approachable weekend gathering filled with forty local artisans, seasonal produce, and outdoor Champagne bars.

Dessert enthusiasts can look forward to live pastry demonstrations and a charity afternoon tea curated by 2024 Junior World Pastry Champion Alistair Smith. For a sharper sensory twist, Champagne Thiénot has teamed up with Inferno Peppers to craft spicy Champagne cocktails paired with custom savory bites.

Experiencing the Region at the Table

Many travelers initially view Champagne merely as a luxury toast. On the ground, you quickly realize it is an agricultural landscape defined by grower families, centuries-old traditions, and a terroir built for the table. Les Relais du Goût connects those dots effortlessly.

Last year, the biggest surprise hung in the sky. This year, the discoveries lie deep in historic chalk cellars, inside quiet chapels, and directly across from an illuminated cathedral.

Les Relais du Goût runs September 18–20, 2026. Paid experience tickets open July 10, with complimentary reservations available August 28.

Marisa D’Vari is a respected international wine and travel journalist based in Manhattan. Her latest book is France’s Champagne Region.

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