MARISA FINETTI | Category: Wine

September 23, 2020September 23, 2020

Etna’s Hotspot: Benanti

Etna’s greatest great winemakers are fierce and passionate, working under Mother’s Nature’s unapologetic direction season after season, they remain steady ambassadors of their land. The winemakers of the Etna region of Sicily are a remarkably different breed. Resilient and courageous, they risk many of the climatic challenges, from scorching hot summers to untimely rain and hail, plus a decidedly active volcano – all in the pursuit of making some of the greatest wines in the world. “The eruptions are frequent. I…

September 8, 2020September 9, 2020

Wine Field Study: Look down and taste Santorini

Santorini is already special. It’s the only inhabited cauldron in the world. Formed by volcanic eruptions, the crescent-shaped island, which sits half way between Athens and Crete, offers an astonishing array of contrasts. Jagged rocky promontories and smooth downhill slopes meet the Aegean Sea. Arable land crawls with volcanic rocks. Deep ravines break up the scrubby plains. Native grape vines showcase their curious shapes, and the wine is unequivocally “Santorini.” What makes Santorini’s wines so special? We can start by…

August 20, 2020August 20, 2020

When I drink wine, people show up

He’s 40ish, Peruvian (maybe), dressed in slouchy indigo jeans and a chambray shirt, standing in dusty, broken-in Birkenstocks. And, he is stressed from a recent marital breakup. While this sounds like a person, in actuality, it’s typical of how I describe a wine sometimes. I see people when I taste wine. Looking back, I think my earliest recollection of describing a person when tasting wine is when I wrote a short piece on Amarone della Valpolicella for Vegas Seven Magazine…

July 13, 2020July 13, 2020

Ferragamo’s Tuscan village: Encouraging the cycle of nature

Nestled within the splendor of the Tuscan countryside is the magical Il Borro, a world-class vineyard-resort, borne of a 1000-year-old medieval- era village, which charms its privileged guests with luxe accommodations, surrounded by vineyards and olive trees as far as the eye can see. Il Borro is owned by the illustrious Ferragamo family, whose internationally renowned fashion empire has served as a beacon of luxury for nearly a century. While the global fashion business lives on, Salvatore Ferragamo, the younger…

June 30, 2020July 1, 2020

Amarone: The taste of time and love

Italy’s illustrious Amarone della Valpolicella lends a mouth coating texture with an illusion of sweetness, yet the wines are fermented dry. Spellbinding, even magical, delicious, pricey and worth it, Amarone is the product of love and devotion that is inherently Veronese.

June 8, 2020June 9, 2020

Lugana: Lake Garda’s imbibable breeze

There is something enticing about Lugana. It’s the wine that shimmers with reflections at the southern shores of Lake Garda. A purity, a light, kissed by the sun, fresh and breezy, invigorating. A single sip begs for another. Even on this cool overcast December day, the crisp, dry wine from this corner of the world energizes the soul – mine especially – knowing that it may very well had its beginnings right where I was standing. For three generations, Le…

June 4, 2020June 4, 2020

Marisa Finetti joins the Circle of Wine Writers

Cheers! I’m excited to announce that I’ve been accepted into the Circle of Wine Writers. Based in the UK and established in 1960 by the late English author and journalist Cyril Ray, the Circle is an association comprised of esteemed authors, writers, journalists, broadcasters, photographers, and educators who communicate about wines and spirits. Currently, there are 240 international members. I am proud to be one of 15 in the U.S. The Circle of Wine Writers aims to “improve the standard of…

May 4, 2020May 4, 2020

Drops of emotion

I cried on my third day in Italy. I cried hard in the shower after a full day of tasting the most delicious wines of Piedmont during Ian D’Agata’s week-long 3iC course on Piedmontese food and wine. Why? It wasn’t because I was sad, or was suffering from jet lag or was overwhelmed by the material, or from being homesick. It wasn’t from having too much to drink. It was a dream be there in Barolo, surrounded by the beautiful vineyards…

April 13, 2020April 17, 2020

Foundation provides sommeliers relief during COVID-19

Chris Blanchard remembers the night on St. Patrick’s Day when he received a phone call from a Las Vegas sommelier. The single father of two boys had been laid off that week. It was also the day Governor Mayor Carolyn Goodman officially declared the City of Las Vegas a state of emergency in wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. “He was terrified about not having money for groceries, moreover rent, and had nowhere to turn,” said Blanchard, a Master Sommelier and…

April 3, 2020April 3, 2020

Field Study: Tasting the land at Cain Vineyard

The drive was slow, steep, and bumpy. But, the rugged surroundings from the windows of the vintage four-wheel-drive vehicle eventually led to a clearing at the top. We emerged high above the fog line that morning. And, while carefully treading the peak which straddled both Sonoma and Napa valleys, Cain Vineyard winemaker Christopher Howell reached down to pull a weed firmly from the ground. “Here, smell this. It’s tarweed,” he said. Tarweed, a sticky, hairy plant with little drab beige…