Marisa Finetti is an award-winning wine writer, author, and illustrator.
Marisa’s first book, Marisa’s Wine Doodles, is a collection of original wine illustrations and stories, offering her whimsical interpretation of wine and culture – highlighting grapes, wines, food and wine pairings, origins, rocks and soils, history, and more. Her latest work, Tiny Tales of Umbria – A Madrevite Storybook, is a unique collaboration with Italian winery, Madrevite, where she captures the regional spirit of Umbria through her narration and illustrations. Marisa is also a regular contributor to Decanter, Wine Enthusiast, Full Pour, and other notable wine publications.
Marisa Finetti was born in Tokyo and raised in San Francisco around her family’s restaurant and retail businesses.
After graduating from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, with a journalism degree, she worked for Paramount Pictures in television and film promotion, then left the industry to become a wine grape grower in Sonoma County.
Fifteen years after journalism school, an encounter in a Las Vegas Italian steakhouse sparked her re-discovery and appreciation for the world of wine. It was then that Marisa decided to write her first wine story. Today, she regularly contributes to Decanter, Wine Enthusiast, David, and Modern Luxury magazines, specializing in Italian wine, food, and travel. Her first book, Marisa’s Wine Doodles, features narrated illustrations highlighting grapes, wines, food and wine pairings, origins, rocks and soils, history, and more. Each page offers her whimsical interpretation of wine and wine culture. She is often commissioned for her work, which are seen in marketing materials for wineries, travel companies, and restaurants. She currently accepts art commissions.
Marisa has won awards and recognition for both her writing and her art. She is a 2016 and 2018 fellowship recipient of the Professional Wine Writers Symposium. She holds an Advanced Level 3 wine certification from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET), and Italian Wine Scholar from Wine Scholar Guild. She is certified Piedmont Food & Wine Specialist through 3iC. Marisa has been a panelist for the Collisioni Wine Project and is a member of the Circle of Wine Writers.
