Getting ready for Thanksgiving and considering all that I have to be thankful for starting with loved ones, health, and general good fortune. I have had the gift of late of appreciating everything that happens in the present. For many years this was not the case. I lost my Dad last year and the experience changed so much for me. What it also did was make me appreciate the time I do have with people I love, remind me to savor all the little things, and always say I love you to those you do. Our Thanksgiving holiday gives us this opportunity to say this to all those we hold dear.

Wine and the whole wine community in the US, Italy, and everywhere else have been a huge part of my life for many years now and its a real privilege to be part of it. I have represented every Italian region either through work with a consortium or private brands throughout the years, some for longer period of time than others. Multi-year projects or one-offs but it has all been an amazing ride. I have been part of numerous wine schools and this past year and Adjunct Lecturer at CUNY, the New York Institute of Technology in their hospitality department.

While things have been tough over the past year, once again, resiliency is the name of the game. I hope wonderful wines grace everyone’s table. Over at my substack with Katarina Andersson, All that Wine, you can find my Thanksgiving choices. This post is about giving thanks.

Thank you for reading and keeping up with the blog even when I am not. Year 17 is ending better than expected in terms of visitors to this platform.