October, as you know, is one of Italy's best months. If you don't want to do a tour, I will volunteer to tag along as you visit wineries and drink all the extra wine. Again, a sacrifice, I know, but it's the least I can do.

Dean,<BR><BR>I am so impressed with your knowledge of wine and your ability to articulate that knowledge!<BR><BR>I have a question for you - my husband and I are traveling to Italy in about a month. We are wine lovers but know very little about Italian wines (i've read and saved your suggestions). <BR><BR>We'd ideally like to visit some wineries, but I hear that in Italy you cannot just stop by and need reservations. Is that correct? Do you have any wineries that you feel are "must visits"? If so, can you give me your short list? We'll be in Rome, Florence, Positano and Venice.<BR><BR>Thanks so much in advance!<BR>Margaret

Dean, or anyone else...are you familiar with the winery in Chianti, at Badia di Coltibuono? We drove there because my girlfriend's stepfather had performed a marriage of an Italian guy who works there and his American wife, and my girlfriend wanted to say hi to them. Only the Italian guy, Antonio, was there; he was very friendly and glad to see us, and we had a fun wine-tasting and bought two bottles to bring home. <BR><BR>Antonio said it's been very dry so far this year and they're praying for more rain, worried about fires this summer. <BR><BR>We hadn't known this beforehand, but we found out that this winery is also home to, apparently, one of Tuscany's most well-known cooking schools, headed by a woman whose last name is Medici. And, in a wonderful bit of serendipity, there was a feature article on her in Northwest's in-flight magazine which we read on our flight back to Seattle.

"a woman whose last name is Medici"--That would be Lorenza de Medici, (yes those de Medici's) who had her own cooking show on PBS. The cooking school is very expensive needless to say. BTW there is also a fabulous restaurant and they make some lovely olive oil.

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Hi Cris,

If you're still using this website, I just read your post about the wine Noac. I come from that area in Veneto, and my dad knows the area where you can buy Noac very well. If you are still looking for more information let me know.

Good start for Italy, I guess it is difficult given the size of the industry.

Someone was confused about Tocai, Tokay. The sweet style is Hungarian and often spelt Tokaii and is a very different wine.

I was glad you managed to side step Soave. My view is it is pretty bad stuff unless they stop putting the official grapes in it. I've had an experimental Chardonnay Soave which was ok but Gargenenega and Tebbiano is basically unpleasant.

My own view on your original views.
1) Wine sales are affected at the top end by Parker (who famously cannot/does not taste white wine)
2) the proposed theory of only being able to taste to 7 levels of quality is either a fantasy or rather similar to the quote "the world is broken down into people who break the world down into two types and those who don't).
3) My own standard (actually it is the main international standard) is to score out of 20, but like any good marketeer Parker made up his own rules
4) Neither of these ranges, 20 or 100 take into account price which is kinda crazy
5) My own interest in Italian wine is focused on Puglia, they seem to have found grapes which can handle the biggest attack on the wine industry which is that alchohol levels are rising due to improved skills in the field and global warming. Like many people I don't like wines of 14.0% and above. However some of the Puglian grapes can handle the boose.

Hope these thoughts add to the chat