2005: The chase begins

Most people who go on to study and work with wine have a story about the bottle that started it all.

This is mine.

In 2005, in Montalcino, surrounded by the sunny slopes of Tuscany, I had my first glass of wine. By which I mean wine for the first time tasted like… something. I stopped to think about the aromas and flavors swirling in the glass, my senses heightened not just to what I was smelling and tasting but to the whole afternoon – the food on the table, the people, the conversation, the setting.

The wine was by Gianni Brunelli, unbeknownst to me as something of a rock star who led a double life of wine maker and restauranteur. His place on the skirts of Siena’s Piazza del Campo draws the likes of Sting and George Clooney, as became evident when we started following Gianni on our little three-person tour of his cellar.

We then tucked into lunch with Gianni and his assistant, Maria, who joined as interpreter. (The only English that seemed to resonate with Gianni was when the conversation turned to Sophia Loren.)

It would be a few years later when life would take the lucky turn toward wine as a profession. When it did, the memory of the afternoon with Gianni stood out as the culprit for sparking the intrigue that led to study that led to career choice. Gianni passed away in 2008. His work and legacy are carried on by his wife, Laura.

With Chasing Wine, the chronicles on the regions, producers, and varietals are meant to tell the stories of the landscapes and people who are the creators of each wine’s narrative.

In seeking out these tales from the vineyards, we peel back the label and get wine as an experience of the culture, heritage, and personality of a place.

Each Chasing Wine post is based on my own travels and research. It is my unspeakable delight and privilege to have visited and tasted with these producers. My eternal gratitude goes to the makers who, like Gianni, have graciously shared their time, knowledge, and beautiful wines.

It is a great big – and growing world – of wine out there. Chasing Wine is unlikely to canvass it all. However, I am excited to try. Thank you for being part of the journey.  

Bio

A one-time sports writer turned certified sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers, I started studying wine in 2014, combining a love for food, travel, and history. I’ve served bubbly on the bow of a boat cruising the San Francisco Bay and rigged an old newspaper sleeve to chill a bottle. I’m presently discovering life in NYC after six years as a happy cellar rat on the urban wine scene of my native Oakland, California.