From your backyard to Italy’s wine country

As COVID-19 continues to change the landscape of our lives, we are all required to take a look at how we run our businesses, spend our free time, and interact with others. Over the past few months, we’ve seen the wine industry rise to the occasion; embracing new techniques in order to sell wine, interact with customers, and tell their unique stories - all without being able to leverage the in-person connection upon which it has relied for so many years.

One of the most popular and effective trends to which the pandemic has given rise is the Virtual Tasting. As strategies have evolved, we’ve seen them executed in a number of different ways, all ultimately allowing wine lovers to connect on a more personal level with the wineries and winemakers they love.

V. Sattui’s Virtual Happy Hour celebrations are fun, large-group experiences that feature chefs, winemakers, and other popular personalities. In contrast, Donelan and Eleven Eleven offer virtual private tastings for individuals and small groups, which allow for more intimate interaction with winemakers and educators. Along the spectrum, you’ll find a style and setting for wine drinkers of all interest and experience levels.

We are especially excited about an upcoming virtual tasting series presented by Yours Truly, Wine, a California-based importer of organic fine Italian wines. On this four-part adventure, tasters will be virtually transported to the iconic wine regions of Italy, where they will taste and learn their way through a curated selection of traditional Italian varietals from wineries that practice organic and sustainable farming and winemaking.

Yours Truly, Wine’s Artisan Winemaking Series will take place every other Sunday, beginning September 13th.

Curated tasting packs including each session’s featured wines will be offered so that virtual series participants can be truly immersed in the experience. Whether you’re an Italian wine connoisseur, an aspiring aficionado, or just looking to try something new, this tour is sure to take you on a fun and exciting adventure through some of the region’s most unique and beautiful wines, presented by the experts who have crafted them.

Dedicated to agriculture and wine production for three generations, Madrevite is one of the first families to farm organically on the green hills of Umbria. The vineyards are located in a unique position on the borderline between Umbria and Tuscany halfway between the Chiusi Lake and the Trasimeno Lake.

For more than a century, the Zamperini family has lived in the countryside surrounding the Castle of Ripa d’Orcia. During all these years, the family members have dedicated themselves to the farm with love and passion, maintaining ancient agricultural traditions.

After her grandfather’s death, Francesca Valente realized it was her calling to carry on her family tradition; to rediscover and protect the ancient vines on her family’s land- with that, she decided to give life to what is today the largest vineyard of Montonico in the world.

Giacomo Centanni and his entire family have carried on the tradition his grandparents, Primo and Dalia Centanni, started many, many years ago. The family ensures that their vineyards and wines closely follow the expert winemaking tradition that has evolved over the decades.

Be sure to stay informed on Yours Truly, Wine’s Artisan Winemaking Series by signing up for their newsletter, and don’t forget to mark your calendars!

And with that, I’m off to pack my virtual bags - see you in Italy!