Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator unite to tell the stories of seven women-led Italian wineries

VERONA, Italy (PRWEB)
April 07, 2022

An unprecedented event is taking place this year at Vinitaly, Italy’s famous wine trade fair. Two giants of the wine journalism trade are sharing a stage and hosting a wine tasting. Monica Larner of Wine Advocate, and Alison Napjus of Wine Spectator are at the top of their profession, leading lights in the world of wine writing and tasting, holding senior positions at two of the most well-respected wine publications in the world. These two experts will be presenting a special wine event and tasting, celebrating seven iconic women in Italian wine.

Two giants of the wine journalism trade are sharing a stage and hosting a wine tasting, this is a big deal. The question is why? Stevie Kim, Managing Director of Vinitaly International and principal organizer of the event, said “This has been a long-standing dream for me, and I’ve been advocating for this event to happen for many years. Why has something like this never happened before?”. What seems a no-brainer is actually very complex.

Competing wine writers have never hosted such events before. Wine writing has a lot to do with competition. Between magazines, between the writers themselves, and certainly among readership; wine writing is based upon opinions and personal analyses, with the most technical, elegant, exacting and alluring tasting notes carrying a lot of weight and shaping careers in the sector. Nonetheless, Larner and Napjus, natural rivals for readership and prestige, have crossed all the historic boundaries between their publications in order to show the wine world the power of women to unite.

These two female wine critic titans are collaborating to create a once-in-a-lifetime event, featuring seven equally iconic female producers from Italy. Marilisa Allegrini, of Amarone fame; Albiera Antinori, the Queen of Super Tuscan; Chiara Boschis, the only female Barolo Boy; Elisabetta Foradori, one-woman pioneer from Trentino; Elena Fucci, genius of volcanic soils; Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta, heiress to legendary Sassicaia; Arianna Occhipinti, firebrand from Sicily. These women will each present their signature wine, telling their personal stories with the support and engagement of Larner and Napjus.

As with the journalists, these producers have been competitors for many years and, in some cases, for many generations. They represent five different regions of Italy, and their ages span 40 years. Their wines constantly vie for market share and prominence across global markets. And yet, at Vinitaly 2022, they come together to share their wines and their stories in the name of hope and camaraderie. Never before has one wine event held so much significance or been such a role-model, leading the way for beating swords into plowshares, and hopefully not only the wine sector will sit up and take notice.

__________________

About Alison Napjus: Alison Napjus divides her time between New York, where Wine Spectator is based, and a second home in Tampa, Fla. She regularly travels abroad, both personally and professionally. After graduating from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration, Napjus moved to New York to take a position as a manager at Tribeca Grill restaurant. She joined Wine Spectator in 2000 and was promoted to Senior Editor in 2012 and Tasting Director in 2016. She is lead taster for the wines of Spain, France’s Champagne and Alsace regions, South Africa and wines from regions throughout Italy. As Tasting Director, she oversees the scope and content of Wine Spectator’s annual reviews of more than 15,000 wines, working closely with the tasters and tasting coordinators in the New York and Napa offices.

About Monica Larner: Monica Larner is a Los Angeles native, her family moved to Rome when she was 11. After high school in both Italy and California, Monica earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees in journalismfrom Boston University and New York University respectively. She worked for the Italian daily La Repubblica, followed by the Rome bureau of BusinessWeek and two years as a staff writer with Italy Daily of the International Herald Tribune where she penned her first wine column. Monica is an active member of the Ordine dei Giornalisti and a certified sommelier with the Italian Sommelier Association. In 2003, Monica was approached by Wine Enthusiast to be the magazine’s first Italy-based correspondent, where her proudest achievement is the 185-page special collector’s Wine Enthusiast “Wines of Italy” edition that showcases her decade-long body of work. She was awarded the “Best International Journalist” Silver Grape Leaf three by the Comitato Grandi Cru d’Italia. Gambero Rosso recognized her as a “Leader of Italian Excellence,” and the Italian Trade Commission acknowledged her distinguished service to Italian wine. In 2013, she joined The Wine Advocate as the Reviewer for Italy.

About Vinitaly: the grand Vinitaly 2022 will be held from April 10th to the 13th. Every year, Vinitaly counts more than 4,000 exhibitors on a 100,000+ square meter area and 130,000 visitors from over 140 different countries with more than 30,000 top international buyers. The premier event to Vinitaly, OperaWine “Finest Italian Wines: 100 Great Producers,” which will be held on the 9th of April, one day prior to Vinitaly, will unite international wine professionals in the heart of Verona, offering them the unique opportunity to discover and taste the wines of the 100 Best Italian Producers, as selected by Wine Spectator. Since 1998 Vinitaly travels to several countries thanks to its strategic arm abroad, Vinitaly International. In February 2014 Vinitaly International launched an educational project, the Vinitaly International Academy (VIA) with the aim of divulging and broadcasting the excellence and diversity of Italian wine around the globe. VIA this year launched the 21st edition of its Certification Course. To date, there are 271 Certified Italian Wine Ambassadors of which 15 are also Italian Wine Experts.

Share article on social media or email: