There are two publications that you will find in nearly every culinarily-aware Italian home.

One is late-nineteenth-century masterwork La scienza in cucina e l’arte di mangiare bene (The Science of Cooking and the Art of Eating Well) by Pellegrino Artusi.

The other is La Cucina Italiana, the historic “National Geographic” of Italian gastronomy, founded in and continuously published since 1929, renowned today for its high editorial standards and superb photography, and widely viewed as a leading authority on Italian cuisine today.

When you visit an Italian home, there’s a high probability that you’ll find a dog-eared and well worn edition of Artusi (because the recipes are as relevant today as they were when he published the landmark tome) and a complete vertical of La Cucina Italiana, lined up the same way that we collect and display National Geographic here in the States.

You can imagine how thrilled I was when wine and spirits editor Ian Wolff contacted me earlier this year and asked me to write an “Italian 101” for this year’s “wine issue.”

And of course, I’m thrilled that my byline appears next to those of Robert Camuto (who profiles Elisabetta Foradori), Anthony Giglio (who checks in with top Italian wine professionals in the U.S.), and Ian (who delivers a great firsthand reportage of harvest in Carso).

You’ll also find glosses from some of my favorite people in the business, like the inimitable Steve Wildy who works with Vetri in Philadelphia.

The issue literally overflows with on-the-ground information and resources (including maps, links, and myriad tasting notes).

It’s a great issue and I highly recommend it to you.

Chapeau bas, Ian, for a job superbly done and an issue of the magazine that is sure to be a reference in the homes of myriad Italian wine lovers!