Neither Georgia P nor I could sleep this early morning.

And so while Lila Jane and mommy were still sleeping, we sat on the couch in the living room and ate Ella’s Kitchen banana-apricot-baby rice purées (our guilty pleasure) and watched YouTubes of the Beatles.

When Paul McCartney started singing “All My Loving” (Beatles live at the Hollywood Bowl), I thought I was going to start crying:

Close your eyes and I’ll kiss you
Tomorrow I’ll miss you
Remember I’ll always be true…

I just don’t know how I’m going to say goodbye to them next week when it’s time for me to board a plane for my third trip to Italy this year.

But a lot of fun and some compelling tastings await me on the other side. And of course, I’ll get to reconnect with so many friends from Italy, the U.S., and Great Britain at the trade fairs, including my bromance, Giovanni, whom I haven’t seen since the end of January.

A lot of my U.S. friends have expressed a desire to taste together at Vinitaly. And so I asked the Franciacorta Consortium to let me hold an informal tasting:

Franciacorta Real Story Tasting

with yours truly
Monday, April 11
2 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Franciacorta Consortium Stand
Palaexpo B/C16
Vinitaly (Verona)

Everyone is welcome and I will be pouring some of my favorite expressions of Franciacorta at this casual get-together (and btw, the food at the Franciacorta Consortium stand is always out of sight). Please feel free to stop by and bring whomever you like.

I’m also pleased to announce that Silvano Brescianini and I will be co-presenting two really great tastings in New York on Monday, April 18.

The morning guided tasting has limited seating and is already filling up fast. The afternoon tasting is open to all.

If you’ve never met Silvano, the consortium’s new VP, he is the sweetest and smartest guy and I can’t think of any better way to wrap your mind around Franciacorta than to taste and interact with him. He’s one of the pioneers of organic farming in the appellation and while we won’t be pouring his wines at the seminar and walk-around (because of conflict of interest), he is as franciacortino as they come. And he’s a great friend.

If you want to attend the morning tasting, please email me asap. And if you want to joint the afternoon tasting, please ping me so that we can get a rough headcount.

Seminar: “Franciacorta, an exclusive guided tasting
with Silvano Brescianini, Franciacorta Consortium VP”

featuring 12 wines
Monday, April 18
10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
L’Apicio
NYC

Tasting: “Franciacorta, a walk-around tasting
with Silvano Brescianini, Franciacorta Consortium VP”

featuring more than 20 wines
Monday, April 18
4 p.m. – 6 p.m.
L’Apicio
NYC

Wish me speed, friends and countrypeople. Wish me speed to get back to those girls of mine…

Image via FranciacortinaInCucina.