From the island of Ischia off the Neapolitan coast to the Alpine valleys of German-speaking Alto Adige, the red thread that emerged on my recent month-long trip to Italy was that il tempo è impazzito — the weather has gone crazy.

In Turin, I witnessed the most violent and rapid-forming hailstorm I’ve ever encountered, with golf ball-sized stones that were so abundant they looked like a foot of snow — in May!

Even with the sun shining above, an outdoor event I was presenting in Turin was shifted indoors because the weather was so unpredictable (thank goodness because that hail storm arrived later that day).

In Ischia, the cab drivers and restaurateurs all lamented that tourism was down because of too much rain that scared away the beachgoers (it rained twice over the four days we were there).

But it was the grape growers who seemed the most forlorn and exasperated.

The 2024 vintage will be remembered for its early starts and stops.

Unusually warm weather in early spring cause the plants — across Italy — to jump start their vegetative cycles.

But the cool weather and rain that followed, with a repeated succession of cool and warm weather, has caused alarming unevenness in the vineyards.

Repeated rain has nearly exhausted organic farmers’ budgets for holistic treatments: when you spray and then it rains, you have to start over from scratch and spray again.

And then of course, there’s the catastrophic hail damage that has made its way like a checkerboard across the country. Some will be fine, others not as fortunate. It’s become a sort of Russian roulette for vineyard managers.

And now that warm weather has taken hold for the summer, growers in some regions are telling me that they are terrified of what could be a serious drought.

Whenever vintage comes into discussion, it’s important to remember that it ain’t over until it’s over. Remember the 2022 vintage?

I’m in contact every day with Italian winemakers and I’ll continue to share their notes here. In the meantime, let’s pray.

I’ll be taking next week off from the blog while Tracie, the girls, and I are vacationing in Italy. I’m sure I’ll plenty of adventures to share. In the meantime, here are some highlights from my week in Abruzzo for the consortium. See you in a few weeks. Thanks for being here.

Nic Tartaglia grows Montepulciano on clay-rich soils in some of the highest lying vineyards in Casauria. He and his team are working hard in the U.S. and the wines are awesome.

I really loved this barrique-aged, rich-style Pecorino from Guardiani-Farchione. It’s really cool to see how winemakers are experimenting with Pecorino and pushing its envelope.

Sara Tilli makes wine in the shadow of the Maiella massif. The peak in the photo is obscured by clouds. My visit to her winery and the Maiella valley were profoundly inspiring. Her wonderful Montepulciano is grown on 100 percent limestone.

The famed vineyard where Cristiana Tiberio developed her massal selection of Trebbiano Abruzzese, which many believe to be an avatar. Her wines have been making people rethink what they know about this amazing region.

Luca Paolo Virgilio of Caprera is one of the coolest people I’ve met here. His wines are awesome and he’s one of the faces of Abruzzo’s next generation. Don’t miss the ancient Roman vinification basins not far from his winery.

It was amazing to walk the vineyards in Francavilla not far from the sea with my good friend Valentina Di Camillo at I Fauri. Her family’s amazing story of resilience is so compelling. And I really like her fresh-style wines a lot.

One of the most fascinating visits was at Tenuta Antonio Fiorentino @tenutafiorentino in southern Abruzzo. I loved getting to chat with Antonio’s dad, Carmine, whose “historic memory” of Abruzzo viticulture is a treasure. Antonio also grows delicious saffron. I’m so glad I made it down there to see them. Great wines, great people.

The food in Abruzzo is extraordinary. Thank you to Davide and the consortium for a fantastic dinner at Isola della Piane on my last night here! See you soon.

On Monday, June 17, in Houston, and Tuesday, June 18, in Austin, the Italy-America Chamber of Commerce of Texas will be presenting celebrity mixologist Valentino Longo. He will lead participants on a guided tasting of Vermouth di Torino and a discussion of the aperitivo.

Click here to register for the Houston event, June 17. Here for the Austin event, June 18.

I regret that I won’t be able to attend (I’m traveling in Italy this month for work and my family is joining me tomorrow for a vacation here).

But I’ve been spending a lot of time in Turin, where vermouth was first made, thanks to my client Amistà, who makes a fantastic red wine-based vermouth (above) using their Nizza.

We recently hosted a group from Miami at the winery for a seminar by Fulvio Piccinino, the dude who literally wrote the book on Vermouth di Torino, “Italy’s most famous aromatized wine.”

The interest in vermouth continues to grow on both sides of the Atlantic. And it’s exciting to see programs like the one the chamber is presenting in Texas.

See the links above to register and happy tasting!

Writing on the fly this morning as I head for another day of tasting and visits in Abruzzo (for my ongoing project for the Abruzzo wine growers consortium).

But had to share my experience from last night.

As it so happened, Les Caves De Pyrene, the leading distributor of cool-kid wines in Italy, was having a regional buyers tasting in Pescara where I’m staying.

I was lucky enough to snag an invitation to the dinner they held last night at a wonderful venue in the city’s industrial district, Fabbrica del Vino.

There I met and tasted with Terre di Sovernaja, a producer of cask-fermented, cask-aged Vernaccia di San Gimignano. Fantastic wines.

I also got to taste with Arteteke, an Aglianico del Vulture grower whose collective provides wine trade training for young people with disabilities.

Another winner in my book — the wine and the people.

Was the conversation dominated last night by tales of woe in an industry that seems to be losing ground every day?

No, not at all! No spreadsheets here!

As we munched on Abruzzese lamb-filled tacos (not very traditional but tasty), the confabulatio was centered on the joys and challenges of viticulture. And the mood was bright and brio. No nostalgia for the “good old days” when big wine supposedly flowed like water.

Maybe it’s because young Italian wineries have a built-in consumer base. Maybe it’s because smaller scale and family focused continue to be winning models in a world where cheap Prosecco sales are falling through the outhouse floor.

Or maybe it’s just because there still are those crazy grape growers and winemakers out there who believe in what they do, who see themselves as part of continuum of viticulture that stretches back millennia.

It would seem that despite all the problems the wine world is facing, passion hasn’t gone out of style.

Thanks again Paolo and Domenico for including me! I had a blast!