When I was 25, if you would have told me that my job would require me to travel to Italy nearly every other month and sometimes even more frequently, I would have told you that it would be a dream come true.

It is a dream come true. But it’s also increasingly hard to be away from Tracie and the girls, especially as the girls are doing more and more competitive music and they will soon become teenagers. And the dogs become more and fretful when they see me pull out my roller board.

I spent a month in Italy in May and June including 11 days the girls and Tracie spent with me. But now it’s time to say goodbye again.

I’m heading to Abruzzo next week where I’ll be leading a stellar group of sommeliers through the wine country. We have some extraordinary visits ahead of us, including one of Abruzzo’s holy grails. Stay tuned.

But first I travel to Irpinia for some visits and then on to Rome where I have some really cool visits lined up as well.

I’m looking forward to Roman wine country because I’ll be leading a guided pairing of wines for Chef Steve Samson’s ancient Rome dinner at Rossoblu on Wednesday, July 31 in Los Angeles.

Here’s the link to register. The menu is very reasonably priced and the wine pairing (including generous pours) is priced aggressively so as to make it accessible to all. It’s a great deal and I have some awesome wines lined up.

I can’t wait to share my Roman adventure with guests that night. And added bonus: Tracie and the girls will be there that night as well (not at the wine dinner but at the restaurant).

Wish me luck and wish me speed. See you on the other side and thanks as always for being here, the support and the solidarity. It means the world to me.