are you going to the airport?

are you going to fly to the moon on the plane, daddy?

I miss them so much already. I might as well be flying to the moon…

See you on the other side…

Above: Ben (center) and I interviewed Chef Vittorio Fusari (left) in October of last year at his Dispensa Pani e Vini in Franciacorta, one of my favorite restaurants in the world.

It all began in September 2008. I was on my way to Italy for a business trip as I was just beginning to launch my new marketing consulting company. And Ben, who lives in New York City, wanted to get out of town for a few weeks.

We were both single at the time. And so we went on our own personal Sideways.

It was an amazing trip, with some incredible producer visits and meals. And by the end, Ben, who is a journalist and filmmaker, suggested that we return someday to Italy to make a short movie.

In October of last year, six years after that fateful and unforgettable trip, we set out for Italy again but this time with Ben’s camera (check out Ben’s most recent full-length feature film, “Gregory Crewdson: Brief Encounters,” here; Ben is a longtime producer and journalist for NPR and he teaches journalism at Columbia, among other things).

It was on the same 2008 trip that I met Giovanni Arcari for the first time. Since then, he’s become one of my best friends and he’s the reason that Brescia and Franciacorta have become my home-away-from-home when I travel to Italy.

I love the wines and I cherish the friendships I have made there. And so, it was only natural that Ben and I would make our first film together on Franciacorta.

Looking back on it now, I realize that when we started out on the project, we imagined that the growers would be the ones to tell the story of Franciacorta. But in the end, it was the chefs who really captured the spirit of the place.

I hope that you enjoy our short film as much we enjoyed making it. Buona visione! And thanks for watching.

If the Tuscan regional council approves the current plan for territorial oversight in a vote today, winemakers there could face a ban on new plantings and construction.

In the words of Stefano Cinelli Colombini who has lobbied aggressively against the proposed restrictions, “it would be a disaster…”

I wrote about it for WineSearcher.com.

Please note that the Intravino-Franciacorta Consortium blind tasting on Monday, March 23 (11 a.m.) at Vinitaly is by invite only. I apologize for any confusion.

For anyone who would like to taste with me in the Franciacorta pavilion on Monday, please meet me at 1:30 p.m. at the Franciacorta Consortium stand (location: PalaExpo B/C16). From 1:30-4:30 p.m. (more or less), I’ll be tasting with as many producers as I can. You are welcome to join!

Please send me an email or message me via social media to let me know you’ll be joining. We already have a super groovy group of bloggers who have contacted me. And I’ll be interpreting for those who don’t speak Italian (when necessary).

Above: the guests at last Thursday night’s dinner honoring Kerin O’Keefe (center) had some tough questions for her. I really admired her grace in explaining omissions from her new book on Langa wines.

On Thursday of last week, I had the great fortune to attend a dinner in New York honoring wine writer Kerin O’Keefe and her 2014 book on Barolo and Barbaresco (Barolo and Barbaresco: The King and Queen of Italian Wine, UC Press; check out Ed McCarthy’s review here).

I was the guest of my friend Jamie Wolff, co-owner of Chambers Street Wines, who had hosted Kerin for a book-signing and talk at the store.

If you’ve never been to the shop, be sure to check it out the next time your in Manhattan. Beyond the fact that it’s one of world’s most renowned independent wine retailers, it’s also an independent wine lover’s locus amoenus. Honestly, I can’t think of a better way to describe than by means of the Latin. It’s a truly lovely place, a safe harbor for those seeking soulfulness in their wines.

As Jamie writes on the store’s Twitter, “we are committed to stocking the best naturally made, small-producer wines from around the world.”

Above: the undisputed champion of the flight was the 1971 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo. It almost seems pleonastic to mention B. Mascarello and Barolo in the same utterance. To my mind, it is the apotheosis of the appellation.

I learned on Thursday night that Jamie’s independent spirit spills over and rubs off — by means of organic osmosis — on his clientele. In all my experience over the years attending dinners and tastings like this, I’ve never come across such a lovely group of collectors, with not a braggart or blowhard in the bunch.

Of course, no event featuring old Nebbiolo would be complete without the sine qua non parsing of the wines’ maturity.

Above: one of the wine’s I was the most excited about was the 1979 Cavalotto Barolo Riserva Colle Sud Ovest. While I’ve tasted older bottles from the other estates represented that night, I’ve never tasted Cavalotto beyond the 1990s. On my Facebook, California legacy retailer Gerald Weisl wrote, “Back in the mid-1980s, Langhe winemakers all conceded Cavallotto’s 1979 was THE best wine of the vintage….glad to know it’s still got it.” This was another standout for me and still has many years ahead of it.

The 1989 Marcarini Barolo Brunate from double-magnum was too young, some grumbled.

But I wasn’t complaining. While the wine’s muscular character dominated the fruit, I thought it was supreme example of Marcarini’s rigidly traditional style. A great wine from one of my favorite vintages (and not just mine).

Above: the 1982 Aldo Conterno Barolo Bussia Soprana was also a real treat for me. Aldo was and is one of Langa’s undeniable greats. But I’ve always found his 1990s to be a bit modern-leaning. This wine danced in the glass to a song that was a hit before your mother was born.

Beyond Kerin and the stellar wines, the other star of the evening was the wine staff at Maialino, where Jamie hosted the dinner.

Even on a day when the snow had fallen from dawn to dusk, the Gramercy Park restaurant was bustling with a full book (as they say in the trade).

But the wine team, led by wine director Jeff Kellogg, didn’t miss a beat. From the presentation of the wines to the service, the execution was truly flawless. Very impressive stuff.

The only disappointment was the 1974 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Monfortino, which never seemed to come into focus — a great wine from an extremely challenging vintage.

With such a bounty of fabulous and (arguably) mature expressions of Nebbiolo, it was Nature’s way of reminding us on a wintry night in Manhattan that there would be no yang without the yin.

Here’s the complete flight:

Giacomo Conterno Barolo 1964, Bartolo Mascarello Barolo 1971, Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino 1974, Cavallotto Barolo Riserva Colle Sud Ovest 1979, Aldo Conterno Barolo Bussia Soprana 1982, and Marcarini Barolo Brunate 1989 (from double-magnum).

My goodness, Jamie, thank you… thank you. Your generous spirit is rivaled only by the soulfulness of your selections. I can’t tell you how much I cherish our friendship and conversations.

Just had to share these images and sounds… It was so great to get back to my girls in Houston on Friday. It’s so much fun to be their dad. And just look at those giraffes!

From the department of “you don’t need a weather man to know which way the wind blows”…

Man, it’s been a crazy week here in New York. The weather tried to keep me from getting here but I made it just the same through sheer determination. And all week, I’ve been slugging through the snow and the slush trying to keep up with my appointments and meetings.

Yesterday, the snow fell over Manhattan from dawn to dusk (literally). Today, thank goodness, it looks like my flight back to Texas is going to get out on schedule.

I managed to catch up with a lot of great folks and met some new ones, too.

I have lots of tales to share but right now I’ve got to get my butt out to Newark and on a plane.

The one thing I can tell you is that ol’ Nebbiolo sure cures those subterranean homesick blues: next week, I’ll post my notes from an extraordinary dinner hosted by Chambers Street Wines last night at Maialino.

In the meantime, I wanted to give a shout out to fellow Texan and Austinite Paula Rester (above) who moved to the city last year to take a job at Maialino as one of the restaurant’s sommeliers.

There’s a lot to be said about hard-nosed studying and maniacal tasting at a desk. But there’s also a lot to admire about someone who leaves the provinces, heads to the big city, and dives right into what is arguably the world’s best wine scene.

It was great to catch up with her, however briefly, last night at Maialino and taste the wonderful Charlot Tanneux Champagne that she’s pouring by-the-glass these days at the restaurant — the first time the wine’s been available in the states, she said.

Heartfelt thanks to the many gracious and generous people who hosted and poured for me this week. It’s been an amazing visit to my old city, despite the extreme weather.

I’m looking forward to posting my notes next week. But right now I just want to squeeze my babies, give my wife a big juicy kiss, and put on some dry socks.

Thanks for being here. See you on the other side…

New Yorkers are pretty grumpy these days and it’s not hard to understand why: for four weeks, they’ve been schlepping through snow, bitter cold, and the grimy slush that follows snowfall in the city that never slips on the black ice.

Yesterday, I spent the afternoon “working the market” (as they say in the trade) with my client from Chianti Classico, La Porta di Vertine.

It had already begun to snow (again) around 3 p.m. when winemaker Giacomo Mastretta, my old friend Kevin Russell (who sells the wine), and I emerged from the mythical G train in Williamsburg.

But my spirits were bolstered when we stepped out of the weather and into the lovely Vine Wine shop on Lorimer (above).

That’s owner Talitha Whidbee (center) with a couple of her team members. Her shop is as bright and smart as she is and nearly every wine has a handwritten label with thoughtfully composed notes on the wine.

I was really impressed by the breadth of the selection in her tidy store, which is about to celebrate ten years in business.

But I was even more impressed by her savvy use of social media to create awareness and visibility for her brand.

Her blog is updated regularly and her Instagram is a true phenomenon among Brooklynite wine lovers.

Nearly every day, a staff member (whoever opens the shop, I was told) scribbles parodic news bites on a chalkboard outside the store and then posts it. It’s a brilliant way to host and exploit content. Chapeau bas, Talitha!

After meeting and tasting with Talitha and her team, our rush-hour “no talking on the train allowed” schlepp out to Morristown, New Jersey was rewarded by a delicious spread of oysters, courtesy of New York restaurateur Chris Cannon, who’s opened a wonderful new Italianate restaurant there called Jockey Hollow.

Chris is a passionate Italocentric enophile. And I loved the pairing he served us: the Ottella Lugana Le Creete (below).

Its intense aromatic character was unusual for Lugana and its flavors were equally rich and focused. Great wine and a great discovery for me.

That’s the snapper carpaccio that Chef Kevin Sippel served as an antipasto to a delicious meal set against the ornate Vail mansion that Chris has transformed into an elegant fine dining experience.

I’m about to head out for another day of media appointments and market work with Giacomo and that’s all I have time for today.

It’s currently 37° outside and there’s a 50 percent chance of rain. Snow and a high of 28° are predicted for tomorrow.

But hey, someone has got to keep the world safe for Italian wine… Thanks for tagging along for the schlepp.

East coast weather is so bad today… It’s a miracle that I’m getting on a flight at all.

I had to switch up my travel plans and so the girls drove me to the airport (because I’ll be returning to a different airport).

Before we got in the van, Georgia P said, “you can’t go to Nork City, daddy!” (“Nork” is her word for New York).

And when they dropped me off, she said, “daddy, will you take me on the plane with you?”

Man, it is so hard to say goodbye. Tracie P gave me some polaroids to take with me.

I love them so much and miss them so much already.

See you on the other side… wish me speed!