Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book 2020

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Once again this year, the Italy section of the “Hugh Johnson Pocket Wine Book” (now in its 43rd year of publication – General Editor: Margaret Rand) that will be available this coming summer, will be edited by Ian

 

D’Agata and Michele Longo. According to D’Agata, “… I have looked upon the Italy section in Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book as a magnificent opportunity to paint as complete and as accurate a picture as possible of Italy’s fascinating if very complex world of wine. Therefore, Michele Longo (my longtime associate and co-editor of this section) and I have given plenty of attention to the many unique territories, denominations, wines and grape varieties that make Italy such a fantastic wine place. And being independent, we are able to give those Italian wine grapes and wines that are outstanding but often forgotten elsewhere the attention they deserve. I hope you enjoy reading this book’s Italy section as much we do writing it”.

APRIL 2019: come say “hi” to Ian at the following tastings and seminars he will be guiding at Vinitaly 2019!

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Last year, after a few meetings with Veronafiere general director Giovanni Mantovani and Vinitaly food and wine area manager Gianni Bruno, Ian D’Agata agreed to continue on as scientifc advisor of the fair. “I have always considered it an honour to collaborate with Vinitaly, and am both proud and happy to do anything I can do to help it, and italian wine, in the process. Thanks must go to  Veronafiere president Maurizio Danese, as well as Giovanni Mantovani and Gianni Bruno, for all their assistance and encouragement in finding a solution that works well for all involved ”.

Ian has since been working closely with Gianni Bruno to set up a number of hopefully interesting and useful round tables and tastings at the upcoming 2019 edition of Vinitaly, held as usual in Verona (this year from April 7-10). Should you have the time, do come by and say hi to Ian at any of the following tastings:

SUNDAY APRIL 7: LE DONNE DEL VINO:  shining a deserved spotlight on a new generation of Italian women, featuring the splendid wines made by the under forty year set: Caprettone, Malvasia Rosa, Vespaiola and many more rare grapes and wines await eager and curious palates visiting Verona from around the world!   TULIPANO Room, 11.00-13.00

MONDAY APRIL 8: WHITE WINE TRENDS OF TODAY AND TOMORROW:
Round table and tasting with Arianna Occhipinti, Joe Bastianich, Clemens Busch, Maurizio Castelli, Matteo Catania, René Grosjean, Lorenzo Landi, Enrico Nicoletto, Cristiana Tiberio and more Italian and foreign wine superstars!    IRIS room, 11.00-13.00.

MONDAY APRIL 8: THE SANGIOVESE WINES OF THE PROVINCE OF SIENA

A magical, virtual trip through one of Italy’s most fantastically beautiful wine regions, that surrounding the beautiful city of Siena. We will taste through the wines of: Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti Classico, Chianti Colli Senesi, Orcia, Toscana Rosso, and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.

—room, 14.30-16.00

TUESDAY APRIL 9: BELLO E D’ANNATA / BEAUTIFUL AND AGEWORTHY

Eight great Verdicchio wines in a virtual trip through one of Italy’s most beautiful denominations. IRIS room, 11.00-13.00

TUESDAY, APRIL 9: HISTORIC FAMILIES, TWELVE GREAT AMARONE PRODUCERS AND THEIR OLD VINTAGES:
with, among others, Brigaldara, Masi, Speri, Tedeschi, Tenuta Sant’Antonio, Tommasi, and Zenato. TULIPANO room, 15.00-17.00

WEDNESDAY APRIL 10: GREAT WINEMAKING FAMILY ESTATES OF ITALY:
from the north to the south of the country, with Antinori/Prunotto, Angelini/Caparzo, Frescobaldi/Gorgona, Il Poggione, Mastrojanni, Luciano Sandrone, Siro Pacenti, Suavia, Tedeschi, Tommasi, Valle Reale and more!  TULIPANO room, 11.00-13.00

Should you be interested in attending one of these tastings, please contact/write to:

Ms.Monica Beifiori at: beifiori@veronafiere.it or

Ian D’Agata at: iandomenicodagata@gmail.com.

Ian, very will be happy to see you and know what you have all been up to!

“A TRIP AROUND THE WORLD IN 88 DAYS”

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“On the road”, Ian’s way: a world tour of great wines, places and friends!

January 2019: Rome, Lazio wine region, Singapore, Hong Kong and New York City

February 2019: NYC, Toronto, the Ontario Niagara and Prince Edward Country wine regions, Montalcino, Copenhagen, Riga, and Asti

March 2019: Montalcino (on two different occasions), Abruzzo wine country, London, Paris, Alsace wine country, Rome, Copenhagen (again), Chengdu and Shenzen

April 2019: Verona, Portland, Sacramento, Shangai, Friuli Venezia Giulia, London, Basilicata

In his ongoing quest to broadcast, illustrate and explain the great and unique qualities of Italy’s native wine grapes and wines, Ian will have been back in his apartment in Rome only 32 days of a possible 120 in the first four months of the year!

In Ian’s own words, “… So much travel is really tough but worth it in the end; I get to see and work with very close friends all over the world and try to help them with their work and careers. It’s an honour, really. For example, late last year I spent an amazing couple of days training Singapore’s wine professionals on Italian wine, brilliantly organized by friends Wai Xin Chan and Jessica Tan, and we plan to do much more of that in 2019! I then went back to Singapore in January and it was another in-depth but also fun learning initiative”.

But there were many fine places, people to meet and experiences to share in these first four months of the year! The outstanding Three Michelin star restos Auberge de l’Ill (since demoted to two) in Alsace and Le Calandre near Padua, the great drinks at the bar/waiting room of Daniel in NYC;  the cozy, dimly lit and warm Maritime Hotel in NYC, that well run and managed, is a very relaxing stay than the just as dimly lit and atmospheric but more hectic Hudson Hotel; the high quality cooking on Singapore Airline‘s business class (nothing on an airplane anywhere else even comes close, save for Quatar Airlines), running into James Tidwell of Texsomm in London by pure chance, tasting wines and visiting wineries with Icy Liu in Montalcino and Rose Johnson in Abruzzo (plus tasting over 100 Italian Rosato wines together!) catching up with Katie Venezia (a 3iC grad) and her boyfriend in Rome for dinner,  and so much more!

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2019: LEADING PRIVATE WINE CLUBS IN THE USA AND FRANCE HOLD MEGATASTINGS ON ITALIAN WINE

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Over the years Ian has devoted himself to improving knowledge about Italian wine not just amongst the younger set of wine lovers and wine professionals alike, but also amongst wealthy collectors who have always bought heavily into Bordeaux and Burgundy, but who perhaps had let Italy slightly slip them by. And so, early in 2019 Ian’s international series of private tastings revved up again in the company of some of the world’s biggest wine collectors who aim and would like to become more comfortable with Italy’s great reds. In

January, Ian was in Singapore and Hong Kong to lead two exclusive tastings on Piedmont and Tuscan great wines for one of the world’s most exclusive wine clubs. Two great dinners coupled with older vintages were preceded by two masterclasses on Italian greats, including the likes of Luciano Sandrone Barolo Aleste,  Aldo Conterno Barolo Granbussia, Prunotto Barolo Bussia, Elio Grasso Barolo Riserva Runcòt, Gaja Langhe Sorì Tildin, Sassicaia, Solaia, Tignanello and much more.

Then in NYC, a truly outstanding tasting of up and coming Barbaresco and Barolo estates held in the venerable old club rooms of a NYC members-only club, with a couple of benchmark  wines from famous wineries (Cogno, Vajra) thrown in for good measure. Among others, wines by Marco e Vittorio Adriano, Ca’ del Baio, Marrone, Orlando Abrigo, Podere Colla, Rivetto, Rizzi, and many others still delighted the affluent crowd that had flown in from all over the USA for this special evening of great wine and food. Dinner was just as spectacular, with great older vintages of Bartolo Mascarello, Giuseppe Mascarello, Giacomo Conterno, Aldo Conterno and the odd Tuscan ringer thrown in for good measure (Sassicaia, Tua Rita,…). A truly fun evening devoted to learning, sharing experiences and memories and enjoying the company of old friends: in short, a great time was had by all.

 

 

NOVEMBER 2018: RIGA WINE AND CHAMPAGNE FESTIVAL

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The annual Riga Wine and Champagne festival saw numerous dinners and tasting events led by wine experts including Michael Schuster and other wine professionals.

Among the invited guests, numerous world renowned sommeliers from Poland, Italy, Latvia, Germany and other countries, as well as the owners of some of the Baltic area’s most prestigious restaurants.