Doctor Wine at the Expo revisited

Forgive me if I once again write about what Doctor Wine is doing at Milan’s Expo 2105 at the Palazzo del Vino. I do this because there have been some comments, not exactly complimentary, over the management of the initiative and I would like to report on it in a less catastrophic manner than that of certain producers. As far as we at Doctor Wine are concerned, the ‘Around the World in 80 Wines’ seminars have gone very well and far beyond my own personal expectations. It is true, however, that the space we have available is small, room for only 30 participants, but it has always been full and sometimes we even had to turn people away. Each participant received a copy of Doctor Wine’s 2015 Essential Guide to Italian Wine which they gladly accepted. We also reported on each seminar on facebook, procured the wines ourselves and produced the audio-visual materials. We have enjoyed the full support of the Palazzo del Vino and the sommeliers from Fisar’s Monza branch, who are talented and full of passion, to the extent that when possible they attended our seminars. Thus when I hear negative comments it is as if these people saw a different movie. I have no idea how many guides I had to sign with dedications, I have no idea how many people complimented us after the seminars. These were people who were not necessarily experts and often were just curious, people who were not intimidated by overly technical terms, terms I try to avoid preferring to pay more attention to historical, geographical or literary aspects. I also like to tell the story of the producers whose wines we are tasting. While only a small contribution, the initiative has been surprisingly successful in getting people interested in quality Italian wines and represents a model that could be copied elsewhere and in different languages. What is important is to have a simple yet cultured approach to describing the best of Italian wine to the world. The next seminar is on Alto Adige and Chianti Classico. It will be held September 21 from 5:30-7:30pm.