Speak No Evil.

5 things worth sharing this month.

Me and Federico Moccia for our 67 Pall Mall “Barolo Boys” photoshoot.

Ciao everyone,
here are 5 things I thought were worth sharing this month:

1. I am co-authoring a book with Federico Moccia on the Barolo MGA Capalot. It will be available FOR FREE around October. If you are signed up for this newsletter, you will receive it right away! Meanwhile, if you are new, you can read our 2019 Barolo del Comune report here and if you are a member of 67 Pall Mall, there are still some tickets available for our masterclass featuring all the best wines we tasted.

2. The wine industry is changing rapidly. I have always believed that sommeliers are in charge, but finally, even the press seems to be noticing. Alice Feiring has expressed her concerns about the category, saying that sommeliers only care about fancy wine and are not that good at blind tasting. What a sad statement... Luckily, there is someone who understands the situation and writes about it. I am talking about the brilliant Robert Joseph in his articles on sommelier trends.

3. Sara Danese’s Substack continues to produce some of the best content for wine investment. I like her for one reason: when the market goes bad, she is one of the few who says so. The writing is emotional and extremely rational at the same time. Her 2019 Barolo report highlights how this region still does not have the market stability of Burgundy or Tuscany.

4. Tommaso Ciuffoletti has written another masterpiece. It is a fully detailed analysis of the whole area of Chianti Classico, including maps, geology, history, and suggested producer (spoiler alert: he thinks Riecine was the best this year!). It is the best piece of writing on the region available on the internet. Print it and read it! (Google Translate might be needed)

5. I have received many questions on how to access the BYOB Supper Club Flat 9, where my girlfriend Ilaria cooks, and I serve wines. Unfortunately, there are only two nights a month, and they sell out quickly. However, we always have dropouts, and the best way to secure your spot is to sign up for this newsletter. We hope to see you in our flat soon!

PS: The great Wayne Shorter passed away last month. He started by being one of Miles Davis’ prodigies and you can hear how he developed so quickly from his tune E.S.P. to the legendary Live at the Plugged Nickel. He then moved on to be one of the creators of the outer space music of Weather Report and continued an incredible career as a solo artist from his legendary album Speak No Evil to recent times. One of my favorites was his solo on the Joni Mitchell classic, "Edith and The Kingpin." I also spent some time re-reading his book with Herbie Hancock and Daisaku Ikeda on music and Buddhism. Truly beyond!

Thanks for reading! This newsletter is free for all readers. The best way to support me is to follow me on LinkedIn or Instagram, buy wines from SWIG or, if you can read in Italian, buy a copy of my wine magazine Verticale.