Let's say we got off on the wrong foot. The cab driver ripped us off (10 euros extra, more or less). The official starting time was 10 AM, but they seemed to interpret that as the time they let the exhibitors in to set up. No one knew where the person in charge of the press credentials was. She arrived after 11 and, in a nice way, interrogated me to give me the credentials (applying for them online was, as I feared, useless). By the time I got in, it was nearly noon and a lot of exhibitors were still hurrying to get themselves ready.
Aside from the disorganization, I've enjoyed Vitignoitalia so far. There is a good collection of wine producers from many regions of Italy but of course mostly from Campania and the other, less populous southern regions like Basilicata and Calabria. Some are well-known names in the USA (Feudi di San Gregorio, Ocone), many more are little known or absent from the States. So there's a world of exploration to do here, and I'm raring to get to the Mostra dell'Oltremare exhibition centre (very Mussoliniesque architecture) tomorrow. A highlight: a comparative tasting of Greco di Tufo. Good, I'm a sucker for that grape. It's so...perky!
(Thank you, Carole Cook, in Sixteen Candles, for utterly changing that word for us.)
By the way, Ken thought I was sort of mean to Alice Feiring in my wine-fueled post on her book, The Battle for Wine and Love, or How I Saved the World from Parkerization. Alice and I exchanged emails today; she seemed to think there was no meanness. Thank you, signorina. But hurry up and finish the book about the amorous plumber and so on. And what about Mr. Bow Tie? Inquiring minds want to know.
Alluding to Parker, by the way, I spoke with Daniel Thomases (ex-Parker operative) today as we endured the long wait for press credentials. What can I say? A most particular person.
And so, as my mother-in-law used to say, "Speaking of psoriasis..."
hi terry, i see you over at alfonso's blog all the time and i can't help but wonder, what has taken me so long to visit your blog!
of course your post about napoli caught my eye. you're killin' me with this post about vitigno italia. mi porta un po' di nostalgia for southern italian may. (do you smell the jasmine? mixed with sea and a little garbage? aaahhhh...)
never having been to vinitaly, i can say that i loved that event. i learned about uva di troia and such there. please tell us about your greco di tufo comparison, i'd kill to get a decent one 'round here.
please say hi to giovanni and roberto, should you see them :) oh, and pierpaolo, don't forget about him...
Posted by: tracie b | May 27, 2008 at 08:09 AM
I've wondered why you've made yourself scarce, Tracele. I'm thinking, Gee, maybe it's ME.
It's usually about me, after all.
Then as I tossed and turned, I thought, "Oh, I get her, it's all, Alfonso this and Alfonso that and you're so smart and you're so wonderful and you're my boss. Even though your female avatars really creep me out." That's what I thought.
Thank you for the comments.
BTW, you're right about the white wine grapes of S. Ital. Maybe JR's afraid of the Camorra. I'm not. They remind me of New Jersey and Providence and Dyker Hts., Brooklyn. Mi sento proprio a casa.
Posted by: Terenzio | May 27, 2008 at 10:00 AM
Hilarious, that is just so typical. Even an Italian would say "siamo in italia". Having lived here for almost eight years I have learned to take starting times and (especially)information with a grain of salt. I even missed one tasting entirely because I called a number printed with the article advertising the event from a local wine magazine about information and they told me the wrong time(and day!). Ah, la dolce vita..si va pian piano..
Posted by: michele colline | May 27, 2008 at 10:28 AM
i ain't afraida no camorra! bring it on jane, don't be a chicken.
by the way, alfonso is not the boss of me. i am the boss of me, take that camorra.
;)
Posted by: tracie b | May 27, 2008 at 10:31 PM
We ate at a place last night, with a winemaker and her husband, where they were kissing the ass of a bunch of Camorra punks and old farts. They were slightly comical, although they'd probably kill you as soon as chuckle. Sort of like Tony and Pauly Walnuts. They were cute, in that Michelin-man sort of a way!
BTW, I hear, as I type, badly, that the leaning tower of Pisa has righted itself a bit, thanks to Italian engineering expertise. You see, these lovely people can do a lot besides let the trash pile up. I think they just need Encouragement.
Posted by: Terenzio | May 28, 2008 at 01:20 PM