Italian-Americans reconnect with their heritage through wine
By Charlene Peters
Charles Landino is 100% Italian, second generation American with four grandparents born in Italy. His grandparents made wine when they came to the United States; wine was always present in his home. In fact, his paternal uncle worked for a winery. During Prohibition, his maternal grandfather sold wine by the glass at the front door of his house. His most frequented customers were the police.
Hearing these and more stories of his family while he grew up in the states made Landino more than a little curious about Italian wine. And this is where meeting a wine education expert came in handy.
Landino met Jo-Ann Ross, whose first-hand appreciation of Italian wine regions and 30 years of professional speaking experience on the subject leaves her well poised to teach classes on Italian wines. Ross is leading The Wines of Italy – Glass by Glass, An Italian Wine Scholar™ (IWS) Prep Course offered by Commonwealth Wine School, available virtually and in-person at the school’s Cambridge location from October 12 through 26 (three Wednesdays from 6-9pm). Since CWS opened its doors in the heart of Harvard Square in 2020, Ross has presented the perfect opportunity for someone like Landino to fully immerse in an Italian wine education. Landino signed up for the course and found it to be essential in his Italian wine education.
He said, "The IWS Prep course was an excellent overview of the Italian wine world that helped me greatly, improving my confidence in Italian wines and thereby helping me to learn more about them going forward."
Unlike Landino, Mark Tarini didn’t grow up surrounded by wine and a family of winemakers. He came into wine later in life and never understood “what the fuss was all about,” he said. Sure, he knew wine had a global presence, and he knew his family served wine on special occasions, which piqued his interest. But, like many people who are interested in learning about wine, he didn’t know where to begin his wine education.
Tarini decided to delve into his wine studies country by country, beginning with Italy, the land of his ancestors. “This was the absolute correct place to start,” he said, especially since he enjoys taking trips to Italy – and wine is very much a part of this travels.
He has taken Italian wine courses with Ross, who brought the Wine Scholar Guild’s Italian Wine Scholar to Massachusetts. She, like Tarini, is an avid traveler to Italian wine regions. In between her speaking engagements and travels to 14 Italian wine regions to date, she is readying for her “Glass by Glass” program that introduces Italy and its wine regions in addition to core information on 39 of Italy’s best-known wines. This is a passport to Italian wine and a stepping-stone to the internationally acclaimed Italian Wine Scholar, a professional certification program on the wines of Italy.
The program guides participants along a wine-focused journey through Italy, learning about legendary wines, foods, landmarks, and cultural attractions as you “travel.” The program is divided into three sections, each featuring a geographical area of Italy: the wines of Northern, Central, and Southern Italy. Within each section, a number of wines are tasted.
Learning more about wine is something Laura Cipriano realized once she learned how many Italian grapes there are, particularly in Campania, her family’s region. Each time she visits Italy, she gains an appreciation of her grandparents and their immersion in the community. Her grandfather was a home wine maker, much like the entire community in the hilly towns near Avellino, where it is the heritage of the townsfolk to make wine.
When Cipriano travels to visit her family, she said she enjoys “seeing the ties” of her heritage.
She has always enjoyed wine, food, and travel, so learning the foundation of Italian wine was a perfect fit. Digging deep into the wines of Italy is a popular passion for many people who have an Italian heritage, including Paul Pedini, who has always been interested in Italy, with wine being a part of his family’s aesthetic. Admittedly, he loves the slower pace of Italy. His family is from the Marche, but he wants to learn about all Italian wine, not just the wine of his regional heritage.
Pedini proudly announces “This is where I’m from” every time he drinks an Italian wine.
For James Campanini, Italy represents La Bella Vita, which is why he wanted to learn about and better appreciate Italian wine. His family also made wine, and he is in good company with a strong interest in travel and culture.
Interested?
You can dig deep into the wines of Italy, even if you’re not ready to commit to months of intense study. Commonwealth Wine School offers a course where you can acquire fundamental Italian wine knowledge in just a few weeks. You’ll leave with refined tasting skills and an understanding of the essential grapes and appellations of Italy’s major wine regions. And if you choose to further your studies, you’ll be perfectly poised to continue with the prestigious Italian Wine Scholar certification program.
For more information, click here.