Wine Spectator Video Contest Entry 2022! (Stay tuned to see if we make the finals!)
This video is about how I first fell in love with wine. The wine is Chianti, and the story begins in Siena, where I studied abroad during college.
My philosophy about wine learning is that the core pleasure of wine is experience of wine tasting inspires conversation, memory, and emotion. This is why the language of wine matters.
Special thanks to my amazing partners!
Paul Morejon: the magic eye behind the camera lens:
Christos Klearhos: a musical master who always makes me sound my best
And Ita Italian Kitchen for allowing me to shoot on location at their beautiful restaurant in Jersey City.
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DiVino is a wine consulting, education, and communications company operating out of New York City, founded by a certified sommelier and travel writer, and seasoned wine industry professional.
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Video Transcript
How do we tell the story of my love affair with wine?
We have to go back to where it all started.
When I was 21, I left home to I study abroad in Tuscany.
It was an amazing summer. I was learning a new language. And with new words came new flavors. New colors. New sensations. New people. A new version of myself, like my life was just beginning.
It felt like falling in love. And it tasted like Chianti.
Young, fresh vibrant Chianti, ruby red, it prickled on my lips, smelled of cherries and popped in my mouth like cranberries. There was something dark and mysterious too.
When the summer ended, I couldn’t wait to go back.
I looked at pictures. I told stories. I wrote letters to my new friends. I used a long-distance phone card to call the boyfriend I had left behind. I missed everything like crazy.
And then, one day at lunch I had a glass of Chianti. And something magical happened. If I closed my eyes, I was back in Italy again.
After graduation I moved back to Italy. I made it my home for ten years. I studied wine and I learned that all of that cherry and cranberry and were signature notes of the Sangiovese grape.
I also learned that the magic of wine is the science of scent memory. That wine has the power to transport you through space and time.
Back in New York life is totally different. It’s crowded. It’s loud. It’s hard. Sometimes it moves so fast that you forget to stop and appreciate the people around you. But New York can feel like home too.
When I need a break. When I want to feel the way I did that summer, when I want to feel at home again, it’s as easy as walking into an old friend’s corner restaurant in Jersey City. I order a glass of Chianti. And just like that, I’m back.
Music royalty-free from Storyblocks Audio.