Cheers Darling (Saluti Tesoro)! I had the opportunity to attend my first wine tasting! Gambero Rosso, the global authority on Italian wine and esteemed publisher of the annual Guide to Italian Wines hosted their very first Gambero Rosso Vini D’Italia Tasting in Atlanta. The events stop in Atlanta was indeed a dream. Georgia is definitely a great place to have as an destination and even better that they decided to come to the capital, Atlanta.
The highly anticipated tasting industry-owned showcase featured over 30 of the country’s top producers pouring more than 100 new-release wines. Can you say “pour a little more please”.
The event was located in the beautiful Whitehall Ballroom at the Southern Exchange Ballrooms conveniently located in Downtown Atlanta. Today’s walk-around showcase was a refreshing event after the mini thunderstorms that we recently experienced here in Atlanta. I had the pleasure to attend the tasting with my fellow blogger sisters, Stacey (The Sistah Chick) 
and Stephanie (My Hart Ent). Who else would this Southern Belle spend an evening of tasting amazing Italian wines with?
I was excited to have a new experience with my girls. The room was immediately filled with both trade, restaurant owners, food & beverage managers and media. It’s just something amazing to come together with amazing people, enjoy delicious wine and light bites. Honestly I could not have a chosen a better start to a new experience for me than by being invited to the ultimate industry-only tasting of Italy’s highest-rated and best value wines. As the evening began I started with a thorough walk throw to observe the feel of the atmosphere before I started my journey.
I started with white wines and listen I was definitely in for a treat. My first stop was to Villa Sandi where I enjoyed a taste of Valdobbiadene Proscecco Sup. Extra Dry, Prosecco di Treviso II Fresco Brut and Pinot Grigo delle Venezi ’18 from Veneto.
There was wine from the following Italian Destinations:
- Sardinia
- Veneto
- Emilia Romagna
- Piedmont
- Tuscany
- Friuli Venezia Giulia
- Piedmont
- Umbria
- Puglia
- Lombardy
- Marche
- Abruzzo
- Calabria
- Lazio
- Sicily
- Trentino
Since this was my very first wine tasting I ensured that I paced myself as I made my way around the room. As I stated earlier I started with whites and in between I enjoyed a few light bites, chatted with wine professionals and as the night continued towards the end I tried a few reds. I recently took a food intolerance test that listed reds as a borderline reaction so tasting just a little and at a steady pace worked best for me.
When I arrived I had no idea that I would meet so many amazing people from all over the world. It was great to meet wine professionals who were so excited about Gambero Russo bringing their tasting tour to Atlanta that they made it a priority to fly in for the event. I learned a wealth of knowledge about wines that I had never known and had the opportunity to taste several of “The Best Italian Wines”.
Being a Southern Belle has its perks. I ran into George who was the owner of George’s on Tybee Island when I was younger. I remember dining there with my family on our many trips to Tybee during the warmer months. Imagine my surprise to see him there along with his infamous food intolerance neighbors (literally). Trust me when I say that I had to twist John’s arm to take a picture with his wife but you’ll see that she had no problem posing with her best buddy George.
Thank you to Gambero Russo for the opportunity to attend and to capture significant moments and memories for your first Atlanta visit. This was an amazing experience and I look forward to attending more events in the future. Italy is on my travel bucket list so I plan to make my rounds to visit some of these amazing wineries. I hope to see many of these wines available here soon. I’ll be on the lookout.
Be sure to grab the newest edition of Gambero Russo’s legendary guide, the Vini d’Italia. Featuring more than just reviews of Italy’s finest wines, Vini d’Italia covers the brilliant, passionate individuals who devote their lives to winemaking. Today, 53 experts comprise the team that blind-tastes 45,000+ wines annually. The English language edition of the guide will be available for cash purchase at the events.
Gambero Rosso is scheduled to visit eight U.S. cities this year, introducing remarkable Italian winemakers and hundreds of top Italian wines to the U.S. wine trade.