OK, time for a little quiz. What do Lacrima di Morro d'Alba, Casa Vecchia, Pallagrello, Tazzelenghe  and Pecorino all have in common? And no, they are not types of cheese.

I consider myself fairly well versed when it comes to wine. After all, I have been in the wine business in one form or another for more than half my life. Last month at an Italian wine trade show I set out looking for unique additions to our wine portfolio. This should not have been really difficult considering I was in Italy. Italy has a greater number of indigenous grape varieties than any other wine-making country in the world.

I must admit that after hours of tasting wine after wine made from grape varieties I had never even heard of my head was spinning...and not from the alcohol. A humbling experience to say the least.

After returning home and looking back on my notes I can say with confidence that I have much to learn. Initially I was discouraged by my lack of knowledge but that feeling soon passsed. In retrospect I now realize that there is so much for the lover of Italian wine to taste and explore. Not a bad lifelong pursuit for those of us with the passion for it.

Arrivederci for now,

Paul Quaglini