The Connected Table Live

Amanda Schuster has worn many hats: trained sommelier, retail wine and spirits buyer, writer, author, metalsmith, aspiring cosmetologist (she’s a proud beauty school dropout) and medieval history scholar. Author of New York Cocktails and Drink Like a Local- A Field Guide to New York’s Best Bars, she discusses her latest book, Signature Cocktails (Phaidon), a collection of 200 cocktails from around...

In 1993 American Alex Gambal moved his family to Beaune to learn the wine business and embrace a French lifestyle. He apprenticed with Becky Wasserman, studied oenology, and established Domaine Alex Gambal in 1997. By the time he sold his business in 2019, Gambel owned 30 acres of vineyards that included the storied Grand Cru Bâtard Montrachet. In his memoir, "Climbing the Vines in Burgundy," Gamb...

Melissa Muller and husband, Fabio Sireci, run Feudo Montoni, an organic farm and winery in central Sicily. Feudo Montoni's history dates to 1469. Rosario Sireci purchased the estate in the late 1800s; Fabio is the third-generation owner. Feudo Montoni produces minimal intervention cru wines from native varieties, some cultivated from ancient vines. Muller, a culinary anthropologist, is author of S...

The best inventions are those which solve everyday problems. For Greg Lambrecht, a fine wine enthusiast and founder of Coravin, it was how to preserve an open bottle of wine to enjoy later. A practicing physician and researcher, Lambrecht is a prolific inventor with more than 200 patents for breakthrough medical devices. He spent eight years devising and testing 15 wine preservation protypes and a...

Marilisa Allegrini has been called The First Lady of Amarone." As President/CEO of The Allegrini Group, Marilisa has continued her late father, Giovanni‘s, commitment to viticultural innovation and excellence, producing world-renowned Valpolicella Classico wines. She has also expanded the family footprint in Italy, founding Poggio al Tesoro in Bolgheri in 2002 and acquiring San Polo in Montalcino...

Who wants to “go on a roadie and crack open some bonzer wines in the arvo.” That’s Australian lingo for “Let’s take a road trip and open some fantastic wines in the afternoon,” says Pia Merrick, Lead White Winemaker for Australia’s Barramundi Wines. Merrick shares a few Barramundi “ridgy-didge beauts” (Aussie-speak for genuinely good wines): Weekender White blend, Trailblazer Red Blend, Barramundi...

South Tyrol (Süditrol) Alto Adige in northeast Italy is unique for its German and Austrian influences in the food, architecture and dialect and its stunning Dolomite Mountains. The best vineyards are located on the mountain slopes. Cantina Tramin's Willi Stürz and Wolfgang Klotz discuss the history and wines of this historic cooperative. Architect-turned-vintner Elena Walch renovated her husband's...

Born into a rural North Carolina farming family, Ed Mitchell started slow-cooking whole hog pit-cooked barbeque at his family's store to help support his widowed mother. It became Mitchell’s Ribs, Chicken & B-B-Q. Mitchell is one of the nation's leading whole hog BBQ pitmasters and an inductee into the Barbeque Hall of Fame.” The family's story and recipes are documented in the book, “Ed Mitch...

Elizabeth Gabay is a Master of Wine living in the South of France who is author of two definitive books on rosé wines and a frequent lecturer on the subject “Rosé: Understanding the Pink Wine Revolution” (2018) is a global overview of the history and styles of rosé. “Rosés of Southern France” (2022), co-written with her son, Ben Bernheim, is a handbook highlighting the terroir, traditions and regi...

Matt Moore's book, "Butcher on the Block" (William Morrow) cuts close to the heart. His grandfather, Abraham Samuel Dennis, owned Dennis Food Store in Valdosta, Georgia, where Matt recalls Abe's butchering skills and family dishes. Matt shares stories and expert tips from local butchers in the U.S. and France. A Nashville resident. Matt is an author, cook and airplane pilot whose other books inclu...

Loredan Gasparini in the Asolo/Montello Hills outside of Venice is unique for producing a Venegazzù cru red wine in this region better known for quality Prosecco. The winery was named for Count Piero Loredan Gasparini, a descendant of Leonardo Loredan, Doge of Venice. Current owner since 1973, Giancarlo Palla with his sons continue the tradition of producing cru red wines with longer aging. Lorenz...

Sally Cowal, a former U.S. diplomat, and Robert Muse, an international lawyer, are among Virginia's many independent family vintners. They own Muse Vineyards in the Shenandoah AVA. The couple purchased their first vineyard in 2003 and later acquired the adjacent farm to plant more vines. Today, Muse Vineyards cultivates 20 varieties and produces a range of award-winning wines, from Bordeaux blends...

The Moretti Cuseri family achieved success producing luxury goods in Italy. Hand-crafted luxury is also their approach to making wines at their five wine estates in Tuscany and Sicily. Export director and third generation, Alberto Moretti Cuseri, discusses each estate and wines starting with flagship Sette Ponti in Valdarno di Sopra DOC near Arezzo, which his grandfather acquired in 1951 and where...

Part of a new generation of young wine producers in Abruzzo, Francesco Cirelli purchased his first parcel of land in 2003 to start Azienda Agricola Cirelli, now 23 hectares, all organically farmed. He began as a winemaker "garagiste" with the goal of making amphora-fermented wines with minimal intervention. Agricola Cirelli is located near the Gran Sasso National Park, home to one of the highest p...

White wine is a $40 billion dollar market (Fact MR) with many varieties and styles to try from around the world. Journalists Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen, (the "World Wine Guys"), tackle this topic in "White Wine: The Comprehensive Guide to the 50 Essential Varieties & Styles" (W.W. Norton). Whether it's crisp and dry, fruity and floral, or creamy and full-bodied, there is a white wine for y...

For over 200 years, the Tasca d’Almerita family has had a central role in Sicily winemaking and innovation, from introducing international varieties to producing single estate wines to spearheading the current SOStain sustainability initiative. Eighth generation and CEO Alberto Tasca discusses the family history and estates: Regaleali (Central Sicily), Sallier de La Tour (DOC Monreale), Tascante E...

Ermengildo "Joe" Giusti comes from a storied family in Italy's Asolo (Veneto) region. In 1975 at age 17 he went to North America with just $20 to strike out on his own. He built a construction empire in Canada. In 2002 Joe returned to Asolo and bought a small parcel of land to farm. Now the largest single private vineyard landowner in the Prosecco region, Giusti Wine in the Montello Hills west of...

Tenuta Rapitalà started with a love story between a French nobleman, Count Hugues de la Gatinais, and a Sicilian woman, Gigi Guarrasi. The couple inherited the estate from the Guarassi family after it was destroyed by an earthquake in 1968. They rebuilt Tenuta Rapitalà, cultivating both French and Sicilian varieties. Rapitalà began producing estate bottled-wines starting with the 1976 vintage. Tod...

With more than 300 days of sunshine and steady winds off the Mediterranean Sea, Pyrenees Mountains and the Massif Central, the region of Languedoc-Roussillon in southwest France’s “Occitania” has a prolific winemaking heritage. AOC Limoux, for example, is the birthplace of sparkling wine. Melanie and David explore a few of Languedoc’s 20 AOCs and styles of wine produced, including: Picpoul de Pine...

A Master of Wine since 2006, Lisa Granik is an authority on Georgian wines and author of the books, “The Wines of Georgia” and “Granik’s Guide to Georgian Wine.” Her career in wine has included working in nearly every aspect of the distribution system and in global trade development and education. Prior to entering the wine field, Lisa worked in international law; she earned her JD at Georgetown a...

Camper English has written about the cocktail industry in more than 50 publications and his blog, Alcademics. A student science buff turned cocktail nerd, he's a popular speaker on the bar industry circuit thanks to his detailed research into specific topics. An example is “The Ice Book,” documenting his innovative process to create clear ice, considered a “diamond” in the drinks business. Another...

Roussillon in SW France borders the Pyrenees Mountains and Mediterranean Sea. Catalan flavors from nearby Spain can be tasted in the local cuisine. Roussillon’s distinctive red clay, iron-rich soils gave the region its name. Eric Aracil, co-director & export manager at the Conseil Interprofessional des Vins du Roussillon (CIVR), discusses the region’s diverse terroir and range of still dry red...

Founded in 1843, Santi Winery is in the foothills of the Lissini Mountains in Valpolicella, east of Verona. Mountain breezes and calcareous soil rich in clay and sea sediment contribute to producing this region’s iconic red wines made from native Corvina, Rondinella and Corvivone grapes. Santi produces classic Veronese wines- Valpolicella Superiore, Ripasso and Amarone della Valpolicella - under t...

What does it take to make it as a chef in today’s world? Shari Bayer, Founder of Bayer Public Relations and Host of "All in The Industry" podcast on Heritage Radio Network, interviewed more than 100 chefs around the world to gain their insights on various aspects of their profession for her book, "Chefwise: Life Lessons from Leading Chefs Around the World" (Phaidon). Topics covered include cooking...

Scacciadiavoli in Montefalco (Umbria) was founded in 1884 by Prince Ugo Boncompagni Ludovisi as a progressive winemaking complex for its era. It's one of the oldest wineries in Montefalco. The name "Scacciadiavoli" refers to a local exorcist who used wine in rituals to banish the devil (“scacciare- diavoli”). In 1954, winery worker, Amilcare Pambufetti, acquired Scacciadiavoli. Liù Pambuffeti, 4th...