I attend the Savor Italy Wine Festival every year as a break from the work day, and once again I had the pleasure of once again trying a good variety of some of Italy’s great wines. It is a cute little event that always takes place at the Manhattan Penthouse. A great venue for parties by the way, should you be on the lookout.      

The festival this year presented over 100+ wines from 14 wine regions spread throughout Italy. What I love about the event – besides the free wine and the excuse of getting tipsy in the middle of the day without being judged – is the knowledge, passion and pride these Italian winemakers have. When you go to their table they are so enthusiastic and want to tell you all about the process of making their wine, which grapes are being used and what in all of this makes them unique from anyone else.  

If you are new to the world of wine, going to an event like this, you will feel much more equipped to choose the right wine and the kind of wine that you like. There is such a great variety that you get to know in what direction you should be looking if you are picking a wine for your own dinner party or if it is a hostess gift. It is a kind of crash course in wine. AWESOME is what it is.

I could not tell you which wine is the best as it is all individual. Take my husband and I as an example: we went together, tasted the wines in the same order and we did not like the same wines at all. We have different taste buds so wines are always a matter of taste (there are a few exceptions to this rule though, some of the wines that are considered the best of the world, most wine drinkers will appreciate as they have a very round and smooth flavor that appeals to most people’s taste buds – why they are considered the best).

At the festival you also get to enjoy a few snacks. There was pizza, chocolate truffles, truffle risotto and more. A few callouts on the foods. I got to meet the Cannoli King and my husband got to try about 5 of his cannolis. The Cannoli King is in little Italy at Caffe Palermo and I got to learn why he is the heart and soul of Caffe Palermo. He has a personality greater than life and a good, humorous heart. If you are looking for some of the best Cannolis in town – find him at Caffe Palermo.

You can’t have a wine festival without also having some bread and oil to taste with it. I am always on the lookout for a great oil to use for salads and boy did I find some. They were to die for. Oils were presented by Italian Olive Oil of the Month Club from Gourmet Cooking and Living. I loved their Franci Bio – La Cinciallegra oil. Had a grassy flavor but so fresh and had absolutely no bitter flavor or after taste but my favorite that I will hunt down somewhere in the city was the Corte Tomasin – Ellisir. It had such a unique flavor profile that it would be perfect for a salad. You would not even have to blend it with anything else it was simply that amazing.

I can only recommend checking out the festival next year, give little Italy a visit and met the Cannoli King, he is awesome! Should you be a fan of great gourmet olive oils that are made for perfection, sign up for the Italian Olive Oil of the Month Club and you will be sent olive oils that are out of this world every month.

– Line