Greetings from Tuscany!

Francesco and I returned a few weeks ago from an incredible wine tour in the US, reconnecting with so many old and dear friends as well as meeting new ones in several new venues for us this year. Chef Francesco once again delighted our hosts and their guests with the finest of hand-prepared Tuscan cuisine paired with the wines of I Selvatici.
Many thanks to all our FL hosts and a special one to Steve and Janine Marrone in Sarasota…thanks for opening your home to me and Francesco, we love you!This year brought us to Michigan for the first time, with nine dinners over three weeks. We were so happy with the reception we received from our hosts, and look forward to having this be a regular tour stop in the coming years. Additionally, Las Vegas was a new venue for us through the generous support of one of Vegas’ casino titans. The bright lights and dynamic energy of the Vegas Strip was a perfect backdrop for the introduction of our dinner tour and our wines.

Thanks to our dear friend Barbie Benton that hosted an evening at her home in Bel Air, California, which is one of our favorite stops on the tour. We always look forward to Barbie’s warm hospitality, not to mention our friendship which spans many, many years. Barbie also generously facilitated the opportunity to introduce our wines to xx guests at her home in Los Angeles, a very exciting event for Francesco and me! Each year we are amazed by the enthusiastic support and affection so many of you bring to our tour stops. My family and I are grateful that you open your homes and hearts to us as we share our love of Tuscany and our wines. To all of our hosts and their guests, a heartfelt thank you, and we hope to see you next year!

Many thanks to our dear friends in AZ Devon & Carla Engel, Stanley and Mary Schloz, Dough & Lani Gates and Steve & Elaine Hull, thanks again for let us stay in your homes. A special thanks to Rita Davemport for all her support and love for our family, thanks for letting me read your azmazing book “Funny Side Up”…it was a great inspiration for me! And I think it should be for everyone of us, so if you want to read a wonderful inspirational book wrote by the most amazing woman I ever met in my life, here’s where you can find her book www.ritadavenport.com or you can find her book “FUNNY SIDE UP” on Amazon. Speaking of next year, it is not too early to start making plans for hosting a dinner (or two!), so please let us know if you’re interested. We will start building our 2015 calendar in the next few months and want to make sure to accommodate everyone as best we can.