As an American Millennial, *Under the Tuscan Sun,* Diane Lane’s post-divorce rediscovery of life and love cemented my idea of Tuscany as a region that’s essentially one big romantic idyll, so this theme feels apropos for Valentine’s Day today. For the Danes, you might feel this way about *Toscana* or *Madklubben,* both of which I watched while trying to improve my Danish language skills. Made in Italy is on my to-watch list, too, and even the Hallmark movie-esque *La Dolce Villa,* since I fully expect romance, heartstring tugs, abundant sunshine, picturesquely historic properties and food and wine galore.

This is the romantic idea of Tuscany that far-flung Italophiles have cultivated, and without having been there myself (yet), I’m unwilling to listen to anything that might change it. Sure, I’ve lived in Europe for years now and have visited other parts of Italy, so I know that the reality won’t exactly match the film ideal, but my experiences with Tuscany’s food, wine and people have only cemented the region’s draw.

If Tuscany tugs at your heartstrings (and tastebuds), too, I hope you’ll treat this tasting as an opportunity to share some of the region’s best-known red wines and foods with people you love - or could grow to love - too.

Whenever I picture Piedmont, it’s autumn. Even though I’ve been on calls with producers, watched videos and seen plenty of photos from other seasons, it’s somehow always autumn in Piedmont in my mind. Clearly, I need to plan a visit to Piedmont in the autumn and make this picture a reality. Until then though, let’s talk about tasting the wines from this beautiful Italian region.

All the way up in northern Italy, amongst the foothills of the Alps, Piemonte, which roughly translates to “at the foot of the mountains” is a continental region where long, slow growing seasons and late autumn harvests result in ethereal wines with haunting, kaleidoscopic aromas and flavors. Oh, and this is also the region of egg-based pastas with butter and white truffles galore. Autumn or no, tasting the best of Piedmont is always a good idea.

In the spirit of heading somewhere warm, sunny and beautiful in our glasses, even if not in real life, this tasting focuses on red wines from the Italian islands. There are nearly 450 islands in Italy, but not all of them make wines that are widely distributed internationally, so more specifically, we’re going to take a look at the wines from the big islands: Sicily and Sardinia.

In the Tyrrhenian Sea, Sicily and Sardinia are each very much their own place. While both islands are technically part of Italy, they’re also considered autonomous regions. In addition to Italian, each has their own language - languages, really. If you were to ask someone from Sicily or Sardinia whether they were Italian, the answer would likely be that they’re Sicilian or Sardinian first and foremost. And of course, each island has its own food and wine culture, developed over centuries, with both indigenous and foreign influences. Each has developed a flavor that’s entirely their own…and always worth tasting.

Some of the wildest tasting notes I’ve ever taken are from Rioja’s Reds. It’s a region that’s as famous and historic as any in the world, yet somehow frequently under-valued…which means you can find insane prices on some stunners. One of the misperceptions that affects Rioja’s popularity is that its aging classification system, with the Crianza, Reserva, and Gran Reserva categories, is the primary - and sometimes only - way to understand its wines.

I’ve taken an alternative approach in this tasting, focusing instead on the two factors that have the most impact what you’re tasting in the glass:

1. Location, location, location

2. How the wine is made

November has indelibly become the month of Beaujolais. Thanks to Georges Duboeuf’s marketing promotion in the 1970s, Beaujolais Nouveau, a particular style of Beaujolais, is celebrated every third Thursday in November with cries of “Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé!” and a lot of wine. Not all of it good. In fact, most of it not.

But there’s so much more to Beaujolais than Nouveau. I won’t say that Beaujolais Nouveau is horrible, since there are some that are decent, but in this tasting, we’re going to focus on Beaujolais that’s not Nouveau. The good stuff. Specifically, the crus.

I love Champagne. Love the wine, love the place, love the people, love the stories. I am completely biased when it comes to Champagne, but I still hope this tasting helps you sort through what is marketing fluff and what is actually true about these wines. And as always, I hope it helps you discover your own preferences and favorite styles of Champagne.

The Rhône might as well be two separate regions. The defining feature that connects them both is the namesake river, cutting through France from the Swiss Alps all the way south to the Mediterranean. But the Northern and Southern Rhône are very different places viticulturally. This tasting covers the top red wine appellations: 3 from the north and 3 from the south, so that you can form your own opinions about Rhône Reds.

Chardonnay is the most-grown white grape variety globally, so pretty much everyone has heard of it. That ubiquity hasn’t always helped Chardonnay though, especially California Chardonnay. After a huge wave of popularity in the 90s, the “ABC” movement (Anything But Chardonnay) gained traction in an effort to shift away from buttery, overripe, oaky wines that were starting to all taste the same. Trends always change though, and so do winemaking styles. Recent endorsements from celebs like Lizzo have certainly given Chardonnay a boost in perception.

California Chardonnay is often discussed like it’s a single style of wine, rather than a wide range of styles depending on where the grapes are grown and how the winemaker decided to treat the wine. This tasting is intended to give a sense of the range of styles produced in that massive and sunny state, so that you can figure out what you prefer.