Jean-Emmanuel next describes his transition back to France, and then to writing and reviewing wine for "La Revue du vin de France" magazine, something he has done since 2005. Jean-Emmanuel talks about tasting little known wines from the Loire Valley and the south of France, and how he recognized those as something artisanal and local, and wines with a sense of place. He explains that in his role selling bottles from Natural wine pioneers to restaurants and wine shops in Manhattan that he learned about the wine philosophy and outlook of Joe Dressner and the vigneron he represented, at a time when there were few Natural wine producers. He discusses a key period for his wine experience that happened while he was living in New York City in the late 1990s, where he met Joe Dressner. Jean-Emmanuel describes a chance introduction to fine, old wine and the subsequent revelation he had about wine. He is also a co-owner of wine importer Oenotropie. Jean-Emmanuel Simond is a writer and wine critic for "La Revue du vin de France", covering the Côte de Nuits of Burgundy and Alsace. He also touches on Luigi Veronelli and what Neil learned from Veronelli's writing.Īs the interview wraps up, Neil talks about some of the difficult moments in his career selling Italian wines for export, opening up about his feelings around producers that have left his portfolio as well as the difficulty of collecting payments. Neil also discusses his relationships selling Sassicaia, discovering Poderi Luigi Einaudi, bringing Cantina Santadi Shardana to market, and his memories of oenologists like Giorgio Grai, Giacomo Tachis, and Vittorio Fiore. He addresses the changes in cooperage that happened in Tuscany around the same time.
He touches on the rise of varietal wines made with Chardonnay, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon in Italy. He also talks about his relationships with key Italian wine producers, such as Angelo Gaja (Gaja), Beppe Colla (Prunotto), Elvio Cogno (Marcarini), Sergio Manetti (Montevertine), Emilio Costanti (Conti Costanti), Alberico Boncompagni Ludovisi (Fiorano), Silvio Jermann (Jermann), and Ampelio Bucci (Bucci). Neil discusses the changes in the market for Italian wine in the United States in the intervening decades since the 1970s.
He both exported the first Italian wine labelled Chardonnay to the United States, and coined the term "Super Tuscan". At that time, back in the early 1970s, Neil recognized the potential for Italian wine sales in the United States. And he recalls his first sale of wine to the United States, a Chianti that was sold to Trader Joe's. He talks about meeting his wife Maria, who convinced him to move to Italy and take up the wine business there, founding a company for wine export. Neil, who was born in New Zealand in 1939, recounts his youthful days driving fast, reselling Ferraris, and meeting with intelligence officers. Neil Empson is the founder of Empson & Co., an exporter of wines from Italy and other countries. See Privacy Policy at and California Privacy Notice at. Alicia stresses the importance of education, as well as the need to welcome more people into the wine world. She further addresses the challenges and rewards of personal and work transitions. She discusses what makes a good mentor, and what support and scaffolding can achieve for mentees. She identifies the connecting thread of her mentorship in the wine world and the parenting in her personal life. She also talks about the differences between the 1990s and now in the wine world.Īlicia details how the experiences in her life affected and shaped her work, and how she organized her life as a parent raising two children. Alicia talks about the bigger themes of her career, including inclusion, mentorship, building community, being hospitable, building long term relationships, and being a woman supportive of other women. She then segways into describing her role as the Head Sommelier at Grill 23 & Bar in Boston, Massachusetts during the 1990s and early 2000s. and the Executive Director of Wine Unify.Īlicia discusses her upbringing in Chicago and her introduction to wine in college. Alicia Towns Franken is a Co-Founder of Towns Wine Co.
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