Italian Wine Podcast

Welcome to episode 2592 of the Italian Wine Podcast and episode 228 of Wine, Food & Travel with Marc Millon. In this episode, Marc speaks with Friulian winemaker and sommelier Mitja Sirk about Cormòns and Collio Goriziano, family heritage and hospitality, Friulian cuisine, ponca soils, local and international grape varieties, and even the world of vinegar.

More about today’s guest:

Mitja Sirk is a young Italian sommelier and wine producer from Cormòns, in the Collio Goriziano area, where the Sirk family has been a benchmark for gastronomy and hospitality for decades through La Subida and the Trattoria Al Cacciatore. Raised among the vineyards and the family’s extensive wine cellar, Mitja developed a deep passion for wine from an early age, an experience that led him to carry out his first vinification under the guidance of Josko Gravner and later to further refine his knowledge at prestigious Italian and French wineries. As a sommelier at Trattoria Al Cacciatore, he expertly selects local and international wines to accompany refined Friulian cuisine, promoting the identity of the territory. At the same time, he founded a wine-producing project focused on the native Friulano grape variety, enhancing historic vineyards on ponca soils and adopting environmentally respectful cultivation methods. His vision combines tradition and modernity, contributing to the growing appreciation of Collio wines on both the national and international stage.

Connect:

Website: https://www.lasubida.it/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mitjasirk/ 

More about the host:

Marc Millon, a VIA Italian Wine Ambassador since 2021, is a celebrated expert in the world of wine, food, and travel and an award-winning author of 15 books on these topics. Since 2021, he has been the host of the ‘Wine, Food, and Travel with Marc Millon’ weekly series on the Italian Wine Podcast, which now has well over 220 episodes of the show. Marc’s latest book is “Italy in a Wineglass – the Taste of History” published by Hurst, London and Melville House, New York (Guild of Food Writers ‘Drinks Writer Award’ 2025 and the World Gourmand ‘Best Wine History Book in the World Award’ 2025). In addition to his writing and podcasting, Marc is a sought-after speaker and hosts gastronomic cultural tours to Italy in partnership with Martin Randall Travel, a leading specialist in cultural travel. When he's not exploring the culinary landscapes of the world, Marc resides along the scenic River Exe in Devon, England.

Connect:

Website: 

https://www.quaypress.uk  

https://www.marcmillon.co.uk 

https://www.vino.co.uk   

https://www.quaypress.com 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marc-millon-50868624/

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/Marc_Millon 

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If you feel like helping us, donate here: https://www.italianwinepodcast.com/donate-to-show/ 

Until next time, Cin Cin!

 

Thanks for listening! This show is all about food and wine pairings, and traveling through Italy with Marc. Join him on this food, wine and cultural journey!

Welcome to Episode 2591 of the Italian Wine Podcast. In this episode, Barbara Fitzgerald is in conversation with Emily Yuhas, CEO and co-founder of Awtomic, to discuss subscription and membership services in the wine sector.

Key Takeaways:

A clear understanding of current U.S. wine subscription trends.

How Italian wineries can enter existing subscription platforms without building their own programs.

Why direct-to-consumer strategies create brand ambassadors, even when purchases don’t happen at the winery.

More about the guest: 

Emily Yuhas is the founder and CEO of Awtomic, which manages subscriptions, wine clubs, allocations and memberships for wineries on Shopify. Coming from a tech and broad ecommerce background has allowed her to bring best practices from subscription ecommerce together with a deep understanding of white glove needs of wineries and tasting rooms to deliver a future-ready solution for wineries as we enter a new age of selling and managing clubs.

Emily Yuhas has worked on large-scale commerce, conversion, and productivity problems at companies like Redfin, Eventbrite, and Microsoft and is passionate about building software that helps creators and businesses scale.

Connect: 

Website: https://www.awtomic.com/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-yuhas/

More about the host:

With a career of nearly two decades in the wine industry, Barbara Fitzgerald specializes in D2C marketing and business development. She's led roles from entry level to senior management, combining her extensive experience with data analysis, critical thinking and storytelling while driving revenue growth and brand recognition for California wineries. As a part of the 4th generation of an Italian-American family among the California wine industry pioneers, Barbara has spent her life around wine growing, production, marketing, distribution and hospitality. A Syracuse University graduate, she returned to California to gain diverse industry perspectives from a range of wineries.

As an Italian Wine Ambassador, she brings her expertise to the Italian wine market, known for its authenticity and consumer demand. Barbara now runs Apri La Creative Consulting, coaching wineries in Italy and the US to strategically develop their D2C channels in line with their brand values. Together with her husband, Barbara also owns and operates a boutique wine production company, and a small import company specializing in Italian wines to the US.

Connect:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barbarajeanfitz/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbara-fitzgerald-iwa/

Website: https://www.aprilacreative.com/ 

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Let's keep in touch! Follow Italian Wine Podcast on our social media channels:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/italianwinepodcast/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ItalianWinePodcast 

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/itawinepodcast 

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mammajumboshrimp 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/italianwinepodcast 

 

If you feel like helping us, donate here: https://www.italianwinepodcast.com/donate-to-show/

Until next time, Cin Cin!

Welcome to the Asia Wine Market and Episode 2590 of the Italian Wine Podcast. In this episode, Roza Zharmukhambetova interviews the wine consultant, educator, and champion of Malaysia's wine scene, KC Tay, about the wine market and consumer preferences in Malaysia.

Key learning objectives:

Understand the structure and cultural specificities of the Malaysian wine market, including consumption habits and key cities.

Identify key market players, distribution channels, and the Malaysian wine consumer profile.

Gain practical insights into opportunities, challenges, and long-term strategies for Italian wineries entering or expanding in Malaysia.

Companies mentioned by KC: Boutiq Wine, With Love from Italy

Places to check out while in Kuala Lumpur: Park90 KL, Racines KL, Chim by Chef Noom, Farmer's Bar

More about today’s guest:

Kwang Chan (KC) Tay is an experienced sommelier, wine and cheese expert, and Treasurer for the Sommelier Association of Malaysia (SOMLAY). He is the Winner of Best Sommelier for Italian Wine Malaysia 2024 and has extensive experience in education, event management, consultancy, and social media content creation. KC has represented Malaysia on prestigious platforms, including the RVF World Tasting Championship 2023 in France, the SJM Asia Top Sommelier Summit 2023 & 2024 in Macau, and the ASI Bootcamp Asia Pacific 2025.

As a freelance professional, he specializes in wine dinners, tastings, and workshops, with a particular focus on wine and cheese pairing. KC has also been invited by the European Commission to lead workshops and seminars on dairy products at Food & Hotel Asia 2022 and 2025, continuously sharing his expertise with both industry professionals and consumers.

Connect:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tay-kwang-chan-907358167/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/k_c_tay_/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kctay/ 

More about the host:

Roza Zharmukhambetova has a background in foreign languages and education. She discovered her passion for wine in Beijing, where she gained two years of experience in wine sales. Since returning to Kazakhstan, she has focused on studying Italian wine and exploring its regions. Roza holds certifications as an Italian Wine Ambassador (VIA), Italian Wine Scholar (WSG), Langhe Wines Ambassador (BBA), and Valpolicella Wine Specialist (VEP). She is also a member of the Kazakhstan Sommelier Association. Since the end of 2024, she has been a member of the Italian Wine Podcast (IWP) team, contributing her passion for Italian wine.

Connect:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/le_vin_en_rose/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rozazharmukhambetova/ 

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Let's keep in touch! Follow Italian Wine Podcast on our social media channels:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/italianwinepodcast/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ItalianWinePodcast 

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/itawinepodcast 

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mammajumboshrimp 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/italianwinepodcast 

 

If you feel like helping us, donate here: https://www.italianwinepodcast.com/donate-to-show/ 

Until next time, Cin Cin!

Welcome to episode 2589 of the Italian Wine Podcast from wine2wine Vinitaly Business Forum 2025, Beyond the Decline: how U.S. 21–39 year-olds really see wine.

Speaker: John Gillespie, Moderator: Ryan Goydos

Sales of wine in the U.S. are trending downward. In 2023, U.S. wine sales fell by 36 million cases vs. the previous year. In 2024 another 15 million cases in sales were lost, bringing sales of wine in the U.S. to their lowest annual level since 2011. The session considered the results of a July 2025 survey of U.S. beverage alcohol consumers in ages 21-39 with the primary objective of detailing the current position of wine among the overall beverage alcohol usage and attitudes of the consumer segment that will drive the beverage alcohol market for the coming 20 years.

The Italian Wine Podcast is proud to be a media partner of wine2wine Vinitaly Business Forum and is pleased to present this series of conversations from Vinitaly.USA in Chicago. wine2wine Vinitaly Business Forum is an international wine business event, held annually since 2014. This year the Forum was held alongside Vinitaly.USA in Chicago, taking it outside of Verona for the first time.

Full details about this and all other wine2wine Vinitaly Business Forum sessions available online at: https://www.vinitaly.com/en/forum/wine2wine-vinitaly-business-forum/programme/.     

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Let's keep in touch! Follow Italian Wine Podcast on our social media channels:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/italianwinepodcast/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ItalianWinePodcast 

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/itawinepodcast 

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mammajumboshrimp 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/italianwinepodcast 

If you feel like helping us, donate here https://www.italianwinepodcast.com/donate-to-show/ 

Until next time, Cin Cin!

Welcome to Episode 2588 and Episode 6 of The Art of Wine Storytelling with Ryan Robinson. In this episode, Ryan explores the rhetoric of wine, breaking down three chapters of his book The Art of Wine Storytelling. He explains how rhetoric - the art of persuasive communication - can turn a simple wine sale into an experience that makes consumers truly desire the wine. At the end, Ryan shares a practical exercise so listeners can try this style of communication immediately.

Whether you’re a seasoned professional, an eager student, or simply a curious wine lover, The Art of Wine Storytelling takes you on a journey that bridges ancient history with modern consumer culture. Discover how wine is much more than just a drink – it’s a narrative shaped by centuries of tradition, innovation and human interaction. Ignite your imagination, deepen your appreciation for wine, and be inspired to savor not just what’s in the bottle, but the remarkable story behind each and every glass.

 

About Ryan Robinson:

Ryan Robinson is the Director of Education for Brescome-Barton Inc., and Worldwide Wines in Connecticut, an Adjunct Professor at the University of New Haven, and is the Principal at SommCentric, a beverage education and consulting agency. He is a member on the USA Wine Tasting Team, representing the United States and the World Wine Tasting Championships and holds the credentials of Advanced Sommelier-CMS; WSET Diploma and WSET Educator in Wine, Sake and Beer; Rioja Wine Educator; VIA Italian Wine Ambassador; Wine Scholar Guild Educator and Italian and Spanish Wine Specialist; and Certified Scotch Whisky.

Connect:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sommryan/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sommryan/ 

The Art of Wine Storytelling by Professor Attilio Scienza is available now at:

https://mammajumboshrimp.com/products/the-art-of-wine-storytelling 

_______________________________

Let's keep in touch! Follow Italian Wine Podcast on our social media channels:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/italianwinepodcast/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ItalianWinePodcast 

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/itawinepodcast 

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mammajumboshrimp 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/italianwinepodcast 

 

If you feel like helping us, donate here: https://www.italianwinepodcast.com/donate-to-show/ 

Until next time, Cin Cin!