Italian Wine Podcast

Welcome to the Asia Wine Market and Episode 2823 of the Italian Wine Podcast. In this episode, Roza Zharmukhambetova is in conversation with Saloni Khanapurkar IWA.

Saloni shares her journey into Italian wine, her favorite regions and grape varieties, and her experience as India’s first Italian Wine Ambassador, including the VIA exam. The conversation introduces the new India Special Edition subseries, exploring why the Indian market deserves closer attention and what listeners can expect from upcoming episodes and their guests.

Key Takeaways:

Discover Saloni’s journey into Italian wine and her experience as India’s first Italian Wine Ambassador.

Understand the opportunities and challenges shaping the Italian wine–India relationship.

Explore what to expect from the Asia Wine Market: India Special Edition and the voices, topics, and questions it will bring to the conversation.

About today’s guest:

Saloni Khanapurkar is an Italian wine professional, educator, and entrepreneur working at the intersection of wine, culture, and India. She is India’s first and only Italian Wine Ambassador, a WSET Level 3 in Wine holder, and currently a DipWSET candidate. She has worked with Italian wineries and wine organizations across Piemonte, Tuscany, Lombardy, and Friuli Venezia Giulia, with experience spanning wine education, export consulting, communications, and cross-cultural projects. Saloni is currently one of the producers of the Italian Wine Podcast, where she contributes to the creation and production of conversations around Italian wine and its people. She is also the founder of SipSaathi, a women-first wine ecosystem focused on building education, professional opportunities, and global connections for India’s emerging wine community.

Connect:

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saloni-khanapurkar/

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/

More interviews on Asia Wine Market:

https://www.italianwinepodcast.com/episodes_category/asia-wine-market-almaty-special-edition/

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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

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

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

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mammajumboshrimp

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

Until next time, Cin Cin!

Welcome to Episode 20 of Study Smart and Episode 2822 of the Italian Wine Podcast with Gill Gordon-Smith.

Ep. 20: California

Study Smart for your WSET Level 3 is a new series of audio learning resources specifically created for wine students. This new series consists of 30 episodes, each focusing on a particular wine region, with the objective of equipping listeners with the knowledge and expertise they need to prepare for industry-standard courses such as WSET.

With exam strategies and techniques also included, the "Study Smart" series is designed to help wine students achieve their learning objectives in an accessible and engaging way.

This new series has been designed in partnership with the Italian Wine Academy, a Verona-based, internationally recognized wine school founded in 2017 that provides WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) certification courses and specialized training.

The series is delivered by the acclaimed wine educator Gill Gordon Smith. Gill is a VIA certified Italian Wine Expert, an artisan wine producer, retailer, writer, judge and educator based between Australia's McLaren Vale Region and Verona and Tuscany in Italy.

Look out for new episodes every week wherever you get your podcasts!

More episodes from Study Smart for your WSET Level 3:

https://www.italianwinepodcast.com/episodes_category/study_smart_for_your_wset_level_3/

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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

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

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

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mammajumboshrimp

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

Until next time, Cin Cin!

Welcome to Clubhouse Ambassadors' Corner and Episode 2821 of the Italian Wine Podcast. In this episode, Dana Peixotto meets the influential American winemaker, viticulturist, and organic farming pioneer, Steve Matthiasson.

Steve shares how he began his agricultural career nearly 35 years ago with a desire to grow organic vegetables, only to find his first job in vineyards. As the founder of Matthiasson Winery in Napa Valley, he continues to champion healthy living soils, a reduced carbon footprint, social equity, and habitat preservation. He also explains how his interest in Italian varieties began in 2001 with Ribolla Gialla cuttings from Josko Gravner, and how he approaches varieties such as Lagrein, Vermentino, and Malvasia by honoring their identity while allowing Napa's unique climate and soils to shape their expression.

Steve and Dana also explore the challenges of growing heat-sensitive Friulian grapes in California, the diversity of Napa Valley's soils, and the commercial realities of producing lesser-known Italian varieties. For Steve, the key is passion and conviction, supported by thoughtful farming practices and a diversified portfolio. He also reveals the grape he would plant next: an Istrian selection of Malvasia, inspired by the mineral-driven white wines he discovered in Friuli and Lazio.

About today's host:

Dana Peixotto is a wine educator based out of Seattle, Washington. She understands that wine can be intimidating and is passionate about making wine approachable for everyone. Through her business Left on the Vine, she curates tastings and workshops, offering wine drinkers the confidence to enjoy wine on their own terms.

Dana is a Vinitaly Italian Wine Ambassador, and has completed her WSET Level 4 diploma, holds an Associate of Applied Science in Wine Making from the Northwest Wine Academy, and is also a certified French Wine Scholar.

Connect:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/leftonthevine

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

More about today's guest:

Steve Matthiasson is an organic farmer at heart and the founder of Matthiasson Winery in Napa Valley, California. With a background rooted in sustainable agriculture, he has spent decades working to improve vineyard ecosystems and produce wines that express their grape varieties and growing sites with authenticity.

His approach to Italian varieties is guided by a simple principle: honor the variety rather than attempt to replicate its place of origin. From planting Ribolla Gialla and Lagrein in Napa's cooler Oak Knoll District to experimenting with Vermentino and Malvasia, Steve adapts his viticultural practices to the needs of each grape. His methods include pergola-style trellising for shade, deep-rooting rootstocks, early harvesting, and infrequent but deep irrigation.

Steve's work reflects his belief that environmental responsibility, social equity, and thoughtful farming can go hand in hand with producing distinctive wines. At Matthiasson Winery, his diverse range of varieties also represents a commitment to experimentation and a long-term vision for Napa Valley.

Connect:

Website: https://matthiasson.com/

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

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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

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

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

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@mammajumboshrimp

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

Until next time, Cin Cin!

Follow Italian Wine Podcast for more great content – winery interviews, conversations with wine professionals, and stories from the world of Italian wine and beyond. Psssst… FYI, this show is our most popular show, so find out why by tuning in!

Welcome to episode 2820 of the Italian Wine Podcast and episode 2 of the Italianity series with Jessica Dupuy. In this episode, Jessica is in conversation with sommelier, author and storyteller Anthony Giglio, to explore what it means to grow up Italian in America and the legacy an immigrant great-grandfather can leave behind.

Anthony reflects on the differences between Italian and Italian-American culture, the challenges immigrants faced in the US, and how shame around their origins shaped later generations. Through memories of Sunday lunches, homemade food and family wine traditions — including the childhood drink known as the “spaghetti spritz” — he shares how food and wine kept his Italian heritage alive and sparked his love of cooking.

More about the guest:

Anthony Giglio is a New York-based sommelier, writer, educator and raconteur, known for his witty, unpretentious approach to wine. He is Wine Director for the American Express Centurion Lounge network, a longtime contributing editor to Food & Wine, and the author of 11 books on wine, cocktails and travel, including Passport to Italian Wine, Cocktails in New York, and the annual Food & Wine Wine Guide. He has appeared on NBC’s Today Show and the Food Network and has twice been invited to speak at The Moth. Anthony grew up in an Italian-American family in New Jersey, and is also the creator of Side Gig SuperSalt.

Connect:

Website: https://www.anthonygiglio.com/

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

More about the host:

Jessica Dupuy covers wine, spirits, and travel from Austin, Texas. She holds a Diploma with the Wine and Spirit Educational Trust, is a Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers, and a Certified Specialist of Wine and Spirits through the Society of Wine Educators. Dupuy’s work has appeared in Food & Wine, Wine Enthusiast, Imbibe, Texas Monthly, Forbes, SevenFifty Daily, GuildSomm, VinePair, and Southern Living. She recently published The Wines of Southwest USA in addition to six regional cookbooks. Her book Italianity, released this year and co-authored with Andrea Lonardi MW, explores and celebrates the culture of Italian wine. She also co-hosts the podcast Another Bottle Down.

Connect:

Website: https://www.jessicadupuy.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-norman-dupuy-86486a4/

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

More interviews on Italianity Series: https://www.italianwinepodcast.com/episodes_category/italianity-series-with-jessica-dupuy/

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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

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

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

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mammajumboshrimp

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

Until next time, Cin Cin!

Welcome to Episode 2819 of the Italian Wine Podcast and Episode 266 of Wine, Food & Travel with Marc Millon. Marc speaks with Vincenzo Orabona of Villa Dora about winemaking on the volcanic slopes of Vesuvius, where old, ungrafted vines and indigenous varieties give the wines their distinctive character.

They explore the legend of Lacrima Christi, the evolution of vineyard practices, and the potential of Caprettone to produce age-worthy wines. Vincenzo also discusses Catalanesca, a grape reflecting Spain’s historical influence on Campania, and shares local food pairings, from spaghetti alle vongole to Neapolitan pizza and ragù napoletano.

More about the guest:

Vincenzo Orabona is the nephew of Vincenzo Ambrosio, who founded Villa Dora in 1997, and now runs the estate. Villa Dora farms organically on the southern slopes of Vesuvius, inside the Vesuvius National Park near Terzigno, on volcanic soils of ash and lapilli. The vineyards are planted with ungrafted vines averaging around 70 years old, including Caprettone, Falanghina, Piedirosso and Aglianico. Vincenzo’s idea to bottle varieties such as Piedirosso and Caprettone on their own helped bring the estate’s wines wider recognition.

Connect:

Website: https://www.cantinevilladora.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cantinevilladora/?hl=en

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

More about the host:

Marc Millon, a VIA Italian Wine Ambassador since 2021, is an award-winning author of 15 books on wine, food, and travel, and host of the ‘Wine, Food, and Travel with Marc Millon’ weekly series, now well over 220 episodes. His latest book, “Italy in a Wineglass – the Taste of History,” won the Guild of Food Writers’ 2025 Drinks Writer Award and the World Gourmand’s 2025 Best Wine History Book award. Marc also hosts gastronomic cultural tours to Italy with Martin Randall Travel and lives along the River Exe in Devon, England.

Connect:

Website: https://www.quaypress.uk

Website: https://www.marcmillon.co.uk

Website: https://www.vino.co.uk

Website: https://www.quaypress.com

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

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

More interviews on Wine, Food & Travel: https://www.italianwinepodcast.com/episodes_category/food-travel/

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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

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

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

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mammajumboshrimp

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!