One of my very favourite things about having a career revolving around wine is that I never stop learning. Every tasting I attend, every meeting I have with a winemaker, and every trip in which I participate offers an opportunity to discover something new. 

During the past couple of weeks, I’ve travelled through the Piedmont region in northern Italy, and the learning curve has had quite the arc. When I travel to a wine region for the first time, I always have a certain set of expectations, and I feel quite confident about them. Without fail, I return from my trip having gleaned something unexpected and inspired by experiences I’ve enjoyed. This week, a couple take-aways from Italy I didn’t see coming.