paoloCIANCIA’s, "The Soul of Great Wines", can act as the foundation for any wine library. It is the one website that you as a wine lover will ever need. Even if you own and use other wine encyclopedias, it is my hope that the elegant accessibility of this website will induce you to eventually rely on it and no other.

The Soul of Great Wines-A guide to the world of wine for experts and wine lovers. An easy and inexpensive way to learn about wine, grape varietals, vintage chart, wine tasting, food & wine and more...

I first became interested in wine purely as a hobby in the early 1980’s. At this time I worked in London as a sales representative for Nicholas Belfrage. Nicholas is MW and was Director at Winecellars, and additionally the author of “Life Beyond Lambrusco.”

From there I started working with Melvin Tull, Sales Director at "Griersons Wine Merchants Since 1820" . While at "Griersons" Italian Wine Agencies branch, I met and worked together with Michael Garner, author of “Barolo Rose and Tars.” It is through these initial experiences that I gained a great deal of knowledge about a variety of wines. Of course working in the wine industry has lent itself to the pleasure of travel to countries such as Australia, Japan, Brazil and America ( New York and California).

Despite my international background, I was actually born in Italy, in a village called Palagiano near the province of Taranto ( Puglia). This city’s roads recall the old monuments of Hellenic civilization, and lead us among mute testimonials of cultures past. You may also discover the archeological remains preserved in the National Museum of Taranto, a city of two seas and a revolving bridge, and whose historical center harbors medieval palaces. In the countryside, you will find Primitivo grapes, particularly interesting because recently it was proven that the California Zinfandel and Primitivo are actually made from the same grape. Italians who immigrated to California to start the wine industry at the turn of the century must have taken their most cherished grapevines along with them; one of those vines was the Primitivo that later became known as Zinfandel.

As you venture forth into my website, I would like to extend special thanks to all the wine producers and friends (Gabriele,Kumiko,Barrett) who have helped me compile and organize the information you will find here.

After All A Great Wine is Made From A Great Vine

YOUR SUPPORT! Almost everything on this website continues to be totally FREE. To make sure that I can continue to solve the mystery of “The Soul of Great Wines” for you and bring you insightful articles on a wide range of topics, I need your financial help - Here is how you can help - Please make a contribution of any amount that you think is reasonable for you to the children in NEEDS.
www.children.org

Dedicated to these people who are actually in the arena......who know the great enthusiasm the great devotions to a worthy cause, who at best, know the triumph of high achievement and who, at worst, fail while daring greatly......so that their place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.

AD HOC • ... With you I toasted making chalice to jingle like Shakespeare, into smoky goliards taverns, with people from other countries like the sailors of Ramusio; with you I toasted to the goddess fortune, like the ancients, to friend, like Orazio, to the days to come, as we all. • AD HOC!… I could say much more, but ... places, vineyards, grapes are just words: Wine must be drinked! No narrated.

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