On March 3 and March 6, 2025, the Ian D’Agata Wine Academy launched its first North American wine shows and masterclasses in North America. Ian D’Agata has been organizing and/or guiding wine courses, masterclasses, seminars and wine shows internationally for multiple different outfits over the years (such as for example International Wine Academy of Roma, Decanter, UGCB, Grands Crus Classés de Graves, Wine Country Ontario, Collisioni, Vinitaly) but with the creation of his own company, the Ian D’Agata Wine Culture back in 2024, he is now doing so on his own with the invaluable help of Giulia Corino (company COO), and Yumi Liu, (company CEO e CFO). Houston and NYC represented the first stops of a new project that will gain further traction and growth as the year and years wear on.

And while the focus of D’Agata’s work has always been on Italian native grape varieties and their wines, his new Academy plans to shine the spotlight on worthy wines made all over the world, from Alsace to South Africa. The objective is to give not just the big and famous, but also many smaller and very small high-quality wineries, a stage from where to broadcast their message and show their wares. Larger wineries the exact quality of the wines of which may be flying under the radar and smaller wineries that would otherwise have trouble gaining new markets given the exorbitant costs of participating in large wine fairs and shows. Ian has always championed both large and small wineries; and while winery admission to his shows and masterclasses is not automatic, D’Agata is always happy to include wines that speak of the habitats they come from and the grapes they are made with: in other words, of their terroir.

In Houston, forty master sommeliers, sommeliers, wine importers, wine writers and communicators attended a day’s worth of very in-depth masterclasses ranging from one and a half hour to three hours in length, dedicated to Italy’s native grapes, Verduno Pelaverga and Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi. Expectations for this show were high, with wine professionals coming to Houston from as far away as Austin, Dallas and San Antonio to attend in order to listen and gain new insight from D’Agata, universally regarded as the most credible expert on Italy’s native grapes and wines.  The sessions were made that more interesting by the co-presenters, Steven Macdonald MS and Jack Mason MS. The Verduno Pelaverga masterclass was the most complete ever held not just in Texas but in the USA, showcasing the wines from the same vintage (2022) of almost all Verduno Pelaverga producers, save for a handful. It allowed for unique insight into a specific grape variety, Pelaverga Piccolo, and the different terroirs from where the at times very Pinot Noiresque Verduno Pelaverga wine is made. The Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi masterclass brought together twenty wines from ten of the denomination’s best producers, and with wines going as far back as the 2015 vintage, proved an excellent way by which to demonstrate just how well Verdicchio wines age. The masterclass devoted to Italy’s native grapes featured twenty wines and lasted essentially all morning long, bringing to the fore the qualities of wines made with word-famous grapes (Corvina, Montepulciano, Nebbiolo, Sangiovese) such as Barolo and Brunello (with absolute stars like Cogno, Marrone, Canalicchio di Sopra and Castello Romitorio) and rarer varieties such as Manzoni Bianco (Italo Cescon) and Sagrantino (Bocale). The Houston event also featured the world premiere launch of the Comaroto winery and its wines, the new estate run by Michele and Luca dal Forno of the famous Valpolicella- and Amarone-producing family. The event was held at the beautiful The Marigold Club, owned by June Rodil MS, and ran efficiently and smoothly.

On March 6, Ai Fiori, one of NYC’s leading authentic Italian cuisine restaurants, was the stage for the second leg of the Ian D’Agata Wine Academy’s North American events tour, with a walk-around tasting showcasing twenty-five different Italian wineries and five masterclasses. Clearly, despite the many wine shows that were taking place in NYC this month, Ian D’Agata’s arrival was a much-awaited moment: just imagine that his masterclasses went all sold-out within two hours (2!!!) of their being opened to a select list of NYC and US wine professionals! Wineries showing their wines included heavyweights such as Canalicchio di Sopra and Castiglione del Bosco, Cogno, Diego Morra, and Marrone, Primosic and Tiberio, but also true gems of Italian winemaking such a Ca’ San Sebastiano/Pierino Vellano, Italo Cescon, Pietraventosa, Podere Sabbioni, Redalmo, Tenuta Santa Caterina and Vignamato, and many others. Special guest stars were the California wineries making absolutely stellar wines from Italian native grapes: Centennial Mountain (ex-Aeris), Massican, Reeves, and Unti Family Vineyards. Josh Nadel MS, Wine Director of the Noho Hospitality group and Mariarosa Tartaglione, ex-Wine Director of the just as famous Marea group, co-led brilliantly the five masterclasses on tap: Native and International Grapes and Wines; Three Rising Stars of Italy (Primosic, Tenuta Santa Caterina and Vignaamato); Italian Grapes and their wines in Italy and California; Nas-cetta di Novello; and Castiglion del Bosco Rosso and Brunello horizontal and mini-vertical. Over 200 attendees flocked to the wine show’s stands during the course of the morning and afternoon and about 25-30 people attended each of the masterclasses. The NYC event was more special because of the lunch we organized at Marea for 15 of the most important wine importers of NYC specializing in Italian wines. It turned out to be a remarkably successful, fun and even encounter, with some of the USA’s leading wine people spending three hours over lunch discussing and analyzing trends in sales, fashion and interedt in Italian wines in the all-important US Italian wine market.

The ian D’Agata Wine Academy tour of walk-around tastings will continue now in Asia, with stops in Macau (May 17 and 18) and Shanghai (May 23 and 24). Please note that, in the second half of the year, the Ian D’Agata Wine Academy tour 2025 will be returning to NYC in the fall, along with stops in other world cities that will be announced shortly.

For full descriptions of the event and of the wines, look for the specific articles to appear soon in the Ian D’Agata Wine Review at: www.iandagatawine.com