Welcome to a newsletter themed at the intersection of longevity and wine history. 🍷
The Gemello Winery family legacy story has jumped the Atlantic Ocean and landed in the family’s country of origin: Italy. Richard Hough, host of the Italian Wine Podcast, interviewed me in an episode that aired last Friday. It was the podcast’s final episode of its 30 author Book Club series, culminating with our chat about the Judgment of Paris. It was a timely discussion, since yesterday marked the 50th anniversary of the famous blind tasting where nine French judges unknowingly selected two California wines over the better-known French wines.
Not to worry, the Italian Wine Podcast is an English-speaking podcast, but one that has a larger audience outside the United States. Only about 40 percent listen from the U.S., according to Rephonic, a podcast research tool. Twenty-one percent listen from Italy.
Hough and I went deep into my Italian heritage and my great-grandfather’s immigration to California in 1912 as opportunities in the New World and the looming threat of Prohibition clashed.
We discussed:
Prohibition and its aftermath in California
The history of the Gemello Winery
The 1976 Judgment of Paris and its impact on the California wine industry
Grandpa Mario’s victory in a Judgment of Paris rematch
Grandma Kay’s longevity journey (her 105th birthday is June 26)
This is the first of at least three Italy-based podcasts I’ll be doing in the coming month or two.
🎧 Spotify or
I’m the author of 🍷 Rain on the Monte Bello Ridge,🍷 my forthcoming memoir about health, aging and winemaking. (Read the origin story of the book.) 🍇
The Centenarian Playbook is my newsletter, which features:
Healthy aging/longevity tips and stories from Grandma Kay’s long life.
Wine history & stories of the Gemello Winery
Ancestry & family research tips
No posts
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.