SURPRISE! WE'RE GOING TO ITALY
and you can come with us.
Pals!
I’ve been sitting on this one for a minute, and I’m thrilled to FINALLY let you all know that I’m hosting the maiden voyage of Gimo Tours’ natural wine excursion to Umbria this May.
Even more thrilling? You’re invited.
If you’ve been hanging around for a bit, you actually know the folks behind Gimo Tours; Gimo is the next phase of SelectioNaturel, one of the Italian natural wine import portfolios nearest and dearest to our hearts. These folks bring us Collecapretta, Furlani, Montemelino, and so many producers whose wines continue to be core to the ethos of land stewardship and real wine that makes what we do behind the bar dynamic/possible.
Fun fact: I’ve known Matt and Adriana since their very first shipment of wines for distribution—I was the Wine Director at Oleana circa 2011, when I had my mind blown wide open by Collecapretta’s Terre de Preti, a humble yet meditative wine I still consider one of the best in production in the world. That’s part of what makes this trip so special; these are our friends, and this is a trip I’ve taken with them several times already for “work” purposes in years past. Now, you get the chance to experience what has shaped the careers and perspectives of the lucky few of us who’ve had the opportunity to travel with Matt and Adriana and experience the real Italy, the real side of the natural wine movement, and the real culture that shapes our approach to what we do behind the bar. They’re opening up the secret door, and you’re being invited to step inside.
Fangirling for my friends aside, this trip is truly special. To say it’s seeing the “real” side of natural wine is to sell it short; these people, places, and wines have changed my life. I always say that you can’t really understand wine until you travel, and this is the trip that made me believe that. I know you’ll experience the same world-shifting beauty if you join us, too.
There’s a lot of detail up on the Gimo Tours website, but here are some highlights:
We’ll travel to Umbria, the “Green Heart” of Italy and a region so unsung it’s criminal. No marble-and-glass tasting rooms here, no foreign investor money; this is a region of farmer winemakers who are true to their heritage, preserving tradition and history that you can see, taste, and feel. Plus, there’s the beauty of Lake Trasimeno, which we’ll call home for the duration of the trip.
We’ll spend a full week (6 nights) at Montemelino estate, an historic farm and producer of gorgeous wines (and my favorite olive oil on the planet). This place has real secret garden vibes. From there, we’ll daytrip to local wineries and surrounding hill towns, enjoying the food, farms, and rustic beauty of the countryside. 6 breakfasts and dinners are included, along with daily tastings at the wineries. We’ll chat with the producers, pet their dogs, and eat pasta made by their grandmothers. (That’s what I mean when I say “real”—this is an immersive experience that you wouldn’t necessarily get in the wider world of wine tourism, which is so often manufactured to cater to a narrow understanding of what visitors want to see, eat, and feel.)
Want to know more?
We’re hosting Matt and Adriana at Wild Child this Wednesday from 5-7PM for an intimate, open-house tasting. Come and meet them, taste the wines of a few producers we’ll be visiting, and ask them any questions you might have about the trip. Because of our relationship with SelectioNaturel, our guests are receiving exclusive, early access to this travel opportunity, so please take advantage! I’ll also be bopping around, gushing about it all. I hope I’ll see you there.
One important note: So much of the work we take on in all of our spaces is trying to find new ways to make wine accessible and approachable, and this trip is another extension of that work. You may have seen that I was tapped to host a different trip to Greece with a bigger company earlier this year; ultimately, however, it felt out of alignment for me to be promoting a trip I myself would never be able to afford. And while any international travel is always a little more “special occasion” than popping up to Vermont for a weekend, I’m so happy to be helping spread the word about an experience I love and could actually afford to go on. And it feels important to say, I’m not benefitting in any way from helping get the word out about this/this is not an ad! I just really believe in this kind of wine travel, and I really want as many people to experience it as are out there with the desire to do so. I believe that the closer our ties to farmers of all kinds, the more we can appreciate the labor of what makes it onto our tables, opening up a deeper consideration for consumption, a more holistic appreciation for mother nature, and a reverence for our relationship to the earth. You know, casual.
If you have any questions at all or want more information, please feel free to comment here, email me back, or ask me (or Matt or Adriana) in person at Wild Child this Wednesday. If you’re ready to dive right in, you can book your trip here.
I really, really, really hope to share a glass of wine with you in Umbria next year.
XOXO,
Lauren
Consider me jealous.