Michael Horne
@michael-horne active 8 hours, 59 minutes ago-
Michael Horne commented on the post, The Best Italian Value Wines Under 25 Bucks 1 month, 1 week ago
In reply to: Michael Horne wrote a new post, The Best Italian Value Wines Under 25 Bucks One of the best things about Italy is the huge number of quality wines you can find at remarkably low prices. While a good quality […] ViewHi Ken — yep, the Wine-Searcher app for iPhone and Android is a handy one to have.
Cheers.
Michael -
Michael Horne posted a new activity comment 1 month, 2 weeks ago
In reply to: Michael Horne wrote a new post, Bringing Wine Home from Italy Ever wonder how to safely and legally bring home prized wines from your trip to Italy? It’s easy – if you know a few helpful tricks. Our vino road war […] ViewCiao Bonnie — I’m really sad to hear that. I’m also quite surprised that Alitalia wouldn’t let you check your wine, I’ve flown them before with no problems. If you think about it, it’s kinda silly for an Italian airline to not accept Italian wines.
Okay, that said, why don’t you send me a message (just use our contact form here:…[Read more]
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Michael Horne commented on the post, Eating Like a Local in Italy: Osterie d’Italia 1 month, 2 weeks ago
In reply to: Michael Horne wrote a new post, Eating Like a Local in Italy: Osterie d’Italia One of the best ways to experience Italy & her culture is by sitting down for a meal in an authentic Osteria and sampling the […] ViewHey David, thanks for the pointer to the iPhone app. Looks like the Android version for 2016 can be found here. I find that Slow Food is a little slow getting the app out, and it trails the book by ~3 or 4 months. I’m not sure when the 2017 version will be out.
I agree that the app can be a great way to carry the recommendations on the ro…
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Michael Horne commented on the post, When Cheap Wine is Really Just Junk Wine 1 month, 3 weeks ago
In reply to: Michael Horne wrote a new post, When Cheap Wine is Really Just Junk Wine Junk food is here to stay. Sometimes the moment just calls for a tasty Twinkie. Or maybe a tube of Pringles potato chips. And then there’s […] ViewThanks Larry — you’re right, and just like with junk food, many drinkers of cheap wine are completely unaware of what’s going into their wine. Even worse, the wineries are not required to list their ingredients (unlike all other food).
Blissful ignorance isn’t necessarily a good thing.
Cheers.
Michael -
Michael Horne wrote a new post, When Cheap Wine is Really Just Junk Wine 1 month, 3 weeks ago
Junk food is here to stay. Sometimes the moment just calls for a tasty Twinkie. Or maybe a tube of Pringles potato chips. And then there’s Cheez Whiz1. Everybody eats these junky, mass-manufactured foods, even […]
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Michael Horne commented on the post, Bringing Wine Home from Italy 3 months, 2 weeks ago
In reply to: Michael Horne wrote a new post, Bringing Wine Home from Italy Ever wonder how to safely and legally bring home prized wines from your trip to Italy? It’s easy – if you know a few helpful tricks. Our vino road war […] ViewCiao Mary.
My apologies, but I’ve checked and unfortunately that’s a wine we can’t seem to get in directly. That can happen with some producers, usually because of low inventory or they have an exclusive importer in the US.
I’ll keep checking to see if there’s another way to get it in, and if so I’ll follow-up with you.
Cheers.
Michael -
Michael Horne commented on the post, The Best Italian Value Wines Under 25 Bucks 4 months, 1 week ago
In reply to: Michael Horne wrote a new post, The Best Italian Value Wines Under 25 Bucks One of the best things about Italy is the huge number of quality wines you can find at remarkably low prices. While a good quality […] ViewHi Tony — you have a couple of options for finding these wines.
1. Call your local wine shop or liquor store (if they sell wine) to see if they can get it in. Usually they’ll have a list of importers they can check with. You can often find the name of the importer on the winery’s website. To find the winery, just google the name of the winery +…[Read more]
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Michael Horne wrote a new post, The Best Italian Value Wines Under 25 Bucks 4 months, 1 week ago
One of the best things about Italy is the huge number of quality wines you can find at remarkably low prices.
While a good quality California wine from Napa or Sonoma will run you $30-$50 or more, you can […]
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Hi Tony — you have a couple of options for finding these wines.
1. Call your local wine shop or liquor store (if they sell wine) to see if they can get it in. Usually they’ll have a list of importers they can check with. You can often find the name of the importer on the winery’s website. To find the winery, just google the name of the winery + Italy and it should come up in the list.
2. The faster, easier way is to check online on Wine Searcher and have the wine shipped directly to you from an online wine shop. It’s pretty simple, just search for the wine and select one of the retailers. If they come up in the list, the retailer is required to have it available for purchase.
I’ll be stocking a number of these Top 30 this year, and I’m coordinating a shipment now. If you’d like me to keep you in the loop on new Value Wines coming in, you can sign-up here.
Cheers
Michael -
Hi Ken — yep, the Wine-Searcher app for iPhone and Android is a handy one to have.
Cheers.
Michael
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Michael Horne replied to the topic Milano: Love at first sight in the forum Itineraries for Culture Buffs 5 months ago
Ciao Deb, and thanks for this great write-up on Milano. I have to say, I’m not as experienced cruising Milan as you are, and it’s really nice to have these pointers.
I have visited a few great restaurants there, especially the osterie and trattorie that dot the city. Just for fun, here are three of my favorites. All of them require a quick call…[Read more]
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Michael Horne started the topic Venice Carnevale: Flight of the Angel in the forum Itineraries for Culture Buffs 5 months, 1 week ago
I love Venice.
Venezia may have become overrun by tourists, but I love making a regular trek to the watery city. What better time than at the annual celebration of Carnevale?
While checking out some Facebook posts on the Venetian 17-day celebration leading up to Fat Tuesday, I ran across this cool video (dripping with credits…
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Michael Horne started the topic Venice Carnevale: Flight of the Angel in the forum Itineraries for Culture Buffs 5 months, 1 week ago
I love Venice.
Venezia may have become overrun by tourists, but I love making a regular trek to the watery city. What better time than at the annual celebration of Carnevale?
While checking out some Facebook posts on the Venetian 17-day celebration leading up to Fat Tuesday, I ran across this cool video (dripping with credits and product…
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Michael Horne replied to the topic Ordering wine from Italian vineyard in the forum Getting your Wine Home from Italy 5 months, 1 week ago
Ciao Mary — it looks like I can get this wine for you, and I have an upcoming order planned for March.
I’ll send you an email to get a bit more info, like how many bottles you might want. Given that this is so hard to find & get into the USA, it’s worth stocking up to make it worthwhile.
Chat soon!
Cheers
Michael -
Michael Horne commented on the post, The Surprising Journey from Italian Winemaker to your Wine Glass 5 months, 1 week ago
In reply to: Michael Horne wrote a new post, The Surprising Journey from Italian Winemaker to your Wine Glass This is the first of my 3-part series on the remarkable journey that Italian wines make from the winemaker’s c […] ViewThanks Vinnie — it’s an interesting topic, sure to trigger some talk on FB with folks in the wine trade. The 3-Tier system is here to stay, no doubt, with an entrenched group of importers and distributors whose future is intertwined well with the state alcohol control boards. As I say, they do some good things for the industry, but there is a…
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Michael Horne started the topic Milano: Love at first sight in the forum Itineraries for Culture Buffs 5 months, 1 week ago
It was love at first sight when I first stepped foot in Milan, Italy, years ago, and the love affair continues till this day. And because of my wonderful experiences, I would like to share a few insights about this captivating city. If you have or have not visited this historical metropolis, I am sure you will find what I have to say a good…
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Michael Horne wrote a new post, The Surprising Journey from Italian Winemaker to your Wine Glass 5 months, 1 week ago
This is the first of my 3-part series on the remarkable journey that Italian wines make from the winemaker’s cantina all the way to your wineglass.
Be sure to sign-up here and I’ll send you a note when I publi […]
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Excellent & informative!
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Thanks Vinnie — it’s an interesting topic, sure to trigger some talk on FB with folks in the wine trade. The 3-Tier system is here to stay, no doubt, with an entrenched group of importers and distributors whose future is intertwined well with the state alcohol control boards. As I say, they do some good things for the industry, but there is a steep price that wine drinkers have to pay for the “value add.”
Some states are moving away for 3-Tier laws and enabling tighter connections between the winemakers and the winelovers, either with direct-to-consumer sales from wineries here in the states, or direct via the Importer who helps get good wine into the hands of the wine drinkers. There are some great Importers doing good things, one of my favorites (besides Dall’Uva;-) is K&L Wines in the SF bay area. They sell wines they source from distributors and importers AND sell wines they direct import from Italy. Good stuff.
Cheers.
Michael
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Michael Horne wrote a new post, Nailed it: How Your Preferences Reveal Your Favorite Wine 5 months, 3 weeks ago
This might surprise you.
By answering just a few questions about foods you like, how you take your coffee, and whether you like opera, it's possible to predict which Italian wine you […]
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Michael Horne commented on the post, [QUIZ] What Kind of Italian Wine are You? 6 months, 1 week ago
In reply to: Michael Horne wrote a new post, [QUIZ] What Kind of Italian Wine are You? Are you a Chianti, or more like a Barolo? Maybe you're bubbly and a party animal, like a Prosecco. Or perhaps you're sweet, […] ViewCool!
What wine producers were you able to visit?
Cheers
~Michael -
Michael Horne wrote a new post, 5 New Year’s Resolutions for Drinking Better in 2017 6 months, 4 weeks ago
I know what you’re thinking.
“Aren’t New Years resolutions about making more healthy choices?”
Well, yes, they are.
So here are 5 New Year’s resolutions you can follow to improve yo […]
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Michael Horne commented on the post, [QUIZ] What Kind of Italian Wine are You? 6 months, 4 weeks ago
In reply to: Michael Horne wrote a new post, [QUIZ] What Kind of Italian Wine are You? Are you a Chianti, or more like a Barolo? Maybe you're bubbly and a party animal, like a Prosecco. Or perhaps you're sweet, […] ViewThanks for the kind words, arsalinas — glad you’re enjoying the Blog. Best wishes to you, too for the New Year.
Cheers!
Michael -
Michael Horne wrote a new post, [QUIZ] What Kind of Italian Wine are You? 7 months ago
Are you a Chianti, or more like a Barolo? Maybe you're bubbly and a party animal, like a Prosecco. Or perhaps you're sweet, like a Moscato.
Find out what kind of Italian Wine you're […]
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Thanks for the kind words, arsalinas — glad you’re enjoying the Blog. Best wishes to you, too for the New Year.
Cheers!
Michael -
Cool!
What wine producers were you able to visit?
Cheers
~Michael
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Thanks Larry — you’re right, and just like with junk food, many drinkers of cheap wine are completely unaware of what’s going into their wine. Even worse, the wineries are not required to list their ingredients (unlike all other food).
Blissful ignorance isn’t necessarily a good thing.
Cheers.
Michael