I’ve not been able to post as I’d hoped to this week, but I’ve been in Los Angeles meeting with a neurosurgeon for a second-opinion re: my lousy spine/discs. Good news, no immediate surgery – just keep on with the epidural injections until they don’t work anymore, then come see him again. That day will probably arrive to soon – whenever that is!

This morning I’ve packed my https://vingardevalise.com/product/winesuitcase-grande-05/ , for its second trip to Italia this year, with some fun bottles from my cellar that my friends/winemakers there aren’t likely to find – more so since most are at least 15 years old.

But enough of all that, following the next three nights in NYC, I’ll depart on Emirates’ EK206 non-stop into Milano. My scheduled return home is 18 December; I already miss my girls. And, our dog Murphy is probably penning his final chapter and probably won’t be here when I return (he’s just turned 14).

On Tuesday, I’ll begin to move my Italian cellar from Asti area to Roero – too a dark, and even colder location. Later in the week, I’ll have my visit to Cantina Bartolo Mascarello, in Barolo village, to pick up this year’s allocation, and catch up with my friend Alan Manley.

I’ve no other appointments during my 11 days in Langhe – I’ll let things occur organically according to this year’s Nebbiolo harvest. This is a crazy busy time, and I’m happy to sit in my flat and write all day as opposed to stopping by ‘to visit’.

Following my time in Piemonte, I’ll have 31 days in Tuscany, with the majority in Chianti Classico area, but a day, or two, in Montalcino as well (most everyone’s finished harvesting the Sangviovese Grosso).

For the third chapter of this trip, I’ve decided to revisit the Alto Adige for several days, there’s a few good stories I’d like to work on there. After that, I’ll have 2-3 weeks remaining, and I think I’ll see how things are going, and if I feel like it, I’ll venture into Friuli, and perhaps even into Slovenia, again.

So, not a lot of planning/appointments this trip, but during harvest period it’s better to be adaptable; asking for people’s time during this crucial period would be rather selfish of me. Besides, I’ll be back on 2 February for another three months as all of the new-release wine fairs begin.