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  • Irene's wine rack...
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Welcome to my wine rack! (An ever-evolving work in progress)

Simply put....I love wine. Why do you think I take people on trips to Italy? Well, actually I love Italy for all sorts of reasons, but wine certainly ranks up there as a main one. I do consider Oregon my home however, and so you will see I also have a page to feature the delicious wines of the Pacific Northwest. And, as my love of wine has grown, I've begun to branch out and am finding I love wines from other parts of the world as well.

You'll notice the photos I post show mainly empty bottles. I won't feature a wine if I haven't tried it and loved it. I will not rage against wines I do not enjoy, but I will extol the virtues of the ones I do.

Why should you trust my wine choices? Am I a professional sommelier? No, but I am a student of wine, currently holding certificates for Intermediate Level 2 and Advanced Level 3 from the Wine Spirit Education Trust (WSET) based in the UK. I am also a certified IWP (Italian Wine Professional). I have also spent the past several years working in wine shops between tours to Italy. Does it get any better than that? Working in a wine shops gives me the opportunity to expand my horizons and  taste wines outside of my Italo-centric world. 

And when I am on tour in Italy, guess what I do a lot of? Yes, you are so right....I taste wine! My tours tend to feature food and wine, as these are my personal passions. My tour groups visit lots of wineries and have great wines with their dinners. Many of my colleagues in Italy are in the wine industry or professional sommeliers, so I get lots of wonderful recommendations.  All the wines featured here are simply a matter of my personal opinion. Have a taste and see if you agree. Realize, if a wine is featured on these pages, it is because I have personally tasted it and fallen in love with it. 

PS: These pages are a constant work in progress. Come back often. Have patience and enjoy!