Taste of Italy
taste of Italy
Now in its 9th year, this event is the largest trade fair in the U.S. devoted exclusively to Italian wine and food products, producers, and gastronomic traditions.
Past speakers have included the CEO of Eataly Dino Borri, food and wine expert Darrell Corti, Houston Chronicle wine writer Dale Robertson, Houston Chronicle food writer Chris Reid, Italian wine educator Jeremy Parzen, wine writer David Lynch, Spec’s Italian wine buyer Tom Dobson, New York Times contributor Bruce Schoenfeld, Master Sommelier June Rodil, Kroger wine buyer Jaime De Leon, Master Sommelier Steven McDonald and many more leading food and wine experts.
by the numbers
EXPERT KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
GOURMET PRODUCTS
a taste of the 2022 event
We thank everyone — exhibitors, presenters, sommeliers, and organizers — for a fantastic Taste of Italy Houston™ 2022, now in its 8th year and now back in-person after a two-year hiatus.
“It was such a thrill,” said emcee and panel moderator Jeremy Parzen, a Houston-based food and wine historian and educator, “to see so many Texas restaurant professionals excited to taste, learn, and interact with the Italians who traveled from Europe to Texas especially for the gathering. It was great.”
Highlights of this year’s event included: Talks by Darrell Corti, a leading U.S. expert on Italian gastronomy, and Dino Borri, CEO for Eataly in the U.S.; a seminar on pairing Texas BBQ with Chianti led by celebrity pit master Ara Malekian and Spec’s Italian wine buyer Tom Dobson; and the awards ceremony for the winner, and second- and third-runners up in the Villa Sandi Houston Sommelier Competition.
day 1
day 2
a taste of the past
Browse previous Taste of Italy events:
Webinar Series:
“Challenges and Opportunities
in the Post-Pandemic Era”
Italian wine industry pioneer Brian Larky, CEO and founder of Dalla Terra Imports, shares his insights into the current state of the Italian wine industry with wine writer and educator Jeremy Parzen. Presented by the Italy-America Chamber of Commerce South-Central on the occasion of the Taste of Italy Virtual Food and Wine Trade Fair 2021 in Houston, Texas.
A panel discussion about how to be successful in the US Market with GrapeIn and Salisbury Creative Group. In today’s competitive environment, it is critical you do not rely solely on traditional distribution channels but also take ownership of your brand’s marketing. In this discussion, we will explore the proven alternatives (many of them are NEW).
Whether you already have an importer/distributor or are searching for one, you will find this recoridng useful.
Our panelists will share their insights into what virtual wine tasting is going to “look and feel like” moving forward, including GrapeIn’s innovation new platform for connecting winemakers with wine buyers across the U.S.
With Flavio Geretto – International Export Director Villa Sandi (Valdobbiadene), Cecilia Ercolino – Founder and CEO Italian Products USA, Kevin Day – Author and Wine Educator: Opening a Bottle, and Jeremy Parzen – Food and Wine Historian: Do Bianchi.
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