183: Italian Wines and Wine Competitions with Vinitaly's Stevie Kim

How can you learn more about the diverse regions and styles of Italian wine? What's the difference in impact between wine competitions and critic scores? And how do they influence the wines you buy and drink?   In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with the founder of Vinitaly and host of the Italian Wine Podcast, Stevie Kim.   You can find the wines we discussed at https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks   Highlights How did Stevie end up living in Verona, Italy? Which rosé wine piqued Stevie’s interest in diving into Italian wines? What was the inspiration for creating Vinitaly? How did Stevie adapt her business during the pandemic? What is Vinitaly? Who is Vinitaly geared towards and what kind of experience should you expect? What is OperaWine? How do wine competitions compare to wine scoring by critics? What makes the OperaWine rating process so selective? How does the individualistic nature of Italians show up in Italian wine? Why are Italian wines sometimes confusing for consumers to navigate?   Key Takeaways I was fascinated with her points on the differences in impact between wine competitions and critic scores. The range and diversity of Italian regions and wine styles can seem overwhelming. I love Stevie’s approach to making them accessible and memorable. I’ve added several more obscure Italian wines to my list to try next.   Join me on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube Live Video Join the live-stream video of this conversation on Wednesday at 7 pm eastern on Instagram Live Video, Facebook Live Video or YouTube Live Video. I’ll be jumping into the comments as we watch it together so that I can answer your questions in real-time. I want to hear from you! What’s your opinion of what we’re discussing? What takeaways or tips do you love most from this chat? What questions do you have that we didn’t answer? Want to know when we go live? Add this to your calendar: https://www.addevent.com/calendar/CB262621   About Stevie Kim As Managing Director of Vinitaly International, Stevie Kim has launched and now coordinates a series of new initiatives connected to the Vinitaly brand. As a Professional Wine Groupie, Stevie is always seeking innovative ways to communicate Italian wine – with a strong creative emphasis on social media and educational platforms. In 2017, Stevie produced the Italian Wine Podcast, the first podcast in English dedicated exclusively to Italian wine and its personalities. Now in its fourth year of regular broadcasts, the show published its 770th episode on January 31, 2022. She also carries out various editorial projects, one of the latest being The Jumbo Shrimp Guide to Italian Wine and The Jumbo Shrimp Guide to International Grape Varieties in Italy. The books are reference guides, designed to simplify the complex world of Italian wine. Last year, Stevie started her On The Road Edition travels to wineries and regions across Italy, airing every week on the Mamma Jumbo Shrimp YouTube channel.     To learn more about the resources mentioned in this episode, visit https://www.nataliemaclean.com/183.