Anthony Giglio

The Life-Changing Magic of Canning Tomatoes

For this Italian-American family, "doing the jars" is an unshakeable summertime tradition. I hadn't been dating Antonia for more than a couple of weeks when she invited me to her parents’ home for lunch. For the first time. We were moving pretty…

How to Captivate a Wine Audience

How, exactly, do you tell a good wine story? Felicity Carter speaks to a masterful storyteller. Anthony Giglio puts his storytelling ability down to his Italian heritage. “Italians? We invented drama!” he says. “Nobody does drama better than us.”…

The Simple Joys of the EarlyMorning Wine Bar

In Venice bar-hopping at breakfast — for local wine and tapas — is a thing; and locals call it “giro di ombre” By ANTHONY GIGLIO There are very few downsides to staying in a two-room suite at the JW Marriott Venice, but if, like me, you’re a traveler…

Sicilian Wine Tour Itinerary: Mount Etna

With stunning seaside views and a local winemaking scene that keeps getting hotter, the time to visit is now. By Anthony Giglio Is it possible to tame an active volcano? Of course not. But that hasn’t stopped grape growers from planting vines on…

White Zin, You're Dead to Me!

Last weekend my wife and I attended a dinner party at the home of some friends of ours. The hosts asked me to bring a couple of “fun bottles” for happy hour, and mentioned in passing that there would be five other couples there. Figuring that we were…

What's Up with Men and Cabernet?

The Wine Wise-Guy weighs in: Why does practically every man in America tell me, “I like a good Cabernet?” This statement is something I’ve been hearing for the better part of two decades as I’ve crisscrossed the country hosting wine festivals, gala…

Don't Commit This Crime Against Wine!

Summer Wine Deals: Subscribe to Food & Wine's Customizable Wine Club, Firstleaf I know, I know: You’re a wine “collector.” I understand. You have a man-cave filled with treasures that only get more valuable with age: the baseball cards behind glass,…

Are You a Foil Mohel?

While waiting for my always-late dinner date at the convivially crowded bar at the newly-reopened Union Square Café in NYC one night last week, I decided to order a glass of wine, of course. But because I never, ever order from the by-the-glass…

Are You Holding Your Wine Glass the Wrong Way?

People! Here’s the deal with stemware: There’s a rod of glass between the base and the bowl of a wine glass for several reasons, and the absolute most important of those is to keep your 98.6-degree hand away from your properly chilled wine. And yet,…

Are You Making This Big Mistake with Wine Corks?

A few years back, when I was studying to earn my “Diploma in Service” with the Sommelier Society of America (a school for wine professionals in New York City), I remember perspiring my way through the final exam, a pretend wine-service exercise. Two…

Do you really need a $300 corkscrew?

As the Wine Director for American Express’s Centurion Lounges, I fly all over the country to check on wine service at our seven lounges (and soon to be more) at LGA, MIA, LAS, SFO, DFW, IAH and SEA. That means I give a lot of corkscrews to the TSA.…

Don’t Make Mulled Wine. Ever!

It’s bound to happen sometime during the winter, and you might not be able to avoid it without the situation getting awkward. I’m talking, of course, about being offered a glass of warm, mulled wine. It happened to me last week and it was compounded…

Don't Order These Wines In a Restaurant!

Here’s a question I’d like to send out to the wine directors of the world: Why is there a page in your wine list called “Sommelier’s Selections” when it’s really the “let’s unload these losers” page? I’ve seen these pages showing up on more and more…

Hey, Waiter, Stop Asking Me This Ridiculous Wine Question!

After three days of nonstop drinking—day drinking and night drinking, then nightcap drinking followed by eye-openers—during the delirious fun that is ‘Tales of the Cocktail’ (an annual booze-a-palooza in New Orleans for the country’s foremost…

Wine on the Rocks? Don't Do It!

When the New York Times Style section recently reported on the growing trend of serving Champagne on the rocks, just about everyone and their mother—including my own mother—forwarded the article to me. Basically they were sticking their tongues out…

Are You Drinking Your White Wine Too Cold?

America, you are drinking your white wine too cold! I’ve ranted plenty over the years about wine serving temperatures, shaking my fist in the air as I decry the belief shared by far too many of my fellow countrymen (and women) that red wine should be…

5 Wines Under $15 to Pair with Easter Ham

While there are myriad reasons why lamb is the traditional meat to eat on Easter, there’s also very sound reasoning behind the argument that it’s also counterintuitive: If this is a celebration of spring, why not lighten it up a bit? Let’s have ham,…

Switzerland’s Liquid Assets: Wines of the Valais

BY ANTHONY GIGLIO Any adventurous skier who has the temerity to take four cable cars from the Swiss resort village of Verbier to the summit of Mont Fort, at 10,922 feet, is rewarded with vertiginous views of the western Alps in every direction, from…

10 Wines for the Holidays

The best bottles to pair with your Christmas and Thanksgiving menus. For all of us who love entertaining, the holiday season is the most exciting part of the year. It’s a time to revisit culinary traditions, swap secret family recipes, and share some…

Ornellaia Blanco: A Serious Tuscan White Wine

At long last, Axel Heinz and Ornellaia release a rival to their celebrated red; plus, eight other bottles of Tuscan white wine to collect now. By Anthony Giglio Winemaker Axel Heinz is zipping around Ornellaia’s 130-acre Bellaria Estate, in the…