About Me

Benvenuto! My name is Maddy but I go by Maddalena when tasting my way through the wine cellars of Italy. I am a Master Sommelier and a self-certified Italian wine specialist. I received my Bachelor's degree at Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration, where I studied Beverage Management and minored in Italian. During this time, I spent a year abroad in Bologna, where while sipping on red bubbly in Piazza Maggiore and listening to Lucio Dalla, my love for Italian wine was born. 

 

I continue to develop my lifelong wine education through bi-annual travels to the wine regions of Europe. I spend three months each year in Italy, visiting its diverse terroirs and working harvests up and down the peninsula - from the Langhe in the north to Etna in the south. 

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I began my career as a Sales Representative for Lyra Wine, a California-based importer of artisanal Italian wines. I went on to become the San Francisco Market Manager for Minerality Wines, representing both Roberto Voerzio and Bibi Graetz. In 2016, I moved to Aspen, Colorado, to pursue my wine career in a more scenic setting - the backdrop of my beloved mountains. 

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I am the wine director at Casa Tua, Aspen, co-found of Winomad Productions and Pair Aspen, partner in Avventura Trips, and founder / owner of Nebbiolo Notes. While my first love is Nebbiolo, I have a soft spot for Frappato and Zibibbo. 

 

While Aspen naps in the spring and fall, you'll find me sipping on Chenin in the wine bars of Paris and frolicking through the vineyards of Piedmont. My dream is to one day move to Italy full-time and open a wine / karaoke bar.