← The Journal
Data-driven takes on pricing, releases, and the Italian wine trade.
Trade & Data
Market Analysis
Investment insights, restaurant economics, and release pricing from the desk of the Italian wine buyer at K&L Wine Merchants.
Latest Analysis
Is This a Wine Crisis or an Affordability Crisis?
Open any trade newsletter this year and you will find the same headline in a different font: wine is in […]
Read Full Analysis →Navigating the New Geography of Italian Wine: Export Diversification and Winning Back the Youth
Living between two cultures as an Italian-American, and spending my days analyzing the US market as...
Ornellaia 2023: Release analysis and the Balsimelli Era
In the pantheon of Bolgheri, Ornellaia has always represented the peak of opulence and structural power....
The 178 Million Euro Wake-Up Call: Navigating the 2025 Italian Wine Contraction
For over a decade, my professional life has been dedicated to the complex, fragmented, and endlessly...
The Enoteca Paradox: Why Your Favorite Italian Wine is Cheaper (and Better) in California Than in Rome
I love walking the retail floor—it is where our industry truly connects with the consumer. But...
How Instagram’s “French Fetish” is Failing Italian Wine
I despise social media. I really do. But recently, I forced myself to sit down and...
The Corkage Loophole: When are you breaking even with corkage?
In my last article, I wrote about the tragic comedy of the $16 glass of “natural”...
The $16 Glass of Nothing: How Greed and “Natural” Gimmicks Are Killing the Restaurant Wine Experience
This entire article came to my mind on Saturday night. I went out with my wife...
Sassicaia 2023 Release analysis
In the pantheon of Italian wine, few names move the market like Sassicaia. The release of...