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About diVino
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Amy Wadman Amy is the creator and owner of diVino and has been running the business since 2003. As a result of her many years living, working and traveling in Italy Amy is both bilingual and bicultural, which makes her uniquely qualified to share her experience with people who are seeking a deeper understanding of the Italian lifestyle. "I was born in Colorado and have been living in Italy for over 20 years. When I was 14 I moved from Boulder with my family to the tiny Tuscan hilltop village of Montebenichi in central Tuscany. I think it took me about 1 week to decide that I would be staying forever! |
After attending Italian public schools and working in the hospitality industry, I discovered a passion for Italy's wines and foods and for sharing this love with people visiting the area. I went on to study with the Italian Association of Sommeliers and received my Sommelier degree in May, 2005. Since then I've been traveling pretty much full time throughout Italy, spending extended periods of time in Rome, Liguria, Umbria, Trentino, Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta, working, visiting wineries, researching trip itineraries and sampling (feasting on) local foods and wines while gaining an understanding of the history and culinary traditions that make each of Italy’s 20 regions unique. I now live in the quiet region of Le Marche, which I believe is one of Italy's most beautiful undiscovered gems. I believe there is no better way to discover Italy than through it's fine wines and traditional local food products and I think the only way to truly experience the essence of Italy is to travel to each region, see the land and the vineyards, meet the winemakers and the people and taste the local foods and wines in their place of origin. I also believe that the joy of tasting wine is greatly enhanced by the experience of being surrounded by the sights, smells and sounds of Italy and I strive to create unique itineraries which I like to define "food-wine-experience pairings". My trips are custom tailored private tour packages and I work one on one with each individual traveler, creating one of a kind itineraries catering to each clients interests and needs. Though my trips are gourmet in nature and cater to wine lovers, I also like to weive unique art and history experiences into my itineraries and arrange exclusive and one of a kind events for my travelers thoughout Italy. " For a little more on some of Amy's travels and the wines and foods featured in her tours visit her travel and tasting notes section. Read Amy's Travel & Tasting notes from her journeys across Italy
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Summer Wolff Summer is the creator and owner of Indie Wineries - http://indiewineries.com/ and has worked with diVino since 2009. "A Long Island, NY native, I have been working with wine for the past 10+ years, from Colorado where I attended UC at Boulder, to Charleston South Carolina where I took over my first wine list, to Blue Fin in Times Square NY as an assistant Sommelier, to Tellers on Long Island as Wine Director/Sommelier. |
Whilst at Tellers I asked one of my favorite Italian producers to host me for the harvest so I could learn more about wine making. After the harvest, they asked me to stay on to take care of Public Relations, and a bit of their international marketing. I stayed for more than a year on the estate, and returned to NY the following fall where I started working for Sokolin. After two years with Sokolin, Italy came calling again in the shape of Amy Wadman at diVino Tours, an experience that had me help create custom itineraries for wine and gourmet travel all over Italy. Over the years I have been fortunate enough to discover numerous hidden gems, small boutique wineries making wines in harmony with nature, many using either organic or biodynamic methods. I like to call these producers Indie Wineries. Their wines have soul, full of charming and unique personalities and represent the antithesis of the mass produced wines that unfortunately saturate the market. They are the wines that have inspired the birth of my passion project, ‘Indie Wineries’. True artisanal, handcrafted terroir-driven wines often represent the wine maker him or herself... and so getting to know the person behind the wine is just as important as getting to know the wines themselves. My mission is to share with you the wines, and introduce you to the artists and estates behind the wines that make our eyes light up, that 'wow' us, that inspire us to learn more, and that keep us on a constant and fascinating journey in the world of wine. I hope you enjoy the ride!" To Contact Summer directly for more information on Indie Wineries, click here
Summer in the vineyards of Hartmann Donà, Alto Adige |
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Noris VesnaverNoris is a multilingual Sommelier, passionate about Italy’s fine wines and the undiscovered regions of her home in the north-eastern Mediterranean. Years of experience working in the wine industry in Tuscany have given Noris in depth knowledge of the Italian winemaking world. Her multicultural background gives her a unique perspective into the history and traditions of the Italian peninsula, giving travelers the opportunity to truly understand the diversity that makes up Italian society. |
Noris was born near the city of Trieste, the most eastern city in the Italian peninsula. Her mother is of Slovenian origin and her father was born in a coastal village in Croatia. Noris however born and raised in Italy. She grew up in a multicultural home (also learning to speak fluent Slovenian and Croatian), in a village 6 miles from the Slovenian border, in an area of the country that has only been part of the Italian republic since 1954! This beautiful area (called Carso and part of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region) is made of green rolling hills dotted with vineyards and majestic castles perched on white cliff faces that dive down to the Mediterranean Sea. It’s a region rich in history and culture where the influence of the Austro-Hungarian empire can still be seen in the art and architecture as well as in the people and local customs. Most of all it’s a region that is completely Undiscovered! Noris' dream is to help people discover these beautiful regions of Italy, its fine wines and local foods, history, languages and culture. Noris and Amy met in 2002 when Noris was living in Tuscany. She spent 6 years working in the wine industry in Montalcino, where thanks to her knowledge of foreign languages (Italian, Slovenian, Croatian, English, German and if need be, even some French!) she had the wonderful opportunity to work as PR Director in one of Italy’s most prestigious wineries. After many years of experience in Tuscany, learning in depth information on winemaking in Montalcino and obtaining her sommelier degree in 2003, she decided it was time to go back home and put to practice all that she'd learned. Her dream was to run her own business and to develop wine and gourmet tourism in her native Friuli Venezia-Giulia. Noris married local Carso winemaker Josko Colia in 2006 and together they run the winery and farm and welcome guests to visit them and taste their rare local wines, cheeses and other farm products. An odd bit of trivia about Noris: she's an Astrology nut! If you give her your time and date of birth she'll tell you more about yourself than you an imagine. She’ll even do a Wine & Sign pairing for you, selecting the perfect wine to match your astrological sign!
Noris & Amy at Trevi fountain, Rome |
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DiVino
DiVino (which in Italian means both "divine" and "of wine") was born out of Amy’s desire to share her passion for wine and Italy with others. Traveling throughout Italy both Amy has come to know the beauty of each region through its wines and traditional food products. Through this experience she perceived the deep connection each region has to its own unique culinary heritage and how much one can learn about the culture, history and traditions of a region through experiencing its wines and local cuisine. |
DiVino Custom – Italy at your own pace |
