march, 26 2026
It all started with a simple decision:
to give back
Reading Time: 5 mins
What a week in the Midwest taught me about why that still matters
I’m writing this from here, after two intense weeks on the road, first across Europe and then in the United States.
Coming back always carries a particular feeling, a mix of familiarity and quiet change, as if something has shifted while everything around you looks the same. This time, more than usual, that feeling stayed with me.
I arrived in Nebraska thinking I knew what to expect. Cold air, quiet landscapes, that feeling of winter still holding on.
And yet, just a few days later, I found myself standing outside without a coat, under a completely different sky. From around 28°F at the beginning of the week to nearly 90°F by midweek, it felt like I had traveled across seasons without ever leaving the same place.
In a way, that shift reflects exactly what this week has been for me. A constant movement. Not just in temperature, but in conversations, in people, in perspectives.
Throughout the week, I found myself telling the same story over and over again. Not because I had to, but because people were genuinely curious. Why did I leave a structured career in large wine companies? Why build something of my own?
And every time, I came back to the same answer. At a certain point, I felt the need to give back. To take everything I had learned over the years and bring it back to the land that gave me so much. To support small, family-run wineries, producers who craft wines with incredible dedication and yet often struggle to reach distant markets.
That’s where my journey shifted, from building brands to building bridges.
This week, that mission took shape in very different settings. From a large fundraising event at the Omaha Press Club in support of the Hillcrest Foundation, full of energy and participation, to a more intimate gathering with the NExT Foundation, where conversations felt closer, almost like sitting around a table with old friends.
And then a smaller, beautiful afternoon at Vino Mas, hosted by Hollie & John, in a space that felt instantly warm and welcoming, where wine once again became a reason to connect.
But what probably stayed with me the most were the evenings spent in people’s homes. Private tastings that started as simple gatherings and turned into something much more meaningful. Many of these clients have, over time, become friends. Andy & Fran, Janelle & Gabriel, Rod & Mary, Frank & Lisa, Eric & Darci, Travis & Pat… just to mention a few. Thank you, for opening your home doors to my wine tasting experiences!
They were also the very first to get a glimpse of a new project I’ve been quietly working on. It’s still a bit early to share all the details here, but stay close… I’ll be revealing more in the coming weeks.
And a very special thank you to Sheri, who welcomed me into her home for the entire week with such genuine care and generosity, a beautiful reminder of the spirit you feel so strongly in the Midwest, and especially within the Italian-American community.
Opening their homes also meant opening a different kind of space, one where there is more time for questions, more curiosity, more connection. For them, of course, but also for me. Because in those moments, I don’t just share Tuscany, I get to experience something deeper and more human in return.
And maybe that’s the real reason I keep doing this. Because every time I travel to share my world, I come back with a piece of someone else’s.
During the past weeks, many of you asked me about traveling to Tuscany. Where to go, what to see, how to experience it beyond the usual routes. So I thought I’d share this with you. There are still a few spots available for our October Tuscany experience with Jill, a journey designed exactly in the spirit of what I try to bring abroad: authentic places, meaningful encounters, and wines that tell real stories.
Because at the end of the day, Tuscany is not just a place you visit. It’s something you feel. And once you’ve felt it, even just a little, it has a way of staying with you.
Maybe that’s why I keep leaving… and always find my way back.
If you feel that call too, I’d love to share this journey with you in the upcoming October edition of the Tuscan Escape!
PS: A few of you already got a sneak peek of my very new project last week… and let’s just say it made me even more excited about what’s coming next. It’s something very close to my heart, and I can’t wait to share it with all of you soon.
Would you like to enjoy Caprili’s exceptional wines
but can’t make to Italy or find it nearby?
No worries!
I’ll be more than happy to ship the finest expressions of
Podere Pietravento, L’Inizio, straight to your door
(nearly) worldwide.
Ready to toast?
