DON’T FORGET TO TOAST OR WWCD (WHAT WOULD CLOONEY DO): AN INTERVIEW WITH MONICA LARNER

Bacchus’ nectar effectively strokes all of the senses — touch, sight, smell, taste — but one of those needs an acoustical nudge. Sound. That ‘cling’ of a toast and the laughter and chatter that goes with raising a glass in company. Wine encompasses all of the senses. If a sixth sense could be added, it would be called togetherness. Something that has been put on hold, but not forgotten, by wine writer and journalist, Monica Larner. Monica has been covering wine for over two decades. But her global understanding of the mystical fruit and all of its manifestations goes back much further. Even before her family planted their first vines on Larner Vineyards in California, Monica knew how to tell the story of Planet Grape. Make it accessible, understandable, earthy and human. A grape is a friend to know, and a tale to be told. A delight to be shared.

In the span of a month (in times past and times to come), Monica can be found visiting any one of Italy’s 46,000 vineyards, attending numerous events, speaking at conferences or giving a Master Class in New York City. Her vibrant approach and accessible descriptions demystify and charm. As a journalist, she has the rare insight into this Italian cornerstone and speaks to the most savant, and also, most eager novices. Her style transmits a universal appreciation that is hard to come by. Over the last months, Monica says, “My adopted home Italy has been on a national lockdown due to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). I am watching events unfold from afar because I was unable to return to Rome before my return flight was canceled. As the COVID-19 pandemic casts its dark shadow across the globe, we look to Italy for bittersweet consolation and inspiration. Our hearts are profoundly touched by the resilience and creativity of the Italian spirit.” From this deep reflection, her Decameron Wine series for Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, takes readers on a journey dipping into an Italian literary classic. The key is historical, the timing contemporary, the subject timeless. In these times, the taverne (taverns) in bell’italia are empty, street cafes are just shaking out of an imposed hibernation and while convivial moments have been hard to share, they have been shared. Chats, through the written word, or banging on pots from a balcony in cities that used to throb with activity, have replaced the usual get togethers. Despite the pause button for people, some producers and all of the global anxiousness, Monica has found the eternal pulse in the subject. The gift of wine and all it has to offer continues to be told, bringing a sense of togetherness in isolation.

This is what Monica, author of Living, Studying and Working in Italy and In Love in Italy (amongst many titles) has to say. “Without the chin chin, wine is just a bevanda, it’s just a beverage. But with the chin chin it becomes a social. It becomes a celebration, a birthday, an anniversary — it becomes a moment of human interaction. Wine is the glue that metaphorically covers anything about humanity that we love and appreciate,” Monica Larner.