Wine aficionado Vic Rallo expresses views on the Slow Wine movement and the rising interest in wine consumption in the United States, offering insights from his Italian food expertise.

Vic Rallo: A Wine Expert and Italian Restaurateur

Vic Rallo, a renowned figure in the world of wine, owns two Italian restaurants in New Jersey: Basil T's Brewery and Italian Grill, and Undici Taverna Rustica. Rallo's passion for wine is evident in his restaurants, both of which have won the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence multiple times.

Rallo believes that the Internet and social media have allowed people to become experts in wine. He himself is no exception, with a deep understanding of Italian wine production and a keen eye for selecting the best bottles for his restaurants.

In terms of white wines, Rallo looks to the northern region of Alto Adige in Italy for wines with beautiful fruit, great acidity, and great minerality. For red wines, he looks south to Sicily for nerello mascalese and to Piemonte for barolo, which he refers to as the "king of all wines."

Rallo and his team taste several thousand bottles of wine every year as part of their wine selection process. When selecting wines for his restaurants, Rallo evaluates whether the wine is of good quality, whether his customers will like it, and whether the bottle will sell. He does not let his personal preferences dominate the wine menu in his restaurants.

Rallo also owns an online retailer called Rallo Wines, which deals exclusively in Italian wines. His love for Italian wine is not surprising, given that he prefers wines from the Old World, particularly Italian wines, because they are often acidic and need to be paired with food.

In addition to his restaurants and online retailer, Rallo is also a television personality. He makes several trips to Italy each year for his PBS series Eat! Drink! Italy! The Slow Wine movement is important to Rallo because it focuses on quality and small artisanal producers.

As for food pairings, Rallo wishes people would stop treating wine like a cocktail and start pairing it with food. For instance, pappardelle with wild boar can be paired with a sangiovese, a Tuscan wine, to balance its rich, gamey flavors.

In recent news, the USA became the world's largest consumer of wine last year. Italian wines, French wines, and Spanish wines are usually aggressively acidic and need to be balanced with food to be enjoyed fully.

The author who left New York City for Los Angeles in 2010 and now writes for Edible is Troy Hughes. On February 3, Rallo will be teaching a seminar on wine selection at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York City. If you're a wine enthusiast or simply someone who appreciates a good meal, this is an event not to be missed.

Wine aficionado Vic Rallo expresses views on the Slow Wine movement and the rising interest in wine consumption in the United States, offering insights from his Italian food expertise.