Goodbye from One of the Italian Wine Legends
One Last Time: Arrivederci Amici!
This is the last Italian newsletter that I will write; I am retiring. This is my 28th year at K&L, and it is time for me to move on. I started working at K&L on February 1st, 1997. That seems like such a long time ago! While thinking of that, I remembered reading an article by Malcom Gladwell, quoting a couple of scientists who, after much study, wrote that it took 10,000 hours of detailed focus to master a subject or skill. Curious, I added up my days, and, on my last day—August 29th, 2024—I will have been employed at K&L for 10,071 days. I think I passed the 10,000 hour mark a while ago.
Over the next few blog posts, I will have some things to say about wine; advice on how to think about it; some varieties you should really consider trying; but mostly some very big thanks to Clyde Beffa Jr. and Todd Zucker, the owners of K&L way back when I started (and still)—to them, I am forever indebted. They took a chance on me and gave me an opportunity to live my passion and my dream. I still remember Todd approaching me very early in my K&L tenure with an invoice for olive oil and Illy coffee, and he asked me with a very quizzical expression, “What is this?” I told him “If we’re going to sell Italian, then we’re going to sell Italian, but you can feel good because I skipped the shoes.”
There are way too many people to thank for all of the help I received over the years but a few deserve special recognition in developing and honing my focus and knowledge—and also at the end of the day it has always been about sales! Philip di Belardino, who passed away but has never been forgotten, was an Icon in the Italian wine business. Paolo Boselli, less well known but his detail-oriented advice and infectious joy for living has always been a guiding light for me.