A Journey to Breganze, Treiso, and Beyond with Club Italiano

K&L’s Italian wine program was built from the ground up by Greg St. Clair, who served as our Italian wine buyer for 28 years before gracefully retiring in 2024. He left behind a remarkable foundation—one that our newest Italian wine buyer, Orazio Campoli, has taken in exciting new directions.

The program has long been one of the best in the industry, and under Orazio, it has become an even more diverse collection of wines from producers at the forefront of modern Italian winemaking. These are wines that speak clearly of place, variety, and heritage. They charm and captivate rather than chase points or fleeting marketing trends.

When I taste wine, I tend to focus on three things: value, typicity, and whether the wine is technically well made. Orazio’s selections consistently tick all three boxes. In fact, I’ve never bought as much Italian wine in my five years at K&L as I have since he took over the program.

That’s also what makes the Club Italiano such a compelling way to explore the category. You’re not just getting a discount on wines you already know. You’re getting access to thoughtfully selected bottles that might otherwise never make it onto your radar—at pricing that makes taking a chance on something new feel especially worthwhile.

When I tasted the Club Italiano wines in our recent staff Wine Club tasting, I snapped them up. Here are two examples of what’s in store when you join.

My Fave Picks from Club Italiano:
A Volcanic Vespaiolo and a Baby Barbaresco

The 2024 Contrada Soarda Vespaiolo (Retail: $24.99; Club: $19.99) is made from a native grape grown in the volcanic soils of the Breganze DOC, in the foothills of northeastern Italy’s Veneto region. Vespaiolo is sometimes dried to make the region’s sweet Torcolato wines, but this expression is decidedly dry, with bright, refreshing acidity. Its name comes from the Italian word for “wasps,” which are famously drawn to the grape’s naturally sugary berries.

This rendition is dry, flavorful, and simply a joy to drink, with notes of honeyed pear, white peach, Meyer lemon, white tea, and a hint of jasmine. It would be lovely with light fish dishes like petrale sole, baked cod, or halibut, and equally at home alongside a chicken salad or a few simple snacks.

Or you could just come home from work and drink it, like I did.

Dress it up or keep things casual—this is an effortlessly versatile wine. I especially like bringing bottles like this to dinner because it offers something a little unexpected. A lot of people associate Italian white wine with Pinot Grigio, but Orazio’s selection is chock full of interesting Italian whites from up and down the boot. Plus, it’s not Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc, so guests can check their preconceived notions at the door. Everyone can simply pour a glass and enjoy it.

The 2024 Cascina Alberta Nebbiolo Langhe (Retail: $24.99; Club: $19.99) was another instant favorite. It’s Nebbiolo from Treiso—one of Barbaresco's four communes—and is basically Barbaresco on the down low. It’s also one of the best Langhe Nebbiolo under $25. Made from organically farmed young Nebbiolo grown at high elevation and aged in large Slavonian oak casks, it’s pale garnet, refreshing, and wonderfully atmospheric.

It reminds me of a gentleman’s outfitter in London, with Earl Grey tea, tobacco, violet pastilles, and rose petals framed by fresh raspberry and hibiscus. You could even give it a slight chill. It’s the sort of Nebbiolo that makes you wonder why you don’t drink more Nebbiolo.

And that, to me, is the real pleasure of Club Italiano. These are the kinds of wines I love discovering: bottles that take me places, stir my imagination, and make me think about who I want to drink them with. They’re distinctive without being weird or difficult, full of flavor without losing their sense of place, and they consistently over-deliver for the price.

On a side note, another exciting offering in the Italian category is the 2020 Randi Burson “Randi Selezione” Ravenna, available at Insider’s Advantage pricing. Burson is what they call Uva Longanesi in Romagna, and 70% of the fruit is dried for 60 days before fermentation, then it spends 24 months in French oak tonneaux. That appassimento step is the reason this wine achieves a dark, inky, and luscious quality that is irresistible. It momentarily turned me into a bear. You can read my review online. I’ll just say this: don’t miss it.

Thirsty? Our next monthly Wine Club tasting is on Thursday, September 3, 2026, in all four of our California locations, and it’s a great opportunity to see what the Club is all about. The tasting is free for Club members, and members receive $5 off each of these wines, along with discounts on the rest of the Club offering.

Taste for Yourself: September 3, 2026 in all California Stores

If you were already planning to pick up a few bottles, you might as well taste them with us first, save a little money, and discover something new while you’re at it. And once you start exploring the other Wine Clubs, there’s a good chance you’ll find even more wines you didn’t know you were looking for.

It’s a pretty sweet deal.

So, salute, dear reader—and thank you for shopping with us.
— Kerry Kennell, K&L Writer and Editor