Time can really fly, and these days it seems to be going by as fast as ever.

It’s just the second day of the year, but I’m already prepping for my 3 months (76 days in Italia, 9 days in France, 4 in Germany) for my annual/bi-annual journey. I leave home on 26 January, I return home on 23 May.

It looks like things will begin just 48 hours after I’ve arrived, at this year’s Benvenuto Brunello in Montalcino center, on 16 Febb. After, I’ll spend several weeks meeting with various producers in Montalcino and Chianti Classico. Some of my visits will be with people I see each year, and others will be with producers whose wines I’ve had in the past year that have made wine(s) that have really spoken to me, in a profound way.

After, there will be fairs like VinItaly 2018, #ViniVeri (a GREAT!!) natural wine fair, and yet another (GREAT!!) natural wine fair, #VinNatur – all three are located in or around Verona area, and all three have become seriously good investments of time, etc.

In between Benvenuto Brunello and VinItaly is ProWein, in Dusseldorf, a grand event. There’s likely to be a few regional fairs mixed in, too.

During this trip, I’ll also hope to connect with friends/colleagues across Italia, France, Germany, and maybe even a night or two in Zurich, after ProWein.

Major regions I intend to visit will include: Vittoria, Etna, Montalcino, Chianti Classico, Pfalz, Bordeaux, Loire, Aosta, Valtellina, Alto Piemonte, Friuli, Barolo, Barbaresco, Langhe/Monferrato, Valpolicella, Alto Adige, Trento, etc.

The point of this post is not to brag, because being on the road, away from home/family for more than 100 days (I will be in NYC, before departing for Europe), and living mostly out of a car and various AirBnB is not as fun as it might sound, it’s work just like anything else, it’s just prettier 😀

If you’ve some suggestions for places to visit, places that make great wines of place and variety, places that are sustainable and are either traditional or some blend of traditional and modern methods, drop me a line, I’ll do some research. New discoveries are what keeps me going back each year. timheaton@ItalianWine.blog

Happy 2018, everyone.