Alan Tardi got seriously interested in wine through food, working as a cook, chef, and chef-restaurateur in New York City. His restaurant, Follonico, was highly acclaimed by leading critics (Gael Green/New York Magazine; Ruth Reichl/The New York Times, and John Mariani/New York Observer) both for its seasonally-regionally inspired menu and groundbreaking wine list.
In 2003, Alan moved to the village of Castiglione Falletto in the Barolo region of Piedmont, Italy, where he worked extensively in the surrounding vineyards and wineries through all phases of the growing and production process and managed the Cantina Comunale of Castiglione Falletto, where all the town’s 22 wineries were represented. After returning to the US in 2015, he became the first-ever US Ambassador of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG.
As a freelance journalist, Tardi has written extensively about wine and food for numerous publications including The New York Times, Wine and Spirits Magazine, The Wine Spectator, Decanter, Food Arts, Sommelier Journal, and WineFolly.com. He also authored two books: “Romancing the Vine: Life, Love and Transformation in the Vineyards of Barolo” (St Martins Press, 2006) won a James Beard Award for Best Wine and Spirits Book of 2006, and “Champagne, Uncorked: The House of Krug and the Timeless Allure of the World’s Most Celebrated Drink” (Hachette 2016) received a Gourmand Best in the World Award.
An avid teacher (and never-ending learner), Alan has taught many classes on food and wine and is a frequent presenter at conferences such as SommCon, The Society of Wine Educators, and the American Wine Society. He also teaches the Italian Wine Scholar (IWS) program of the Wine Scholar Guild.