For more than 10 years, Barbara D’Agapiti and her company, Wine Link Italy, have been well-respected names on the enogastronomic scene in Italy. Originally from the lovely Castelli Romani area near Rome, a zone historically famous for wine production, Barbara grew up in a traditional Italian family where her grandparents formed an integral part of the household. For her first ten years, Barbara was fortunate enough to be fed what her grandparents produced – eggs, poultry, pigs, the fruits of an extended vegetable patch, and yes, the occasional sip of homemade wine. Having been spoiled with a taste of Italy’s finest products from a young age, she knows where to go when it comes to food and wine.

In 2001 Barbara’s father urged her get out in the world. Her first stop was at Università di Perugia to study Economics and Tourism Management. An encounter with a young man named Antony would forever change her life. A trained sommelier and son of a restaurateur, Antony helped her discover new tastes in the fascinating world of food and wine. It was also Anthony who brought Barbara in contact with renowned gastronomer Maestro Salvatore Denaro, a unique personality with an insatiable passion for all that lives and grows. Salvatore was ahead of his time with his Enoteca wine bar and farm to table restaurant Il Bacco Felice where he served delicious dishes with produce from his own garden. Her crash course in good hospitality at Il Bacco Felice affirmed Barbara of the importance of provenance, freshness, and seasonality of raw ingredients. Barbara thereby continued a lifelong search for excellence and a strong will to share her experiences with visitors to Italy from all over the world.

Becoming an expert involves a lot of tastings, quizzing producers, and travelling, but Barbara has also accumulated a broad set of certifications and diplomas. She is a qualified olive oil taster, a certified Associazione Italiana Sommelier, holder of the WSET Level 2 diploma and working towards Level 3, an active member of the Slow Food Italia association, and a contributing writer to the yearly Slow Wine Guide. Lately Barbara is studying artisanal wine with well-known writer and journalist Sandro Sangiorgi of Porthos fame. From early on Barbara has embraced and promoted small wine producers who have peeked outside the somewhat strict regional rules of wine production. These producers and their vini artigianali (artisanal wines) are pushing the boundaries of winemaking and opening new horizons on the taste front.

Barbara’s friendliness and professionalism will make for an unforgettable trip with the right balance between knowledge and fun. As one of her guests put it: “From the wine aficionado to the curious newbie, Barbara shares her passion with generosity, creating that ancestral, magic atmosphere that can be found in simple, exceptionally human things: like telling stories over food and wine, and coming to understand a place and its culture by truly, mindfully living it."

Languages spoken: English, Italian

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