Wine is an integral part of Joe Bastianich’s complex life… father, restaurateur, author, TV personality, musician and marathoner. Joe recognized the potential in the rolling hills of Friuli Venezia Giulia two decades ago, and is convinced the white wines from this region can compete with the best in the world. After finding the perfect property in 1997, he set about creating world-class wines from this promising region. Following the success of the Friulian wines, Joe wanted to explore the potential of the southern area of Maremma in Tuscany. The second venture, La Mozza, was born in 2000. Along with partners Lidia Bastianich and Mario Batali, Joe operates eighteen successful restaurants across the country, including Babbo and Del Posto in NYC, and Carnevino in Las Vegas. This fall will mark their first overseas venture with the opening of Pizzeria and Osteria Mozza in Singapore. Joe has co-authored two award winning books on Italian wine, with a third to be released this fall, and has received numerous accolades for his groundbreaking work in the field. He is currently a judge on FOX’s reality TV hit, MasterChef, with Gordon Ramsay and Graham Elliot, where he shares his expertise in deciphering culinary talent from amongst thousands of amateur home cooks. In the summer of 2010, Joe again partnered with Lidia Bastianich and Mario Batali, as well Italian retail pioneer Oscar Farinetti to bring Eataly, the largest artisanal food and wine market in the world, to New York.

Lidia Bastianich is one of the best-loved chefs on television, a best-selling cookbook author, restaurateur, and owner of a flourishing food and entertainment business. Her cookbooks include, Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy and Lidia’s Italy –both companion books to the Emmy-nominated television series, Lidia’s Italy as well as Lidia’s Family Table, Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen, Lidia’s Italian Table and La Cucina di Lidia. Lidia is the chef/owner of four acclaimed New York City restaurants -- Felidia, Becco, Esca and Del Posto, as well as Lidia’s in Pittsburgh and Kansas City She is also founder and president of Tavola Productions, an entertainment company that produces high-quality broadcast productions including Lidia’s Italy. Together with her son Joseph, she produces award-winning wines at their Bastianich Vineyards in Friuli. 2007 signified a true benchmark in Lidia’s career, as she had the esteem honor of cooking for His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI during his travels to New York. Looking ahead to the fall of 2010, Lidia will release her first children’s book, soon to be a holiday classic, “Nonna Tell Me a Story: Lidia’s Christmas Kitchen.” Perhaps the single most important quality that Lidia shares is her belief that it’s not only the food on the table that makes the meal, it’s the people who join around the table who bring the meal to life. Her signature line: “Tutti a tavola a mangiare!” means “Everybody to the table to eat!” This common phrase, in its simplicity, could possibly be Lidia’s true recipe for success.

Emilio Del Medico has been the winemaker at Bastianich since the very beginning. A native of Friuli, Emilio has worked with many famous consultants, including our own Maurizio Castelli.