Carolina Epicurean: Burgundy, Steve and Gloria Pignatiello and PCOMMS

The French Connection

Storied Wines

Robb Wade and Guy Trapani Sojourn Among the People and the Viins De Bourgogne

Perfect Time to Host a Wine Party

Tasting Wine

French Winemaker to Host Dinners

Dine With Fine Wine

A Taste of Excellence

The Wine Guy: Wine Relations

by Rob Campbell, special to The Laurel of Asheville May 2007 A recent trip to France has started me thinking about relationships. I am a partner in a new business, which markets Burgundies from small, family producers. My partner Steve has known many of them for a decade or more, and has imported their wines [...]

Gourmet Tours: More Travelers Arranging Trips Around Food and Drink

Asheville Citizen-Times January 10, 2007 ASHEVILLE – When planning her global travels, Fairview’s Dianne Tuttle often arranges her itineraries around a particular attraction: food. “You get a real flavor for the culture,” she said, noting the pun. “No matter what country it is, they have a special dish. Whether you’re 2 years old or 90, [...]

Local wine expert honored

Asheville Citizen-Times November 29, 2006 ASHEVILLE – Asheville sommelier and wine importer Steve Pignatiello served as the Burgundy authority at the 11th annual International Food and Wine Festival at Disney’s Epcot Center. Pignatiello’s P. Comms Int’l specializes in importing Burgundy wines from some of the region’s finest single-family winemakers, many of which are not otherwise [...]

Locals inducted into French brotherhood

by Rick McDaniel, Asheville Citizen-Times December 14, 2005 ASHEVILLE – Chef Mark Rosenstein and Burgundy wine importer Steve Pignatiello have been inducted into the prestigious Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin (Brotherhood of the Knights of the Tasting Cup). The induction took place during a recent trip to France. “There are only about 2000 members of [...]

A toast to culinary travel: Blend of taste and tourism taking hold in WNC

by Rick McDaniel, Asheville Citizen-Times August 10, 2005 Imagine being able to prepare a gourmet meal from produce that was picked mere hours before, as an expert chef gives you tips. A wine expert helps you pick the perfect wine to go with the meal. You sit down to dinner with a small group that [...]

Steve Pignatiello: Ambassador to Burgundy

by Carl Danbury, Jr., Points North Magazine: Serving the Stylish Northside of Atlanta September 2004 Steve Pignatiello is an importer of fine, hard-to-find scrumptious French wines. During a family vacation nearly 10 years ago to the Burgundy region of France, he uncovered a business opportunity that has enabled him to combine his masters degree in [...]

Tastemakers: Grape Moments in Golf

by Michael Patrick Shiels, Travel + Leisure Golf March/April 2003 Use a fingertip grip with the wrist cocked. Don’t squeeze too hard. Keep your head slightly tilted, and don’t hurry the finish…. Drinking wine and playing golf share these techniques and more, says wine expert Steve Pignatiello, who imports some of the refreshments that will [...]

Burgundy – Great Wine

By Steve Pignatiello When you hear the word “Burgundy”, what thoughts come to your mind? Some think of a generic red wine. Others think of wines such as Gallo’s Hearty Burgundy. Those who know fine wines think of those wines which come from that exclusive wine region in France known as Bourgogne. Bourgogne (or “Burgundy” [...]

Two Asheville men certified as sommeliers

By Rick McDaniel, Asheville Citizen-Times Wednesday, January 7, 2004 ASHEVILLE (Reprinted with permission) – Two Asheville men have passed the examination to become certified sommeliers administered by the American Chapter of the Court of Master Sommeliers. Steve Pignatiello, owner of P. Comms International wine distributors, and Kevin Schwartz, general manager of Horizons at Grove Park [...]

Toasting Ten Years with La Grande Dame Rose

By Robert Hillmann, Vice Charge de Presse From Gastronome 2004, Volume 2 At the Country Club of Asheville on December 7, Bailli Tom Ruff, Professionnel du Vin Steve Pignatiello, and Chef Rotisseur Bryant Withers were a triumvirate non pareil! Excellent cuisine, fine wines, and the superb presentation of both made for a memorable evening. After [...]

Local man brings fine French wines to the mountains

By Rick McDaniel, Asheville Citizen-Times Tuesday, June 4, 2002 ASHEVILLE – Can a Midwestern farm boy with an Ivy-league education find happiness importing fine French wines in the mountains of Western North Carolina? Steve Pignatiello has. Pignatiello (pronounced pin-a-TELL-o) is a nationally known importer of burgundy wines who also gives wine dinners at some of [...]

The Better Winemakers Actually Work in the Vineyards

To me, winemakers have dirt under their fingernails. On a recent Gourmet Trip to Burgundy, one of the participants noticed that while the winemaker had cleaned up for the dinner in his home, his hands and fingernails looked like the hands of a farmer. I explained that my winemakers are farmers. For the most part, [...]

How to Get to Know the Winemarkers in Their Own Homes

I just returned from my latest Gourmet Trip to Burgundy. These are one-of-a-kind trips. I’ve searched the internet and there is nothing else like this. People who go on these trips are veterans of barge trips and other wine trips where you eat on the barge or in restaurants most of the time. Those are [...]

If the Wine is Yummy, You Should Drink It

Tasting wine is easy. If you like it, you should drink it. It doesn’t matter if your spouse doesn’t like the wine or if I don’t like your wine. Simply put, if the wine is YUMMY to you, you should drink it. One of the best examples of that was a lovely lady who attended [...]

How Knowing your Regions can De-Mystify Wine

We have the entire world; so where to start? There is good wine made in every corner of our world. And there is a lot of bad wine made everywhere, too. I’ve had some good wine from countries, such as Romania and Lebanon. Not a lot, but good wines definitely exist there. Of course, we [...]

Texture Makes All the Difference

As a trained sommelier, I often get questions about which food pairs better with which wine. Or I get the reverse question – which wine pairs well with a certain food. You can approach it from either angle. There is no “right” answer. Some people always select their wine first and others select their food [...]

Finding Better Wines for Less Money

An interesting topic, but one that most people don’t think a whole lot about. They simply go to their wine store or to a restaurant and buy wine. The wine is always there and the end consumer really doesn’t give it much thought. But understanding a few of the basics may help you to select [...]

How long should you cellar wine?

During my tastings and dinners, I’m often asked how long a wine can be “kept”. While 99% of the world’s wines will NOT improve with age, almost all of my wines DO improve with age. So, what they are really asking is how long will it take for the wine to reach its maximum flavor [...]