Patricia Thomson, a special guest at the FIA’s 13th Annual Wine Tasting Event, is an acclaimed wine author and tour guide. She has roamed the resurrected vineyards of Pompeii, bottled Barbera in a medieval cellar and tasted wine renowned winemakers. At the optional reception before the main event, Patricia will talk about Italian winemaking and pour some of her favorite wines.

Patricia’s interest in wine began during college when she studied Italian Renaissance art in Florence, Italy. Regular trips to wine country were followed by studies with the Wine & Spirits Education Trust and membership in the Society of Wine Educators and Wine Media Guild.

In 1999, Patricia and her husband, Claudio Bisio, founded La Dolce Vita Wine Tours, a wine and food tour company. Since the start of their business, Pat’s work as a wine guide and educator has dovetailed with her writing, enabling her to see the vineyards firsthand, build relationships with winemakers and dig deep into wine culture. Patricia has written about wine for Gastronomica, WineEnthusiast.com, Pasta, Cellar Fine Wines, Budget Living, Tastes of Italia, and isthe author of a highly entertaining wine blog, Livin’ La Dolce Vita, Adventures on the Wine Road, at DolceTours.com.

The couple lead weeklong tours of major Italian wine regions plus those in Spain and Portugal. Patricia divides her time between New York City and Italy.