Luca Maroni
Born in Rome, on September 19th, 1961, Luca Maroni has graduated with Honors in Business & Economics in 1986.
Editorial Activities
Between 1987 and 1989 he worked with Luigi Veronelli, wrote for “L’Etichetta” magazine and founded “Ex Vinis”, Italy’s first wine-oriented newsletter.
In September 1990, Luca starts the Lm editing company by creating “The Taster of Wine”, a magazine dedicated to wine and wine tasting. 1993 sees the publishing of the first issue of Annuario dei Vini Italiani, a special report on the oenological production within major Italian winemaking companies nowadays - in 2016 - at its 24th publication.
In 1994, Luca concludes a five-year research on the existing relations between the chemical-physical components of wine and its sensorial behaviour: he manages to identify a formula representing the chemical structure of the pleasantness of wine. The technical reproducibility of a given pleasantness – already discovered and applied to food – is finally a reality for wine as well.
The following year he publishes “Degustare il vino” (“The Tasting of Wine”), a theoretical and practical method for a knowledgeable tasting of any kind of wine. Still in 1995, he pens the “Wine tasting” entry for the Treccani Italian Encyclopedia; a further study will be added to the 2000 Appendix.
In 1996, on issue no. 30 of “The Taster of Wine”, Luca exposes the philosophy of the fruitiness of wine, and the consequent method for the evaluation of its quality (pleasantness). In the same year the first “Guida dei Vini Italiani” (“Guide to Italian Wines”) is published; a new and improved version of the book will see the light every year. Luca also begins his seminar and speech-giving activities, introducing his tasting method to the most prestigious players in the winemaking industry.
The book “La Piacevolezza del Vino” (“The Pleasantness of Wine”) is written and published in 2000, with the aim of introducing the tasting method to an enlarged audience, composed of readers that may be unfamiliar with the world of wine. In the same year www.lucamaroni.com is created: the world’s largest portal site dedicated to wine, featuring over 320,000 web pages.
In March 2001 Luca releases the first edition of “Guida dei Vini del Mondo”. In the same month he begins writing a column on the weekly “Il Mondo”, while in November Sperling & Kupfer publishes a new edition of “La Piacevolezza del Vino”. Throughout the year, Luca collects awards and prizes for his numerous engagements in the enogastronomical world. In 2003 Luca is asked by the Presidency of the State Cabinet to write the chapter illustrating wine and food in their publication “Le Eccellenze Italiane” (“Italian Excellence”). In September of the same year, again with Sperling & Kupfer/Mondadori, he publishes “Piacevolezza dell’Olio” (“The Pleasantness of Oil”), a complete handbook featuring an innovative method for tasting and evaluating extra-virgin olive oil. In 2003 he begins an on-going column on the weekly “Panorama” magazine, and is chosen as “house expert” for Decanter, a nightly radio show on Radio2 RAI. In September 2004 he publishes for Fabbri Editori “Conoscere il Vino” (“Knowing wine”), all there is to know on wine production, fruition and preservation. In October of the same year his “Guide ai Vini Italiani più piacevoli, convenienti e reperibili” (“Guide to the most pleasant, cost-effective and readily available Italian wines”) is published for the weekly magazine Oggi. In 2005 Luca writes 5 volumes on wine for the daily Corriere della Sera, sold with the newspaper in May 2005. With over 750.000 copies published, this represents the largest circulation ever for a work dedicated to wine. In January 2005 he writes with Sergio Valzania, Rai Radio Programs Director, the book “Amare il vino – Arte, Natura, Tecnica ed Estetica” (“Loving Wine – Art, Nature, Technics and Aesthetics”) conceived to divulgate to a broader audience the importance of such an Italian treasure.
In 2008 he creates and is the anchorman of the tv show PIACERE VINO (Pleasure Wine), on Alice TV-SKY: a show focused on his pleasant interviews to major Italian winemakers. From April 2009 he also publishes several articles on the magazine CUCINA, Wine & Food focused supplement to the Corriere della Sera.
In 2010, together with the three time Oscar winner Vittorio Storaro, Luca Maroni realizes as scientific consultant, narrator and interpreter the film VINALIA: a communication and cinematographic project dedicated to the filmic representation of Italian wine patrimony. From the beginning of his carrier up-to-date he has been writing and editing 57 volumes on wines and 72 numbers of the magazine.
In 2015 he is sensorial analyst for Italian channel La7D, in the TV show “Cuochi e Fiamme”.
In 2015 – result of a 12 years commitment – he publishes with Sens “Milano è la Vigna di Leonardo”(Milan is Leonardo’s vineyard): thanks to his obstinate research and studies on Leonardo da Vinci’s life, he succeeds in finding the exact place where Leonardo’s vineyard – a Ludovico il Moro’s gift to the genius – was placed. In the same volume also Luca Maroni’s unreleased detailed studies about Leonardo’s humanity and personality, and the composition in alphabetical order of the original word list manually annotated by Leonardo himself in his codex. In other words, Luca Maroni has collated Leonardo da Vinci’s Dictionary: a never before published work and compilation.
In 2016 he writes “Leonardo da Vinci: la Vigna Ritrovata” (Leonardo’s uncovered vineyard) in which he compellingly summarizes the path that led him to the re-discovery and re-implantation of the same grape variety that was formerly planted by Leonardo himself while the genius was living in Casa degli Atellani in Milan.
Educational and Tutorial Activities – Sensorial Analysis Stages and Consultancy
In order to divulgate the principles of wine quality, in 1990 Luca Maroni starts the personal activity of education and tutoring organizing and guiding stages of sensorial analysis both in Italy and abroad.
Up to date he has been tutoring more than 10.000 people between wine lovers and wine operators.
From 2007 he is lecturer in Sensorial Analysis and Communication for the Master in Food & Beverage Management at University Luiss Business School of Rome.
From 1995, year of the publication of his tasting method, he carries out his activity of tasting consultant, through stages of sensorial analysis, directly collaborating with the oenologists of the most prominent Italian wine makers of all Italian regions: he applies his sensorial analysis method to oenological development with the aim of optimizing analytical and therefore organoleptic quality of produced wines.
Up to date he has been collaborating with more than 1.000 oenologists of the most prestigious Italian wineries.
Consulting activities
From 2000 and currently Luca Maroni is Vinitaly consultant and, in the frame of this crucial event, he manages an exhibition area of over 500 sq. m. with the initiative “Trendy oggi, big domani” (Trendy Today, Big Tomorrow) dedicated to the best Italian wine newcomer producers selected by Luca Maroni.
June 2002 sees his addition as Consultant to the Task Force in charge of promoting the Italian wine industry, presided by Undersecretary to Forest & Agriculture Policies, Hon. Teresio Delfino.
From 2003 to 2007 he is also consultant of Fiera di Milano collaborating to the organization and to the worldwide promotion of the international fair MIWINE.
From 2004, always in Milano, he collaborates with the Mayor for an important recovery of a prestigious oenological remains in town.
In 2009 he is charged by the Presidency of the Council of Ministers to select best wines from Abruzzo for lunches and dinners of G8 Summit guests at L’Aquila.
In 2014 – in partnership with Fiere di Parma (Parma Fairs) – he organizes the section CIBUS BOLLICINE: more than 1.000 square meters dedicated to best Italian sparkling wines’ production.
Events
In 2000 at the LINGOTTO in Turin, on the occasion of the Salone del Vino, he organizes the first edition of his event SENSOFWINE, transferred than to Rome: nowadays the most important oenological event conceived and organized by a privately owned company. Over 1.800 excellent wines offered by producers in free tasting, (more than 12.000 bottles opened during each event) accompanied by a selection of Italian gastronomical excellences (each year an average of over 200 wine producers and between 15.000 and 20.000 attendees).
From 2006 SENSOFWINE is sponsored by the Ministry of Forest & Agriculture Policies and from 2007 a few edition of the event were organized also in New York and Monaco di Baviera. From 2005 Luca Maroni and Sensofwine are wine & food partners and consultants of NIAF.
In 2010 together with the Camera di Commercio di Grosseto (Grosseto Chamber of Commerce) he creates the event Maremma Wine Shire: a project for promoting Maremma wines and territory both in Italy and abroad.
In 2012, upon Grape and Wine of Sicily Regional Institute’s request he organizes the presentation of 25 Sicilian wine producers in Zurich and Lausanne. In the same year for London Summer Olympics he selects best Italian wines to be offered in Casa Italia during the games. In September 2012, in Seoul, he presents 30 Italian wine producers.
In 2013 he supports the introduction of Regional events (in Parma, Teatro Regio and Palazzo del Governatore) dedicated to the celebration of Italian wine-making excellences. With the renewed brand “I Migliori Vini Italiani”, title of the event held in Frascati the same year, Luca Maroni and Sens launch the new cycle of Regional events and the annual national Rome editions: actually the most important wine events organized by private citizens in Italy (several hundreds expositors and an average of over 6.000 visitors per year).
Since 2014 up to now, the outstanding events list: Paestum, Orvieto, Frascati, Florence, Milan, Taranto, Rome…
Prizes and Acknowledgments
In 2001 Luca Maroni is given the prizes: Città di Tradate, Premio Bacco d’Oro 2001 for his journalistic activity; Accademia Italiana della Cucina and Comune di Staffolo; XXXIV Premio Nazionale di Cultura Enogastronomica Verdicchio d’Oro.
In 2006 he receives for Rome Mayor the prize Marco Aurelio for Tourism as Rome testimonial.
In 2009 he is given the honorary citizenship of Crecchio for cultural and professional merits.
In 2012 University of Messina honoured him with the title of “Ph. D. Honoris Causa” in Wine and Food Sciences.
From 1988 to 2016, Luca Maroni has tasted over 300.000 wines…