Anna DelGenio — either by name or face — will be familiar to many a Long Island wine country visitor. For years she could be found behind the tasting bar at Paumanok Vineyards. That’s where I met and befriended her. She has since moved on, but her passion for local wine remains. So, when she emailed me a while back expressing an interest in joining the team, how could I say no?
She’ll be taking on the much-needed role managing our statewide news desk. A lot of press releases cross the virtual desks of our regional editors — too many to follow up on when you have a day job and at least one kid and maybe two. Anna will track down the stories that we just can’t get to and bring her own enthusiasm to them.
Anna grew up in a family of wine lovers who opened up a bottle from her birth vintage every year on her birthday until she was 18. Thus, it was inevitable that she’d become a wine lover herself. A true Long Island girl, she was introduced to local wines early on. She has tasted wines from all over the world since then, but those from New York hold a special place in her heart.
Her college focus was on acting and languages, but a quirk of fate tore her out of Western Suffolk and plunked her down in the middle of Long Island wine country. An already existing love affair with the region kicked into full gear, and the North Fork quickly became home. Anna worked for several years at Paumanok Vineyards in the tasting room, where she learned from some of the best, and enjoyed a brief stint at Premium Wine Group.
Anna has enjoyed being a part of the Long Island wine community, and is eagerly anticipating a trip upstate to familiarize herself with the other regions whose work she has enjoyed from afar.
If not bumming around vineyards in her free time, you can often find her at wine bars talking with fellow oenophiles and newcomers alike. She gets a major kick out of blind tastings. Her other great joys include writing, reading poetry and literature, listening to music, eating cheese, and road tripping. Though still a kitchen novice, she’ll cook you dinner if you bring the drink, & no one has gotten food poisoning yet.
Please join me in welcoming Anna to our motley crew. I’m excited to have her on board.