Experts in wine -- and restaurants

I enjoyed David Shaw’s piece on dining in Italy [“The Perils (and Joys) of Spontaneous Dining Overseas,” Traveler’s Journal, Feb. 13].

My wife and I spent five weeks in Tuscany and Umbria two years ago. While visiting Orvieto, we went into a wine shop to buy a bottle for the room where we were staying. We had a great conversation and asked the owners for the names of their favorite in-town restaurants. They gave us three, none of which was in our guidebooks. The dining was some of the best we encountered in Italy.

Wine shop proprietors are, by nature, epicures. Now, as we travel, we seek out wine shops for restaurant recommendations.

Neal Swanson

Santa Cruz