I'm a third-generation Italian American who first picked up my father's camera as a teenager—a moment that set the course for a creative life I'm still living six decades later. But my story begins even earlier, in my grandfather's vineyard in California, and continues through summers spent working harvests with Italian relatives in Italy during my youth.
I studied photography, art, and filmmaking at Santa Clara University, dreaming of a career behind the lens. But I graduated into a world reeling from war, inflation, and upheaval—not exactly a promising time for an aspiring artist. So I pivoted, starting in a Hollywood restaurant and discovering my second calling: wine.
I moved to Texas in 1978 and immersed myself in the wine business. By the early 1980s, I was making wine in North Texas, earning a Gold Medal in the 1982 Texas Wine Competition. That hands-on experience—combined with my Italian heritage and time working in Italian vineyards—shaped my approach to what would become a 40+ year career specializing in Italian wine.
I spent decades in the three-tier system, focused on selling, educating, and advancing the cause of Italian wines. I served as Italian Wine Director at Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits from 2016 to 2018, following twelve years as Corporate Italian Wine Director at Glazer's, and before that as Regional Manager at Tricana Imports. In these roles, I acted as an "ambassador," translating and communicating the Italian wine message through educational training sessions and lectures on "Italian wine, Ancient and Modern" delivered throughout the U.S. and Italy.
But the camera never left my side. Throughout my wine career, I sought out the masters—attending workshops with Ansel Adams, Imogen Cunningham, Jerry Uelsmann, Robert Frank, Keith Carter, and Marc De Tollenaere, while receiving mentorship from Wynn Bullock and Lisette Model. Wynn taught me to be "always looking, with or without a camera," a philosophy that has guided both my photography and my approach to wine.
Twenty years ago, I added writing to the mix. My award-winning blog, On the Wine Trail in Italy (http://acevola.blogspot.com/ ), became an early voice in digital wine journalism. I've contributed to the Dallas Morning News, the New York Times, Wine Enthusiast, The Art of Eating, The World of Fine Wine, Sommelier Journal, The Drinks Business, Gault & Millau Review, and Fine Wine China.
In 2013, I received the Vinitaly International Award for a lifetime of service with Italian wine.
Since retiring from the wine industry in 2018, I've come full circle—returning to fine art photography while continuing to write about wine. I'm reviewing 60 years of images while still actively shooting, still looking. I remain a devoted amateur in the truest sense of the word: someone who does this work out of love.
Credentials: Certified Specialist in Wine (CSW) | Wine competition judge | University guest lecturer | Member of Slow Food and international wine and food societies
Work: https://sociatap.com/acevola/ | https://muckrack.com/alfonso-cevola | https://acevola.blogspot.com/
