“...Camuto’s prose immerses the reader in the sights, smells, flavors and personalities of the cultural tapestry that is southern Italy. He luxuriates in the details of every encounter: lunch with a Campanian winemaker includes sensual descriptions of buffalo mozzarella as well as a discourse on the distinctions among southern Italy’s principal crime syndicates—the Mafia, Camorra and ’Ndrangheta. Discussions of wine are more evocative than technical—“His Fianos come on like a hit of sea air in spring—robust, floral and expansive. His Greco wines are all zip and lemon spice”—adding to the rich texture of the stories. You may feel like traveling to southern Italy after reading this book, but you’ll also feel like you’ve already been there.”

“Camuto is an accomplished writer, who has the enviable skill of being able to depict three-dimensional people without passing editorial judgment on them….If you want an insider’s understanding of some of the most exciting wine revolutions going on in Italy, this is the book.”

“ You don’t have to be a wine expert to enjoy the descriptions of the vineyards or fall in love with the winemakers he drinks and eats with in order to gain appreciation of Italian culture… The range of Camuto’s grape and wine knowledge, along with his love of Italy, make 'South of Somewhere' a worthy work about southern Italian wines, food and soul.”

An editor at the The New York Times recently called Camuto the “un–Stanley Tucci.” As much as we love Tucci, I’d take this as a compliment.” 

“The Best Wine Books of 2021: How do you write a wine book that appeals to the general reader? All the stuff about schist, clones and yields that make up a good part of wine writing gets very wearing over the course of a book, even for a self-confessed nerd like me.

The answer is to leaven the technical stuff with human stories; bring out the characters, the heroes and, ideally, some villains too. One author who does this marvelously is Robert Camuto. His previous book Palmento, about the wines of Sicily, contained an unforgettable chapter on the late Marco De Bartoli and the tensions within the De Bartoli family.

Happily, he has pulled it off again with his latest book, South of Somewhere: Wine, Food, and the Soul of Italy.

“Camuto has the true gift of a portrait writer. He tells the stories of these eight southern Italian wine regions through his encounters with winemakers in each region, sometimes just one, sometimes a family, sometimes several individuals. His often-hilarious descriptions and minute observations of people and situations not only brought the people to life, but vividly captured each region, its wine, food, culture, strengths and weaknesses. His writing is cinematic, pixelated….

I can’t do this book justice. It’s so vivid, so emotional, so beautiful and yet so powerfully instructive...So if you want to understand the terroir of southern Italy, this book is where you start.”

Best Wine books of 2021: “[Camuto] gives us an engaging snapshot of a region chafing at its inferior stature compared with northern Italy. We meet ambitious younger generations clashing with their parents over values both cultural and viticultural. The winemakers and their families Camuto introduces us to are not unlike those Somerville and Ross met more than a century ago. And they’re not unlike us though they may eat better. Both books invite us to travel — one through time the other to a rugged land of spicy salumi down-to-earth folk and honest wines. Darn it — Where’s my passport?”

“A delicious, thirst-inspiring romp full of remarkable personalities, their wine-soaked cellars, and one delectable meal after another. Camuto does it tastefully!”

“There’s an affable tone to this intelligently charming wine book, it's a serious account of winemaking in southern Italy, essays that can best be categorized as 'down to earth,' in every sense. . . . This is not the usual account of visits to grand chateaux, with splendid meals and wines we can't afford, it's the reality of wine, vividly and cheerfully conveyed—good stories, worth a listen. Take it from someone who never says no to a glass of Frappato in Sicily: Bravo!”

“Robert Camuto’s South of Somewhere is close to my heart. Each chapter is about experiencing the joy and perseverance of incredible iconic winemakers, from Italy’s Mezzogiorno, who have preserved lesser-known native grapes through heroic efforts. In this book, Robert brilliantly brings them to life. We are so fortunate to bear witness to this living history of Italian wine today.”

“Robert Camuto’s multifaceted take on Southern Italy’s many allures is unique and fascinating in that he engages not only the gustatory and oenological pleasures of the region but also its more elusive and near-magical ‘southern-ness’.”