Monica Larner reviews the wines of Italy, Greece and South Africa. Born in Los Angeles, she has lived in Rome on and off since age 11 and has written several books about her adopted home. Her family makes wine in California. She has written about wine for more than 20 years, starting off as the Italy reviewer for Wine Enthusiast in 2003 and moving over to The Wine Advocate in 2013 in the same capacity. She sometimes appears on Italian television and has contributed articles on Italian wine to Italy's largest daily newspaper, Il Corriere della Sera. She has received the top prize for wine writing given by the Comitato Grandi Cru d'Italia at Vinitaly a record four times. Many of the wines that have touched her most come from Italy's vast patrimony of indigenous grapes: Nebbiolo, Sangiovese and Carricante, among others. Her work in Greece takes that love of native grapes to the next level. Her interest in South Africa is sparked by the spirit and passion of that country's independent winemakers.