Åsa Kristina Johansson: Italia was love at first sight

A passion turned into a profession

As a wine journalist and a wine educator, Åsa Kristina Johansson specializes in Italy. While she was studying, she found a job in a wine shop not knowing anything about what she was selling, so she started attending sommelier courses and realized that the world of wine thrilled her.

Following a degree in political science and journalism at the University of Florence, she now writes about wine, food, and travel for Swedish, Norwegian and Italian magazines such as Decanter (England), Quench Magazine (Canada), Allt Om Vin (Sweden) Food & Wine Italy (Italy), Espresso (Italy), Wine Table (Sweden), Svenska Dagbladet (Sweden), Vagabond (Sweden), Expressen (Sweden), Apéritif (Norway) and others. 

Due to her job experiences she visits hundreds of wineries every year. She has visited all twenty Italian regions and travels a large part of the year. Åsa comes to Sweden on a regular basis to hold courses and seminars on Italian wines. She is also in charge of the Italian section with teaching and writing the textbook at the new school of sommeliers in Sweden, The Wine Hub. Her latest project is the first podcast about Italian wine in Sweden, www.italienpodden.se.

Extra virgin olive oil made by Åsa and her husband 

She lives with her family in Tuscany, Chianti. She has two children, and with the technical experience of her husband Stefano, who builds oil mills, since 2019 they have been producing La Collina Blu olive oil, made from the trees that surround her house.

Sangiovese from Romagna

In Decanter, Special issue, Italy, 2022, her material on Sangiovese from Romagna was published. Romagna is a hidden gem northeast of Tuscany. Here you explore the coastal town of Rimini, the city of Ravenna where the poet Dante is buried and the world-famous Byzantine mosaics. 

Growing Sangiovese has been a long tradition in Romagna, but only recently quality-minded producers are taking the quality to new levels. Compared to Tuscany, Romagna makes a fruitier version, charmingly rustic that is gaining international interest. There is also the white variety albana, a versatile variety used both for still whites, orange wines and sweet, deep, dessert wines.

The gastronomy is worth the travel, Romagna is known for its succulent and welcoming cuisine. From the thin bread, la piadina to homemade pasta and seafood. Dishes that together with the local wines create a food and wine memory for life.