With parents who retailed Italian wines and a grandfather who loved the great wines of Bordeaux and the Rhône, Antonio's exposure to wine started at an early age. He was reading avidly about the world's major winemaking regions as a teenager and wrote his first articles on the wines of France for a high-school French class. Later Antonio spent several years in the restaurant business where he had the opportunity to expand his knowledge, especially regarding American wines.

From 2000 to 2003 Antonio lived in Milan, Italy. That experience allowed him to travel extensively and visit many of the leading estates in virtually all the major winemaking regions. It was during this time that Antonio discovered the true vastness of Italian wine as he was exposed to a variety of great wines which were practically unknown in the US.

Upon his return to the US and eager to learn more, Antonio grew increasingly dissatisfied with the quality of information available to consumers on Italian wines and decided to write his own newsletter. In 2004 Antonio published the first issue of "Piedmont Report." Drawing on Antonio's in-depth knowledge of the region and its producers, as well as his extensive experience with older, collectible wines, "Piedmont Report" rapidly established itself as the guide of choice among lovers of Piedmont wines in over 25 countries. In 2006 Antonio began expanding his coverage to other regions in Italy when fate intervened and Robert Parker invited him to join The Wine Advocate.

Antonio has a BA from the Berklee College of Music and an MBA from the MIT/Sloan School of Management. He lives in New York City.