Suzanne Hoffman

I am a native of New Orleans, Louisiana, an attorney, and a passionate storyteller about the lives of Italian wine families. Although I now call the Colorado Rockies home, I grew up in Thibodaux, in the heart of Louisiana bayou country where I spent my girlhood dreaming--usually on horseback--of distant shores.

Those dreams came true and, for over two decades, I lived and worked in Switzerland. From our home in the Pennine Alps of Valais, my husband, Dani, and I explored the wine-growing regions of Italy and France. In November 1999, I discovered Piemonte. Soon I became immersed in the enchanting region’s rich culture and history that changed my life forever.

In 2016, I published my first book, "Labor of Love: Wine Family Women of Piemonte," an award-winning, groundbreaking collection of the life stories of Giulia Colbert Falletti, the last Marchesa of Barolo, and generations of twenty-two families of Piemonte’s Langhe, Roero, and Monferrato wine-producing areas. Against a rich historical backdrop, I studied the seismic cultural and business changes in the Piemontese wine industry that allowed women to step from the shadows and assume significant roles in their families’ wine estates. As the descendent of late 19th-century immigrants to America from Sicily and Ireland, the wine families' generations-old connection with one place--roots deep in the earth--enchanted me. I have to admit, I was a bit envious that they knew more about their fourth or fifth great-grandparents than I knew about my great-grandparents. How could I not want to write their stories, so many of which had not been told?

"Angel of Alta Langa: A Novel of Love and War" is my second book and debut novel released in November 2021. I dubbed it my "pandemic project."

When I am not at home in the Rockies, I can usually be found exploring the Alps, or the vineyards and wineries of Piemonte and Sicily where I discover inspiration for my writing. I am a lover of horses, nature, and beauty in all its forms. Dani and I enjoy alpine sports and summer outdoor activities in the Colorado Rocky Mountain High Country.