Author Archives: VinoeStile

THE “TRUFFLE MAN” IN BRUSSELS: A UNIQUE TALK IN A TOP RESTAURANT

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FEB.14.2013 – La Truffe Noire is celebrating its 25th anniversary. It’s one of the most prestigious restaurants in Brussels and its chef, Luigi Ciciriello is a unique personnality to meet.

luigi2Luigi CICIRIELLO has the exquisite and friendly character of self made men who made of their life a success story because they worked a lot with obstination and sense for beauty and quality.

La TRUFFE NOIRE is a restaurant for ministers, diplomats, business men, and all who like to spoil themselves because they know when they open the door, they won’t be deceived and will have an exceptional moment in this 1 Michelin star restaurant.

The journey of Luigi in the wine and restaurant world is long and very rich. Luigi worked for Abel Bernard, the renowned chef of the Cravache d’Or, which was the place to be in the eighties in Brussels, at the Place Leemans.  Luigi also knows everything about wine because he was elected best sommelier of Belgium thirty years ago.

The truffle came to Luigi and took his heart. Preparing a dish with a so exquisite mushroom is always a great  moment when the two loyal chefs of Luigi compose delicious symphonies with the truffles. As Luigi, the best expert of Brussels said:  “good truffles can be found in France, in Italy, in Croatia…it depends.” Climate, time and weather are so influential for the quality of this luxe product.

We can only advise you to go and have lunch or dinner in the beautifully decorated restaurant room of “La Truffe Noire” (with lovely art works of a Belgian artist representing the truffles) or in one of the intimist lounges where you’ll feel so good with a lovely lady and a good wine. A never to miss experience

CHATEAU LA TUILERIE DES COMBES

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Chateau la Tuilerie des CombesDuring the BRAFA in Brussels, we met Count Vincent le Grelle, owner of Chateau La Tuilerie des Combes, on both appellations Montagne Saint-Emilion and Lussac Saint-Emilion, near Saint-Emilion in Aquitaine. This is a belgian family which is already for more than 30 years in the region.

Count le Grelle is a partner of the BRAFA. He accepted to give us an exclusive and exceptional interview to present his wines.

The website of Château La Tuilerie des Combes

Miguel D. DESNERCK

NEW FRONTIERS OF ITALIAN CUISINE AT “GUSTO IN SCENA”

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“Gusto in scena” the annual meeting of italian taste performed in the splendid frame of the Venice Lagoon will be held from 17th to 19th march.

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This year at the Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista in Venice, an architectural complex of incredible beauty founded in 1261, more than 20 internationally renowned chefs will attend the event. Thanks to the collaboration of the Fondazione Italia-Cina, the event will also examine strategies to open new paths to the Asian market and it will enhance the heroic viticulture.

Sugar will be a key issue of the 5th edition of Gusto in Scena. For the appointment of 2013, in fact, Marcello Coronini, journalist and critic of food and wine, launches a new original idea: “Cooking with … Cooking without … Sugar.” This will be really challenging for the big names of Italian cuisine attending the event.  The festival has further renewed its formula of three principal events in one and also side-happenings: the Congress of haute cuisine, Chefs in Concert, The Magnificent Wines, a big tasting with Italian and international wines, Gourmet Seductions, a series of culinary whims.

More information and updates on the official website: www.gustoinscena.it

Henry Borzi

PROSECCO, STOP THE IMITATIONS IN GERMANY

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Germany stop for the first time the use of the term “secco” as imitation of Prosecco.

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Hard times in Germany for wines that show the label misrepresentations of the word Prosecco. An important ruling came in these days by the Deutsche Patent-und Markenamt (the German Patent and Trademark Office), which welcomed the suggestion by the Consorzi Prosecco DOC and Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore docg, to put an end to many imitations of the name of this wine.

In fact , the Prosecco wine since 2009 can only be produced in the north-east of Italy. A first result of great importance, which shows that the route taken by the Consorzio is the right one. Earlier this year, the two main consorzi – with the support of Mipaaf (Ministero delle politiche agricole alimentare e forestali) – have teamed up to protect and defend the image of Prosecco and Prosecco Superiore.

An important result

The result obtained in Germany is particularly important. It is, in fact, the first market for the three denominations DOC Prosecco, Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG and Asolo DOCG. Until 2009 this country could bottle Prosecco, but ability failed with the introduction of Doc. This ban has led to the proliferation of phenomena of counterfeit of DO Prosecco, such as the tendency to label sparkling wines using the ending “secco”, an  obvious mispronunciation of the name Prosecco or the brand Neosecco. Monitoring activities carried out by the Legal Consortium, took a first important result: it led to the decision of the office German trademark to declare “non-recordable the brand Neosecco as the word “dry” is a mere abbreviation of the word Prosecco “.

The sentence, according to Innocente Nardi president of the Consorzio DOCG Conegliano Valdobbiadene:  “ In Germany this is an epic result, which is important not only for the German market but also to deter all the imitators. In recent years, we were committed to protect our name and record the brand of the  DOCG,  and to support  lobbying with other consortia and institutions, in order to prevent the marketing of products which imitate and misuse of the name Prosecco.”

A single legal entity

“ Time is ripe – adds Mr. Stefano Zanette president of Prosecco DOC, – so that our consortia are pursuing vigorously the actions of protection needed to ensure a future for our denominations. It is clear that much also depends of our companies, which must include a proper and consistent communication, and contribute to this activity. Despite the fact that the spirit of the rule of community law arises to protect the good faith of consumers, we can’t  ensure guarantees for  the entire production of the DOCG“.

This new year, the three consorzi involved in Prosecco DO, will constitute a single legal entity, capable of defending a genuine Italian heritage on  international markets and block imitation of the denomination in Europe and in the world. The actions that will be undertaken by the new structure will cover all major countries. It will aim to the contrast of imitations and the trademark registration of the denominations and a strong lobbying by the Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions, the Ministry and the EU, which aims to make understand the importance of protecting this iconic product of Italy.

Henry Borzi

EU High Level Group on wine: maintain the system of planting rights

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Last Friday 14th December was held the last meeting of the High Level Group on wine, created by the Commissioner for Agriculture Dacian Cioloş to discuss the theme of planting rights.

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The representatives of the 27 Member States participated in the work and also industry experts and observers of the Council, the European Parliament. As expected, the Group has approved its conclusions on the theme of planting rights, including: a support for the idea of ​​maintaining the system of planting rights for all categories of wine (PDO, PGI and wines without geographical indication); it is necessary to put in place a mechanism for the regulation to be dynamic and to create favorable conditions for a balanced development of the sector; the Group proposes a system of “permits” for new installations of grapevine, applicable to all categories of wine. Authorizations should be free, non-transferable and valid for a maximum of three years.

The system should be managed by the Member States, taking into account the recommendations of the professional organizations representing the sector. The permit system should be accompanied by a safeguard mechanism at European level, which sets an annual rate of new plants, with the possibility for States to establish a lower value on the basis of objective criteria. When the sum of permit applications is less than the national thresholds, all authorizations should be granted. In the case of an excess of questions, the criteria for the award, should be established at European level and possibly supplemented by national criteria

The system should be applied for six years. There should also be transitional measures. The conclusions of the group, accompanied by a report will now be submitted to the Council and the European Parliament, engaged in the debate on the reform of the CAP.

Henry Borzi

Marcolini chocolatier opens in Monaco

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After opening thirty boutiques throughout the world, the famous Chocolatier Pierre Marcolini, moved to Monaco on the Boulevard des Moulins.

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Pierre Marcolini’s commitment in chocolate is total. The belgian chocolatier is internationally renowned and world Champion in pastry, seeking the best “crus”, the best cocoa beans. Marcolini travels the globe to meet himself the farmers. He still offers them a higher price than the market price “to secure the market.”

The Belgian Pierre Marcolini, opened his first store in Brussels in 1995. A decade later, he inaugurated outlets in Paris, London, New York and Kuwait as well as several in Tokyo and numerous ones in Belgium. Pierre Marcoloni is one of the rare chocolatiers roasting his own cocoa beans. For the search of quality and excellence, its artisans and himself are present at all stages of the processing, from the selection of the bean to the creation of chocolates “haute couture”. The secret is the fantastic creativity displayed by this master chocolatier. In his chocolates you can find unusual fruit, such as apple, pear, blackcurrent and melon and also rare ingredients for chocolate such as pepper, chestnut, tonka beans and even patchouli, sandalwood and oak.

Bombons de chocolat, carré, macarons, these are real avant-garde creations, exquisite and refined products.

Henry Borzi

Conegliano Valdobbiadene… the most beloved by italians

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Last  December  15th, on the occasion of the presentation of the Annual Report of the “Centro Studi  per il distretto Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore”,  -which crowns the Prosecco sparkling wine as the most beloved by Italians – , some of the leading international wine production techniques were compared on making viticulture in harmony with the environment.

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Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore  is the sparkling wine DOCG which is the most beloved by Italians. This can be seen by the high consumption, even last year. On the occasion of the event,  Prosecco producers met with colleagues from the Champagne and was also compared with the entire national wine production and the most interesting examples beyond.
The meeting was focused on environmental sustainability, certainly a topic of great relevance for the entire winemaking industry. Innocente Nardi president of the Consortium argued:  “Once again, the study confirms the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG sparkling wine is the most loved by Italians . Despite the favorable market, we are aware that there is still much to do. The challenges for the future and among these, the commitment to an increasingly environmentally sustainable viticulture, are the first imperative. With this meeting we want to create a dialogue with other international wine in order to compare projects and results “.
During the meeting, new experimental projects carried out by the Consortium were anticipated. They are dedicated to reducing the environmental impact. An interesting investigation carried out by the Centro Studi was presented. Vasco Boatto, project manager, explained in fact the results of research carried out between companies of the denomination.

Dominique Moncomble, Director of Technical Services of the Interprofessional Committee of Champagne Wine presented instead the commitment in this direction by the world’s most famous sparkling wine producers.

Eugenio Pomarici, professor at the  Federico II University of Naples , explained the world’s most interesting examples, from California to New Zealand via South Africa.

Francesco Iacono finally brought the experience as head of one of the most interesting Italian wine, Arcipelago Muratori, describing significant initiatives at national level in the field of sustainability: Tergeo, promoted by the Italian Wine Union. Thanks to these important testimonies, the meeting was one of the most qualified and dedicated to the theme of organized winemaking throughout the country.

Henry Borzi

2012 Spirits summit: Spirit of growth.

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“A spirit of tradition, growth and responsibility”, the last 29th November spiritsEUROPE the European association representing the 31 national associations and the interest of the spirits sector held hits annual summit.

The European spirits sector is good for Europe. Approximately 1 million jobs in Europe can be attributed to the production and sale of spirit drinks and the sector contributes €32 billion to European exchequers, and export more than any other agri-food product. There are significant spin-offs for the agricultural sector,  the bottling and packaging industry , the tourism hospitality sectors, media and marketing. The sector is deeply rooted in Europe, many of the products derive their market success from the fact that the products come from specific, named European regions. One thing is quite sure. It is not a sector that will ‘delocalise’ its production or jobs out of Europe. Like others, the spirits industry currently faces challenging economic conditions in Europe, with consumer demand depressed by the crisis and austerity measures imposed, and member States under increasing pressure to raise revenues through higher taxation.

EU largest exporter of spirits

EU is the largest exporter of spirits in the world with €8.5 billion of spirit drinks, leading to a positive trade balance of over €7 billion. 2011 was an exceptional year. The well-being of the sector, and the wealth it generates in Europe, are dependent on open trade with key markets around the world.

Total EU spirits exports hit records of €8.5 billion. While the US remains our largest export market by far (over €2 billion), the growth of the sector depends on the economic vitality of emerging markets, driving an ever-increasing demand for quality branded.

Social responsabilities

While the vast majority of the European population drinks sensibly and moderately, a minority does not, causing harm to themselves, their families and society at large. spiritsEUROPE take his responsibilities seriously. The European association works with a range of stakeholders to address these problems taking in account actions to target harm and actively promote responsible marketing by his industry, and responsible drinking.

The consumption of beverages containing alcohol is culturally very different across Member States. The same is true for drinking patterns, and subsequently for alcohol-related harm. There is no ‘one-size-fits-all solution’ to tackle alcohol related harm in Europe. Nearly all Nordic countries have been applying high taxes, retail monopolies and strict marketing restrictions for many years, compared to other European countries.

EU strategy

Yet, according to “Alcohol in the European Union”, a 2012 joint study from EU/WHO Europe, that region shows a hazardous drinking score more than double that of southern Europe where less restrictive policies are prevalent. Given that these restrictive approaches have been in place for decades, it calls into question the correlation between the use of population-based control measures and changes in hazardous consumption. In 2006, the Commission adopted a “Strategy to support Member States in reducing alcohol-related harm”. Indicators show that the spirit sector is on the right track and strongly supports the extension of the strategy, effective in tackling alcohol misuse, building on voluntary actions and self-regulation.

During the event we had the nice opportunity to interview with Gavin Hewitt President of spiritsEUROPE.

Henry Borzi

BEER, FOR THE SPORT !

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Beer Serves Europe, the annual event of the European association of the brewing sector: “Brewers of Europe“, this year brought together  the highest level personalities from the worlds of politics, sports, media, cuisine and brewing. All with the aim this year of zooming in on one of the key areas in which beer is serving Europe – support to grassroots and professional sports.

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The ‘Beer Serves Europe’ event took place in Brussels last November as EU leaders across the city discussed how to stimulate growth while slashing public finances. Meanwhile, preparations were underway for the EU’s ‘4th Open Forum on Alcohol and Health’ the next day to discuss how to address alcohol related harm, educate young people and ensure responsible marketing.

Sport is crucial to the well-being of European society stated Michal Krejza the Head of the European Commission’s Sport Unit, in the panel discussion, highlighting the essential role the private sector plays in funding sports.

“Sports are a driver for the economy, jobs and social interaction from grassroots to the professional level, and sponsorships are an important source of revenue that play a major role in the development of sport,” Dr.Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros, CEO of the European Professional Football Leagues, said in his keynote.

“If the Eurozone crisis is to be resolved and vital sectors, such as sport and brewing, are to remain competitive and economically viable, then we need to be able to operate in a sustainable business environment. Any move to further limit beer sponsorship is therefore a step in the wrong direction.”

Europe’s brewers, who support some 2 million jobs across the EU, spend 1 billion Euros annually on sponsorships and supporting their communities. 62 percent of this amount goes to community-based events, covering operating costs of sports organisations at a time of government austerity. This compares with only 11.9 percent for major sports events.

“Beer sponsorships provide a lifeline for community events including sports activities, many of which would simply not happen without the support of local brewers and pubs,” said panellist Brigid Simmonds, Chief Executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, Vice President of the Sport and Recreation Alliance and author of ‘Developing Partnerships in Sport and Leisure’.

Alberto da Ponte, The Brewers’ President closed the event stating: “It’s easy to overlook the European brewing sector’s positive social, cultural and economic impact. We as brewers wish to remain strong supporters of local communities, a fundamental part of Europe’s social fabric and a leader in promoting responsible drinking.” VINEYARDS PAPER also interviewed Sven GATZ, head the belgian brewers association.

Henry Borzi

A NEW CALABRIAN WINE ESTATE TO DISCOVER

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Recently, I met Lidia MATERA, a passionate female wine grower who loves her terroir, in de IGT “Valle del Crati”

 

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I particularly enjoyed her “ALARICO”, a wine labeled IGT “Valle del Crati” because the Calabrian region was not yet granted a DOC. This wine is captivating, powerful, round  with a fabulous nose. This wine is a dream. It shows the power generated by the Calabrian soil, it is sweet, delicious and radiates across the mouth of the taster. The two used grape sorts are Nerello Capuccio and  Mascalese,  two indigenous varieties of this wine region. Alarico is a wine that has aged for several months in new oak, but the wood is well integrated and produces very balanced flavor.

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Alongside this wine, Lidia also uses the  grape sort  Magliocco dolce in the development of another wine, more flexible, lightweight but very fruity: “Cariglio” . It has many qualities and is also delicious.

The cantina can easily be found on the internet.

Please, when you meet Lidia, make an effort to speak with her because her Italian is worth trying: poetic, charming and beautiful.

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