Category Archives: HOT NEWS

Terra Madre Salone del Gusto 2016 Takes Shape

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gallery_02The event visuals recount the richness and biodiversity of Terra Madre

The visuals that will characterize the entire communication campaign of Terra Madre Salone del Gusto 2016, which will be held September 22 to 26 in Turin, were presented today.

Terra Madre Salone del Gusto 2016 is now an event open to the public event, no longer concentrated within the Lingotto Fiere pavilions, but spread around the city. Parks, theaters, historical buildings and entire neighborhoods of the city will be involved in the event.

The Italian and international market will be held in Valentino Park, within which the Medieval Villagewill host educational events for adults and children, while the Terra Madre Forums will take place inside Valentino Castle. The conferences will be held at the Carignano Theater, the Enoteca will be located in the wonderful spaces of the Royal Palace, and the Taste Workshops will take place at various locations, including the Circolo dei Lettori, the Mole Antonelliana (The National Cinema Museum of Torino) and Eataly. Street food and artisan brewers will be found at the Murazzi along the River Po, a newly renovated area. The event program also includes forays into other iconic cultural institutions in Turin: from the Egyptian Museum to the Gallery of Modern Art (GAM), to the Museum of Oriental Art (MAO). Beyond that, there will be some other events outside of the city in the Royal Palace of Venaria Reale, the Castle of Rivoli, the Royal Castle of Racconigi and the Agenzia di Pollenzo.

The theme of the event, Loving the Earth, sums up the Slow Food philosophy and the commitment of the association’s network to supporting Slow Food projects, putting particular emphasis on environmental protection and the need for all of us to be all agents of change.

Bodà, a Turin-based communication, architecture and video studio which has long collaborated with Slow Food, is the brainchild behind the visuals that will accompany all the communication of the event. In 2008, Bodà produced the documentary, Terra Madre People, and subsequently participated in the Berlinale with other documentaries on Slow Food Presidia in Africa: Pokot Ash Yogurt in Kenya, Harenna Forest Wild Coffee in Ethiopia and Fadiouth Island Salted Millet Couscous in Senegal. In 2015 they won the Europeana contest with the film, Seeds, which features the Italian Slow Food Presidia for the Lucca Red Bean and the Alcamo Purceddu Melon.

Roberto Burdese, member of the Slow Food International Executive Committee, said: “The collaboration with Bodà has been an exchange of experience, filled with mutual understanding. Their graphics are in coherence with our philosophy and show the highest attention to detail. The visuals that will accompany the event are single figures but are composed of different, heterogeneous fragments. They allude to the richness and complexity of the Terra Madre network and to the biodiversity that characterizes the world we live in.”

Today’s conference, which welcomed speakers Carlo Petrini, Slow Food President; Sergio Chiamparino, President of the Piedmont Region; and Piero Fassino, Mayor of Turin, is an occasion to renew the invitation for locals to host Terra Madre delegates and to call on the city of Turin and surrounding areas to engage and participate.

Cannonau Fòla Siddùra winning Gold at the Berlin Wine Trophy

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A Cannonau back on the roof of Europe.

fola-wine-pageThe Fòla 2014 of winery Siddùra of Luogosanto (Sardinia) triumphed at the international Berlin Wine Trophy, which took place a few days ago in the German capital.

The 185 jurors selected Cannonau Doc Siddùra, result of native grapes, as one of the best red in the world by giving the gold medal. Fòla repeating the success of two years ago when he netted a brace on German soil with the golds won at the Berliner and Mundus Vini concours.

In the edition of the Berlin Wine Trophy 2016, which has just ended, 5785 wines were evaluated. Nearly 70 percent of the samples submitted have been positively evaluated by the judges with the attribution of points: a result that usually configures the award of a medal. The Rules of Procedure of the OIV, the International Organisation of Vine and Wine, however, permits the allocation of awards to only 30 percent of the samples submitted.

For this reason the jury have had to make a further selection choosing the most brilliant international oenology excellence. In addition to the gold Cannonau in purity Fòla, Siddùra brings home two silver medals with the Vermentino di Gallura Maia and Sangiovese TIROS. “The new gold medal Fòla is a recognition for our work but also a great victory for the Sardinian native vine and consequently to Sardinia – commented Massimo Ruggiero, CEO of Luogosanto winery – win such an important prize in Germany is a significant achievement because the German public is very selective. ” In the coming weeks Siddùra will attend the prestigious Dusseldorf Prowein and the Vinitaly in Verona.

 Marco Lucentini

PINOT NERO AND HOFSTÄTTER: THE BIRTH OF A NEW GRAND CRU # Pinotnoir # Grandcru

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Just launched the first label of “Ludwig von Barth Barthenau Vigna Roccolo“, wine from the oldest particle of Pinot Nero of the Barthenau estate in the Mazzon area (Alto adige, Italy)

ea457adccaa9e569cff05de9b4f3b04d_SAfter inextricably linked his name to the Pinot Noir and Gewürztraminer vines, producer Martin Foradori Hofstätter comes on the market with another selection: Pinot Noir “Ludwig von Barth Barthenau Vigna Roccolo”. For decades Foradori Hofstätter family cultivates with great passion and skill this noble varieties: with this new label were underlined the nuances of the oldest of the Mazzon area vineyard.

The vineyard from which the wine takes its name, in fact, is in the heart of Mazzon, while the term “Roccolo” reminiscent of the classic tower. It is the oldest vineyard in Mazzon, from the same period of the historical Ludwig von Barth Barthenau, dating from the late 19th century and re-planted by Martin Foradori Hofstätter grandfather in 1942. The Roccolo Vine is still cultivated today with the classic South Tyrolean Pergola and now thanks to the old age of the strains, the yield per hectare is never more than 35 hectoliters per hectare.

Following the tradition in Hofstätter distinguish its Cru and make them unmistakable, the label in addition to the cadastral name even brings the mention “Vigna” particle. This endorsement in South Tyrol guarantees the provenance of the wine from a well-defined particle, also a further guarantee of its origin.

The Pinot Noir and the Mazzon area are closely related to Foradori Hofstätter family. In the late 30’s, the grandfather of Martin purchased three farms with adjoining land by the descendants of Ludwig von Barth Barthenau. The latter was a chemist with the chair in Vienna and in the nineteenth century, he brought the Pinot Noir in the vineyards on the plateau of Mazzon.

In 1959 Paolo Foradori, father of Martin, vinificated his first wine from Pinot Noir. This in contrast with otherea457adccaa9e56_S manufacturers in Alto Adige, where, at that time, dominated the grape variety Schiava. The successes of Paul Foradori soon have influenced the decisions of neighboring tenants, which in turn have concentrated their forces on this grape. Today the Mazzon area is one of the few wine-growing areas of Alto Adige, dominated by a vine while in other areas it still relies on different types. At Mazzon, however, there is almost exclusively focuses on the variety that gives the best fruits.

Thanks to the work of Foradori Hofstätter family, the famous plateau name Mazzon has thus become synonymous with excellence in the production of Pinot Noir. With the harvest of 2012 is born this new label, intended to further underline the relationship of the family with this great vine worldwide.

Marco Lucentini

Wine Advocate reviews about Castello di Bossi wines #wine #siena

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Castello di Bossi winery has received really good reviews by the famous wine critic Robert Parker of Wine Advocate on 30 October 2015.

In particular the three wines reviewed were: Castello di Bossi Girolamo, Castello di Bossi Corbaia and Castello di Bossi Berardo; the first is a Merlot, the second one is a Cabernet Toscana IGT and the other one is a Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG.

The three wines have reached very high scores in 100 points wine scoring-scale: respectively 94/100, 93/100 and 92/100.

All commentaries are extremely detailed about characteristics of wines and enhance their attractive peculiarities and high qualities.

 

eRobertParker-wineadvocate

 

Valentina Gagliano

Exploring and tasting with the Bourgogne guide #Bourgogne #wines #tourism

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Exploring and tasting with the guide
En route vers les Bourgognes

Discover the latest edition of “En Route Vers les Bourgognes”, the essential guide to the wide choice of quality wine tourism on offer in the region. Organize a tailored program to suit you, as a couple, a family or among friends, and wind your way through the six tourist routes which stretch over 230 kilometers. The 100 Appellations d’Origine Contrôlée of the Bourgogne region are there to be discovered year-round!

The guide in figures

  • „ 343 estates, wine producers and cooperative wineries who all adhere to the De Vignes en Caves* welcome charter
  • „ 92 wine-related events
  • „ Some 100 restaurants bearing the “Vignobles & Découvertes” label
  • „ One pullout map of the Bourgogne wine region produced in partnership with Bourgogne Tourisme and showing the

key sites. On the reverse, mini-maps detail each route

  • „ Eight introductory themes, including “Wine”, “In a Word, the Climats”, “Varietals”, and so on
  • „ 92,000 print run of the new edition
  • „ 834 distribution outlets in the Bourgogne, Rhône-Alpes and Jura regions: Tourist offices, Regional and Departmental Tourist Boards, hotels, camp sites, guest houses, Lyon airport

New features

  • „ Around 20 new illustrations enrich the brochure
  • „ A one-page graphic presents the key figures of the Bourgogne wine region at the end of the guide
  • „ The inclusion of the Bourgogne Climats on the Unesco World Heritage List

And as always…

  • „ In both French and English
  • „ Available free-of-charge on request from the BIVB and tourism points
  • „ Can be downloaded from bourgogne-wines.com, in the “A trip through the vines” section
  • „ A summary listing the regions by color, to help you quickly find the producers, festivals, wine routes and gourmet stop-overs you are looking for

Recap

The national Vignobles & Découvertes label was created in 2009 to establish a network among stakeholders in the wine tourism sector in the same region. Visitors can thereby easily identify all the activities on offer along wine routes. This label is attributed by the Ministries of Tourism and Agriculture for a three-year period. Today, six destinations are currently included in the scheme, three of which have already been renewed**, bringing together 600 label-bearing activities, including 155 wineries.

In chronological order of receiving the label:
Beaune: From Corton to Montrachet**
Dijon Côte de Nuits**
Chablis wine region**
Auxerrois wine region
Mâconnais wine region
Côte Chalonnaise

The Châtillonnais wine region is also taking the necessary steps to acquire the label in 2016.

* The success of En Route Vers les Bourgognes is down to the De Vignes en Caves welcome charter

This charter was created 24 years ago. Signatories commit to continually improving their welcome and the tasting experience in their cellars.

Members commit to:

  • „ Providing a warm and individual reception (including in foreign languages)
  • „ Advertising fixed opening hours for visitors
  • „ Clearly displaying the sign indicating their commitment to the principles of the charter
  • „ A free tasting of at least one wine
  • „ Displaying a list of the appellations on sale
  • „ Offering take-away wine sales (with a minimum purchase of three bottles) and a shipping service for 12 bottles or more
  • „ Supplying information about the Bourgogne wine growing region and the estate

Find all our press releases and thousands of rights-free photos in the online press room at:

http://www.bourgogne-wines.com

 

Champagne Taittinger moves across England #france #england #wine

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French champagne house is about to make history by producing sparkling wine in England.

Taittinger estate will be the first to invest in the UK, in particular in Kent, whose chalk soil is considered ideal for Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier vines. Recently, climate change has led to effects of rising temperatures in England and it can create favorable conditions for rich growing vines.

“We believe we can produce a high quality English sparkling wine, drawing on our 80 years of wine-making expertise,” stated the president Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger.

TheTaittinger-English-sparkling-wine deal between Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger and Patrick McGrath of British winemaker Hatch Mansfield shows a sincere friendship between the two countries.

The French estate, one of the largest and oldest in France, has bought 69 hectares in the English village Chilham, and the wine is supposed to be ready in five years. It will be significantly named Domaine Evremond, a famous diplomat very esteemed in England, who worked to abolish frontiers between UK and France.

Taittinger wine house has already gained a considerable success planting sparkling wine vineyards in USA, now it hopes to obtain the same results in England.

The main aim is to create a wine which has its own personality and singular characteristics, completely different from the others, a real expression of British terroir and tradition.

Valentina Gagliano

 

 

Uruguayan wines exceed expectations in Expo Milan 2015 #wine #Uruguay #expo #Milan

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Until now, the success of Uruguayan wines on the pavilion of Expo Milan 2015, goes much further than the expectations thought. This result could opens eyes to new possibilities of increasing exports.

The international megaexposition that started on May 1, shows the country with a board and careful selection of wines to be offered to its clientele.

The participant wineries are Juanicó, Carrau, De Lucca, Garzón, Estancia La Cruz and Grupo Traversa and they were selected by the National Wine Institute of Uruguay.

From the very beginning, the public assistance estimated was around 250 and 300 every day, but during the first fifteen days it achieved 400 diners daily.

The economic effort needed for the participation in this international event has been evaluated and an important boost is expected to increase the volume of exports, mainly on those wines with a preferential quality.

Patricia Fernández Ruiz

 

VINITALY 2015: MORE INTERNATIONAL BUYERS THAN EVER

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150,000 visitors. More than 2,600 journalists from 46 countries. Revival on the domestic market with Horeca and retail operators.

Vinitaly2015_FotoEnnevi_255A7192_20150322The whole world at Vinitaly, with professionals from 140 countries – 20 up compared to 2014. “The result achieves the goal that we h:ad set ourselves. Thanks to an increase of 34% in investments dedicated to incoming promotions and cooperation with the Ministry of Economic Development, the Italian Trade Agency-ICE and the Ministry for Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies, we further boosted the already high involvement of foreign buyers,” said Ettore Riello, President of Veronafiere.

Total visitors came to about 150,000, but compared to the past there were more from the Far East, especially Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia. Mexico and Africa also grew, with interesting new entries such as Cameroon and Mozambique. Even North Africa performed well, with a recovery by of Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco both for wine and olive oil at Sol&Agrifood.

“The huge US and Canadian markets alone account for 20% of international visitors totalling 55,000 people. German-speaking countries – Germany, Switzerland, Austria – confirmed their status as the most important with 25% of overall attendance; the United Kingdom took third place with 10%, followed in numerical terms by buyers from Scandinavian countries and Benelux,” said Giovanni Mantovani, CEO & Director General. We have seen considerable satisfaction among exhibitors as regards Vinitaly’s capacity year and year to improve the number of foreign buyers and the quality of visitors, maintaining a high number of contacts, so much so that several leading private-sector companies have already signed three-year renewals for coming editions.”

This is also thanks to new visitor profiling system adopted this year, with further refinement of visitor target selection and registration of all persons entering the show: this will create a database of extraordinary value for future marketing initiatives and international development.

The top ten countries saw impressive growth by France, ahead of Japan, while China, Hong Kong and Taiwan took eighth place. Russia came in ninth, the only country going against trends – the outcome of the current difficult geopolitical situation. The list closes with Brazil in tenth place.
Attendance from other European Union countries also improved, in particular from Poland and Romania.

This edition of Vinitaly also saw the return of a degree of optimism on the domestic market, with operators arriving from all over Italy.
The event was attended by more than 2,600 journalists from 46 countries.

Massimo Paccagnella

 

Photo Credits: Vinitaly 2015 – Foto Ennevi

Vinitaly 2015, a model for wine promotion between business and product culture #business #vinitaly #wine #italy

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 «Today we can present a fundamental appointment for the Italian system since Vinitaly represents the entirety of Italy’s wine experience all over the world. Verona will provide an occasion to take stock of what has been done by the Government to simplify bureaucracy and promote the internationalisation of companies, as well as to launch new objectives going beyond Expo 2015, including the consolidated law on wine, with a focus on reorganization of the sector».
The press conference presenting the 49th Vinitaly (22-25 March 2015) held yesterday in Rome at the Auditorium Via Veneto so heard Agriculture Minister Maurizio Martina re-launch the Government’s commitment to support Italian wine and the validity of the collaboration with Veronafiere to implement economic development policies and promote Made in Italy on international markets.
«We are aware of the role acknowledged to us by companies and institutions», – said Ettore Riello, President of Veronafiere, – «as a platform of services for business internationalisation. It is with this commitment that we are working to achieve the goal launched last year by Prime Minister Matteo Renzi during his visit to Vinitaly to increase wine exports by 50% by 2020».
«In keeping with the b2b identity of the exhibition,» explained Giovanni Mantovani, CEO & Director General of Veronafiere, «Vinitaly 2015 will bring to fruition the intense incoming activities we have created and enhanced with the important support of the Ministry for Economic Development and the Italian Trade Agency–ICE – as well as the Ministry of Agriculture. Joining forces in this way has enabled us to involve buyers and delegations of selected operators from around the world, with an increase of 34% in the financial investment compared to last year»
2014 was a difficult year for various international situations but the sentiment of companies is positive – as emerges from a Vinitaly survey involving 30 of Italy’s most important wine realities. This is a “scientifically unrepresentative” but undoubtedly significant panel in terms of business dynamism and overall turnover coming to approximately 2 billion euros. It appears that 2014 saw growth in revenue by Italian wine cellars of 5% compared to 2013 and, importantly, 55% expresses confidence for 2015; 35% in these first two months of the year has already achieved positive feedback and 5% envisage a very positive year. «We have learnt that it is difficult to make forecasts in times such as these and that numbers change quickly, especially in the light of sudden and unpredictable changes in international geo-political frameworks that can have direct effects on the sector, yet there is no doubt,» as Mantovani concluded, that the Italian wine sector is highlighting all its liveliness and capacity for growth».
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The 49th Vinitaly has been specifically designed to help producers and operators expand currently emerging opportunities and also create new ones. B2b meetings have been organised between buyers, guest delegations and exhibitors within the scope of the International Buyers Lounge. A major convention – requested by tutelage consortia, wine-makers and other realities in the sector – will analyse ITTP talks (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership with the United States). This will be joined by focus meetings discussing Hong Kong, China, USA, Russia, Brazil and Australia.
Confidence in the quality of initiatives at Vinitaly is confirmed by figures consolidating attendance by more than 4,000 exhibitors and display area bookings of more than 91,000 square metres – which leap to 100,000 with Sol&Agrifood and Enolitech, respectively the quality agro-food event (with the section dedicated to olive oil organised in collaboration with Unaprol) and the technical show for wine and olive oil production systems scheduled at the same time.
Major events during Vinitaly include OperaWine scheduled on 21 March in collaboration with the authoritative American magazine Wine Spectator and, 16-20 March in Verona, the first certification course for specialists in Italian wine. This is an innovative initiative set in motion by VIA-Vinitaly International Academy (the Vinitaly International educational project with the scientific direction of Ian D’Agata), which, after a final exam, will issue two types of certificate: Italian Wine Ambassador (IWA) and Italian Wine Expert (IWE). Fifty highly professional candidates from the sector (managers of several major international hotel chains, journalists, Masters of Wine) will take part from China, United States, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Korea, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Netherlands, Russia, Singapore, United Kingdom and Ukraine. VIA is also organising three Master Classes+ during Vinitaly, not only involving Italian wines. Collaboration with Ismea includes a convention on craft wines, another great wealth in Italian wine-making.
Vinitaly will also host the official presentation of Vino – A taste of Italy – the Wine Pavilion set up inside the Italy Pavilion at the Universal Exposition in Milan, organized by Veronafiere-Vinitaly on the invitation of the Ministry of Agriculture, Padiglione Italia and Expo 2015 SpA. «I am indeed extremely grateful for the work carried out by Veronafiere.» – said Minister Martina at the end of the Press Conference, – «as well as its efforts as the country prepares for Expo 2015».
Antonio Gala
 

 

SUMMER EARTHLY DELIGHTS AT ALAJMO’S RESTAURANTS

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Summer is in full swing in Italy, and as a result of Alajmo kitchen pantries are packed with ripe and colorful ingredients.

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In celebration of all the earthly delights that continue to arrive at Alajmo doorstep, Max has created new menus for all six of the Alajmo family restaurants and bistros.

At Le Calandre, start your meal with a cold melon soup with lobster crudo and green celery sorbet, followed by olive oil-based risotto with fresh watermelon, mullet bottarga, Tropea onions, bergamot and pistachio.

Next door at Il Calandrino, you will find eggplant ravioli served with a mix of Mediterranean delicacies, like datterini tomatoes, basil pesto, black olives and anchovies. And be sure to save room for a pistachio semifreddo with peach sauce and raspberry puree.

Across town at La Montecchia, the summer menu features mouth-watering dishes like beef carpaccio with hemp seed sauce, lime and chili pepper and bigoli with squab and mushroom sauce.

For a causal lunch on-the-go or a relaxing dinner al fresco, head to abc Montecchia where you will find a wide selection of pizzas and bruschette, as well as Italian summertime classics like eggplant parmesan and vitello tonnato (veal in tuna sauce).

If you find yourself in Venice don’t miss Ristorante Quadri this summer.  Treat yourself to an extra virgin vegetable garden made with sun-soaked summer produce, followed by Venetian-style fried fish with Quadri sauce. And for dessert, choose between Per-Bellini, peach and prosecco sorbet with apple and peach meringue, or gin tonic fruit salad with pineapple mousse.

And for a quick lunch or dinner, stop by abc Quadri for acold tomato soup with crispy vegetables or club sandwichwith light curry mayonnaise.

http://www.alajmo.it/

Henry BORZI

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