Category Archives: HOT NEWS

BELGIAN BEER EXPERIENCE PROJECT AT BRUSSELS STOCK EXCHANGE IN 2018

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The City of Brussels approved the idea of establishing a temple dedicated to belgian beers at the previous Brussels stock exchange “La bourse”. 

bourse

Failing to be recognized intangible cultural heritage of humanity by UNESCO, one of our national treasures will soon have its temple: beer. It will be a public/private  cooperation between the City of Brussels, the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region and the federation of belgian brewers to make discover the belgian cultural beer traditions.

Philippe Close, alderman for tourism, expects over 400000 visitors a year, the temple will become  among the five most touristic attractions of the City. The temple for belgian beers will present in a recreative and educational way to this national symbol: beer !

The project will be based on the experience of the brewers to make discover belgian beers and all the culture of the brewing world.  The visit will generate both curiosity and the senses of visitors, polls of intentions have already been made ​​and are very positives.

The belgian brewers federation director, Sven Gatz, saying: “nevertheless maintaining the international reputation of our country, is added the will to strengthen our image of expertise in the brewing industry. Then, as well belgians as tourists will discover the sector of belgian beers in an emblematic neighbourhood in the historical center of Brussels.”

Even the Ministry for Budget and Finance of the Brussels-Capital Region invests in a feasibility study dedicated to this project. The brewing world will be discovered in all its culture, diversity and history.

More details on this project from these three partners will be announced in september.

To be discovered…

Olivier BULTO

 

NEXT WEEKEND: THE “ROUTE REGIONALE DES SAVEURS” IN NAMUR

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After a first success in 2012, the  “Route régionale des Saveurs” will be back in Namur on may 25th and 26th in a beautiful site, the medieval citadelle, a fortress, of Namur (50km south of Brussels).

 

1368799215La “Route Regionale des Saveurs”  wants to show the food&cook know-how of the Walloon regio. The fait will unfold in a pedagogic, tastfull and entertaining journey in which visitors will discover the typical products of the region. They’ll meet more than 50 local producers  and will taste the dishes made by talented chefs.

There will be this year a host country: Switzerland and its beautiful dishes.  A swiss village will be installed in the heart of the citadelle to discover the richness of this country.

Olivier Bauche et Philippe Garcia, two well known chef will revisit some traditional

The spectacular location of the citadelle de Namur, a XVIIth century fortress


The spectacular location of the citadelle de Namur, a XVIIth century fortress

recipes. The belgian sommelier and wine connoisseur Eric Boschman will take part to the event and will explain the origin of the used products, the career of the chefs and how their recipes are so special.

 

 

Practical information

Free tickets for children under 12 years.

Ticket is 5€ in presale and 7€ onsite. This pass allows free entrance to the market of local products and participates in tasting the products offered from 10h to 18h.

With “Culinary Passport” at the price of 24€ visitors can enjoy 5 Walloon recipes and Swiss recipe.

More details are available on www.larouteregionaledessaveurs.be

Henry BORZI

SOAVE IN LONDON WITH “VOLCANIC WINES”

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“Volcanic Wines of Italy” will kick off on May 7th at the Chandos House in London. This event will be dedicated to whites wine of volcanic origin and organized from Consorzio of Soave and the Association of Volcanic doc.

 

4 TThe event, which is the London event of Vulcania, international forum of white wines from the volcanic soil, requires the presence of more than fifty Italian wineries.

Initially reserved for the press and industry operators, Volcanic Wines of Italy will also opens the door for consumers and wine enthusiasts who will be able to taste Soave wine and other with the purpose of tasting and  researching the different organoleptic characteristics of each of them.

The choice of London for this new event is not a hazard: the English market is the second most important market for Soave wine. In fact 24% of production goes to UK. 30% are bought from Germany, which remains in first place. Moreover, in recent times, mainly due to the Decanter magazine and its italian correspondent Monty Waldin, the british press has become increasingly interested in the wines of the volcans.

“The London meeting is a very important day. For some of the producers, it  is an opportunity2013-04-12T133356Z_929459037_GM1E94C1NUT01_RTRMADP_3_ITALY for a pleasant return, for many others it is only a first step to create curiosity for the Soave wines”. – Stated Arturo Stocchetti, president of the Consortium of Soave. He stated further: 

“Once again, volcans wines is a winning topic: the waiting list ois long for our seminar and also for tasting. This drives us to do even better and to believe we have the right project. “

Massimo Paccagnella

SPIRITS EXPORTS HIT THE RECORD 2012

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European spirits’ exports reached €10.2 billion in 2012, a positive growth of 20% from the €8.5 billion in the previous year.  As a result, spirits are and remain the EU’s biggest agri-food exports and generated a positive balance of trade close to €9 billion last year.

logoThese are great results, and show the competitiveness of the sector in some very difficult markets around the world.  At a time when many domestic European markets are struggling, we underline the importance of these thriving export markets to this sector.  These exports generate jobs and investment in Europe at a time when both are badly needed.  And, they generate close to €9 billion net for the European economy, as imports of spirits to the EU remain steady.

Looking closely at key exports markets:

  • A solid growth in the USA (over €3 billion with a 22% increase) and Canada (with a 31% increase compared to 2011).  These two markets continue to be attractive for our European products.
  • Growth for premium branded European spirits remained strong in emerging markets, driven by China (+19%) despite the economic slowdown, and South East Asia (+25%). FTAs with ASEAN countries are necessary to continue to target the huge potential in South East Asia that remains untapped.
  • Growth in Eastern Europe is driven by Russia (+37%, the second largest export market overall) despite a challenging market environment.
  • While India is a growing market, EU imported spirit drinks only represent a tiny fraction of the total market which should grow substantially with the conclusion of an FTA, currently being negotiated.
  • Growth is driven by the whiskies category (44% of spirits exports) followed by cognac (26% of total exports).

VINITALY 2013, A GREAT SUCCES WITH +6% OF VISITORS

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Vinitaly closed the doors with attendance of 148,000 visitors as +6% (53,000 international). Vinitaly 2013 strengthened its position as the leading international wine business exhibition. Top quality operators during the four-day event in Verona were able to contact more than 4,200 exhibitors from over 20 countries.

vinitaly 2 038The upward trend was evident right from the first day – and final facts and figures clearly confirm this impression.
“We achieved attendance of 148 thousand people, including 53 thousand international from XX countries: this is an important result for one of the major ‘Made in Italy’ sectors – one that still drives the country’s balance of trade as well as providing employment and income in local areas as well as holding high the image of Italy world-wide. A 6% increase in the total visitors rewards more than 4,200 exhibitors from more than 20 countries investing in Vinitaly, thereby clearly acknowledging the international centrality of the exhibition,” said the President of Veronafiere, Ettore Riello. 


“This increase of 10% in international involvement over 2012,” added Giovanni Mantovani, CEO & Director General of Veronafiere, “was equally accompanied by the high quality of visitors. Visitors increasingly include specialised international operators and buyers not only from traditional markets but also from emerging countries, where there is growing interest in Italian wine, such as China and Russia.”
Even more journalists attended the event: 2,643 from 47 countries compared to 2,494 from 42 nations in 2012. 

The international market


A fundamental contribution to such success was the incoming promotional activity implemented Veronafiere through Vinitaly International and its representatives in 60 countries, which made it possible to welcome trade delegations from all continents to Verona, as well as the agreement with ICE – the Italian Agency for International Promotion and Internationalisation of Italian Companies.
OperaWine is one of these events: while dedicated to foreign buyers, it also has a strongly focus on the US market thanks to collaboration Wine Spectator. Moreover, three focus events were dedicated to China this year alongside attendance at the show by an official delegation from the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China.
Already a showcase for wine all over the world, with OperaWineExpo Vinitaly in Verona will also become the most important wine event in the calendar of scheduled events in Italy for the Milan Expo in 2015, thanks to understanding defined with Giuseppe Sala, CEO of Expo 2015.

During the event, Sace ( the organisation for the development, competitiveness and internationalisation of Italian companies ) presented the latest export report and the guide to high-potential markets 2013-2016 for the wine sector, with a focus on the Veneto. Simest and its CEO Massimo D’Aiuto, on the other hand, outlined a project for promoting Italian “Moscato” wine on foreign markets.
Vinitaly was also the location chosen by Unicredit, Coldiretti, Cia and Confagricoltura to sign the agreement ensuring the support for the wine sector and the presentation of “UniCredit International for Wine” – a project that provides wine-sector SMEs a dedicated series of services to support exports.

The 2014 edition is already firmly in mind (scheduled 6-9 April): it will welcome the debut of VinitalyBio, a new section of the exhibition dedicated to certified organic wines organised in partnership with FederBio.

Henry Borzi

AT THE DISCOVERY OF RUCHE’

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Described as “a wine of character,” the Ruché of winemaker Montalbera of Castagnole Monferrato (AT) is one of the pleasantest surprises encountered in “Gusto in Scena”, the food and wine festival held last March 17 to 19 at the Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista in Venice.

Montalbera 010

 

 

Produced in a territory that includes seven municipalities of Monferrato, Piemont territory famous for the quality of its wines, the Ruché – DOC and DOCG  is a wine of exceptional softness, with a particular aroma of rose and violet and a fruity taste reminiscent of the flavor of apricot. All unusual features in a red Piedmont, which led him to be loved especially by women.

The origin is obscure, the best hypothesis is that it comes from old vines by the Alta Savoia while the name thought come from “San Rocco”. A community of monks devoted to this saint, in fact, would probably have introduced the cultivation in the area. But the link with the religious of this variety does not stop there: forgotten for a number of years and at risk of extinction, has been rediscovered in the ’70s by the pastor of Castagnole Monferrato, Don Giacomo Cauda, ​​which he found ten rows between the properties of the parish and decided to enhance it. “She has a perfect body – as he described it – and a balance of aromas, flavors and scents. Tasted with moderation frees the spirit and opens the mind …”

The Ruché is a red grape, with medium-small leaf, three-lobed (rarely lobed), pale green and hairless. The

Ruchè LACCENTO

Ruchè LACCENTO

cluster has cylindrical shape – pyramidal, elongated and compact. The ripening period coincides with the end of September – beginning of October, greatly anticipating the ripening compared with other varieties typical of the area. Despite remarkable characteristics of adaptability, it prefers calcareous and argillaceous land, giving a bouquet of particular intensity and characterization.

The designation of origin includes the towns of Castagnole Monferrato, Grana, Montemagno,

Portacomaro Refrancore, Scurzolengo and Viarigi, all in the province of Asti. The regulations impose a 90% Ruché grapes, while the remaining 10% may also include Brachetto or Barbera grapes.

There are three interpretations of Ruché: La Tradizione, Laccento e Limpronta each with specific characteristics, result of a long trial. Just one of them, Laccento was recently winner of the Prize for the Best Italian Red Wine  at eighth edition of the event SensofWine, held in Rome last January 2013.


Massimo Paccagnella

GREAT SUCCESS FOR THE FIFTH EDITION OF “GUSTO IN SCENA”

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Great success for the fifth edition of Gusto in Scena, an event conceived and edited by the journalist Marcello Coronini, which has shown to have no limits.

gustoinscena1The success was due to the high number of visitors, around 3.400, 70% professionals, which have reached the Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista in Venice from 17 to 19 March. Waiting for “I Magnifici Vini”, a great tasting table with a selection of 71 Italian and international wines and two rooms devoted to the wines from vulcanic soil origin. In the Hall of Columns “Seduzioni di Gola” a selection of 30 manufacturers of culinary whims with rare and valuable products.

At Chef in Concerto, the Congress of haute cuisine, protagonists the big pastry like Gino Fabbri, Ernst Knam, Iginio Massari and chefs such as Andrea Aprea, Fabio Baldassarre, Gian Nicola Colucci with the Indian Chef Santosh Jori, Riccardo De Pra, Herbert Hintner , Nicola Portinari.

Next to them were up on stage nutritionist Evelina Flachi, known television personality and Shigemi Hikino Japanese colleague who further increased the level of interventions.

Over the past three years Gusto in Scena brought world-class chefs to offer, through studies of new dishes, tasty food and nice but health conscious, replacing through research and creative ingredients that generally abused in the kitchen. For 2013, Marcello Coronini has chosen the theme “Cooking dishes” salty “… Cooking with dessert without … Sugar “thus taking a further step in the study of a new kitchen.

Confectioners and chefs have felt very involved and have submitted reports of considerable thickness confronting each other after the speeches and launching an interesting comparison.

It was an incredible opportunity to see world-class chefs to test to make dessert without sugar. This has attracted many professionals and gourmets everywhere.

“These three themes have focused on the need for a new Italian cuisine that reconciles the pleasure of eating with health. We gave the course, for a large project with a cuisine based on natural, on the quality, freshness of ingredients, – explains Marcello Coronini –essential elements for the natural taste of the raw materials by reducing the need to enhance the flavors with added useless.”

To the chefs were asked to replace sugar with natural alternative ingredients, equally tasty in quantities less than 50%. And the great names of Italian cooking that took part in the festival responded with originality and creativity in proposing alternatives rice syrup, agave juice, chopped dates, honey, dried pineapple and smoothie, coconut oil, isomalt, fructose , stelvia, fruit concentrates, and much more.

“ The objective of Gusto in Scena has been to build a new concept of dessert in function of conscious diet at the time when the dessert is eaten. – continues Mr Coronini – At breakfast, a cake with sugar can be positive because your body needs fuel immediately and quickly. On the contrary, the same dessert taken at the end of a dinner, gives considerable problems especially to digest it because the contents are added to the rest of the meal. Let us, therefore, make a distinction between the morning cake and the sweet dessert after a meal. “

The goal of Gusto in Scena was very ambitious: make Venice, for the days of the event, the world capital of gastronomy and it was really succesfull.

Henry BORZI

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.

 gusto-in-scena-sala520

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.

tappo

 

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

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