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Issue 382 - August 20th-24th - Expressly created for 11.897 wine lovers,
professionals and opinion leaders from all over the world |
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A new chapter has been added to the history of Italian haute cuisine “migrations”. Ciccio Sultano, the two-Michelin-star chef at Duomo di Ragusa, has chosen Vienna for his first cooking adventure abroad. He will open the Bar and Kitchen “Pastamara” at the Ritz Carlton hotel, just a few steps from the Opera House, by the end of the year. Sultan is following the experience of Massimo Bottura’s Refectories (Paris, London and Brazil), the partnership between Bulgari and Niko Romito (Beijing, Dubai and Shanghai), Heinz Beck’s restaurants (Algarve, Tokyo, London and Dubai), and the openings of Alajmo in Paris and Moscow by Carlo Cracco. |
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After knocking on wood, crossing fingers, and always keeping a close eye on the sky, the sentiment is decidedly optimistic for the 2018 harvest quality and quantity wise in the most important Italian sparkling wine territories, as the heads of Italian sparkling wine Consortiums have told WineNews, upon examining the first grapes harvested. One of the first territories to begin harvesting is Franciacorta, and as the vice-president of the Franciacorta Consortium, Silvano Brescianin, explained, “the harvest is underway, but we are taking our time because ripening is also going slowly. Right now we are harvesting Pinot Noir but we are only at the beginning. The grapes are healthy and abundant, and so far the vintage is generous, thus we are hoping that the weather will hold and there will be no hailstorms. Quantity wise we will be just above average, about 10-15% more than 2016, but these are only estimates”. Continuing in the Lombardy region, harvesting has begun also in Oltrepò, home of the classic method based on Pinot Noir. “At the moment, everyone that has sparkling bases of Pinot Noir, which is showing optimum balanced ripening curves, has begun harvesting”, emphasized the director of the Consortium, Emanuele Bottiroli “and an excellent level of acidity. We expect quantities will be + 20-25% more than 2017”. In the Trentino region harvesting of grapes that produce “mountain bubbles” has begun in the last few days, said the president of the Istituto Trentodoc, Enrico Zanoni. “The 2018 vintage has had an optimal trend and temperatures are determining the harvest will be of excellent quality”. On the Prosecco side, both for DOC and for the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Superiore DOCG, we started with “complementary” grapes, first of all Chardonnay, but we will have to wait a little longer for Glera. All aspects give us a positive outlook both in quality and quantity, said the presidents of the Prosecco Consortium DOC, Stefano Zanette, and DOCG, Innocente Nardi. The harvest will not start before the end of the month in Asti, said the director of the Piedmont Consortium, Giorgio Bosticco, “grapes are healthy, and quantity wise, we will be within the specification average, 100 quintals per hectare”. |
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People in Europe eat safe food at least as far as pesticide residues are concerned. According to the latest EFSA, European Food Safety Agency, report, more than 96% of the 84.657 samples analyzed (measuring 791 different pesticides) were found to be within the limits of the law, while 51% were totally free from quantifiable residues. The data (referring to 2016) were obtained from samples for the most part from EU countries (67%), and then from third countries (26.4%). For 6.6% of the samples it was not possible to discover the origins. Irregularities were found in 2.4% of products from EU countries, and 7.2% of products from non-European countries. These data signify that the EU system of rules makes European food safer than in the rest of the world. |
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How much is “Italian style” worth on shelf sales? Quite a lot, revealed the third edition of the Osservatorio Immagino Nielsen GS1 Italy, which monitors claims, logos and pictograms that indicate Italian style on packaging, which generated something like 6.3 billion euros in 2017, that is, 274 million euros more compared to 2016. Of the 60.600 food products examined sold in super and hypermarkets more than 25% indicated their “Italianness” on the labels, while 5% specified one of the four geographical indications recognized and protected by the EU. This world of typical products is continuing to reap success after success since all of these “labels” ended the year 2017 in extensively positive trends. PDO and DOC denominations have grown much faster than in 2016 (+6.9% and +8.1%), driven by sales of PDO cheeses and wines and sparkling wines for DOC. Sales of PGI and DOCG food products are continuing to grow and are showing very positive trends (+7.8% and +8.7%), even though they are lower than in 2016, and in the meantime, the driving force is PGI salamis and DOCG wines and sparkling wines. More than 15.300 products indicate their Italian origin on the label and sales grew 4.5% in 20l7, which is almost double compared to + 2.3 % the sector recorded in 2016.
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In the first five months of 2018, Italy exported wine to China for 60.9 million euros, recording a growth of 17.2% compared to the same period in 2017. Therefore, after wineries and institutions have spent years in promotions and investments, China is now about to become one of the top 10 world destinations for Italian wine. This information is from Eurostat data, taken from ICE in Beijing, which is ready to launch the new phase of its institutional campaign “Taste the passion” on the largest Eastern market, together with UIV, Federvini and Federdoc. |
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This year, three Italians out of four (71%) on their summer holidays at the sea, in the mountains or in the countryside have chosen to visit olive pressing mills, Alpine farmsteads, wineries, farm houses, or farmers markets to buy local products directly from producers and optimize the price/quality ratio. These are the results of the Italian farmers association, Coldiretti/Ixè study showing that purchasing food directly from the producer is also an opportunity to get to know not only the product, but also its history, culture and tradition directly from those who have contributed to preserving a heritage that often is on the same level as the artistic and natural marvels of our national territory. Plus, 42% of Italians return home from holidays bringing wine, cheese, olive oil and cured meats as souvenirs.
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Sara Gama was born in 1989, her mother from Trieste and her father is Congolese. She has a degree in Languages and is captain of the Italian national women's soccer team that will participate in the 2019 World Cup in France. Sara won the award “Prima Donna” 2018, Donatella Cinelli Colombini’s “Casato Prime Donne” Prize, which is celebrating 20 editions. The award ceremony will be held in Montalcino on September 16th. The jury, including names such as Rosy Bindi, Anselma Dell'Olio, Anna Pesenti, Stefania Rossini, Anna Scafuri, Daniela Viglione and Gioacchino Bonsignore.
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