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Issue 591 - August 22nd - 26th 2022 - Expressly created for 4.376 wine lovers, professionals and opinion leaders from all over the world |
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On September 23, the first “EU Organic Awards”, 8 prizes, divided into 7 categories, to the protagonists of the agricultural and food chain, strictly organic, of the Old Continent, wanted by the EU, will be staged in Brussels. With two young Italian winemakers among the finalists in the “Best organic farmer” category: Sara Vezza, fifth generation of winemakers and now at the helm of her Azienda Agricola Sara Vezza, in Monforte d’Alba, and Gianpaolo Mancini, who, with “Il Sentiero del Riccio”, in seven hectares of forest, olive grove, chestnut grove, vineyard and vegetable garden on the slopes of the Alburni Mountains, produces wine, honey and oil. |
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Monasteries, abbeys, hermitages and convents: alongside religious and cultural knowledge, in Italy’s most important wine territories, many also guard a vineyard. Because, for centuries and centuries, within their mighty walls and in the ancient cloisters, for the friars-vignerons the production of wine has always been a matter of life, spiritual, a symbol of the union between earth and heaven, man and God, of the blood of Christ and the Eucharist, but also daily, according to the rule of ora et labora. And while there are many in which the cultivation of vines has never ceased, contributing to the preservation of many native grape varieties, in others the production of quality wines has been rediscovered more recently. To tell the story of the role that, since the Middle Ages, religious institutions have played in the history of wine, “Vini d’Abbazia” was born, the “council” that will bring together their labels at Fossanova Abbey in Priverno (September 2-4), the oldest example of Cistercian-Gothic art in Italy, founded in the 13th century by Cistercian monks from the Monastery of Citeaux in France. From the Abbeys of Novacella and Muri-Gries and the Valle Isarco Winery, which cares for the vineyards of the Sabiona Monastery in Alto Adige, to the Venetian Abbeys of Praglia and Busco; from the Abbey of Rosazzo in Friuli, whose vineyards are entrusted to Livio Felluga, to the Badia a Passignano, where wine is still produced thanks to Antinori, and the Monastery of the White Friars in Fivizzano, Tuscany; from Umbria, with Marco Caprai, who will tell the story of Sagrantino from its origins linked to St. Francis to its success, and with the Monastery of Bose, which cultivates grapes from the Monastery of St. Masseo of Assisi; to Lazio, with the Monastery of the Trappist nuns of Vitorchiano, the Abbey of Valvisciolo in Sermoneta and the Cantine della Strada del Vino in Latina, and to Campania, where Feudi di San Gregorio dedicates one of its most important wines to the Abbey of Goleto, which saved Campania’s native Greco di Tufo, Fiano and Aglianico grape varieties in the Middle Ages, and with the Abbey of Crapolla in Vico Equense. The guests of honor? The great wines of Burgundy from the Hospices de Beaune, narrated by Maison François Martenot with Les Grands Chais de France Group. |
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“Everyone is focusing on the lack of water and water stress, emphasizing the importance of being able to irrigate. But it is not enough, because in many situations the heat stress brought by high temperatures has overridden the water issue. It is no coincidence that in Sicily and the South in general, we are experimenting with cover systems to limit exposure to sunlight when necessary. But we also need to work on agronomic practices. And on an integrated strategy that starts from a deep knowledge of the territory, which is not only vineyard, but landscape, biodiversity, soil and ecosystem”. This is the reflection of Diego Tomasi, a Crea researcher and director of the Consorzio di Tutela del Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Docg, who spoke on behalf of the system of Consorzi di Tutela in Veneto in the harvest forecast. |
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The legacy of Gerard Basset, the only person in the world to have boasted the titles of Master Sommelier, Master of Wine and Officer of the Order of the British Empire, who passed away in 2019, is Liquid Icons. The first result, in 2018, was “The Global Fine Wine Report”, capable of lining up the trends taking place in the wine world through the world’s greatest wine professionals. A first stone, around which the foundations were laid for the “Gerard Basset Foundation”, which with “The Golden Vines Awards” rewards the protagonists of the world of fine wines, in a gala ceremony created to finance the charitable objectives of the foundation, and which, from October 15 to 17, will be held in Florence. During three days, the 275 guests (tickets between 7,000 and 12,000 euros) will enjoy a gala dinner - on October 16 - signed by Massimo Bottura, with 500 bottles of Dom Pérignon, Krug, Cheval Blanc, Solaia, but also a prologue with five masterclasses (October 15), including one on Brunello di Montalcino from four iconic wineries such as Il Marroneto, BiondiSanti, Casanova di Neri and Castiglion del Bosco, followed the next day by a tour, tasting and lunch at the Marchesi Antinori winery in Chianti Classico, at Bargino (full details of the event in-depth). |
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Relations between two “capitals” of world wine are getting closer and closer: the City of Napa City Council in the United States of America, the most important wine district in the USA, delivered the keys of the city into the hands of Angelo Braconi, deputy mayor of Montalcino, home of Brunello. The handover ceremony seals the twinning between the two cities, signed in October 2021, aimed at promoting projects to foster collaborative relationships and encourage exchanges and meetings under the sign of wine culture, which are opportunities for growth for new generations. |
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The undisputed king of summer, not only in Italy, is Prosecco, with export growth rising to 27% compared to 2020. Pinot Grigio, on the other hand, is one of the most popular grape varieties and is confirmed as Canada’s most popular appellation, Doc Lugana is in great demand in Germany, while Moscato d’Asti is very popular in China and Falanghina holds a place of honor in Japan. Among reds, Nero d’Avola is particularly popular in South Korea. Thus the Observatory on data regarding wine preferences in the hottest months curated by Edoardo Freddi International, an Italian export management company in the wine sector that collaborates with realities such as St. Michael-Eppan, Marchesi di Barolo, Feudi di San Gregorio, Librandi, Cantine del Notaio and Castello di Cigognola, to name a few. |
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Drought more or less everywhere and above-average temperatures that, for the most part, will limit the quantity of grapes in the cellar and their yield in wine. But also a substantial absence of fungal diseases that suggest that grapes will be able to guarantee interesting quality. This is the summary picture that comes from the “2022 Harvest Forecasts”, signed by Veneto Agricoltura, with a focus on Veneto, but with testimonies also from Piedmont, Lombardy, Tuscany, Apulia, Sicily, Emilia Romagna, Friuli Venezia Giulia and beyond (in more detail). |
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