"MY FIRST TIME AT VINITALY, MARCH 2012"
This is a re-post from my first trip to Italy in 2012. I was quite new to the wonderful world of Italian wine, having only experienced basic chianti's through work. My cousin Roberto who is a wine merchant in Rome extended an invitation to join him and his two work colleagues for a road trip to VinItaly in Verona, and I gladly accepted. It was such a great experience, cementing my love for Italian wine and really helping me to understand them more.
Vinitaly held in Verona, is the event that more than any other has traced the evolution of the national and international wine system, helping to make wine one of the most captivating and dynamic realities in the primary sector.
Wednesday - Day One
We leave Roma in the afternoon along with Massimo and Marco, Roberto’s work colleagues. We stop for dinner in the town of Reggiano, famous for it’s cheese and wines. I have antipasti, egg and potatoe salad, olives and delcious melanzani, anchovies and for the main a tortellini and beef ragu with parmiggiano reggiano accompanied with a local lambrusco.
Our hotel is called Villa Bella, and is in the town of Soave, roughly 50 mins from Verona. I have a baguette, fruit, juice, yoghurt, caffe espresso and ciggarrette for breakfast then we take off on the 50 minute drive to the fair.
The first day of Vinitaly. We start off at Ca’del Bosco, a producer of sparkling wines from the Lombardia region. I sit in on a meeting between Roberto and the head manager. He informs me he likes Penfolds and had a ‘83 grange the other week. No big deal for him really. We then move onto Pio Cesare, from the Alba in the Piedmonte region. We try the 06-07 Barolo, and it is superb. I meet the cheeky manager, who has a playful relationship with Roberto. We then move onto Pasetti wines, a family owned business from Abruzzo. The father, mother, daughter and son treat us to montelpuciano, and a few white wines along with some local cheeses and bread. Superb. I meet the son Massimo, who we talk about the local region and other things. The Harimann, is their premium wine and it does not dissapoint.
I then get an urge to try some Slovenian wines, after I have struck up a friendship with a Slovenian girl. These wines are from Koper, a region near the border of Italy. Their wines are very unique, and I make good conversation with the slovenian employee about my planned trip.
Other companies visited: La Massa (Toscana), Notaio (Basillicata).
"Beautiful wine. Beautiful women. Warm embraces with wine owners, broken english, penfolds praise, tinto rosso, organised by regions with elaborate stalls resembling a chiq bar or shop. Sit down on table where glass after glass of a brands wine is poured eached matched with antipasti- bread sticks, biscotti, chocolate, olive oil, salami, meat,and delicious cheeses that are produced in surrounding regions, like pecorino."
Still learning to like southern whites at this stage, trying many from Avellino in Campania. Highlights for me however are the reds, particularly from Piedmont, Alba, Abruzzo and Lombardia, but there are surprisingly also some very nice southern reds that stand out like those from the region of Basillicata. The amarones are a personal favourite, and a incredible spicy, ginger and cinnamon red sweet desert wine from Notaio was tasted and complemented with dark chocolate and formaggio. The owner from Notaio Winery in the Basilicata was very nice, and the same with winemaker. The owner shows off his award proudly to us, and I take a photo.
For dinner we go to this classy, traditional ristorante called Posta Veccha. 15 minutes down the road from our hotel. I order the funghi lasagnatte for prima piatte, it is delicious, the mushrooms are so soft and full of taste, complementing the thin pasta. Massimo orders a local Valipollicella for the table, and it is decent however not spectacular. For antipasti we eat melonsani, chickoree, spanish quiche and fried potatoes. Secondi, is the local region speciality of stewed cavallo (horse) with fried polenta triangles. It taste very similar to a stewed beef, however very tender. Tiramisu is ordered for dinner, and is probably the best I have tasted. An Avilino man and owner of a winery at the Vinitaly, shouts the whole table (over 200 euro), much to the displeasure of Roberto who begs and begs the waiter to not accept the mans money, and instead use his credit card. It was a crazy experience, and in the end Roberto backs down and accepts the Avilino man’s kind and generous offer. Roberto tells me of the kindness and generousity of the southern people, and it showed tonight. We chat, and say our thanks before going back to the hotel to sleep.
Today was like Day 2, but with a little more independance. I travel around solo, conversating with lovely people in broken english, and trying delicious amarones and valpolicellas. I take lots of photos, and have a very (sedated) nap on the long drive back to Roma.
All in all, it was a great Interesting insight into how the Italian wine merchant works and maintains good working relationships with business partner and wineries. The opportunity Roberto gave to me to experience all of this will never be forgotten. For this I am truly thankful.
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