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Welcome to
VOLUME VI,
NUMBER 5 of Wine News, the e-Letter from the WineCountry.IT network. (Would you
rather see the e-Letter on your favorite browser? Use
this link. Usa il link seguente se vuoi leggere
le News in italiano).
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In April some of our associated wine producers received good news: five out of 12 wines that we presented at the annual National Women Wine Competition received either gold, silver, or bronze medals. Among them, our complements to Azienda Agricola Tessari which, with its Soave Superiore "Le Bine Longhe" obtained one of the only 76 gold medals assigned among over 1900 entries from all over the world. According to the certificate released by the NWWC: "... Tessari is unquestionably one of the top world winemakers, as confirmed by 36 of the top women palates in the wine industry ..." Check out other Tessari wines for sale in the US. The other WineCountry.IT winning producers are: Poderi Rosso Giovanni (Monferrato DOC Infinito) Castellari Bergaglio (Gavi DOCG di Tassarolo Fornaci), Romangia Società Cooperativa (Cannonau La Marina), e Fattorie Coliberto (Monteregio di Massa Marittima DOC Thesan).
On May 14 the ninth Italian Flavor Forum, the exciting Italian invitation only wine and food tasting event dedicated to wine buyers and trade press, takes place at San Francisco's Museo ItaloAmericano. Wine professionals interested in participating may request to be added to our guest list.
Read about our Italian Sideways on the occasion of the 42nd Vinitaly, find out about the upcoming Cibus trade show in Parma, and how genetics may affect our wine preferences. Another interesting piece of news is the proposed reduction of wine and liquor taxes in Honk Kong to zero, a move which has already boosted the local market.
This month, the column Beyond Wine introduces two DOP cheeses from the Marche and Piedmont regions: the Casciotta d'Urbino end Bitto DOP, respectively.
We wish you happy reading and we will now get back to work, as organizing the Italian Flavor Forums is always a lot of work. Cheers, or cin cin, as they say in Italy,
Loris Scagliarini, WineCountry.IT President |
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Cibus in Parma, and the City Celebrates |
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 From May 5, to 8, 2008, the Cibus food trade show is in Parma, which provides an evocative format to further enrich the 14th international showcase for Italian food stuff. Parma is a city where food is culture and a way of life which hints at the genuine flavor of ancient traditions. At Cibus the atmosphere is convivial, offering the opportunity to sit down at a table and, in addition to the table setting, find smiling faces and pleasant company.
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Genetics May Determine Favorite Wines |
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 More and more studies highlight the fact that taste differs greatly from person to person, while DNA research hints that flavor preferences may be hard-wired in us. Thus, from time to time, the international wine world is the scene for more or less bitter statements, such as what a well known French wine writer, Clive Coates, recently said about a US critic who loved a particularly controversial Bordeaux: "Anyone who likes (that wine) should have a brain transplant."
The ancient Romans appeared to know this fact centuries ago, when they affirmed that "de gustibus non est disputandum", or "personal taste is not to be argued."
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Hong Kong: Proposed Wine Duties Cut to Zero |
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 On April 25, 2008, the Hong Kong Commerce & Economic Development Bureau's amendments to the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance, with reference to the Budget-proposed reduction of wine tariff to zero, was published in the official journal.
In the 2008-09 Budget, the Financial Secretary proposed reducing duties on wine and other liquors to zero, and removing licensing/permit requirements for the import or export, manufacture, storage or movement of these goods.
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| Piedmontese Quality Wine, Food and Design at the Conquest of New York |
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 The Italian association Confartigianato Imprese Torino organized an ideal journey among the most typical and refined products from the Piedmont region in New York. Two internationally known chefs, Alfredo Russo and Pier Bussetti, introduced the perfumes and innovative flavors of wines, vinegars, rice, coffee, bread sticks, pasta, sauces, liquors, pastry and chocolate, of this regional cuisine. This event also offered the opportunity to showcase the design projects realized by the students of Turin's Istituto d'Arte Applicata e Design (IAAD, or Institute of Applied Art and Design).
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National Women Wine Competition 2008 |
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 Thirty six Superstar Judges from the Wine Industry (see Judges' list and bios) judged over 1,900 wines from 30 US states and 10 foreign countries including Argentina, Australia, German, Italy, Chile, South Africa, Spain, France, New Zealand and Canada.
WineCountry.IT is pleased to announce that five out of 12 wines presented from its affiliate Italian Flavor Consortium portfolio, were awarded one gold, two silver and two bronze medals.
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| Vinitaly Sideways 2008 - Part 1 |
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 Saturday, April 5, 2008, we visit the Azienda Agricola Alberto Monti, on the outskirts of Castelfranco, where the young owner, known by everyone as Il Berto, explains us the different pruning methods used for the Lambrusco and Pignoletto vines because of the characteristics of the plant.
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 The seafood and vegetable meal is to die for, with a dozen or so hors d'oeuvres followed by spaghetti con padelle (spaghetti with a kind of Mediterranean barnacle), spaghetti ai ricci di mare (spaghetti with sea anemones), and risotto ai frutti di mare (seafood risotto). Again, it's up to sommelier Laura Martelli to choose wine, and she selects a bottle of Diletto white wine by Fattorie Azzolino, obtained via white vinification of the Sicilian native red grape Nero d'Avola, which does not undergo maceration with the grape skin, thus producing a highly structured white wine.
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 I order grigliata mista di pesce (seafood mixed grilled), while Brigit chooses the risotto pescatore (fisherman risotto), which we wash down with a bottle of 2007 Polena, a fresh, white wine made with 50% Voignier and 50% Catarratto, this a Sicilian native vine, by the Donnafugata estate. Brigit closes her dinner with a slice cassata siciliana, while I enjoy a rich glass of Donnafugata's Ben Rye Passito di Pantelleria wine.
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Part 4 |
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Our wonderful friends Gastone and Rita pick us up at 4AM and drive us to the Guglielmo Marconi airport in Bologna.
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Italian Wine Lovers and the Environment |
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 They are eager to spend as much as €500 per bottle (see value in other currencies), they add 300 bottles to their personal collection each year, visit enoteche and participate in wine events regularly, and dedicate one third of their weekends to wine and food tourism. This is the profile of the Italian wine lovers, over two millions of wine buffs who, as it turns out, are very passionate about quality of the environment as well. In fact, 75.5% of them are involved in environmental activities (against 42% of the general public) and 80% are convinced that a quality wine can only be produced in a protected, healthful environment.
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As we continue the introduction of Italy's 155 Protected Designations of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indications (PGI) products, this month we present two cheeses which have received the European DOP recognition: the Casciotta d'Urbino from the Marches region,
and the Bitto, a DOP cheese produced in the Alpine valleys of Valtellina and Valchiavenna, in the Lombardy region.
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