Tag: Guide

Milan Wine Week 2021: guide to events – Italian Cuisine

The event dedicated to the world of wine is back in Milan from 2 to 10 October 2021: tastings, masterclasses, conferences and obviously many toasts!

There Milan Wine Week it will begin on the evening of 2 October with the traditional toast with Trentodoc, Trentino's mountain bubbles. At 7 pm there will be a toast, as well as in the historic headquarters of Palazzo Bovara, also in three of the most evocative rooftop in Milan: VIU Rooftop of Hotel VIU Milan, from A ’Riccione Terrazza 12 by Brian & Berry and at Terrazza Duomo 21.
The inauguration will be free with an offer in favor of the Humanitas Research Foundation, upon registration.

To access almost any appointment you need register on the Milan Wine Week website.
Access to the events will be allowed only with the exhibition of the Green Pass.

To stay up to date on the program and book the experience is also recommended download the W.

Here are all the events open to the public:

THE Wine talks with industry professionals, coordinated by the wine educator Cristina Mercuri which will take place on 5, 6 and 8 October at Palazzo Castiglioni in Corso Venezia 47, while the Shaping Wine Forum will be held on 7 October at the Ferrero Auditorium in Bocconi SDA, in via Roberto Sarfatti 25.

It will be possible, always by reservation, to participate in exclusive Wine tour outside Milan.

You can go to the Lugana area, starting comfortably with the shuttle service organized from Milan, arriving at the Cà Maiol winery of Desenzano sul Garda, owned by the Santa Margherita Wine Group.
During the tour we will visit the vineyards, the new cellar, a small food experience dedicated to guests, and then conclude with a tasting. It is possible to participate in the tour by booking, with a cost of 60 euros, with departures from Palazzo Bovara on 2, 3 and 10 October.

Another destination for wine tours will be the fascinating underground cellars of Guido Berlucchi in Borgonato di Corte Franca (BS) where the company is based, which this year celebrates 60 years of history.

Another original experience to live in Milan is that of Wine Boat, the electric and sustainable boat on the canal, on which it will be possible to book, at a cost of 35 euros, a tasting of 4 Chianti wines.

In all info point, that is, the gazebo positions outside the venues that adhere to the Milan Wine Week, every afternoon from 2.30pm to 6.30pm, will be possible for the public to approach the wine free of charge.
What does it mean? That you can taste a wine, with a short tasting led by an oenologist.
The wine foreseen for the tasting will always relate to the territory that represents the district.

here are the 10 wine district in Milan for the Wine Week:

Franciacorta in the Brera / Garibaldi / Solferino area
Consortium of Asti and Moscato d'Asti DOCG in Simplon / Arco della Pace
Consortium for the Protection of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG at Porta Nuova / Gae Aulenti
Lugana DOC Protection Consortium at Porta Romana
Consortium for the Protection of Oltrepò Pavese Wines in the Eustachi / Plinio area
Brunello in the Gallery – Brunello di Montalcino in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele
Consortium for the Protection of Valpolicella Wines in Marghera / Sanzio
Chianti Wine Consortium to the Navigli
Consortium for the Protection of Abruzzo Wines at Porta Venezia
In Liguria in the Isola area

In the various districts they have been planned dinners with producers in the restaurants participating in the initiative. To find out about all the themed evenings, visit the dedicated page on the Milan Wine Week website.

Among the various events open to the public without reservation we point out:

Easter Vineyards and Cellars will open the Milanese wine week with a gigantic immersive work that celebrates creativity, talent and Italian wine. With the creative direction of the artistic collective NONE and created in collaboration with BASE Milano, the work entitled "Falling Dreams" will offer an experience suspended between dream and reality. The exhibition will be open to the public free of charge from 6 to 9 October, from 18.00 to 22.00.

Berlucchi, instead, among the wineries that symbolize the excellence of Franciacorta in the world, it will celebrate its 60th anniversary by retracing the history of the company through an exhibition that will animate the very central Corso Vittorio Emanuele.

Another unique experience is the tasting in the dark at the Institute for the Blind of Milan, organized by the women of wine of Lombardy and whose proceeds will go to the Institute. A “special and different” tasting, with eyes closed, exceptionally led by Luca Boccoli, Professional Master Sommelier.

And now … all that remains is to toast!

small guide to gluten free drinking – Italian Cuisine

Are grappa, whiskey, gin and vodka gluten free? And the liqueurs? Which cocktails are safe and which are not? How can a celiac orient himself in the purchase of spirits and spirits? We find out with expert guidance

A glass of grappa after dinner, an amaro, a fresh limoncello in summer, or a gin-based cocktail. Alcoholic beverages (always responsibly and with measure) are a pleasure, even for those suffering from celiac disease: but as in many areas of taste, those who cannot consume gluten must always keep their eyes open. "We have to make a distinction between alcoholic beverages," he explains Laura Diodovich, Project Professional AFC – AiC (Italian Celiac Association) Marche, which specifies: «it is in fact necessary to distinguish between distillates which are always good, and which do not necessarily have to bear the words "gluten free", as long as they are free of flavorings or other substances, and liqueurs. The latter are considered at risk: this means that they are only suitable if they have the wording “gluten-free” . From AiC therefore, you have a traffic light green for grappa, gin, whiskey, tequila, vodka etc., even when they come from raw materials containing gluten. How is it possible? We asked those who deal with spirits for work.

Gluten-free spirits: spirits, 100 per 100 safe

Luca Sala Trade Marketing Manager of Meregalli Spirits, a leading company in Italy in the distribution of national and international wines and spirits, explains how the gluten contained in the raw material of gin, whiskey, vodka, obtained from cereals, does not pass into the distillate because: «distillation serves precisely to separate the heavy parts from the light ones, leaving all residues as production waste. Also what is called "head and tail" or the initial and final part of distillate (where a trace could be found) is thrown away. Particular attention should be paid to Gin because some flavors are made by maceration, so they may have gluten . After all, the list of aromas that may contain gluten “is endless, but it's not just aromas that are at risk. To be sure of a gluten-free product, you should work in an aseptic laboratory, an environment that almost no one has in the distillery or liqueur factory .

More explanations about Gin come from the distillery Bunches of Altavilla: «Gin, if obtained through the distillation process, is to be considered gluten-free. In particular, Gin Mazzetti, being “London Dry”, is obtained precisely from the distillation of a macerate with traditional stills, which makes it gluten free . Absolutely sure is grappa, as the Mazzetti d'Altavilla experts demonstrate: "First of all, since it is a distillate that uses pomace as a raw material, therefore the skins and seeds (called grape seeds) of the grapes, gluten is not contained in the raw material . Secondly, the same distillation process foreseen in direct steam stills means that the final distillate, resulting from the condensation of the steam coming from the stills, cannot – even if there is a presence – acquire any trace of gluten through this processing method " .

Liquors without contamination

More complicated is the discussion with regard to liqueurs: contamination, explains Luca Sala di Meregalli, «occurs by presence in the raw material or by contamination by external agents. The same goes for the aseptic laboratory . To be sure of the absence of contamination, it is necessary to have certifications available. This is what they do in Mazzetti d’Altavilla: "our liqueurs are all consumable even by those with gluten intolerances. Not being distilled in purity, in this case the certification that the raw material does not contain gluten and does not foresee the possibility of contamination with materials containing gluten. For blended products, it would be good to indicate the gluten-free symbol on the bottle or on the packaging to ensure its consumability by those with intolerances. We are gearing up for this! " A brand or a legible wording on the label would certainly make life easier for those suffering from celiac disease, at least as regards the choice of what to drink.

Green Stars: a new story for the Michelin Guide? – Italian Cuisine

The new symbol in the Rossa marks a turning point: from now on, the sustainability of a restaurant will make a difference and the cuisine will not be enough. And if in the first thirteen 'shamrocks' there are so many famous names, the future is destined for the brands of young people

For the faithful of the Michelin Guide, 2020 – forgettable in many ways – goes on file with the debut of the Green Stars. It is also a marketing choice, the right attention to a trend that has been evident for some years. But there is no doubt that a different story opens up for the most famous guide in the world: Italy also follows what has already happened in France and in the Nordic countries where the Green Stars debuted at the beginning of the year. «They celebrate and encourage sustainable initiatives in the field of gastronomy. From wherever you look at it, gastronomy is striving to improve its activities in this key, so we want to be a sounding board ", he explains. Gwendall Poullenec, international director of the Michelin Guides. «Chefs have the opportunity to preserve their territory and their community. The criteria assessed in the field by the inspectors are new .

The evaluation fees

Beyond that the first list of thirteen 'verdestellati''includes valid signs, but leaves some perplexity (however, the discourse reflects that on the normal Stars), it should be emphasized that in the assignment we do not look at the kitchen alone, but at the green style through criteria such as the self-production of raw materials, the impact energy, waste disposal, social vision. Attention to the environment alone is not enough for recognition, like the 'nobility' of the career (even if the first round is blue blood, perhaps too much), but the curators have already made it known that the selection of structures is destined to grow significantly from the next edition. "The ideas, techniques and skills developed by chefs in this sense foster awareness of an entire sector and help create an idea of sustainable gastronomy that can be a revolution and a movement tomorrow," says Poullenec. And it is no small statement considering the traditional confidentiality of driving.

The visions of the big names

It was said of the first list. With many heavy names starting with two three-starred: theOsteria Francescana in Modena (in reality, the Star would be for the many merits of Food for Soul created by Massimo Bottura with his wife Lara Gilmore) and the St. Hubertus in San Cassiano (BZ) where Norbert Niederkofler developed the Cook The Mountain vision, which changed the history of mountain cuisine. Then there is Davide Oldani with the new two-star DO, in Cornaredo (MI), attentive to the training of future cooks as well as the working model for those of his restaurant. The other two-star on the list is Don Alfonso 1890 in Sant’Agata dei Due Golfi (NA) with the Iaccarino family, a forerunner of 'organic' for fruit and vegetables – when it was hardly mentioned – in the splendid Punta Campanella company. Concept underlying the work of another southern family, the Ceraudo, which thanks to the owned farm has managed to ensure almost entirely the needs of Type it, the starred restaurant in Strongoli (CR) led by young Caterina, Michelin chef of the year 2017.

Joia, the lighthouse of the vegetable

Another place that (dutifully) received the Green Star is the Milanese Joia: since 1989 Pietro Leemann tells his vision of vegetable cuisine, designed to be in harmony with the earth and its sustainability. Stellato since 1996 is a place of worship for gourmets, even non-vegetarians. Less known, but always worth a stop, it is the closest star to Switzerland: green Lantern in Villa di Chiavenna (SO) that the experienced Tonola family – the chef is the young Roberto – manages to be self-sufficient from an energy point of view, also managing a trout farm. The production of energy, the considerable saving of plastic and two biodynamic gardens (fertilized with organic waste) are the basis of the work of the starry Lazarus 1915 in Pontelongo (PD), by the chef-patron Piergiorgio Siviero. Among the places that will be able to exhibit the double plaque outside there is Gardenia in Caluso (TO): for more than 20 years Mariangela Susigan has been collecting wild herbs and edible flowers in the mountains of the Morainic Amphitheater to use them in recipes, often archaic, which are the architrave of the menu. It also has a large vegetable garden inside the restaurant.

Castles and lofts

To close the group of 'macarons' that have repeated there is Virtuoso Gourmet – Tenuta le Tre Virtù: Antonello Sardi's sign, in San Piero a Sieve (FI), is quite clear on the vision. Since 2014, sustainability has been the cornerstone of the structure, which in the meantime has become self-sufficient for energy and has equipped itself with a certified organic farm with poultry, ancient fruit trees, olives. Tuscany has another Green Star, in that of Suvereto (LI): I ’Ciocio-Osteria di Suvereto where Fabrizio Caponi can count on the production of a farm equipped with a stone mill that grinds only organic grains. From the medieval castle to the most avant-garde structure among the thirteen awarded: House Format in Orbassano (TO) is totally sustainable. The building that houses Igor Macchia's restaurant is made with zero impact, the rural garden measures 2000 m² and recycling inspires the entire production process. The last Green Star is emblematic: it was awarded to a restaurant, formerly Bib Gourmand, much loved by gourmets such as La Crepa coffee, in Isola Dovarese (CR) which overlooks one of the most beautiful Renaissance squares in Lombardy. The garden and the vineyard are open-air pantries and there is no shortage of 'homemade' wines with cabernet and merlot blends. Merit of the Malinverno brothers, competent and passionate like few others: behind most of the Green Stars there are great families. It doesn't surprise us.