Tag: wines

The first guide to Italian wines becomes an international app – Italian Cuisine

Permanent Seminar Luigi Veronelli presents a novelty designed to support the winemakers in this complex moment: his guide to Italian wines is digital, free and usable also abroad!

"This period of crisis is profoundly changing our habits, including in the choice, purchase and consumption of wine. Despite a thousand limitations, the work of the producers continues in the vineyard and in the cellar, it is in the commercial sector that today there are enormous difficulties. The cancellation of major trade fair events, the complexity of supplies and the temporary closure, in many states, of restaurants and public establishments are putting a strain on operators of all sizes and types "he says Andrea Bonini, Director of the Veronelli Seminar. «It is difficult to understand now how the scenario will evolve; we wish, however, give our contribution to the sector by promoting the meeting between the best wines of Italy and those who, in the world, wish to know and appreciate them ".

The initiative promoted by the Luigi Veronelli Permanent Seminar starts from a Bergamo hard hit by the Covid-19 emergency, but eager to resume, also through signs of optimism like this. The wine sector that is facing an unexpected crisis, can count on the help of the first guide to Italian wines which presents for the first time the digital version Guida Oro I Vini di Veronelli 2020 in English. Veronelli's Gold Guide to Italian Wines is a free tool dedicated to enthusiasts and industry experts who will find their way among the best proposals of Italian wines through the rating scale in cents, the assessments made by the Curators Gigi Brozzoni, Marco Magnoli and Alessandra Piubello and information relating to the companies and wines.

Valentine's Day: 8 wines born from a love story – Italian Cuisine

What could be nicer than celebrating with a candlelit dinner and some irresistible recipes? We recommend eight labels (which are also good for singles)

The February 14 is the feast of lovers. Whether you are among those who do not give up celebrating or among those who do not like the anniversary, you will happen to raise the glass towards those who make your heart beat. What are the wines to uncork for the occasion? It depends on how your toast will be. If a classic method bubble, such as a Franciacorta or a Trento, are always an excellent option, especially between meals or at the time of the aperitif, we had fun finding some less obvious proposals, with the relative instructions for use and some curiosity about it. To tell to conquer your love definitively.

From Umbria, to the land of the saint

Valentine's day, the patron saint of lovers, was born in Terni in 176 AD. and, only 21 years old, he had become bishop of the city. He died beheaded on February 14, 273, for having united a pagan Roman legionary and a young Christian in marriage.

Some of the best wines of Umbria are produced in the province of Terni. L'Orvieto Classico Superiore Campo del Guardiano di Palazzone it is an elegant and savory white that gives its best after a few years of aging in the bottle. Try it with a fish fry, a chicken breast with mushroom cream or perhaps directly on the farm: Palazzone has a historic home with rooms that cannot be more romantic.

The right wine to be uncorked at the end of dinner, in front of a burning fireplace, is the Muffato of the Hall, produced at the Castello della Sala of the historic Antinori family; from sauvignon, grechetto, traminer, semillon and riesling grapes, harvested late, when the morning mists cover the rolling hills of the area and favor the arrival of noble rot, it has an extraordinary complexity. Its scents of apricot, saffron and candied ginger are capable of conquering even the less experienced. If you want to pair it with something, try it with dry buttery biscuits or large aged cheeses.

Wine and Valentine's Day

Wine producers love Valentine's Day, which often becomes the testimonial of their products. We like the Valentine's Day by Togni Rebaioli, produced in Valle Camonica with the Erbanno grape, a local biotype of Lambrusco, which gives a fruity and flowing red, ideal at the table with pasta with meat sauce. You could always replicate the scene of Lilli and the Vagabondo: two hearts and a plate of spaghetti with meatballs. Is called Valentine's day also the marzemino produced by La Cadalora. It smells of violet and is a round wine, to be drunk rather young, perhaps with a steaming plate of polenta and mushrooms in a mountain chalet.

From Verona, the city of love

There is no doubt, the most famous loving couple in history is that of Romeo and Juliet. It might be a good idea to spend a romantic weekend in Verona, where you visit the house with the balcony from which Juliet sighed: "Oh Romeo, Romeo, why are you Romeo?". Precisely Easter dedicated three wines to them, which bear on the label the inscriptions found in the courtyard of Juliet's house: the Passion White Feeling it is based on Garganega grapes which, after drying, gives an intense wine, which smells of apricot, peach and citrus fruits, to try with fish dishes but also with oysters; the Passion Red feeling it is based on merlot, corvina and croatina which, after drying, give a soft, warm and round wine, for steak and conversation; low, the Passion Feeling Prosecco Brut it is a fresh and casual sparkling wine, the ideal companion for a carefree love.

Even the most famous wine of Valpolicella, the wine region adjacent to Verona, lends itself well to being uncorked to celebrate Valentine's Day: choose theAmarone della Valpolicella Classico Proemio di Santi, bewitching in its aromas of cherry, plum, vanilla and cinnamon.

In Tuscany, between films and hearts

Comes from a little known area of Tuscany on Cuor Rosé by Tenute Riccardi Toscanelli a rosé based on the autochthonous canaiolo grape, which smells of ripe apples and wild strawberries. With the heart, in the name and on the label, it is perfect to give as a gift before a declaration of love. The last bottle we recommend for Valentine's Day is the Oaks of Petra, a Merlot of the Tuscan coast that smells of Mediterranean scrub and that was also uncorked during a scene from the film Love Manual 3 by Giovanni Veronesi. More Valentine's Day than this …

Wines with no added sulphites: what they are and why drink them – Italian Cuisine

What are sulphites and why are they used in the production of wine? Can you make (good) wine without adding sulphites? Why choose to buy wines without sulphites? We asked those who produce this type of wine

We talk and read a lot about sulphites: responsible for allergies and annoying headaches, they are among the most "talked" additives of the moment. But there is also a lot of confusion on this topic.

What are sulphites?

Sulphites are chemical compounds derived from sulfur, naturally present in many foods and which are equally naturally produced during the fermentation of grapes, albeit in very small quantities. A completely sulphite-free wine, therefore, cannot exist. There can be a wine with no added sulphites. In fact, sulphites are used «as preservatives – he explains Angiolino Maule, owner of the La Biancara farm and founder of the Vinnatur association – and are found not only in wine, but also in dried fruit or frozen fish, to give examples. All the additives indicated with the codes between E 220 and E 225 are sulphites. They don't hurt in themselves unless you're allergic, but they can bring problems if they build up in our body. In the production of wine in particular we are interested in sulfur dioxide. Sulfur dioxide is an antiseptic and antioxidant, and favors the natural selection of yeasts . An explanation that is also taken up by Nadia Verrua, from Cascina Tavijn: «The sulfur dioxide selects the bacterial charges, and ensures that the wine is maintained over time. But at the same time it risks "flattening" the aromas . It is thanks to sulphites, therefore, that the wines are preserved, keeping their characteristics intact. But making wines without adding sulphites is possible, although difficult.

Why (and how) to make wines without sulphites?

"Here in Asti, many fresh, fruity and young wines are drunk. And sulphite-free wines have a fresher and broader flavor. This is why I chose to produce them. And obviously why they are healthier, contain nothing else. Of course, you have to know how to do them, to avoid bad surprises. But the result pays off . Words echoed by Maule, who tells how it took "experimentation and knowledge to create a winemaking system where sulphites are not used: traditional winemaking in fact uses them at every step. But if we want to achieve a unique, truly territorial wine, we must use only what nature gives us: typicality arises from aromas, which are the result of the fixation of molecules, of a natural process that must not be hindered. Of course, it is risky to make a wine without sulphites: it takes expertise, oxygen and low temperatures. Human intervention makes wine: if I crush a bunch of grapes, it becomes vinegar. " It is therefore not only an ecological choice, but a more complex work, which wants to limit the standardization process and recover the ancient knowledge, the knowledge that guided the producers «80 years ago, when sulphites were not used – explains Maule – aware that if a wine starts badly in the cellar it will be bad in the bottle and that the wine needs constant care. The decanting is fundamental: oxygen must not be too much or not too little. And they must be done at the right time . A radical choice, which requires passion but which attracts more and more admirers: «our customers are people tired of drinking standard wines, as well as health-conscious people, a choice that mainly involves the new generations, between 25 and 40 years old . Maule concludes, supported by Verrua, who stresses that "in Italy, sulphite-free wines are increasingly in demand. It is a movement that is gaining momentum and originating in France ". So much so that it is no longer just a “niche” production. So he explains Maria Pia Leone, director of Costadoro: «We have been producing organic and vegan wines for many years and that of making wines without added sulphites is not only a commercial choice but also an ethical choice. Today it is increasingly important to show greater attention to the consumer and one sector to be kept in the utmost regard is that relating to allergens. Having wines in the range without added sulphites also means responding to the needs of those who experience intolerances and allergies.

How to choose them (watch the labels)

But how to buy a wine without sulphites? "The labeling of wine is very particular – explains Verrua – because on the contrary that in other foods we do not find a list of ingredients. The only indication that is given is the wording "contains sulfites". European legislation in fact provides that the presence of sulphites is declared on the label when they exceed the 10 mg / liter. Those who choose not to use sulphites in production can omit this wording or write explicitly "without added sulphites". In choosing, then, as always, it is necessary to be guided not only by taste but also by knowledge: "Choosing a wine without added sulphites means choosing a wine that maintains its taste, character and properties intact, without creating allergy problems or simply without causing that annoying headache that adding sulphites could entail. " It is still Maria Pia Leone who speaks, who continues: «It is fundamental today rely on a cellar that you know and trust to avoid the risk of incurring a wine that does not meet the expectations you have: a good wine must not lose its organoleptic qualities over time due to the absence of added sulphites ".

In the gallery a selection of wines with no added sulphites.