WINE TASTING, CONFERENCES, DINNERS AND MEETINGS WITH THE PRODUCERS: WINENEWS HAS SELECTED THE MOST IMPORTANT EVENTS OF THE 2010 “SALONE DEL GUSTO”

The 2010 “Salone del Gusto” (Taste Show) will be held at the LingottoFiere in Turin from October 21st to 25th, along with “Terra Madre” (Mother Earth). The number of events including workshops, wine tastings, dinners and meetings with producers is so vast that there is serious risk of getting lost. So, WineNews has selected some of the most interesting events at the Turin kaleidoscope of tastes, flavors and cultures.

In great anticipation of the event in Turin, there is an “interlude” at the Venaria Reale palace on October 20th where the Slow Food Wine Guide will be presented: “Slow Wine - People, vineyards and wines”. This is an invaluable opportunity to meet the producers and taste their wines awarded the Chiocciola (snail), the guide’s highest recognition. “Orto in Condotta” starts on October 21st: the "Slow Food Educa" (Slow food teaches) event where visitors can discover all the various types of vegetable gardens in the world: school, ornamental, hanging and herb and, they can try their hand at sowing and soil preparation, because “it is with small gestures that a revolution begins”.

In the vast range of classic taste workshops, on October 21st the wine tasting event “Bellavista, impressionante grandeur” (Bellavista, incredibile grandeur) guided by Mattia Vezzola (winemaker of the Franciacorta Maison) will take his audience on a tour of the “large formats” of sparkling wines (at 1:00 pm). Also on October 21st at 7:00 pm, The “Barolo legacy” event where the wines and production philosophies of some of the giants of the wine world will meet: Teoboldo Cappellano, Giovanni Conterno, Bartolo Mascarello and Renato Ratti. For visitors who want to taste perhaps the world’s most important wine, the workshop, "Madames et messieurs: Romanée-Conti” is a must. Aubert de Villaine, the current property manager, will explain the myths and legends of this amazing Domaine, sipping one of the company’s crus (at 7:00 pm).

On October 22nd, in the various events on “Food and Territories”, you will hear leading experts, like the jurist Stefano Rodotà, the economist Stefano Zamagni, the sociologist Franco Cassano, engaged in a debate on “Beni comuni: utopia o necessità” (Common Heritage: Utopia or necessity”) at 6:00 pm. To taste wine at its very beginnings, the wine tasting workshop “Wine in amphora, national pride of Georgia” (October 22, at 1:00 pm) is dedicated to that country: the true guardians of world viticulture. A livelier event is the theatrical workshop: “fucina e cucina (culture and kitchen)” (at 7:00 pm), in which the theater company Koinè will re-interpret the tasting ritual with Doc sparkling wines of Trento. The “Antonio Terni, wine and rock” (at 7:00 pm) workshop sees the producer of the Fattoria delle Terrazze in the Marche region bring together his two great passions: Bob Dylan and wine. In the food events, “Sustainable China” (8:30 pm at the Le Meridien Art Cafè restaurant) with chef Kylie Kwong, who will re-visit classic Chinese cuisine, using local organic and biodynamic products. On Friday, there will also be two conferences on current issues (both at 3:00 pm): “Generation T: young farmers tell it all” with Carlo Petrini (featuring the new generation of farmers who use Internet, travel and are full of new ideas) and “Educare significa fare futuro” (education means the road to the future) focusing on the citizen-consumers of tomorrow, aware that our future depends on food.

Don’t miss the workshop on October 23rd: The road to modern biodynamic products (7:00 pm). Leonardo Anello, the greatest Italian expert, will describe his experiences in the various companies for which he is a consultant. “La buona Italia” (tasty Italy) (7:00 pm) is totally dedicated to the flavors of Italy - four chefs from four regions will offer dishes prepared with Slow Food products, combined with a wine of the same region. At Teatro del Gusto (The Taste Theater) “The Art of Takagi-San on the plate” (4:00 pm), stars Shinichiro Takagi, master of kaiseki cuisine- traditional Japanese cuisine par excellence. In the evening food becomes a tool to promote peace and coexistence among peoples at “Chefs for peace” (Saturday at 8:30 pm at the Le Meridien Art Cafè restaurant), with two internationally renowned chefs, the Israeli Anat Lev-Ari and the Arab Joseph Asfour, who will alternate in the kitchen, creating a unique culinary journey, combined with the wines of Castello Banfi of Montalcino. The conference, entitled “Dall’abbondanza alla fame, passando per lo spreco” (from abundance to hunger through waste) (at 12:00 pm) will discuss agriculture and fishing, two different areas (production and collection) with similar negative repercussions in terms of inequality, resource depletion and pollution. The big issues at the center of other conferences on October 23rd will be: “Capital, standards, distribution: problems and prospects of the new agriculture” with Roberto Burdese (President of Slow Food Italy); “Good packaging: responsible and sustainable packaging” dedicated to environmentally-friendly packaging that does not pollute, and finally, led by Fernanda Roggero, journalist of the financial newspaper “Il Sole 24 Ore” a discussion on “Quality at the right price” aimed at identifying production costs and evaluation criteria that help determine the price of a product.

On October 24th the workshop “La solforosa come scelta di stile o di vita?” “(sulfur dioxide as a choice of style or life?) at 4:00 pm, explains how the addition of sulfites has changed perception and evolution over time. Along with two large French vigneron who practice sustainable viticulture you can taste the same wines with and without sulfur addition, to judge any differences.

The Best Sommelier of Europe 2010, Luca Gardin, leads the workshop “Tra territorio e identità” (between territory and identity) at 4:00 pm, and will discuss how the wine list of a great restaurant is compiled, the research and selection, and will offer six Italian wines from native grapes. Sylvie Augereau, wine fan and journalist, is the author of “Carnet de Vigne” a pamphlet dedicated to natural wine of Omnivore, the French culinary magazine: she will lead the workshop on “Che cos’è il vino naturale?” (what is natural wine?) at 4:00 pm and will explain meaning, trends and marketing of a type of wine that is on the rise. Also on October 24th (at 8:30 pm) “Dinner with Ducasse”, an exceptional evening starring four famous Italian chefs (Massimo Bottura, Gennaro Esposito, Davide Oldani, Christophe Martin, chef of L’Andana restaurant and Ugo Alciati) who will present their dishes along with their master Alain Ducasse, one of the most famous chefs in the world. The evening will be in the beautiful setting of the restaurant Guido in Pollenzo in Bra (Cuneo). On October 25th, at 1:00 pm, there is the workshop “Wine with or without additions? Use without abuse” in which the winemaker Beppe Caviola will explain whether and how biotechnology and research findings can improve the quality of wine. Instead, “Beer and grapes” (at 4:00pm), is dedicated to artisan beers using Italian grape must: a leading expert on Italian beer, Lorenzo Dabobe, in art Kuaska, will present a tasting of six special bottles. Finally, Carlo Petrini, President of Slow Food will hold the closing conference of Salone del Gusto on October 25th, at 3:00 pm. “Politiche alimentari: le visioni di Terra Madre” (food policy: the visions of Mother Earth) will present a memo to the political world about how food policies should consider food as a point of arrival and departure: well-being, environmental health, natural beauty, economy of the territories and wealth of ecosystems, protection of the rights and dignity of cultures.