“Merano Wine Festival” 2023: Italy’s wine excellence, resistant vines, sustainability

The constant attention to the theme of sustainability (environmental, but also ethical, social and economic), the return to the classic format, a broadening of the audience of international wines with 90 companies arriving from all over the world, the “Breath and Cry of the Earth” summit on climate change, but also the many, many masterclasses, including those dedicated to authentic Italian wine legends such as Masseto (Frescobaldi), Tignanello (Antinori) and Sassicaia (Tenuta San Guido). And more show cooking, with focus on the regions of Abruzzo and Campania, the partnership with Georgia, represented by 10 wineries (Georgia where Winenews, with The Winehunter, HelmuthKocher, in July 2023, collected a long video testimony of one of the world’s symbolic wine territories, ed.), meetings, a food area, with 150 producers who will make discover the flavors of Italy, the space dedicated to Champagne & Metodo Classico, with 80 companies, the new “South Tyrol Earth Market”, a project by Slow Food, the events at the “Fuori Salone”. Here is edition No. 32 of the “Merano Wine Festival” 2023, the event of “The Winehunter” Helmuth Kocher, firmly rooted in tradition but with an eye always turned toward the future, which will be staged from November 3 to 7, in what has been the “good living room” of Italian wine, but now an event capable of involving emerging realities and new trends. More than 10,000 wine lovers are expected, 600 exhibitors, more than 1,500 wines for tasting, 350 labels in the WineHunter Area, dozens of masterclasses and showcooking and much more.
Wine but not only with the festival that will host, in four days, more than 120 producers in the “Food, Spirits & Beer” projecting itself in an increasingly international dimension, also confirmed by the collaboration with the Agency for the Promotion Abroad and the Internationalization of Italian Enterprises (Ice), which will bring to Merano a delegation of foreign operators, from Europe to Brazil, to South Africa. Thus, there will be a return to the classic format with the first day (Friday, November 3), where, in the Kurhaus, there will be the “bio & dynamica” format (170 selected companies and more than 300 labels), with the best wines from organic and biodynamic agriculture, natural and Piwi (which will have a dedicated area on November 4, also at the Hotel Terme di Merano, ed.), and with focuses led by oenologists Nicola Biasi - from whose studies, in partnership with “Climate Partners” and conducted in the Albafiorita winery, but born from the network of “Resistant Nicola Biasi” wineries, it emerges that vineyard management from resistant vines produces 38% less Co2 than traditional vines - and Luca d’Attoma.
From Saturday, November 4 to Monday, November 6, the scene is for selections from “The WineHunter” in the Art Nouveau setting of the Kurhaus, with wines from five Continents making up the “International” section. As per tradition, Tuesday, November 7, is tagged “Catwalk Champagne” for lovers of transalpine and domestic sparkling wines. “The Festival” section (November 4-6 in the Kurhaus) is, as usual, dedicated to the special mentions of “The WineHunter” Helmuth Köcher; mentions that rise to five in all and represent a 2023 novelty: in addition to “Platinum”, for those products that, in 2023, achieved a score higher than 95/100 and “Next Platinum”, where the promises of the future already awarded The WineHunter Award Gold in the different categories are enclosed, there are the new “Iconic” and “Unique”. The first is awarded to those wines that represent a national and international benchmark of excellence for a territory, awarded “The WineHunter Award Gold” and have been on the market for at least 25 years. Wines that are produced by historic wineries with at least 50 years of activity. “Unique”, on the other hand, is the mention that certifies products that are unique by type of vinification and/or aging, as well as by unique grape variety or extreme if not heroic pedo-climatic conditions, also already recognized by “The WineHunter Award Gold”.
But there are many appointments that characterize the day by day ... On Friday, November 3, noteworthy is the masterclass, at the Kurhaus, with Luca D’Attoma, world-renowned oenologist, consultant to many prestigious companies and experimenter of organic viticulture in Italy, “Percorrendo l’Italia”, with Luca d’Attoma (with wineries such as Tua Rita, Tenute Lunelli, San Valentino, Filodivino, Fattoria Castelvecchio, Bulichella and Rosset, among Valle d’Aosta, Tuscany, Marche, Campania and Emilia Romagna). As part of “bio&dynamica”, there will also be, from 2:30 to 4 p.m., the masterclass “The Wines of the Future”, with “patron” Helmuth Köcher, Attilio Scienza, among the world’s top experts in viticulture, and Nicola Biasi, oenologist at the head of the “Resistenti Nicola Biasi” project, the network that brings together eight wineries producing wines from resistant vines in as many different territories. Among the most anticipated events is the “Breath and Cry of the Earth” summit, a reflective moment that will enliven Friday, November 3 (but also Saturday, November 4), from 1 to 3 p.m., the Puccini Theater with a panel of international experts who will discuss at the end of a year of events tagged “The WineHunter” related to climate change, which this summer, in drought and floods, showed unequivocal signs. With speakers over the two days such as Julien Dumercq of the International Viticulture and Enology Society, professors such as Gerardo Puopolo (University of Trento), Franco Meggio (University of Padua), Alessandro Piccolo (Federico II of Naples), Rosanna Toffalo (University of Teramo), Claudia Nioi (Isvv of Bordeaux), Fulvio Mattivi (University of Trento), Matteo Marangon (University of Padua), as well as experts such as Michele Scognamiglio (Food Science), Manlio Cassandro (EU law expert) and representatives Coldiretti, Consorzio Vini d’Abruzzo and Cantina Orsogna, among others. But again on Friday, November 3, at 3 p.m., there will be the presentation of “Terradivina”, a book by Riccardo Corrazza, a novel that recounts the journey of a wine and food journalist through all of Italy, discovering the origin of his passion for the sector. Not forgetting the “Platinum Awards” ceremony of “The Wine Hunter” (in focus). Saturday, Novbember 4, at the Piazza della Rena, the “Earth Market” by Slow Food Alto Adige, while in the afternoon (Palm Lounge), the presentation of the book “Intrepid, Stories of Women, Wine and Freedom” signed by Laura Donadoni. From 4 p.m., the masterclass “Excellence from Albania” by Cobo Winery with wine critic Luca Gardini. Again, at 8 p.m., there will be a focus on the flavors of Campania with “Territori a Tavola, Costa d’Amalfi, and Cilento”, in the Gourmet Arena, signed by the Campania Region. The program on Sunday, November 5, is also dense: from 10:30 a.m., the presentation of the “Vini Buoni d’Italia Guide” in the Puccini Theater, while at 11 a.m. in the “Sala dei 30” of the Hotel Therme Merano, the round table and masterclass “The new philosophy of the sensory goblet according to Italesse. The importance of the culture of the goblet to enhance the uniqueness of each individual wine” organized in collaboration with Italesse. In the early afternoon, 2 p.m., the masterclass “Georgia” with “Qvevri Wines - Wines in Amphora”, at The City.Vinothek Merano. And then the first event dedicated to a legendary wine: from 5 p.m., in the Princely Castle, “The Story of Masseto”, a tasting of three vintages in a round table, curated by Roberto Camuto, wine-storyteller, with the presence of Lamberto Frescobaldi, at the head of one of the most important companies in Italian wine, such as Gruppo Frescobaldi, but also of Unione Italiana Vini (Uiv). On Monday, November 6, again in the Castello Principesco, from 10 a.m., the history of Italian wine will once again take center stage with the event “The Parallel Lives of Tignanello & Sassicaia” from the 1990/2008/2018 vintages, which will feature Albiera Antinori, president of Marchesi Antinori and Federvini (Gruppo Vini), and Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta, at the helm along with her father Nicolò and cousins, of Tenuta San Guido, cradle of the Sassicaia myth. A meeting, moderated by Oscar Farinetti, entrepreneur, wine producer and writer. At 10 a.m., instead, at the Hotel Terme, the masterclass “Rive and Cartizze, steep heroic slopes of Conegliano Valdobbiadene”, signed by the Consortium of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Docg, led by Simon Staffler of “Falstaff” magazine, and the director of the Consortium, Diego Tomasi, will be on stage, while at 2 p.m., instead, spotlight on one of the trends of the moment, with the masterclass on “Dealcolati wines”, at the Hotel Terme. On Monday, November 6, again in the Castello Principesco, from 10 a.m., the history of Italian wine will once again take center stage with the event “The Parallel Lives of Tignanello & Sassicaia” from the 1990/2008/2018 vintages, which will feature Albiera Antinori, president of Marchesi Antinori and Federvini (Gruppo Vini), and Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta, at the helm along with her father Nicolò and cousins, of Tenuta San Guido, cradle of the Sassicaia myth. A meeting, moderated by Oscar Farinetti, entrepreneur, wine producer and writer. At 10 a.m., instead, at the Hotel Terme, the masterclass “Rive and Cartizze, steep heroic slopes of Conegliano Valdobbiadene”, signed by the Consortium of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Docg, led by Simon Staffler of "Falstaff" magazine, and the director of the Consortium, Diego Tomasi, will be on stage, while at 2 p.m., instead, spotlight on one of the trends of the moment, with the masterclass on “Alcohol-free wines”, at the Hotel Terme. Also, at 2 p.m., in the Conference Room of the Merano Hotel, Schenk Italia, a winery participating in the Merano Wine Festival for the first time, will be the protagonist with a masterclass dedicated to Tenuta Lunadoro, in the land of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, dedicated to the “Gran Pagliareto 2018 Tonneaux selection - edition 2023”, a tasting of the 12 tonneaux of Gran Pagliareto 2018, led by Shenk Italia’s ceo, Daniele Simoni, as well as the patron of the Merano Wine Festival, Helmuth Köcher, and Eros Teboni, best sommelier in the world by the Worldwide Sommelier Association in 2018. At 4 p.m., in the Gourmet Arena, again, in the show cookgin Abruzzo area, the joint awarding of the Zierock Prize, dedicated to the memory of Reiner Zierock, a “philosopher farmer” and one of the forerunners of biodynamics, and the Godio Prize, in memory of the great Piedmontese chef Giancarlo Godio, who made his fortune in South Tyrol, will be staged. Then, at 7:30 p.m., the presentation of the Guide “Osterie d’Italia” by Slow Wine in the Merano Winery. On Tuesday, September 7, however, the closure with the classic “Catwalk Champagne & More”, where in addition to the French maisons will be protagonists also those of Trentodoc, But also, among other things, the masterclas “In the Sign of Zierock”, in the Sissi Hall of the Kurhaus, at 2 pm. And then many spaces that throughout the Festival will tell of Italian excellence, from the initiatives of the Signorvino enocatena, between the Merano store, among the most beautiful and important of the chain, and those with a Kurhaus “view”, to “Casa Oltrepò”, on the red carpet of the Corso, with tastings of all the appellations protected by the Consorzio Vini Oltrepò Pavese, and the gastronomic excellence of the territory.

Focus - All “Plantinum Awards” by “The Winehunter” Helmuth Kocher

Abruzzo
La Valentina - 2021 Docheio Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Doc
Alto Adige - Südtirol
Cantina Kurtatsch - 2020 Freienfeld Alto Adige / Südtirol Riserva Chardonnay Doc
Cantina San Michele Appiano - 2018 Appius Alto Adige / Südtirol Bianco Doc
Terlano - 2010 Rarity Alto Adige / Südtirol Terlano Pinot Bianco Doc
Nals Margreid - 2019 Nama Alto Adige / Südtirol Gran selezione Chardonnay Doc
Colterenzio - 2019 Lr Alto Adige / Südtirol Riserva Bianco Doc
Campania
Cantine Antonio Mazzella - 2021 Gawem Ischia Biancolella Doc
Quintodecimo - 2018 Vigna Quintodecimo Taurasi Riserva Docg
Vinosìa Luciano Ercolino - 2022 Sintonia Irpinia Doc
Cantine Iannella - 2012 “1920” Aglianico Del Taburno Doc Taburno Doc
Lombardia
Bellavista - 2016 Riserva Vittorio Moretti Franciacorta Riserva Brut nature Docg
Ca’ Del Bosco - 2014 Annamaria Clementi Franciacorta Brut nature Docg
Monte Rossa - Cabochon Fuoriserie N. 024 Franciacorta Metodo Classico Brut Docg
Bersi Serlini - 2007 Mia Franciacorta Riserva Nature Brut Docg
Piemonte
Braida - 2020 Bricco dell’Uccellone Barbera d’Asti Docg
Conterno Fantino - 2019 Castelletto “Vigna Pressenda” Barolo Docg
Domenico Clerico - 2019 Ginestra Ciabot Mentin Barolo Docg
G.d. Vajra - 2019 Bricco Delle Viole Barolo Docg
Poderi Luigi Einaudi - 2020 Barbaresco Docg
Sardegna
Cantina Santadi - Festa Norìa
Attilio Contini - 1997 Vernaccia di Oristano Riserva Doc
Sicilia
Jamin Underwaterwines - 1980 Marsala Vergine Riserva Secco Doc Vintage 1980 Marsala Dop
Toscana
Duemani - 2020 Suisassi Costa Toscana Igp
Il Marroneto - 2018 Selezione Madonna delle Grazie Brunello di Montalcino Docg
Ornellaia - 2020 Bolgheri Superiore Doc
Tua Rita - 2020 Redigaffi Toscana Merlot Igt
Vecchie Terre di Montefili - 2019 Vigna Vecchia Toscana Igt
Trentino
Maso Martis - 2018 Monsieur Martis Trento Millesimato Rosè Brut Doc
Valle d’Aosta
Rosset Terroir - 2020 Chardonnay 770 Valle d’Aosta Doc
Veneto
Carlo Ferragù - 2016 Amarone Della Valpolicella Docg
Bertani - 2013 Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico Docg
De Buris (Tommasi Family Estates) - 2011 De Buris Amarone della Valpolicella Riserva Classico Docg
Scriani - 2008 Twenty 20° Anniversary Verona Rosso Igt
Francia
Champagne Encry - 2012 Champagne Millesimato Le Mesnil Sur Oger Blanc De Blancs Grand Cru
Svezia
Cantine Blaxsta - S.A. Mulled Apple Spice
Cipro
Ekfraseis - 2021 Madari Hills Collection Xinisteri