ITALIAN WINE PREVIEWS 2016: AMARONE, SOAVE, CHIANTI, CHIANTI CLASSICO, BRUNELLO, NOBILE AND VERNACCIA; BUY WINE AND TUSCAN WINE WEEK IN TUSCANY, SAGRANTINO IN UMBRIA AND THEN CAMPANIA, SICILY AND LANGHE

The holiday season is over, so Italy is getting ready for the previews of the new vintages of its most important Italian wine names.
The producers of the Valpolicella Consortium will open the season presenting the 2012 vintage of the most important wine in the area at "Preview Amarone", on January 30th and 31st held at Palazzo della Gran Guardia in Verona. In addition to tasting, the program includes a conference conducted by the journalist Andrea Scanzi who, together with the president, Christian Marchesini will discuss the work of the Consortium, the technical presentation of the vintage, curated by Dr. Diego Tommasi of Cra Conegliano and the performances of the denomination registered on foreign markets, presented by Denis Pantini of Nomisma - Wine Monitor, http://anteprimaamarone.it. Then, following "Buy Wine", the event promoted by Tuscany Promotion in Florence on February 12th -13th, where buyers from all over the world will meet the wineries of the Grand Duchy (www.toscanapromozione.it), "Tuscan Wine Week" will take the stage, showcasing its many previews concentrated in a week.
The new wine designations of Morellino di Scansano, Montecucco, Wine Cortona, Carmignano, the Valdarno di Sopra, Bianco di Pitigliano and Sovana, the Colline Lucchesi and Maremma will be presented on February 13th at Star Hotel Michelangelo in Florence. Then on February 14th , Chianti wines at “Preview Chianti Lovers 2016" (www.consorziovinochianti.it) will take place in the ex Manifattura Tabacchi (tobacco factory) in Florence, tasting Chianti Riserva 2015 and 2013. On February 15th and 16th, also in Florence, at the Stazione Leopolda, Gallo Nero will be on stage with "Chianti Classico Collection" 2016, and will celebrate the 300th anniversary of Cosimo III Medici’s public notice in 1716, which for the first time, fixed the boundaries of the production area of Chianti Classico, with a preview tasting of vintages 2015, 2014, Riserva and Gran Selezione 2013 (www.chianticlassicocollection.it).
Another denomination celebrating an important anniversary in 2016 is the 50 years of DOC that in Italy Vernaccia di San Gimignano achieved first (later DOCG in 1993), which debuts with the 2015 and 2014 vintages Reserve, on February 17th, at the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art De Granda, in the "City of Towers" (there will also be a first tasting on February 14th, in the afternoon, reserved for traders only, www.vernaccia.it).
On February 18th, Preview Nobile di Montepulciano will be on stage for traders only (opened to the public on 13th, 14th, and 15th February, ed.) in the fourteenth-century fortress town of Montepulciano (restored thanks to the major contribution of the Consortium), debuting 2013 Nobile di Montepulciano and Riserva 2012 (preview tastings also of the 2014 and 2015 harvests). Benvenuto Brunello, on February 19th to 22nd will close the "grand tour" of Tuscan wines in the Cloister of the Museum of Montalcino, tasting Brunello di Montalcino 2011 and Riserva 2010 and Rosso di Montalcino 2014 (www. consorziobrunellodimontalcino.it). Immediately after, Preview Sagrantino takes place in Umbria February 22nd and 23rd, with the Consorzio Vini Montefalco (www.consorziomontefalco.it), where there will be tasting of vintage 2012 Montefalco Sagrantino, along with Montefalco Rosso 2013 and Riserva 2012, as well as Montefalco Bianco 2014.
In March it’s back to Veneto, in Lazise, where on March 6th and 7th there will be a preview of the 2015 harvest with Chiaretto, Lugana and Bardolino presented together , and a "retrospective" of the 2014 wines grown around Lake Garda (www.anteprimalazise.it). The next stop is to the South, from March 29th to April 4th , at the Una Hotel "Il Molino" in Benevento, "Campania Stories" will reveal to the public the best of the lands of Aglianico, Taurasi , Falanghina and Sannio wines, among others (www.campaniastories.com). From April 19th to 23rd, the spotlight will be on the Assovini event , "Sicilia en Primeur" 2016, among press tours and tastings at the Verdura Resort Sciacca in (www.assovinisicilia.it), where the best of the new Island production, a true "wine continent ", will be available for tasting.
Previews of Italian wines will close in May in two major wine areas: Langhe for the excellent reds, and Soave for the most important Italian white wines, at the event "Nebbiolo Prima" which will be held in Alba, from May 9th to 13th , promoted by Albeisa (www.albeisa.it). The first tastes of Barolo 2012 and Riserva 2010, Barbaresco 2013 and Riserva 2011, Roero 2013 and Riserva 2012. At Monforte d'Alpone, in the Episcopal Palace, "Soave Preview" will be held on May 19th and 20th where there will be tastings of the 2015 vintage of Soave, but also older vintages to show the longevity of the great Venetian white (www.ilsoave .com).