Rome, the capital of Italy and the capital of wine: here the “Roma Wine Weeks” by Gambero Rosso

Rome, the capital of Italy, will also be the capital of wine: from 14 to 28 October, the “Roma Wine Weeks” created by Gambero Rosso will debut, bringing a tourbillon of tastings, conferences, and insights to the eternal city, culminating in the last three days in the presentations of the wine guides and restaurants of the publishing group. And with the “Roma Wine Weeks” that start after the “Milano Wine Week”, which closes on October 13, it is natural to wonder if they are the Roman answer to the Milanese event. But “the combination is only in the word “week” - explained the CEO of Gambero Rosso Paolo Cuccia - there are 52 weeks in a year and all major cities, even abroad, have their own Wine Week, there is Turin, there is Milan, and now also Rome, in this project in which we are in joint venture with the Vendemmia of Rome and with the proposal of important moments of reflection”.
The originality of the initiative and its offering something more than others of its kind, according to Cuccia, interviewed by WineNews, lies in “bringing together the aspect of dissemination in the territory - with over three hundred stakeholders in the two weeks - with moments of scientific and cultural reflection. Very often the two things remain separate, but we have made a bridge between different sectors and types of public. This expansion and collaboration with the Rome Harvest, as well as with the Milan Harvest (promoted by Montenapoleone District, ed.), is part of the broader perspective followed by the partnership that has existed for a year with Class to learn to collaborate with fashion and luxury, a move that in France someone has already sensed and in Italy is growing”.
The first week of “Roma Wine Weeks” will, therefore, take place in synergy with the “Vendemmia di Roma”, which for the third time will animate the shopping streets of the city center. On 15 October, “The Best Gambero Rosso Evo” will be on stage at the Iqos Embassy in via Margutta, with a special tasting event concerning the best oil producers awarded with the three and two leaves of the Guida Oli d’Italia del Gambero Rosso. On October 16 at Palazzo Fiano in Piazza San Lorenzo in Lucina is scheduled “The Best Gambero Rosso Wines”, tasting with the best labels of Italian wine production.
The second week of the Rome Wine Weeks will start on 22 October with “The Best Gambero Rosso Sparkling Wines”, again at Palazzo Fiano, where the best of Italian sparkling wines will be offered for tasting, then on 25 October the conference “Wine, sustainability and internationalization”, again at Palazzo Fiano, a round table where Gambero Rosso, Equalitas and FederDoc will take part to take stock of the sustainability certification project carried out by the three realities.
Also, on 26 October at the Chorus Café in Via della Conciliazione, the presentation of the third edition of the “Top Italian Restaurants” digital guide is scheduled, which maps and reviews 600 Italian addresses in the 5 continents, while on 27 October the presentation of the Guida Vini d'Italia 2020 at the Sheraton Rome Hotel will be staged, with the awarding of the winning labels of the Tre Bicchieri, and on 28 October the grand finale with the presentation of the Guida dei Ristoranti d'Italia 2020, which celebrates its thirtieth anniversary by proposing, among other things, a conference that analyses the stories and the ways of success of the big names in the catering industry.
Initiatives such as “Roma Wine Weeks”, observed Paolo Cuccia, “basically make use of work that comes from afar, the credibility of thirty years of activity to find further prospects for the growth of Italian food and wine, in a path born many years ago thanks to realities such as Veronelli, Gambero, but also WineNews, and that can continue because the sector can grow further, not only in size but in profit margins. The basic idea is always this: it’s unthinkable that we won’t quickly close the gap of almost five dollars, talking about the US market and the average value of the bottle, between us and the French. However, there is no difference of five dollars in terms of quality between the French and Italian bottles. The difference is that the French started earlier and had a more successful approach to the market. We are catching up, thanks also to the contribution of Gambero and the fifty events it organizes worldwide”.