The 31st Merano Wine Festival (November 4-8, 2022): sustainability, business and great wines

The 31st edition of the “Merano Wine Festival” will focus on a summit on sustainability, the "Breath and Cry of the Earth", the customary meeting with "Naturae et Purae" dedicated to organic wines, PIWI and much more, as well as a special focus on sustainable wines comparing Georgia, Campania and Abruzzi. The 31st edition of the Festival, created by “The Wine Hunter”, Helmuth Köcher, will be held from November 4th to 8th, in what was, and still is, the "parlor" of Italian wine. It has evolved over the years and is now turning into a small Fair, offering conferences, Masterclasses as well as a business to business section. This year, in fact, more than 50 buyers from all over the world will participate in the “Buyer & Financial Area”, created through the partnership of Merano Wine Festival and “5 Hats”. One of the new additions will be presenting the "Platinum Awards", at the opening ceremony, with special guest, Gerry Scotti, as well as showing the short film by Carlo Guttadauro that narrates the origins of the Merano event.
The numbers of the Merano Wine Festival 2022 are impressive: 6.500 wine enthusiasts and professionals are expected to attend, more than 700 producers of "Wine Food Spirits Beer", more than 330 wines in The WineHunter Area, many of the top Italian wineries, over 50 events including 16 Masterclasses, 1 summit divided into 6 presentations, 7 talks, 2 book presentations and 18 chefs for as many cooking shows and special dinners.
The summit, “Breath and Cry of the Earth” will open the program on November 4th and 5th.The summit will be divided into six meetings, analysis and in-depth groups that address the problem of water, the primary and fundamental resource for life, innovation, food safety and sustainability of wine supply chains, certifications in viticulture, and also several case histories, such as the “Sustainable Abruzzi” model. The final goal of the summit will be drafting a "Manifesto", to be signed by all the opinion leaders and stakeholders, and delivered to the Minister of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies. The focus on sustainability will continue with a comparison of the models that the Campania Region and Georgia have put into practice, including talks, tastings and a cooking show. The event will end with the now habitual Naturae et Purae meeting (November 4th to 7th). The conference, organized by Helmuth Köcher and the journalist, Angelo Carrillo, is dedicated to the theme "Wine Resilience - Extreme Spirits. From the Mediterranean Islands to those of the Spirit". The program is available online, and while still being updated, several events stand out. On Friday, November 4th, three interesting meetings are scheduled, "La Malvasia: wines and landscapes of the Mediterranean. From the Aeolian Islands to Istria, through the Lofote Islands. History of a Cultural Wine", at 11am in the Naturae et Purae space, with Italo Tedeschi of the Accademia degli Studi, followed by a tasting table, starting at 2 pm, the "Breath and Cry of the Earth” summit, focusing on “Water Sources. The Life Savers”, “European policies on food safety”, and the debate “Sustainable Abruzzi Vs New Zealand”. On Saturday, November 5th, at 11 am in the Naturae et Purae space, the focus "De Clos en Clos - The vineyards of the Lord: Spirits and Spirituality innovation and the convent crisis", and the talk show and Masterclass on “Low-alcohol wine” at noon. Plus, the “Emergente Sala” competition, created by Luigi Cremona (Teatro Puccini) ,which rewards young emerging talents in the dining room category. The official opening ceremony, at 7 pm, will be the occasion to award the “Platinum Award 2022”, the highest reward given by The WineHunter, Helmuth Köcher. Gerry Scotti will be among the guests at the evening event. He has won the Crown of the Vinibuoni d'Italia 2023 Guide for his Oltrepò Pavese Metodo Classico DOCG Extra Brut and will receive a special award, as ambassador of Italian wine, from the Italian Touring Club Guide. Sunday, November 6th, at 10 am, the talk, “Maritime Wines: the extremes of viticulture overlooking the sea", while from 10 am to 6 pm we will be tasting a selection of 100 wines from all over the world, focusing on Georgia. The tasting will be repeated on Monday, November 7th, during the "Exclusive party dedicated to The WineHunter Ambassadors" at 9 pm. Tuesday, November 8th is the closing day, and the traditional “Catwalk Champagne”, and a selection from the top Maisons, starting at 10 am. The art of mixology will be the star player at "Mixed Itineraries", when 8 bartenders from all over Italy will compete using the mystery box of products selected by “The WineHunter” to win “The WineHunter Globe Platinum”, in the categories Best Bartender Cocktail, Best Bartender Drink in Italy and Best Bar in Italy.