Wine lovers and foodies rejoice: this year, at the 53rd Vinitaly – the International Wine and Spirits Exhibition scheduled from Sunday 7 to Wednesday 10 April in Verona – alongside the nectar of the gods offered by the 4,600 wineries coming from 35 nations, it will triumph the great tradition of Italian gastronomic identity, to be discovered through the pairing of food and wine.
Saturday, April 6th, the Vinitaly gala dinner will open the calendar of events dedicated to excellent gastronomy, celebrating the genius of Leonardo, 500 years after the death of the most famous Italian genius in the world. “Immersive show dinner: a tribute to ingenuity and Italianness” is the title of the evening that aims to enhance the values of innovation, technology and Made in Italy, which has always been the essence of Vinitaly in the world. The dinner menu, inspired by the mixture of past, present and future, is signed by the chef Enrico Bartolini, born in 1979, the only one to have won 4 Michelin stars on one occasion. During the evening, the presentation of the Vinitaly International Prize, awarded to Italian and foreign personalities, companies or institutions who have distinguished themselves for their commitment in the oenological field, and the announcement of the winner of the Communicator of the year Award, recognized to those who have demonstrated communication skills that have contributed exceptionally to the promotion of wine to the public.
And the Vinitaly public will be the ones to benefit from the best of national food offering with the opportunity to taste different gastronomic specialties at the “Ristorante d’Autore” on the first floor of the Palaexpo and in the gallery between pavilions 11 and 12 with the “Self-service d’Autore ”, prepared by great chefs and by the Jeunes Restaurateurs d’Europe association team. The gastronomic journalists Paolo Massobrio and Marco Gatti, will accompany the tasting of the wines paired with the dishes of the great interpreters of the “Ristorante d’Autore”: the two new masters, Viviana Varese (Alice Restaurant – Milan) and Daniel Canzian (Restaurant Daniel – Milan) and the two promises, Silvia Moro (Aldo Moro Restaurant – Montagnana, PD) and Giovanni Ricciardella (Cascina Vittoria Restaurant – Rognano, PV). At the “Self-service d’Autore” the Italian chefs of the association Jeunes Restaurateurs d’Europe will combine quality, style, elegance and innovation with the self-service methods. At the stove the chefs Emanuele Donalisio and Renato Rizzardi, Nikita Sergeev and Silvio Battistoni, Alfonso Caputo and Paolo Donei and the team Roberto Tonola, Iside De Cesare and Romano Gordini.
Hall 12 will also feature “Quality Abruzzo”, that brings together the best of the Abruzzo culinary world at the Restaurant of the region, which will present the local specialties expertly prepared by three starred chefs Marcello Spadone of the Ristorante La Bandiera (President of Abruzzo Quality), Peppino Tinari of the Restaurant Villa Maiella (Vice President) and Davide Pezzuto of the D.One Ristorante Diffuso.
The realm of extra virgin olive oil, quality food and craft beers, Sol & Agrifood proposes new demonstration areas for this edition in Hall C: the Agorà for food-telling, the Mantegna Room for guided tastings extra virgin olive oil, the Evo Bar for the tasting of the winners of Sol d’Oro, the Beer Area and the Cooking Show Area. Here food is not a simple product, but a story to tell – through tastings, educationals, demonstrations in the kitchen – made of raw materials, wise innovation of tradition, recipes and combinations, in order to enhance the uniqueness of each product. Space then to the Gourmet Restaurant with the cooks of the Fic – Italian Chefs Federation, which every day will offer a refined and complete menu, which is characterized by the high quality of the selected raw materials and hundreds of agro-food specialties, from pasta to cheese, from cured meats to baked goods, from vinegars to jams, proposed by the exhibitors who will find the narration space in the Agora, created with the support of a sector journalist and a chef. The calendar of events sees this year among the protagonists Sicily with a spaghetti with ancient grains and flavors of Monti Iblei and Parmigiano Reggiano, with two “cheese experiences”: a vertical tasting of DOP cheese at different ages and one of Parmigiano Reggiano made with the milk of Red Cows, proposed by the Protection Consortium that returns to Sol & Agrifood to present the excellent productions of its members and meet the haute cuisine operators. Finally, not only tasty but also original and with historical implications, the appointment “At the table with Leonardo da Vinci”, with Renaissance recipes from the end of the ‘400 realized with the products of the exhibitors, curated by Accademia delle 5T.
Among the novelties of pavilion C, the Beerstró, in the Birre Area that hosts national and international artisanal productions and will offer the visitor the opportunity to enter the vast world of craft beers. To animate the area there is a space dedicated to tastings and mini-courses run by the Union of Beer Tasters. This year, in-depth studies are planned on the Italian style of brewing beer, on the link with the territory, on the secrets of the service and on the correct glass to use for each style. The Evoo Academy will then be held in the Cooking show area, real educational, managed by Aipo – Verona (Interregional Association of Olive Growers), which this year will propose “Raw, cooked, fermented: the pleasant experiences of taste”. The Cooking show area is also the realm of chef Giorgione, historic testimonial of Sol & Agrifood, who for the first time this year will be involved in the creation of five original recipes designed to enhance the five gold medals in the kitchen Sol d’Oro Northern Hemisphere.
For finger-food enthusiasts, outside the pavilion is available the fast and tasty cuisine of the Speedy Goloso, which respecting the principles of Sol & Agrifood will offer sandwiches and finger food made with quality ingredients, but adapted to the speed of modern times.
More informal is the Food Park – Area H, behind pavilion 5 – where you can find typical dishes of the regional tradition and the Gourmet Bistrot – in pavilion F, next to the two novelties of the 2019 edition of the show, Vinitaly Design, which proposes objects for tasting and service, furnishings, packaging and Vinitalybio, dedicated to organic wines, produced according to European legislation – which will offer a fast and quality service for a quick but tasty break. And right in the context of Vinitalybio, organized in collaboration with Federbio and the collective of the Vi.Te – Vignaioli e Territori association, a wine shop will be set up for the tasting of exclusively organic wines, thanks to the European promotion project BIOrganicLifestyle.EU, presented by EOP – European Organic Partners.
Because everyone knows that the true eno-gastronomic revolution is green.
