Gambero Rosso Wine Travel Food

WINE

T R AV E L

FOOD

Biodiversity is it a trend or serious business?

LAMBRUSCO REVOLUTION

GIUSEPPE IANNOTTI SIGNATURE DISHES

SPECIAL HARVEST 2020

AN EYE ON TAIWAN

year 22 - number 142 - september 2020 - gamberorosso.it

SOMMARIO WINE

T R AV E L

FOOD

Biodiversity is it a trend or serious business?

LAMBRUSCO REVOLUTION

GIUSEPPE IANNOTTI SIGNATURE DISHES

SPECIAL HARVEST 2020

AN EYE ON TAIWAN

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Editorial

8 

News

 11 

Wine of the Month

 15 

Seasonal Cocktail

 16 

My Import & My Export

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2020 production below average. But good quality tending to excellent How and why Biodiversity enriches the soil and dishes.

Virtuous farming stories and practices

54

Lambrusco. 6 wines and 6 souls summoning fans worldwide

66

Great chefs: Giuseppe Iannotti. The Modernist

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Starting over from biodiversity Italy is the country that holds the record in Europe for PDO and IGT products, and which also has the highest number of species, hosting about half of the plant species and about a third of all animal species currently present in the Union.

An extraordinary biodiversity which is the foundation of a successful agri-food system with strong international recognition. A biodiversity that is, and must be increasingly, supported by technological innovation in all its aspects: an agri-food blockchain that goes from certification of the supply chain, to booking and sales platforms in line with the Green Deal approved by the EU and in particular with the “Farm to fork” program.

In fact, enabling technologies can make a decisive contribution to the growing need for production, both in terms of quantity and quality and in reducing waste.

A production ecosystem with new paradigms that allow progress and meet indispensable sustainability requirements.

For next year, FAO has announced the Food Systems Summit 2021, and Rome is among the candidate cities to host it, which will focus on the transformation of food systems in line with the 17 sustainable development goals, desired by the United Nations, adopted by the EU and received by Italy, to make an important contribution to achieving the objectives of the 2030 Agenda.

Gambero Rosso has started to collaborate with FAO for this important global event and has joined ASVIS, the alliance for sustainable development created by Enrico Giovannini, confirming the importance our company has always given to the immense agricultural and agri-food heritage, and to all processes of the supply chain: territories, products, sales channels, Ho.Re.Ca. and food and wine tourism. A supply chain of great importance for the country’s economy, employment and exports, which can demonstrate – if appropriately supported by the Government and Institutions – the resilience to resume, after the crisis experienced in recent months, the last decade’s successful path.

The increasingly indispensable ingredient for competing globally is professional and managerial training, both for those interested in entering this extraordinary world of professions but also in terms of continuous learning for those who already work and intend to progress in their business.

Gambero Rosso Academy performs this function directly and in association with the main universities in the country. We recently launched innovative online courses in joint venture with the Mercatorum University, controlled by Unipegaso and the chamber system.

A fundamental four-month period is now opening for the relaunch of our country. A relaunch that necessarily passes through biodiversity and the dining sector. Gambero Rosso will be at the forefront accompanying producers and Ho.Re.Ca. professionals of the entire quality chain with targeted actions, both domestic and international. Special magazine issues, great events that will accompany our historical guide books, attention to the Italian territories, unique in the world for their beauty and varied offer, our worldwide roadshow: a successful recipe that is strengthened thanks to digital technology, which finally asserts itself with force also among the members of our community.

- Paolo Cuccia

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GAMBERO ROSSO X TRENTODOC

Trentodoc, Italian top quality sparkling wines now in a App Classic method, selection of the best grapes, territory, altitudes, temperature ranges: these are all the fundamental ingredients for the so-called Mountain Bubbles.

This fine sparkling wine redolent of the place of origin, describing it in the minimum production characteristics, betraying not only terroir but the story that brought it to its beginnings, as well. Including the story of Giulio Ferrari, who in 1902 introduced the spumante wine method which then allowed the coalition of various producers until

the birth of the Trento Doc Institute in 1984. In 1993 the wine obtained Doc recognition, the first in Italy for a classic method, one of the first in the world.

Today the Trento Doc Institute is made up of 56 producers, each of which pursues its own personal philosophy, giving this classic method different nuances while supporting and protecting the entire supply chain. Furthermore, to allow enthusiasts or travellers to get acquainted with Trentodoc, from Wednes-

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day, July 15, 2020 the Institute has launched a mobile application designed to accompany people in the art of tasting, in convivial moments at home and in a restaurant, or during travel.

The app features 56 sparkling wine houses to visit, 200 points of interest, 175 technical data sheets for consulting. The Trentodoc app also contains a section dedicated to guided tastings. “As an Institute, we believe it’s important to be equipped with a tool that

GAMBERO ROSSO X TRENTODOC

facilitates Trentodoc enthusiasts in every situation: both in tastings and during travel. Information can be sourced in a simple way. The App is also useful in this historical moment to replace paper materials, as we all have to follow precise safety rules in our daily behaviour� says Sabrina Schench, Director of the Trento Doc Institute. There are seven navigation areas for learning about the classic Trentino method, the territory, the sparkling wine houses and more. Each user, based on their experience, can build an archive composed of their favourite labels, personal notes, wish lists that can also be saved offline. The constantly updated app will inform users about scheduled appointments, events and tastings. Also designed for wine tourists, the app allows to geolocate the sparkling wine houses in the area and easily reach them, to complete the visit of the cellar in addition to naturalistic, cultural, sporting and food and wine points of interest. Developed for iOS and available on App Store Android on Google Play the app is designed with last generation software that offers graphics boasting a very simple interface that offers users the best possible navigation.

All you have to do is try it. Trentino awaits!

Istituto Trento Doc - 38122 Trento - Via del Suffragio, 3 - Palazzo Trautmannsdorf www.trentodoc.com - istituto@trentodoc.com

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NEWS

CHAMPAGNE. STILL A MINUS SIGN ON SALES, BUT HIGH QUALITY HARVEST July was the driest month in history: “The bunches are below average for weight, but in excellent health. The musts are well balanced, fruity, have a nice freshness and a great aromatic expression; the alcohol content is between 10 and 10.5% vol.”

The year 2020 remains unique for the health security measures related to the Covid-19 epidemic that had to be put in place for the approximately 120,000 seasonal workers employed in the vineyards and pressing centres. The maximum yield in the vineyard was limited from the usual 10,000 kg per hectare to 8,000 kg per hectare. In a few years, for the Champagne region there will be blends and, probably, exceptional vintages, thanks to the combined vintages of 2018, 2019 and 2020.

If the market is not smiling at Champagne at the moment (almost –30% of sales in the first half) at least it’s the vineyard that’s giving producers the most satisfaction. For the French appellation, the harvest began on August 17th and was the earliest harvest in history. The Comité defined it as “very high quality.”

In fact, 2020 completes a three-year period that will be remembered for its quality aspects, after an excellent 2018 and, above all, an exceptional 2019.The start of the year was particularly rainy, with the wettest February on record.

Heat and drought began in mid-March and vines began to sprout 16 days earlier than the decade average; an advantage that will not be lost, also recording exceptionally fast ripening dynamics in the week before the harvest.

FRANCIACORTA. THE RENOVATED HEADQUARTERS WERE INAUGURATED: ALSO BE OPEN TO TOURISTS The headquarters are the same since 1992, but September 11th will be a date to remember for the Franciacorta Consortium which has finally inaugurated its new and renovated headquarters: a three-storey Art Nouveaustyle building in the centre of Erbusco, in via Giuseppe Verdi, which saw the start of renovation in 2018 after plans and projects developed underPresident Maurizio Zanella, then continued with Vittorio Moretti. A work that was completed in two years, with the redevelopment of the façade, interior and outdoor spaces, the construction of a storage cellar of 400 square meters connected to the main building by a tunnel. Studio Berlucchi followed all the structural development while the interiors were designed by Studio Aura. “We should have inaugurated the headquarters on March 5 this year, the date on which the 30th anniversary of the Consortium was founded, unfortunately, for reasons known to all, we had to postpone,” said President Silvano Brescianini. The palace will also be open to visitors who require tourist and non-tourist information. And for the next year the goal is organising exhibitions and events. In the meantime, the Franciacorta Festival continues with the second celebration weekend, on the 19th and 20th of September.

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PROMOTION. THE FRENCH ARE STILL INVESTING ABROAD. VOILÀ VINEXPOSIUM Comexposium (third world organizer of events) and Vinexpo holding have announced the birth of Vinexposium, a new company 50% owned by the founders with the ambition of becoming the world’s leading organizer of events dedicated to wine and spirits.

The changes introduced by the economic crisis following the pandemic have led to the creation of a new body capable of responding to the need for business promotion in a decidedly different market, as stated by the Chairman of the Board, Christophe Navarre.

Vinexposium (directed by Rodolphe Lameyse) will boast a vast portfolio of events: Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris, Wow! Meetings, Vinexpo New York, Vinexpo Hong Kong, Wewe Asia, Vinexpo Bordeaux, Vinexpo Shanghai, World bulk exhibition Amsterdam, Vinexpo explorer and World wine meetings.

“Et però credo che molta felicità sia agli uomini che nascono dove si trovano i vini buoni.”

rgbcomunicazione.it

-Leonardo Da Vinci

Pighin Aziende Agricole in Friuli www.pinotgrigiopighin.com www.pighin.com

NEWS

BALANCE. RECORD SEMESTER FOR ITALIAN WINE BRANDS: REVENUES UP BY 31%. ONLINE SALES HAVE ALMOST DOUBLED

The great thing about having a history is keep writing its future.

For our 150th anniversary we have brought together our principles in the Zeni Method 1870: our way of celebrating the past, our way of imagining the future.

Zeni Method 1870 was born from the history of the Zeni brand and was codified on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the winery. A century and a half, 5 generations and 5 pillars support the Zeni Method 1870: the biodiversity cultivated in the vineyard, the quality pursued with innovation in the cellar, the value of the Cru set by Nino Zeni, the dissemination of wine culture, the active role of the family. Five beliefs that have brought us this far and that will accompany us in every future evolution, accepting the challenge to grow while remaining true to ourselves.

Zeni 1870 - Araldo + Logo - Colore

There has never been a better semester for Italian wine brands than the one that just ended. The group listed on the AIM Italia of the Italian Stock Exchange approved a record half-year report: +31.5% of revenue to 92.2 million euros, a result obtained, in large part, thanks to the organic development of the activities, which has brought 17 million euros more in cash and, in part, obtained thanks to the acquisition of Raphael Dal Bo Ag, completed at the beginning of 2020, which contributed 5.2 million euros. On the international markets, 72.6 million euros were achieved (+33.4% compared to 2019, with a 2018-2020 compound growth rate of 16.1%), while in Italy 19.3 million revenues were achieved (+25.6% compared to 2019, 2018-2020 growth rate of 10.8%). The growth of the remote sales channel is particularly significant, with online more than double (+113.6% to 11.9 million euros). Profitability has grown, with gross operating profit of €10.7 million (+46.9%) and net income for the period almost doubled (+99%) to €5.8 million. In relation to the effects of the economic crisis throughout 2020, the group “does not expect repercussions on economic and financial performance.” So far, the large-scale distribution channels, direct sales and online sales have always been fully operational. – G.A.

NEWS

WINE OF THE MONTH

Roero Arneis Renesio 2019 MALVIRÀ Via Case Sparse, 144 – Loc. Canova 12043 Canale d’Alba (CN) www.malvira.com/ Average retail price: 13 euros

For several years Massimo and Roberto Damonte have been leaders in Roero, both for their wines and for their splendid relais, Villa Tiboldi,located on the Trinità hill just above the winery. The estate vineyards, which include prestigious additional geographical indications (MGA), mainly host the area’s three traditional grape varieties: Arneis, Barbera and Nebbiolo. Their wines are characterised by how well they age and their territorial identity. This holds for their Barolo as well, a wine cultivated in the MGA Boiolo in La Morra.

This year the Damonte brothers submitted a truly top-level range, starting with the two 2019 Roero Arneis crus. Our wine of the month is the Roero Arneis Renesio which is splendid, spicy and citrusy, of great length and complexity, with a finish that’s well supported by sapidity, while the S.S. Trinità proves to be sapid and assertive, playing more on white fruit. Try it with a super fresh Pad Thai and you will be dreaming with eyes open.

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SEPTEMBER 2020

GAMBERO ROSSO X ISIT

“I panini li fa Max” with the great Italian PDO and PGI deli meats

Discovering the italian PDO and PGI deli meats Wonderful enjoyed as are to better appreciate the sensorial nuances, Italian PDO and PGI deli meats are perfect for making original preparations and unexpected combinations... just like Max’s sandwiches. In each sandwich he manages to enhance the flavours of the PDO and PGI products accompanying them with wonderful ingredients to create unique mix of flavours and aromas. A tasty food tour to enjoy in the kitchen, discover the secrets of Max Mariola for an excellent stuffed sandwich and learn anecdotes and curiosities about the history, production techniques and unique characteristics of Italian PDO and PGI deli meats used.

Here are the 16 protagonists of the special series, I Panini li fa Max:

A UNIQUE HERITAGE OF TASTE, TRADITION AND CULTURE A gastronomic journey in 16 stages and 16 PDO and PGI deli meats thanks to the creativity of Max Mariola for the successful series “I Panini li fa Max” broadcast on Gambero Rosso HD (Sky channel 132 and 412). The story of a fabulous itinerary through Italy to discover the gastronomic traditions and culture of our territories. A journey where the PDO and PGI deli meats are there waiting for us, welcoming us in their territories and ready to tell their history, made up of people, ancient gestures and production techniques expertly handed down, but also improved over time. Stories of recipes, traditional cuisine, family lunches but also of great chefs and innovative and refined dishes. A unique heritage of taste, tradition and gastronomic culture.

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Britto made with Bresaola della Valtellina PGI, Il Brianzolo with Salame Brianza PDO, Il Cacciatore with Salamini Italiani alla Cacciatora PDO, Il Cardinale with Mortadella Bologna PGI; Il Marchigiano with Prosciutto di Carpegna PDO; Il Modenese with Prosciutto di Modena PDO, Il Toscanaccio with Prosciutto Toscano PDO, Oltre with Salame di Varzi PDO, Pancho Villa with Pancetta di Calabria PDO; Parmageddon with Coppa di Parma PGI; Pico with Cotechino Modena PGI; Salamè with Salame Felino PGI; Saltimbanco with Prosciutto di San Daniele PDO; Sensi di coppa with Coppa Piacentina PDO; Speck delle mie brame with Speck Alto Adige PGI; Zi-bello e buono with Culatello di Zibello PDO. Find all the recipes on: https://www.gamberorosso.it/i-panini-li-famax-con-i-grandi-salumi-ditalia/ I panini li fa Max – Only on Sky channel 132 and 412.

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GAMBERO ROSSO X ISIT

Ministero delle politiche agricole alimentari e forestali Funded with DM 57321 - 8.8.2019

The PDO and PGI products and the Protection Consortia Protected Designation of Origin and Protected Geographical Indication are quality certifications born in Europe to recognise the value of certain food productions that have an inextricable link to their territory of origin (understood as a set of natural and human factors), that are passed on and that tell their story.

The PDO and PGI products safeguard traditions and guarantee certified and controlled quality to consumers. A product specification which determines the processing, establishes the requirements and proves the historical link with the territory of origin. Within the system of PDO and PGI production, an important role lies with the Protection Consortia which have the precise function of protecting, promoting and bringing value to the products.

They also have the task of spreading the knowledge of the value of the denominations, through a storytelling that focuses on the history and the strong link with the territory, and through correct information towards consumers about the quality, the characteristics of the products and the meanings of the certifications themselves, to acknowledge a production model that is not only economic but also social and cultural.

ISIT (Istituto Salumi Italiani Tutelati) is the association for PDO and PGI deli meat Protection Consortia (Consorzi di Tutela).

Founded in 1999, it associates nowadays 16 Protection Consortia representing 22 PDO and PGI products.

www.isitsalumi.it

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SPIRITS

SEASONAL COCKTAIL COCKTAIL SEASONAL

by byPaola Paola Mencarelli Mencarelli

IL FIORE DEI FIORI Oscar Quagliarini

3 cl di Ylang N°0 - 6 cl di Tanqueray Gin

Glass: Old Fashioned Technique: Stir and Strain Garnish: Edible flower

I

l Fiore dei Fiori is one of the cocktails on the drink list created for Il Bar in the Food Hall located on the 7th floor of Milan's Rinascentedepartment store. Of clearly floral inspiration, the drink is structured despite its only two ingredients. The Ylang n°0 liqueur, created by Oscar in his laboratory Le Garagiste in Senigallia following the development line of a perfumer rather than a liqueurist, is a 24 volume liqueur, floral and citrusy, composed of jasmine, green mandarin and Ylang Ylang, a flower that grows in Nosy Be in Madagascar and that's widely used in perfumery. Mixed with gin, the cocktail is served on an ice chunk and decorated with an edible flower.

BARTENDER: Roman-born in 1978, at age 19 Oscar Quagliarini is already working behind the counter. An innate talent and a dazzling career, made up of study - with countless master classes at international level - travel and important work experiences. Pravda Vodka Bar, Lacerba, Zinc are just some of the places where he worked in Italy; in Paris he collaborated in the opening of Grazie and Herbarium at Hôtel National des Arts et Métiers. Multifaceted and visionary, he was fascinated by the world of molecular cuisine - his gurus are Ferran Adrià and Thierry Marx - and, in recent years, in Paris, by perfumery, inspired by the maîtres parfumeurs Annick Goutal, Jean-Claude Ellena and Jean-Paul Guerlain. He works with flowers, spices and perfumes, handcrafting the essences he uses in the composition of his recipes. He has created the formulas for his own line of Vermouth and Bitter Q (www.qliquori.com) and is the author of books “The universe of Oscar Q” and “Herbarium,” a trilogy dedicated to herbs.

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SEPTEMBER 2020

NEWS

MY IMPORT Taiwan, an open-minded and sophisticated wine market A conversation with Steve Chen, managing director of Chopstick Wine Inc.

1 As an importer of Italian wines, which labels are doing well in the market?

Do you foresee a change in the demand?

On one end you have the Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Pinot Grigio, basic Nero d’Avola and Primitivo, giving you good quantity and consistency comparatively; on the other hand you have the Barolos and Barbarescos, the flagships of Italian wine to satisfy the more sophisticated consumers and off-trade markets. However, there is a change of demand as there are recently more interests for “volcanic wines,” “natural wines,” and “orange wines” as these become more trendy. And as consumers become more knowledgeable over the years, there are also scattered interests for wine regions outside of Veneto, Tuscany, Sicily, and Piedmont. As an importer I embrace these changes.

2 Can you describe what makes the Taiwanese wine market unique?

What are the most important aspects?

Taiwan is an island influenced in its colonial history, by various cultures: Chinese, Japanese, Dutch, etc. And then you have this small island ranking 3rd to 5th in buying the most malt whisky in the world. It’s almost a miracle how much people drink here when you consider the number one being the United States. In terms of the wine market in Asia, although it’s not as experienced as Japan, we do have a group of young, open-minded trade professionals with winelovers that are catching up quickly. So you have this market in Asia, with buying power for alcohol beverages, and somewhat seasoned in French wines, working hard to earn a place for itself, it’s safe (2nd lowest crime rate in the world), it’s seeking trade allies for its next step.

All aspects that, I reckon, make Taiwan pretty unique. The most important aspects are establishing a positive image and sharing it with the local audience. In other words, a wise promotion strategy. We will probably see more efforts to promote & market health and sustainability topics as 2020 really raised the alarm for all.

3 How do you see the future of the Taiwan wine market? Which country is growing?

Do you think that Taiwanese will ever drink Chinese wine?

Definitely Italy is the way to go. Over the years we have seen a rise in demand of Spanish, Australian, Portugese wines and then the market became saturated. Italian wines are growing now more than ever. There are multiple factors that foster this, one has to do with increased education and Italian wine knowledge shared locally; then there is strong interest in wine pairing with cuisine since Taiwan constantly promotes its food quality and diversity. And there are people who have experienced simple wines and luxurious wines and are now ready for varietals other than international grapes. Lastly, the presence of Gambero Rosso helps to some extent as the guide books boosts the confidence of many. I mean, where else can you find good quality, good price, heritage grapes with stories to tell? Drinking Chinese wines? For the fun of it maybe, but I wouldn’t see it happening on a daily basis. There are some wineries in Taiwan making boutique style wines, indicating quality as an important factor to satisfy local consumers.

4 Can you describe your favourite three pairings of Taiwanese food and Italian wines?

Three Cup Chicken (made with 1 cup sesame oil, 1 cup rice wine, 1 cup soy sauce, Ginger, Garlic, Basil) + Chianti Classico, a strong character dish harmonised by the mellow yet rich Chianti Classico. Roast duck with plum sauce + Bolgheri Rosso, a savoury dish balanced by the plum sauce with Bolgheri Rosso which takes the duck fat to the next level. Soy-stewed pork belly with rice + Langhe Nebbiolo, where the wine adds a touch of spice and fruit to bring out the flavour of the tender and juicy stewed|pork.  Jermann Loc. Ruttars | Dolegna del Collio (GO) | www.jermann.it

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NEWS

MY EXPORT Luigi Turco - Cantina Valpantena 1 What is the percentage of exports out of the company total?

The percentage is around 60 - 65%. The main countries of arrival are European, in order: Denmark, Germany and Britain, followed by Switzerland and Scandinavia.

2 Where are sales better and where are they worse?

It depends on the product’s destination. In the case of foreign large-scale distribution, the product has a lower margin than that offered in the HoReCa channel or in the various monopolies. The finding is contrary in terms of quantity: in foreign large-scale distribution quantities are much greater than in HoReCa.

3 How have exports changed during and after lockdown?

In general, large-scale distribution has not slowed down, on the contrary, orders have almost grown. Like in Italy, the crisis linked to Covid-19 and the lockdown are felt much more abroad in regards to distribution in the HoReCa channel.

4 How’s the bureaucracy?

The wine sector is among those that suffer the highest level of bureaucracy. Suffice it to say that there are several controlling bodies with the same role. We hope that the crisis will lead to a simplification, but for now nothing has changed.

5 How have the attitude and interest of foreign consumers towards Italian wine changed?

Foreign consumers show the same interest as in the past, Italian wine remains a high-level wine in the foreign perception. However, a social and economic crisis has taken over which will lead to a future reduction in wine consumption.

 Cantina Valpantena | Quinto di Valpantena | Verona | www.cantinavalpantena.it

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SEPTEMBER 2020

GAMBERO ROSSO X PIGHIN

Collio and Grave, modernity and territory Friuli according to Pighin Two hundred hectares for two wineries: the reality of the Pighin family is one of the beacons of Friuli viticulture and oenology. One of the transformation structures has 160 hectares of splendid vineyards located in the Friuli Grave area on silt and fine gravel soils of Risano. The other falls instead in the heart of the Collio Goriziano with 30 hectares of vineyards in the natural amphitheater of Spessa di Capriva: expressions of a small but multifaceted region where the full-bodied and renowned whites of Collio are flanked by the wines of the Grave, fresher and more balanced. And it is precisely in the Grave that we find Rauscedo, the largest nursery of rooted cuttings in the world: a reality that, with the support of universities and research institutes, allowed Pighin to start planting new graft-resistant non-GMO vines 4

years ago (such as Fleurtai and Soreli). These were selected to maintain the varietal and territorial characteristics: an opportunity to implement the journey of an increasingly attentive viticulture in regards to the environment and the territory; where the natural resistance of the grape to adverse environmental conditions is the basis of a serene organic management of the vineyard. «The vinifications of these particular grape varieties – said Roberto Pighin, owner of the company – enhance their primary characteristics: delicately aromatic, exotic and persistent aroma.»

New in the Pighin HQ is the Collio Bianco Soreli, obtained from an accurate vinification of Ribolla Gialla, Malvasia and Friulano grapes. Soreli, which in Friulian means sunlight, is a wine that already holds in its name the extraordinary exposure in the 1

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GAMBERO ROSSO X PIGHIN

1. The Pighin estate in Pavia di Udine, in the locality of Risano, in the heart of the Friuli Grave Doc 2. Fernando Pighin with his wife Danila 3. The suggestive barrel cellar of the Risano winery

The Winery

Tenuta di Spessa di Capriva. «Friulano gives Soreli personality and structure, while Malvasia and Ribolla Gialla give the wine freshness and aromatic complexity. In order to preserve the varietal characteristics, we have chosen to vinify a part of the grapes in steel and a part in unroasted Slavonian wood tonneaux as well as lightly toasted barriques to give more personality, body, structure and duration to this wine.»

Wines that, according to Pighin, can also be appreciated across borders to encapsulate that piece of terroir that is a fundamental part of Italian oenology. In fact, the company exports 70% of its production to European and international markets. In compliance with a continuous qualitative evolution, Pighin has in fact all the characteristics to be counted among the ambassadors of good Friulian wine around the world.

For years, the Pighin winery has occupied an important place in the Friuli wine scene, both for size and for quality of the range. The start of the business dates back to 1963, the year in which brothers Luigi, Ercole and Fernando bought 220 hectares in Risano from a local noble family. At the end of the 1970s, the business management was entrusted to Fernando who began to take care of the vineyards with the help of his nephew Livio. In the Eighties Fernando began exporting wines to Germany, becoming the first Friuli producer to quickly supply Deutsche Lufthansa AG, the German national airline. In 2004 Fernando decided to take over all the estates entirely and since that year together with his wife Danila and children Roberto and Raffaella has been managing them.

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 Pighin - Pavia di Udine (UD) - fraz. Risano - v.le Grado, 11 - 0432675444 - pighin.com

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2020 PRODUCTION BELOW AVERAGE. BUT GOOD QUALITY TENDING TO EXCELLENT Uiv, Ismea and Assoenologi estimate volumes between 46 and 48 million hectoliters: Italy remains the world leader over France and Spain.

The data on excessively high stocks, the sharp decline in world trade and the trend of Horeca and domestic tourism are worrying. Cotarella: "Excellence will be our anti-Covid weapon"

words by Gianluca Atzeni

STORIES

1

T

he economic crisis unleashed by the Coronavirus pandemic doesn't seem to have caused excessive damage to national production. In 2020, in fact, Italy will produce between 46 and 48 million hectoliters of wine, according to estimates by Uiv, Ismea and Assoenologi (in an unprecedented online version), who this year also choose to join forces to provide a general picture of the situation. The expected average of volumes (65 million quintals of grapes which, transformed, yield 47.2 million/hl of wine) are just 1% lower than the official Agea data relating to last year's production stats: 47, 5 mln/hl. And they are below the averages of the 2015/19 period (–4%), equal to 49.1 million/hl. The 2020 harvest, which began in Sicily at the

end of July, and continued in Puglia, Sardinia and Lombardy (with Franciacorta), will start from mid-September and will continue throughout October, and finish in November with the last bunches in the Valtellina areas, Aglianico in Campania and on Etna.

ITALIAN LEADERSHIP At a territorial level, Veneto remains the first region in terms of quantities, with about 11 million hectoliters, followed by Puglia (8.5), Emilia Romagna (7.7) and Abruzzo (3.4), which exceeds a Sicily that once again faces a minus sign. About 30 million hectoliters will arrive from the first four regions, about 65% of all Italian wine. Looking beyond national borders, Italy should confirm its leadership among producing countries. In fact, the forecasts for France and Spain speak of volumes

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SEPTEMBER 2020

SURVEY The harvest survey by Uiv, Ismea and Assoenologi was developed by harmonizing the consolidated operating methods based on three distinct phases: survey by the respective territorial observers (the regional sections of Assoenologi, the member companies of Uiv and Ismea, which contributed with their own network, and the comparison with the Mipaaf Wine Department), comparative evaluation of the qualitative and quantitative indications and subsequent statistical processing compared to the official historical series of previous years.

WINE PRODUCTION

at 43.4 and 42 million hectoliters respectively. "2020 is not a normal year and for the moment, the Covid-19 crisis remains the most influential and disruptive factor for wineries", said Ignacio Sanchez Recarte, general secretary of the Comité vins (Ceev), recalling that 2020 is slightly higher (+5 mln/ hl) compared to 2019 for the top 5 producers (Italy, France, Spain, Germany and Portugal) and close to the average of the last 5 years. "With wine stocks still relatively high" he added, "the 2020 harvest will enter a market that is still strongly characterised by the uncertainty and destructuring caused

by Covid-19. It will now be crucial to focus all efforts and actions on recovery at EU and international level. Without this recovery, more than ever, the sustainability of wineries will be at risk."

DIFFICULT ESTIMATES 2020 is a particular year, which makes it difficult to estimate production. In fact, the normal uncertainty weather trends in September, decisive for the fate of the harvest, is added the unknowns related to producers sticking to the Government measure relating to the voluntary reduction of yields for PDO and PGI (ceiling of 100 million euros) and to the management of productions which has led many protection Consortia to lower their maximum yields of the regulations.

Overall, there was a slight recovery in volumes in the North (+ 3%), while the Center (–2%) and South (–7%) show negative signs. In some cases, as Uiv, Ismea and Assoenologi explain, the reductions in production are due to the combination of adverse climatic events: excessive heat and lack of rain in the fundamental moments for the growth of the grapes, but also, precisely, to harvest choices including adherence to the reduction of yields or

CLIMATE TREND After November and December with abundant rains, the months of January and February were very mild and with little rainfall. March enjoyed generally abundant rainfall with normal temperatures (with the exception of frost on March 24th). Mild temperatures and scarce rainfall characterised April and May, while June presented temperatures slightly below normal with abundant rainfall. Same conditions persisted in July in the north, while in the central and southern regions the rainfall was scarce. The August thermometer recorded highs and lows above the norm, with little rain, with local exceptions in central-eastern Lombardy, south-western Piedmont, Marche, Salento, Basilicata and Calabria. Conditions similar to the summers of the end of the millennium with limited hot-sultry days and heat waves preceded by sporadic storms. The summer of 2020 was characterised by an Azores anticyclone, which limited an African one, the protagonist of recent seasons. A picture that carries with it the risk of infiltration of cooler air, with the possibility of unstable weather. According to Mr Cotarella (Assoenologi), climate change remains the great challenge of the future.

2

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STORIES

3

crisis distillation. According to initial Mipaaf estimates, the effect of these measures was not what was expected.

Of the 50 million for distillation, just 14 have been requested (especially from Marche, Lazio and Puglia), with 36 million euros that will remain in the wine sector. While of the 100 million for the reduction of yields, as explained

by Minister Bellanova, 40 have been requested, with a treasure of 60 million euros that Italy will have to spend by December 31, amending the law.

QUALITY BETWEEN GOOD AND EXCELLENT On September 3rd, 20% of the grapes arrived in the cellar and there is a slight advance in ripening. From a phytosanitary point of view, the vineyards are healthy "even if the rainfall of the last few days requires continuous monitoring". The quality of the 2020 grapes is judged to be "good tending to excellent with some peaks of excellence," said president of Assoenologi, Riccardo Cotarella. The bunches conferred so far have been healthy, thanks above all to careful management of the vineyard by producers and oenologists.

The warm temperate climate, without excess heat and not particularly rainy, accompanied by good temperature fluctuations between day and night, favoured a slow but gradual ripening of the grapes. "The first analytical findings show medium-high gradations and a good relationship between sugars and acidity, as well as an interesting aromatic picture for the white varieties and medium-high polyphenolic contents in the red berried grapes. Prelude to interesting and excellent wines. High quality" underlines Cotarella "will be the decisive element in overcoming the difficult time the wine system is experiencing due to the Covid emergency."

SOME CONCERNS ABOUT STOCKS According to an initial survey balance of the lockdown period and the following months, the production price lists recorded stability for the wines and for the PDO and PGI most sold in the large-scale retail trade. Instead, for those products destined for Horeca there was a decline due to a lack of absorption of the cellar stocks. The 2019/2020 campaign which ended in July recorded, compared to 2018/19, an increase in the pricing of table wines of 2.8%, compared to a decrease in Igt (–3.6%) and Doc (–5.2%). The trend of the price lists will also be influenced by stocks. Unfortunately, Italy starts with 38.5 million hec- 

GAMBERO ROSSO

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SEPTEMBER 2020

The grape harvest - photo by Consorzio vini Franciacorta (cover) 1. Sangiovese grapes - photo by Consorzio Montecucco 2. Chardonnay grapes in Trentino 3. Glera grape - photo by Consorzio Prosecco Doc 4. Vineyards in the Morellino di Scansano region 5. Wine harvest in Piedmont

WINE PRODUCTION

ITALIAN WINE AND MUST PRODUCTION (EXPRESSED IN .000 HECTOLITERS)

2019*

2020**

Difference 20/19

Var. % 20/19

Piedmont

2.603

2.733

130

5%

Valle D’Aosta

17

18

1

7%

Lombardy

1.301

1.429

128

10%

Trentino Alto Adige

1.312

1.383

71

5%

Veneto

10.950

11.059

109

1%

Friuli Venezia Giulia

1.785

1.660

-125

-7%

Liguria

40

46

6

15%

Emilia Romagna

7.250

7.721

471

7%

Tuscany

2.625

2.232

-394

-15%

Umbria

426

405

-21

-5%

Marche

816

898

82

10%

Lazio

800

760

-40

-5%

Abruzzo

3.184

3.400

216

7%

Molise

227

233

6

2%

Campania

778

778

0

0%

Puglia

8.947

8.499

-447

-5%

Basilicata

87

83

-4

-5%

Calabria

110

110

0

0%

Sicily

3.911

3.325

-587

-15%

Sardinia

363

429

65

18%

Italy

47.533

47.200

-333

-1%

*2019 Agea data, production declarations. ** Estimates by Assoenologi, Ismea, Uiv, as of 30/08/2020

toliters of wine stocks that have been growing for at least five years, from 24 million in 2015 to almost 40 million in 2020.

"A situation" as Paolo Castelletti, general secretary of the Unione Italiana Vini points out, "which must make us reflect and which is worrying many companies."

UIV: "INCREASE THE OCM PROMOTION BUDGET" After a positive first quarter, the drops in April and May led the Italian export of wines and sparkling wines to limit the damage to –2.6% in volume and –4% in value. However, this is the first

significant decline after 20 twenty years. Considering the positive trend in June, despite many uncertainties (Brexit, US duties), a certain recovery and "a positive rebound" are expected, as Fabio del Bravo (Ismea) pointed out. What worries entrepreneurs, however, are the setbacks of the US, China and Russia. In the first half of the year, international trade lost 6% in volume and 11% in value.

"It becomes necessary" according to the president of Unione italiana Vini, Ernesto Abbona who appealed to Minister Teresa Bellanova "to support the recovery of the markets and of our exports with new investments, increasing

GAMBERO ROSSO

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SEPTEMBER 2020

the endowment of the Ocm Promotion, by adequately steering resources and initiatives of the export pact and quickly employing unused funds in the latest government measures to support the sector: reduction of yields and crisis distillation." Italy is working to increase the promotion funds: "For wine there are no additional resources compared to the 300 million of the Pns" said Joao Onofre, head of the wine unit of DG Agri at the EU Commission "but it will be up to Italy to allocate more money to that measure." The game of funds will be played within the new 2021 financial framework just approved in Brussels.

With an eye to the future, according to Raffaele Borriello, general manager of Ismea, it will be necessary to understand "how the global economy will restart. Because if those countries that today record –15% (such as Germany, USA, France) do not recover, it means that their import demand will not recover, and our products could encounter serious difficulties."

And looking at the restart, the president of Gambero Rosso, Paolo Cuccia, underlines how the Covid experience has taught everyone "that we need to accelerate on the digital front" (Gambero Rosso has just inaugurated its international TV channel) but also reassured us about great desire to restart businesses: "We have reservations for our foreign events that are decidedly higher than in other years and also the studies of the major international consultancy companies give wine as an asset that should register a positive rebound in the coming years." Cuccia insisted on the issue of training as a function of exports: "It is the key variable for many large and small companies, which are proving to be able to grow.

And it can only be done if you have adequate managerial skills. Italy," he 

STORIES

4

concludes,"has extraordinary wines, but still with prices not yet at the level of a quality that is constantly growing, as also demonstrated by the results of the Italian Wine Guide 2021 which will be launched on October 18."

WINE AND HORECA The delicate symbiosis between quality wine and the dining sector was remarked by Minister Teresa Bellanova, who hopes in the measure intended for dining, inserted in the August Decree, valued at 600 million non-repayable euros: "On one condition: purchases of Made in Italy. An important measure" said the Minister speaking during an online debate "capable of generating turnover equal to four times the amount allocated to each company, and which will obviously have a virtuous effect on wine and precisely in the segments of excellence particularly affected by the crisis.

Now, for the relaunch, we are focusing on exports and internationalization, defining strategies that will have to see the institutional supply chain and the production chain closely allied and cohesive."

DETAILS BY REGION Piedmont. The +5% of Piedmont (at 2.73 mln/hl) was achieved with difficulty, considering the infections of powdery mildew in June, of downy mildew in July, the excessive heat in August (up to 35 degrees) and the storms that hit the areas of Moncalvo and Santo Stefano Belbo. Golden flavescence also made a contribution.

In general, according to Uiv, Ismea and Assoenologi estimates, a harvest of excellent quality is expected with peaks of excellence.

Valle d’Aosta. For the small northwestern region it was a good climatic

year, with conditions that allowed for the regular succession of the various phenological phases. A decrease in diseases and the grapes in excellent sanitary and ripening conditions.

With these premises, the forecast is that there will also be an increase in production of about 7% compared to 2019, from 17,000 to 18,000 hectoliters.

limited. In Oltrepò and Franciacorta, different maturations are reported even within the same wine-growing area, due to the strong and sudden changes in temperature and rainfall.

Healthwise there are no issues. Excellent levels of acidity in the white varietals. The general conditions are for a year of excellent quality.

Lombardy. Recovery in volumes of 10% for Lombardy wines, at 1.42 mln/hl. The health situation is between good and very good. Some areas (Scanzo, Franciacorta, Valtènesi) suffered the effects of heavy storms and hail at an early stage, which caused damage that was however

Trentino-Alto Adige. Early vegetative growth for the vast area of Trentino and South Tyrol due to a warmer than average spring. The advance is between 7 and 12 days and most of the grapes will be harvested between the 10th and 25th of September. The quantities will be 5% higher than in 2019 (at 1.38 mln/hl) and the 

GAMBERO ROSSO

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WINE PRODUCTION

5

good climatic trend. The grape harvest begins in early September with Pigato and Vermentino near the sea, and then continues in the innermost areas with the Rossese grapes.

Some outbreaks of powdery mildew appeared, but were well controlled.

The sugar/acidity ratio is excellent, with a qualitative forecast defined as good.

Emilia-Romagna. Production of excellent quality and an increase in volumes of 7% (reaching 7.7 mln/ hl) but only if we pay attention to the various degrees of ripeness and the extraordinary differences that this year characterise the plains and hills, with waste in terms of potential alcohol even of two degrees, as in the case of Trebbiano or Pignoletto. The harvest, even in the case of Sangiovese,needs to be spread over a long period of time.

quality of the wines promises to be excellent despite infections of downy mildew and damage related to the yellowing of the vine in the Trentino areas. Pinot, Lagrein and all late varieties including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Teroldego are the most promising.

Veneto. The first producing region will grow by 1% compared to last year, just over 11 million hectoliters.

The slight increase is due to the production yield of new plants. There are no reported phytosanitary issues and the quality of the grapes is good.

According to the initial findings, the sugar content is normal, as is the acidity picture. Fortunately, the ef-

fect of the hail that hit the Valpolicella and the central eastern area on August 23rd was limited. The qualitative conditions for future wines are good.

Friuli-Venezia Giulia. 7% decrease for Friuli Venezia Giulia, estimated at 1.66 mln/hl. For red grapes, reduced to 20% of the entire regional wine production, some interest is directed to Refosco, Merlot, Cabernet sauvignon and Pinot nero, which this year will enter the production of Prosecco rosé. The quality can be defined as "excellent".

Liguria. Production up 15% for this region (46,000 hl), thanks to a

GAMBERO ROSSO

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SEPTEMBER 2020

Tuscany. There's a contraction in the production of Tuscan wine. The 2.23 million/hl mark is at –15% compared to a year ago. From the start, the fertility of the plants turned out to be lower than average. Downy mildew was limited due to low rainfall, while powdery mildew forced producers to work overtime. The damage caused by wild boars is increasing. In general, the grapes boast excellent health. Towards the end of September, Sangiovese will be harvested for Chianti, Chianti Classico, Brunello, Carmignano and Nobile. There is fear for a persistent drought. But for the aging reds, an excellent vintage is announced.

Umbria. Production at the moment seems to be in line with that of 2019, that is, not particularly abundant, around 405,000/hl (–5%).

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WINE PRODUCTION

However, with the persistence of the climatic conditions recorded in August (drought and excessive heat) we could see a significant decrease in production (scorching, withering).

The quality seems excellent at the moment, with peaks of excellence for the late varieties.

Marche. Production increase for the Marche region (+10% to 898,000 hl) which started for the seventh consecutive year with winter temperatures above the historical averages and a drought that ended in March. A regular spring, unfortunately, resulted in the zeroing of some productions in the Fermo area, hit by hail. Producers faced cases of downy mildew and esca disease in May. Currently, for the notoriously productive varieties (Trebbiano Toscano and Passerina) an increase in production is expected. Verdicchio increasing mainly due to the greater weight of the bunches.

Lazio. Minus sign for Lazio (–5% to 760,000/hl) which has gone from a situation of rain to a persistent drought, especially in July and August. The presence of plant diseases is limited. A perfect sugar content is expected, in line with 2019 and of the average of the last 5 years, and an excellent quality of the grapes, with peaks of excellence for the early white vines and for the Cesanese.

Abruzzo. Abruzzo (with a +7% and 3.4 million/hl) surpasses Sicily in the most productive regions ranking, gaining fourth place. A mild and dry winter and a cool and sometimes cold spring, but without particular plant diseases, favoured regular phenological phases. The harvest began after mid-August and will continue until the end of October. The qualitative

content is “very good with peaks of excellence on both whites and reds.”

Molise. Seasonal trend that has allowed a good management of the vineyards, which appear to be in excellent health. The forecast is for a slight increase compared to 2019 (+2%), which will lead to a production result of 233,000 hectoliters.

The first analytical numbers on the grapes are comforting for the degree of ripeness reached, which bodes well for the quality of the wine.

Campania. Quantitative trend remains unchanged for this region which will close at 778,000 hectoliters.Aside from limited damage due to frost in Benevento in early June, the ripening conditions were optimal.

In general, the phytopathic pressure was very low. These conditions have allowed Uiv, Ismea and Assoenologi to estimate the quality of the grapes as excellent. As for the sparkling wine base grapes, there are excellent balances of acidity.

Puglia. Estimates at –5% for Puglia, which should reach 8.49 mln/hl.

From the first tests carried out on Sangiovese, Trebbiano, Nero di Troia, Merlot and Lambrusco, the 2020 harvest bodes to be an excellent vintage, with a healthy vineyard thanks to germination and ripening conditions which took place in ideal conditions.

The grapes are healthy, without particular stress, with a good sugar content and optimal and stable acidity values.

Basilicata. Except for a hailstorm recorded in the lower Vulture area, with damage of medium importance, the production of Basilicata is the result of a generally very favourable cli-

GAMBERO ROSSO

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SEPTEMBER 2020

mate. The evolution of the vines has been optimal and the quality forecast, as such, is of high expectations.

Quantities at –5% on 2019 around 83,000 hectoliters.

Calabria. Normal seasonal trend, albeit with some anomalies over the various months, which did not affect the final result. No particular concern related to plant infections, always under control during all phenological phases. The Calabrian harvest is estimated substantially in line with last year's, therefore around 110,000 hectoliters of wine.

Sicily. The quantitative decline in Sicily continues, a region of 5 million potential hectoliters, which in 2020 records a –15% to 3.3 million/ hl. The quality so far is good, as well as the aromatic curve thanks to the correct temperature variations, up to 12 degrees at night with peaks of 18 degrees in areas above 350 meters above sea level. The first analytical data of fermenting musts bode well for future wines, for which an excellent vintage is expected, especially for reds with medium-high alcohol content.

Sardinia. After three complicated years, Sardinia is smiling again, in sharp contrast with estimates of 429,000 hectoliters (+15%). There is some concern about the effects of excessive heat between the 13th and 22nd of August, but all grapes show good quality, with Vermentino "in splendid shape both as far as quality and quantity", followed by Malvasia, Nasco and Nuragus, Torbato.

The quality is also good for Moscato, Chardonnay and Vernaccia, unfortunately hit by a spring frost which led to decreases in quantity.

GAMBERO ROSSO X CASA OPTIMA

Casa Optima, a tastier summer for gelato makers, pastry chefs and consumers

1

2

Italy restarts, pastry shops and gelaterias reopen after three months of lockdown due to Covid. It’s not easy to restart everything and find a new normal. We interviewed Francesco Fattori, CEO of Casa Optima, a multi brand group leader in the production of ingredients for artisanal gelato and pastry, and a point of reference in the training of amateurs and professionals, to understand how this world will change and what novelties that the forced reflection has produced in the confectionery art sector.

The health emergency blocked gelato and pastry shops for a long time, how did Casa Optima, with its brands, do during the pandemic?

The pandemic created a painful stalemate in our customers’ business, so we immediately took action to find solutions that could be implemented quickly. We took the important opportunity posed by the delivery service by creating targeted marketing campaigns for each company in the group, with which we provided tools to promote home

delivery, creative and technical support through digital advertising campaigns and a handbook on how to best organise it. In the transition phase we concentrated on encouraging take out service and then, aware of the importance of digital platforms, we presented ourselves to the market as a reference company in the “Digital Customer Experience,” offering different types of solutions to artisans to help them to enter the world of social networking and be

GAMBERO ROSSO

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SEPTEMBER 2O2O

more connected and more effective with their customers and end consumers. Many gelato makers, rather skeptical at first, were finally persuaded and today they thank us because, because of these initiatives, they’ve discovered new sales and marketing opportunities.

What are the experiences to treasure and which will remain standing in the new phase of reopening?

There are so many, but the most

GAMBERO ROSSO X CASA OPTIMA

1. Dolce Italia, solidarity gelato that with every purchase supports the Italian Red Cross 2. Francesco Fattori, CEO of Casa Optima 3. Summer granitas made with products of the Squeeze4 line. A moment during the lessons dedicated to pastry and gelato of Casa Optima: now there are many courses conducted together with Gambero Rosso Academy in various Italian cities

Smoothies, granitas, specialty coffee and milkshakes with products by Mec3 in Cups The Mec3 in Cups line is the perfect ally to multiply business opportunities with top of the line products and perfect for take out! With Mec3 in Cups by Granfrutta, puree with a very high percentage of fruit, it’s possible to make fresh smoothies, while the Squeeze line allows to flavour thrilling granitas. To conquer coffee lovers, there are 8 products of the Mec3 line in Cups by Quella, while, to satisfy palates looking for something crunchy, the Cookies Family line allows you to prepare original coffee specialties.

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important in my opinion are organisational capacity and people. In times of difficulty, a large company is able to bring out its best energy thanks to the passion and enthusiasm of its team members. The restart phase saw us in a privileged position thanks to all these people who never stopped or were demoralized and who, on the contrary, constantly proposed new ideas and studied new actions to support our customers in a period in which the world is radically changedover the course of a very short time. From remote lessons activated by Casa Optima School teachers, to the proposals for digital sales created by our marketing department; up to the “Dolce Italia” project which, by donating part of 

Casa Optima, a Group for 7 brands present in over 150 countries Authenticity, Italianness in a global context, Dynamism, Enthusiasm and Respect: these are the fundamental values that distinguish the “Casa Optima making life sweeter together” group formed by the brands Mec3, Giuso, Modecor, Pernigotti Maestri Gelatieri Italiani, Blend Coberturas, Ambra’s and Florensuc. Present in over 150 countries on five continents, with dedicated sales forces and through a virtuous network of distribution partnerships, it is a “customer centric” group since it has always paid great attention to listening to customers, responding promptly to their requests and supporting them in every moment, in helping them grow their business. Casa Optima World School of Sweet Arts is the division dedicated to training, which has 13 locations between Italy and abroad, and where every year the best Product Specialists teach the art of artisan gelato and pastry to thousands of beginners and professionals.

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Casa Optima, a tastier summer for gelato makers, pastry chefs and consumers the proceeds to the Italian Red Cross, demonstrated that it is possible to make two apparently distant values such as ethics and profit coexist in a virtuous way. Today’s success stems from the organisational capacity that has distinguished us in recent months, giving solutions to difficult problems, in being close to gelato makers, in the motivation that made us restart with renewed enthusiasm and, once again, with the smile that has always been our characteristic.

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Have these recent months taught you anything?

They taught us that our products have a value complex that is independent of the product categories. gelato and patisserie are part of the Italian culture, but not only, as they belong to an ideal of goodness and joy that transcends the product itself.

For this reason, even in times of great difficulty, people need it and line up in front of the shops. Once this request is met, we are committed to not breaking this strong bond with consumers and we have pushed gelato makers to reinvent themselves, activating home delivery and social network services that very few used until a few months ago. With the end of the lockdown, there has been a very encouraging recovery in sales and we’ve had confirmation that working in this sector involves a great responsibility: making gelato makers, pastry chefs and consumers happy in terms of quality, taste and joy in making and consuming them. .

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“Mission Breakfast” by Giuso Missione Colazione (“Mission Breakfast”) is the project created by Giuso to help pastry chefs to propose a new type of service linked to one of the most important moments of the day: breakfast. A delicious recipe book, marketing tools for sales points and social networks, plus a digital menu are some of the tools created to best support this initiative and ensure that the delights of every pastry shop can reach everywhere. With Missione Colazione, pastry chefs will be able to spoil customers with delicious treats and spark good moods from the morning, by making home delivery, or through take out. Consumed at home, in the office, for a special occasion or a birthday celebration, this proposal aims to give a gourmet twist to the day! A unique opportunity for the craftsman, who will be able to increase his business by multiplying the opportunities for product sale, as well as for consumers, who will be able to enjoy the beginning of the day with unexpected flavour. Every day there’s a good reason to treat oneself or give to others a little sweetness.

giuso.it

News? Products and initiatives...

For summer 2020 the “must haves” of each gelateria were the exotic flavors

by Mec3 such as Cookies Cocoboom, a coconut crunchy flavour that expands the range of the famous ice cream sandwich family, or as GranFrutta Litchi, a sorbet with which it is also possible to make refreshing ice lollies and colourful granitas.

Summer novelties certainly included Giuso cold lemon and strawberry creams, whose peculiarity is the crisp texture given by pieces of fresh fruit.

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For chocolate lovers Cuzco Santo Domingo, is made with real dark chocolate and without added milk derivatives. From the historical expertise of Pernigotti Maestri Gelatieri Italiani, the new entry is Pistacchio del Sole, a pure and high quality base but with a careful look at the quality-price ratio.

Teaching and training projects?

The closure of the Casa Optima branches didn’t hamper training.

GAMBERO ROSSO X CASA OPTIMA

4. A moment during lessons dedicated to pastry and gelato making at Casa Optima: many courses are now conducted together 5. An image of Missione Colazione, the new initiative for patisserie created

by Giuso

Training and specialization courses with Gambero Rosso Academy Casa Optima School – a highly performing training and research centre entirely dedicated to sweet arts – along with Gambero Rosso – leader in marketing and training on the dining and kitchen front – continue their partnership aimed at increasing knowledge of the pastry and gelato professional fields, one contributing venues, skills, tools and marketing channels available to the other.

The program is divided into co-branded courses dedicated to the world of artisan gelato, from the basic one for beginners, to thematic workshops with a focus on specific subjects, and to the world of pastry, with four-handed lessons held by Casa Optima Product Specialists and Gambero Rosso instructors.

New in 2020 are the on-demand lessons, to allow professionals to choose what to study, when and where they want!

A web series of 24 episodes divided into 3 categories - beverage with Mec3 In Cups products, gelato with Mec3 and pastry with Giuso - is online on the gamberosso.it website in the dedicated section, while a new series will soon be available to continue being up to date on the latest innovations in the art of pastry and gelato.

gamberorosso.it/casa-optima

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To always be by our customers, the Group’s Product Specialists have created a new format of online lessons dedicated to gelato and pastry art for the artisans to discover new products, teach them the tricks to always have a captivating display case and amaze consumers with

new and tasty flavours. Connecting on a computer, tablet or mobile phone, students can participate in group courses or request tailor-made individual lessons with technicians available to guide them in all stages of preparation of the recipe. The new course calendar

scheduled for 2020-21 will be released in September and will cover all 13 Casa Optima School locations around the world. Finally, in the Italian branches, there will be events organized in collaboration with Gambero Rosso Academy.

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 Casa Optima - San Clemente (RN) - via Gaggio, 72 - 0541859411 - casaoptima.com

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HOW AND WHY BIODIVERSITY ENRICHES THE SOIL AND DISHES. VIRTUOUS FARMING STORIES AND PRACTICES It is not a trend. And even if it were, then hooray for trends! Considering how biodiversity is a godsend for humanity. If cultivated species are reduced from thousands to a few tens, in fact, to overcome any environmental or phytosanitary crises resources will be reduced. It must be said that after the experience of the pandemic, we should be very careful not to zero our resources.

An example of this is the extermination of vines because of phylloxera at the end of the 19th century. Today, awareness is stronger and the stories and practices of farmers are multiplying, they're focusing their production and marketing strategies on biodiversity words by Livia Montagnoli – art by Gianluca Biscalchin

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ruits handed down for millennia that seem to acquire mythological contours, ancient grains that are not ancient, a rhetoric of “it was better when we had it worse” that risks tarnishing the substance of the facts.

That is that biodiversity is not a fairy tale told at the farmers' market to better sell products. It is instead the result of man's commitment, repeated and handed down over time, of the boundless resources that nature has always offered. Without man's respectful domestication work, however, biodiversity dies. And cultivating biodiversity, in addition to preserving the ecosystem of a territory, means generating wealth: cultural, employment and economic.

THE NUMBERS OF IMPOVERISHMENT But what exactly are we talking about when we stand as a bulwark of agricultural biodiversity? Why is it so important to preserve

it, but also so easy to run into stereotypical slogans and abuse with a certain nostalgic romanticism of references to ancient varieties, custodian farmers, millenary traditions and typical products that allude with a certain emptiness to the good things of the past? There are clear numbers to support the cause of an alternative agricultural system to the conventional approach, in fact more adherent to the ancestral relationship of man with the land. A century ago, for example, Italy cultivated 8,000 types of fruit, today there are just under 2,000, and of these 1,500 are considered endangered. The same process has affected grains, farm animals, horticultural crops. And globally only 150 plant species - of the 30,000 known edible - are currently intensively farmed: 12 of these provide about 75% of our diet. Therefore, there is no doubt that a progressive and dangerous impoverishment of agricultural biodiversity has been underway 

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MINI GLOSSARY Biodiversity: The term was born in 1986 to summarise the term “biological diversity”, coined by Walter G. Rosen during the National Biodiversity Forum in Washington. By definition it is the natural capital of the Earth, and one of the key factors of sustainable development..

Farming biodiversity: Part of the biodiversity that represents the diversity of cultivated agricultural systems in relation to three components: species; genes and combinations of genes within each species; combinations of biotic and abiotic elements that define the different agro-ecosystems. Traditional knowledge is also considered an integral part of it.

Local (or traditional) varieties: Product of human activity that has selected and tamed species that are well suited to a soil and climate, continuously cultivating them in a place, where they are known by at least one given name.

Ecotype: Spontaneous population, adapted to a certain environment (usually geographically limited) regardless of human intervention which, on the other hand, is decisive in the local variety.

Italy grows 8,000 types of fruit which today have become just under 2,000: of these 1,500 are considered at risk of extinction. In the world only 150 plant species - of the 30,000 knownthat are edible - are intensively cultivated today: but only 12 of these provide 75% of human nutrition.

National Register of Varieties: The law also requires a seed license from the farmer, in case he/she wants to market the self-produced seeds. In order to market a seed, the variety must be registered and entered in an official catalogue. The register is the guarantee that the seed meets the three fundamental criteria for the sale: uniform, stable and distinct.

Conservation varieties: Defined in Europe in 1998, through directive 98/95/EC, are registered in a special section of the National Variety Register, which allows them to be marketed in order to preserve the plant genetic resources of a territory. The seeds of the conservation varieties must be reproduced in the place of origin of the variety itself, in “reduced” quantities and with an adequate traceability system. Italy is the country that boasts the largest number of varieties registered.

Germplasm Bank: A place that stores seeds off-soil for the purpose of preserving biodiversity and food security. At the origin of these banks, born all over the world, are the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation of 2002 and the European Plant Conservation Strategy of 2004, two conventions that provide for the ex-situ conservation of 60% of endangered species.

They are found in universities, regional and national research centres. In Italy they are coordinated by the RIBES network.

Farmer Guardian: They are identified among the farmers who provide, or have provided, for the conservation "in situ" of the genetic resources at risk of extinction registered in the regional registers. They carry out their activities in close collaboration with the Regional Germplasm Bank, which is equally responsible for safeguarding the genetic resource 31 being protected. Guardian growers are often the only holders of the technical knowledge related to the cultivation of a specific variety.

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for decades, mainly determined by commercial reasons that primarily concern the monopoly on the circulation of seeds: a market that is worth billions of dollars and is now more than 50% in the hands of large multinationals, which at the same time also control the pesticide market.

"Yet the seeds are the reason why there is life on Earth, the origin of everything. To use the equation advocated by Professor Salvatore Ceccarelli, if our health depends on food and the production of food depends on seeds, then a large part of our life depends on seeds.

For this reason, the only key to food security is biodiversity." These are the words of Stefano Scavino, in his early thirties, trained as an architect and now a farmer, engaged with the Dui Puivrun company to regenerate the horticultural ecosystem of a territory that was once very suitable for the cultivation of vegetables and fruit, in the Costigliole d'Asti area.

AGRICULTURAL VARIETIES AND MEMORY OF THE ECOTYPES His research on local ecotypes began in 2015, and today he is starting to reap the first satisfactory results (also commercially). With him we move to discover the significance of local varieties, which goes far beyond the speck of ancient fruits sold at high prices in a niche market: «Local varieties are such because those seeds have been reproduced for centuries in a specific environment, thanks to the selective ability of the local farmers, through techniques and skills that we have ended up losing». And in fact, when we talk about agricultural varieties, we are already calling into question an activity of man, «who has cultivated, maintained and handed them down, operating a process of selection and domestication, placed in a specific place and time. For this reason, varieties are expressions of culture, not only of nature» explains Massimo Angelini effectively in one of the essential texts for those who 

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Andrea Ghedina and Luca Bertaggia are two geneticists. Until a few years ago, they worked for a "conventional" seed company, engaged in research and development of the genetics of horticultural varieties of the chicory family, typical of the Chioggia area. Then the company was absorbed by a large multinational, the work ethic changed and Andrea and Luca decided to continue on their own, so as not to betray their philosophy: «Thus was born Smarties.bio, a research centre that works on the recovery and improvement of the genetics of local varieties, from a professional perspective. The lack of knowledge and scientific approach is often a limit for the spread of winning varieties from an organoleptic point of view. The rediscovery of typical products lacks structures that produce a good quality seed». The work was long, «establishing a horticultural line is complex, you have to comply with the rules of nature», but today, thanks to the collaboration with local farmers who have kept some local varieties in purity, Smarties.bio provides seeds (and advice) for varieties that perform in the open field, with a specific focus on local varieties of the Veneto area, which allow to reduce the use of chemicals and stimulate productivity in marginal environments. From the fiolaro broccoli from Creazzo to the giant catalonia from Chioggia, the red onion from Bassano, the Moretta cabbage from Veronella. All in three hectares of the company, which has cold rooms for storing the seeds and a small nursery with heated greenhouses to simulate all stages of cultivation.

www.smarties.bio

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want to deepen their knowledge of the topic (Minima Ruralia, 2013). But what exactly are the so-called traditional varieties?

Those cultivated continuously in a specific place and in that place known by at least one givenname, handed down from one generation to the next.

Often memory has been lost, but this does not mean that these ancient crops no longer exist: «In Sicily there are 170 polled varieties of pears. At the market there are maybe 2 or 3. But in the Hyblean area, once very popular with traders with their carts, along the ancient passageways there are still wild pear trees, whose name has not been handed down: travelers sowed their seeds to always have fruit available during their journey».

Gian Luca Pannocchietti, who has been working for years to recover about 700 local varieties that he cultivates in association on four hectares of land in Rosolini, also founded Radice Sicula to remedy this loss of memory. About thirty varieties are sold

in boxes or supplied to the most attentive restaurants.

«When I began my research for horticultural varieties typical of the Valle d'Aosta Alpine territory, it all seemed to have vanished into thin air,» says Federico Chieric, a graduate in Sciences and Cultures of the Alps. A few years ago he founded the Paysage a Manger farm, in the Lys valley, in Gressoney Saint Jean with business partner Federico Rial. Soon the business focused on the production of "ancient" mountain potatoes, 60 - of which about forty marketed, including the local potato of Verrayes and a dozen linked to the Walser community, which is accompanied by work on forgotten vegetables, equally found on site - selected with the help of the Swiss ProSpecieRara foundation and patient research on the territory: «It's difficult to reconnect with what has lost memory. In the 1930s, agricultural policy in the Western Alps pushed dairy farming, effectively disintegrating polyculture. Yet

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Our land, Our roots.

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undiscovered peasant culture has preserved its seeds: once upon a time women included seeds as part of their dowry, along with the trousseau. Among the elderly who still keep them today there is a kind of jealousy. Seeds are the memory of the family, kept in intimacy. The problem is that together with the memory of the seeds, the empirical ability to reproduce them has also been lost. We have drawn on a treatise on the cultivation of potatoes from the late 19th century, and on the fine work done by the Consorzio della Patata Quarantina, in Liguria, in recent years: we are lucky enough to grow at high altitude, where dorifora (Colorado potato beetle) potato parasite does not stick. But the issue concerns us all: talking about the protection of agricultural biodiversity means returning it to farmers, starting with the free reproduction of seeds. And, above all, it means going back to eating it, not just putting it into a museum inside germplasm banks.

Aware of the fact that local varieties can also prove to be a great economic resource for 

THE ORTO DI CLAPI VEGETABLE GARDEN: SPONTANEOUS PLANTS ARE THE TRUE TASTE OF TERRITORY The soul of L'Orto di Clapi is Lorenzo Maggi: he has been cultivating a hectare of land for 4 years near the Lake Martignano (near Rome), with a little madness and a lot of study in and outside of the field, in regenerative agriculture. The objective of his micro-farm, designed in permaculture, is regenerating the landscape and restoring "healthy" fertility to the soil, working on the territory with a positive impact. Obtaining products that are sustainable, but above all good. Working on horticultural crops intensively, even a small plot allows him to experiment with the most diverse varieties, combining them with baby leaves, exotic leaves, fruit trees. But what does he think of blind faith in local varieties? «If we talk about typical products or those anchored to local tradition, I think it's a form of conservatism that needs to be overcome: the red tomato, to cite a famous example, is an Italian source of pride, but it actually comes from Mexico». This does not mean ignoring the “taste” of the territory: «We are deepening the work on spontaneous plants, because they are the ones that really tell you about the landscape and the taste of a place. And it's a flavour that we are losing, even if it comes from the past and can represent the future. I am thinking of carrot flowers, bramble asparagus, wild mixed salads… They have stellar flavours, and constitute the real bond we have with our territory. We have to work to recover them, broaden our knowledge, find gastronomic techniques to enhance them».

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PRIM’ORTO. THE MORCIANO TOMATO BY SOLAIKA MARROCCO There are also people who choose to follow the entire supply chain, from the field to the table of their restaurant.

The chef's vegetable garden is now so widespread that it is branded as a trend, which is not always beneficial for the economy of the small businesses that work in the area. PrimOrto, however, on its side boasts the commitment of a very young chef, Solaika Marrocco, who enhances local varieties, and the agricultural biodiversity of Puglia.

All to the advantage of an idea of cooking that has always focused on the relationship with the land, «starting with tomatoes, for which I have an immoderate passion. Our welcome, at Primo Restaurant, in Lecce, is a reminder of the frisella we would eat as farmers on our return from the fields, translated into a tomato jelly with caramelized capers, wild celery and extra virgin olive oil». Thus was born, a couple of years ago (but it materialized in times of Covid, to give a further sign of resistance), the idea of taking over a couple of already productive plots, to rethink production according to the needs of the restaurant. Starting with tomatoes: «Today we grow four varieties, including the Morciano tomato, which was in danger of disappearing because the seeds are only handed down from one generation to another, as long as someone is interested in doing so. The fruit has a thick skin, and therefore lasts longer in the field. We also use it in winter, after hanging it.» But in the land of Prim'Orto, one 200 meters from the sea, the other in the middle of the Salento plateau, wild celery, caper plants, two varieties of aubergines, onions, pumpkin and aromatic herbs, as well as carosello cucumbers and almond trees and other fruit trees are also grown: «I like the idea of making dishes come from the earth, even before cooking. And with the vegetable garden, we can even plan months in advance what will end up on the plate in subsequent seasons, with the new menus».

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THE IMPORTANCE OF SEED EXCHANGE Considering that the protection of biodiversity passes through the circulation of seeds and that the variety of crops has ended up succumbing to the interests of industrial agriculture and the monopoly of large seed companies, there are still people concerned about protecting and sharing the issue with professionals and amateurs, through meetings and events that promote the free exchange of seeds (which, we remind you, in the absence of a license or registration in the variety registers cannot be traded, but only exchanged). In Italy, the Rete Semi Rurali association is very active, founded in 2007 on the initiative of several realities gathered to enhance biodiversity and promoting it. Among the activities of the network is seed exchange promotion: seeds must be the result of selection and peasant production, and exchanged in small quantities. Furthermore, farmers are invited to share their knowledge and there can be no type of intellectual property. While the Seed Vicious association, born in 2014 from an idea of Tommaso Turchi, a Tuscan gardener specialized in hanging crops, is aimed primarily at amateurs and all those who want to try their hand at self-production; the network, puts seeds at the centre, makes a large number of varieties available to members for free trade, with the idea of involving a wide audience and young people who want to approach the topic, also through the use of social media. On the subject of seed exchange, however, one of the best known realities in Italy is Mandillo dei semi, “free exchange festival for self-produced seeds and home yeasts” organized by Consorzio della Quarantina. For twenty years (except for the 2020 edition, canceled due to the health emergency), the meeting takes place annually at the cloister of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Montebruno, in the province of Genoa. The Mandillo is a peasant and popular space, and attracts farmers from all over the country: the 400 varieties of historic potatoes maintained by the Consorzio della Quarantina do the honours, but the number of shared seeds is almost boundless. This year the interest in the world of seeds also enters Universities, with the first degree course in Italy dedicated to the production of seeds and plants, activated for the academic year 2020/21 by the University of Tuscia in Viterbo.

«The varietal heritage is not preserved if the rural fabric that generated, preserved and made it evolve is dissolved: it makes no sense to recover the seeds if the farmers are uprooted» And it's not true that the ancient seeds are not grown because they are less profitable.

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marginal territories, since they represent the specificity of a place, the identity of a community and a business opportunity for small companies to oversee sectors not normally covered by industrialised agriculture».

BIODIVERSITY IS THE WEALTH OF FARMERS. AND IT'S GOOD FOR THE TERRITORY. «The varietal heritage can't be preserved if the rural fabric that generated it, preserved and made it evolve dissolves: it makes no sense to recover the seeds if the farmers are uprooted», Massimo Angelini would say (and says). This is also the opinion of Angelo Giordano and Ellis Vighi who together, in Ceglie Messapica, have recently established the R-Etika circuit by bringing together various agricultural realities of Salento, with the aim of promoting Apulian agricultural biodiversity. The former, an agronomist who escaped from the academic world in which he no longer recognized himself, began work eight years ago with Valerio Tanzarella on the replication of vegetable seeds cut out of conventional agriculture: «We started from a simple question: why doesn't the market offer dozens of vegetal varieties of vegetables that can be found on our territories? The false answer is that they are no longer productive or profitable. We've become accustomed to the distortion induced by the commercial hybrid system: large seed companies sell you the seed and the chemistry you need to see results in the field. While a local variety will be able to adapt more easily to the territory. We spend nothing on chemicals also reducing pollution and water exploitation: hybrids work with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, therefore salt; for this they need more water, between 150 and 250 times more than a local variety. And they are more likely to get sick. This means that recovering local ecotypes is more convenient for those who produce and those who consume».

Thanks to the network, the cultivars sown and selected in an experiment by Angelo are distributed to the associated farmers who will produce them without the use 

BIODIVERSITY

of chemicals, and sustainably, and then offer them on the market at a minimum (fair) price guaranteed by the association. The selection work in the field continued for over a year, after a start that required three to obtain sufficient seeds: «We have recovered 1,500 varieties of tomatoes, currently we have over 200 on trial, we distribute about 20; then we have 10 varieties of aubergines, 9 courgettes, about 15 peppers, about 20 cicerchie and about 40 types of beans. Some are non-native varieties, because we believe that diversity is always a resource and hybridization has always existed in nature. If they adapt well to our territory, with a minimum exploitation of resources in a few decades they will become themselves traditional».

THE MARKET OF LOCAL VARIETIES. RESTAURANTS AND OPPORTUNITIES ABROAD R-Etika aims to connect this ethical production world with those who can support

it economically, for example the dining sector. And Ellis, who is a chef with his feet firmly planted in the soil, is the link between the peasant world and potential buyers: «Often sector professionals ignore the existence of these resources. They think they have a choice, but they don't. And we must make them understand that growing food is a matter of waiting». Stefano Scavino has also encountered some difficulties in dialogue with the experts in recent years: «I started immediately with the idea of recovering almost extinct ecotypes, for cultural, environmental and commercial reasons: hybrid varieties are 'built' to be good everywhere, but then they are not suitable to resist without fertilizers and pesticides; and there is also a discussion of roots in the history of local gastronomy, products such as the 'cardo gobbo' thistle, the Asti square pepper, the Tumaticot or the Sorì artichoke have a history and organoleptic characteristics that allowed me to be consistent with my ideas». The path to recovery of seeds, 

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«Produce is a mistreated sector, but a particular product can snatch a better price or conquer a specific market. And this works better abroad, and in fact local varieties can be a great resource for Made in Italy, as long as they guarantee a stable production capacity»

where the thread has broken, is not simple: «You need to know how to make mistakes.

I had the support of the University of Turin, the CNR and the private research body Agrion, with which we have prepared an experimental field for genetic improvement; but the variables in the field are many, starting with the difficulty of ensuring the health of the seeds and the phytosanitary state of the plant, which always reproduces in a different way in the vegetable garden». For the Asti square pepper, for example, Stefano started with seeds supplied by the germplasm bank in Grugliasco, «These are practically fossils from 1981! The first two years were tragic, the genetics were calibrated to the conditions of forty years earlier. But patience paid off, and now I'm trying to involve other local producers to restart production and position us better on the market. Networking locally is the only way to exploit the economic potential of these varieties». Because there is a market 

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ESSENTIAL BIBLIOGRAPHY (BOOKS AND WEBSITESI) Seminare il futuro, Salvatore Ceccarelli e Stefania Grando (Giunti, 2019) Mescolate contadini, mescolate, Salvatore Ceccarelli (Pentagora, 2016) Minima Ruralia, Massimo Angelini (Pentagora, 2013) L’origine delle piante coltivate, Nikolaj Vavilov (1926, revisione a cura di Pentagora 2015) www.biodiversitapuglia.it www.semirurali.net www.quarantina.it www.archeologiaarborea.org

for local varieties: «Some of these operations are done to have a higher final product. Fruit and vegetables are rather abused, a particular product can snatch a better price or conquer a specific market. But the situation works better abroad, and in fact local varieties can be a great resource for Made in Italy, as long as they guarantee a stable production capacity: I have recovered the Cerrato d'Asti tomato from a local farmer, for two years. I sell it all to a foreign buyer, attracted by its uniqueness.

In Italy, on the other hand, in the absence of a label, it's always difficult to obtain trust and credit, even with restaurateurs. In fact, I am satisfied with the last milestone I just reached: after recovering it, the late harvest Valtiglione artichoke (also called "del Sorì," from the Piedmontese term that indicates the hilly slopes exposed to the sun, Ed.) was recognized as a Slow Food Presidium. And requests for it immediately increased».

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A SCHOOL CASE STUDY. THE BIODIVERSO PROJECT Strongly believing in the commercial value of agricultural biodiversity - and indeed argue that it's essential for an economic feedback so that the work can truly be a reason for social and occupational, cultural and environmental regeneration - is Professor Pietro Santamaria, docent at the University of Bari at the Department of Agro-Environmental and Territorial Sciences. From 2013 to 2018, the Professor led the BioDiverso project, financed through the funds for agrobiodiversity allocated by the Puglia region through the Rural Development Plan: «Puglia is very suited to primary production, with the project we have intercepted and supported a vast network of subjects who maintain traditional crops. Some of them have now developed interesting markets, not only in niche environments, but also in Europe. I

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am thinking of the barattiere melon, which is actually an unripe melon, similar to cucumber, but better digestible, and sweeter: it is now in great demand in Holland, where it entered the market under the name of Cumelo. Or the work done on the Polignano carrot, which up to ten years ago was at risk of extinction, now cultivated in tens of hectares and improved in the cultivation technique. Remembering that the local varieties are more suitable for organic regimes and are often characterised by higher nutrient density, therefore they are also healthier». With the BioDiverso project, the Professor and his team worked in the academic field, while establishing close connections with the realities of the territory: «We started with documentary research and interviews, recovery of genetic resources and ex situ conservation, with catalogue fields and two seed banks, as well as the slow growing conservation activity of some genotypes. 

STORIES

DISPELLING 5 CLICHÉS

1 Ancient varieties and millenary seeds: We are accustomed to seeing biodiversity as an epic poem floating between reality and legend. Biodiversity, on the other hand, is past, present and future. And it is the work of man that preserves it: it makes no sense to recover the seeds, if the farmers are uprooted

2 Poor productivity: Have many local varieties actually been abandoned because it's inconvenient to produce them? False. They "recognize" the territory and adapt better to the climatic and soil conditions, without the need for chemical intervention, unlike commercial hybrids.

3

There is no market: By working well in the field and promoting the product, varieties excluded from the large-scale distribution circuit can be very attractive to the most discerning consumers. And they are also popular abroad

4 The myth of typicality: Typicality does not necessarily mean quality. And above all it doesn't represent the concept of biodiversity, which makes particularity its distinctive element (typical, on the contrary, refers to a precise model, with constant and uniform qualities)

5 The biodiversity competition: Is Italy – rich in endemic plant and animal species – truly the most biodiverse country in the world? Or does Brazil win the challenge? This competition in agriculture doesn't make much sense: the history of plant species is based on migration and travel, like seeds that will always give rise to local mutations guaranteeing the protection of diversity

Then we characterised the products, rehabilitated the material and computerised all of our activities, publishing a lot on a scientific level and registering some varieties in the national variety register, established by law number 194/2015».

REGISTERS, KEEPERS AND SEED BANKS. RESOURCE OR LIMITATION? The notorious national variety register (and even earlier the one drawn up on European level) actually opens up a rather heated debate: «In order to trade its seeds, a variety must be registered, otherwise only free trade is allowed, without purpose for profit. But the register admits only stable, uniform and recognizable varieties; adjectives that do not fit well with the idea behind biodiversity. It's clear that at this point there are economic pressures on the part of seed producers», explains Stefano Scavino.

However, there is an exception for farmers who want to sell their own produced seeds: to include the variety in a register dedicated to conservation, for the protection of endangered species. In this case, however, the 

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STORIES

seeds can only be sold in the area of origin of that specific variety (if they are not commercial species "protected" by copyright). Even more direct is Angelo Giordano, who, not surprisingly, speaks of civil disobedience regarding the commitment he has been carrying out for years: «We could not sell many of the varieties we grow and this is a paradox, because we are protecting the genetic code of non-hybrid varieties, which is to say that we are protecting open source computer code. This is the society where everything has a price, and no more value.

I think of the instrument of the farmer guardians, which is as sterile as seed banks: that of the custodians is a beautiful story to sell, but when the farmer guardian dies, what he has kept will also die with him. R-Etika was born precisely for this: if instead of appointing a keeper, I demonstrate that recovering that variety by sharing knowledge online is worthwhile, I will be able to entice the younger generations to undertake this work. The paradigm needs to be changed.

Let's stop being told how to think». 

INTERNATIONAL AND ITALIAN LEGISLATION The Convention on Biological Diversity (Rio de Janeiro, 1992; ratified by law in 1994) is the first global action plan for the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture The FAO Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Agriculture and Food (2001) - is a Multilateral international agreement that aims to guarantee food security through the conservation, exchange and sustainable use of world plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. The result of several years of negotiation, the Treaty was adopted in Rome on November 3, 2001 by the 31st meeting of the FAO Conference.

Law 194/2015 "Provisions for the protection and enhancement of biodiversity of agricultural and food interest" - is a law that incorporates the previous stimuli in the national context, establishing that the protection and enhancement of biodiversity of agricultural and food interest are also pursued through protection of the rural territory. It establishes a national biodiversity registry and the figure of the guardian farmer, who is concerned with conserving genetic resources of local agricultural and food interest in situ. It grants control and management functions to the Regions.

EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 - is an essential part of the New Green Deal, it takes into account a post-Covid scenario and plans actions to be complied with by 2030. Primary objectives: to restore the richness of ecosystems and guarantee food security.

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BIODIVERSITY

MAP OF “BIODIVERSE” REALITIES Barbiano (BZ)

Aspinger Raritaten

Gressoney Saint Jean (AO)

Sulzano (SV)

Walser Garten

Azienda Agricola Iside

Poc ma Bun

Terre Altre

Orticoltura Foradori

Payasage a Manger

Pont-Canavese (TO)

Cavalese (TN)

Mezzolombardo (TN)

Gressoney Saint Jean (AO)

Grumes (TN)

Vigevano (PV)

Maso Zepp

Ort’Antico

Stabie di Lentiai (BL)

Erba (CO)

Terra Viva

La Runa

Udine

L’Orto Felice Pecetto Torinese (TO)

Agricoopecetto

Rivarotta di Teor (UD)

Andrea Pitton

Costigliole d’Asti (AT)

Trieste

Dui Puivrun

Primo Taio Noventa Vicentina (VI)

Figino (AL)

Piccola Terra

Cascina Barban Torriglia (GE)

Faenza (RA)

Consorzio della Quarantina

Aromatoria di Gianluca Randi Stazzema (LU)

Bedonia (PR)

Camporosso (IM)

Eredi Damele Antonio

Scandiano (RE)

Prati al sole

Altra Versilia

Ortigiani

Gaiole in Chianti (SI)

La Scoscesa Lapedona (FM)

Ceriale (SV)

Montano

RasoTerra

Cittaducale (RI)

Tularù

Capanne Prato - Cinquale (MS)

La Raccontadina

Pescara

Orti Geometrici Ceglie Messapica (BR)

Bolsena (VT)

Orto vulcanico La Lupa

R-Etika

Campagnano (RM)

L’Orto di Clapi Zollino (LE)

Castel del Giudice (IS)

Salento Km0

Melise San Martino Valle Caudina (AV)

Villanovaforru (SU)

Masseria della Contessa

Sa Laurera

Quisisana, Castellammare di Stabia (NA)

Dama

Melfi (PZ)

Podere Malvarosa

Sicili (SA)

Terra di Resilienza Castronuovo di Sant’Andrea (PZ)

Arte in Orto Villacidro (SU) Lorica (CS)

Il Paese del vento

Le delizie di Marianna Trapani

91027 Ecosistema APE

Rosolini (SR)

Radice Sicula

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LAMBRUSCO. 6 WINES AND 6 SOULS SUMMONING FANS WORLDWIDE The Via Emilia splits in half the classic area of Lambrusco: a world of vineyards between Lambrusco, between Modena and Reggio Emilia. Vineyards as far as the eye can see and brick houses towering in a landscape scorched by the summer sun, and that's cold and wet in winter.

The soul of Lambrusco is hidden somewhere in the middle, between the fields and the banks of the plains and the hills that rise towards the Apennines on the other side. A journey in six sensational stops

words by Giorgio Melandri images courtesy of Consorzio Tutela del Lambrusco di Modena

STORIES

T

he poetic Lambrusco landscape sometimes hides, but nevertheless lends emotions and suggestions generously in every season, with a clear preference for winter – but in summer it's the landscape that wins the gold – when in grey and cold days the locals kill the pig. It's a ritual, it's a communally shared experience, drinking rivers of Lambrusco. It is a geography of wonders and diversity yet to be told, a great Italian novel, full of respectable people and roads that cross cheese producers, vinegar producers, trattorias, people's homes, bell towers, village bars where old men still play cards.

A JOURNEY IN 6 STOPS You have to grind several kilometers in these provinces before a clear map

of diversity can gradually emerge.

Because Lambrusco is not simply a wine, but a mosaic of identities that speak a common language in saying different things, sometimes even very distant from each other. So here we are on a journey in 6 stops, the essential stations of this geography jealously guarded by the local Emilia citizens, despite the crazy and visionary seasons of the "Lambrusco recipe", an industrial wine that has brought millions and millions of bottles around the world. It seems incredible how peasant culture has survived all this, coming out stronger than before. «Our story must continuously go through the themes of agriculture, soil, respect. In an area where cooperation brings together thousands and thousands of winemakers it should be a must. I see a future made up of Doc

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bottles and wines that are increasingly dry and territorial, standard bearers of those values that Emilia has stubbornly preserved.» These are the words of Carlo Piccinini, Vice President of the Cantina di Carpi e Sorbara and of Consorzio Marchio Storico dei Lambruschi Modenesi, one of the authoritative voices of the new generation of farmers, tied to the land but with a precise idea of the world and the desire to bring Lambrusco successfully to the five continents.

A work that opens up new scenarios and great opportunities to the supply chain. «Lambrusco is a contemporary, popular and versatile wine, traditional, but paradoxically still little known. And the diversity between the various Lambrusco wines can become a chance for a game: sometimes I have people taste Sorbara and I only reveal

LAMBRUSCO

GEOGRAPHY OF A WINE

Lambrusco Salamino di Santa Croce Colli di Scandiano e Canossa Lambrusco Reggiano Lambrusco

Mirandola

Parma

Correggio REGGIO EMILIA

Santa Croce Sorbara

Lambrusco di Modena

MODENA

Scandiano

Lambrusco di Sorbara Castelveltro Bologna

Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelveltro at the end that it's a Lambrusco. Inevitably the amazement and the curiosity to know more are triggered – explains Paolo Trimani, heir to a family that has been selling wine in Rome since 1821 – We must recover the joy of simple and healthy things and for this I see a big future for this wine. A single message to the producers: please bottle increasingly drier wines, they are healthier and better express the values of the territory!».

IDENTITY IN DIVERSITY If diversity, clearly, is a value, we must face the Lambrusco issue fearlessly, but avoiding the trivialization of a story that is too simple and generically flattened on the idea of sparkling reds. In fact, there are dozens of Lambrusco, all children of that domestication of the vine that took place in the still not reclaimed soils

of the Po Valley. It's another value of this family of vines, they were born here, with the people who still raise them and vinify the grapes.

The trees that can be seen in the photographs of the early 20th century are gone, but the always sparkling character that is the hallmark of this wine remains. The grapes, harvested late due to the enormous quantities produced, often at the end of October, fermented with difficulty because of the cold and the fermentation at a certain point almost stopped only to resume with the heat of late spring.

At that point the wines, still sparkling, were still sold during fermentation. Hence the advent of the bottle gave order to an identity that was already rooted and codified. Here is the journey!

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LAMBRUSCO DI SORBARA DOC Sorbara is a Lambrusco that's different from all the others and has a precise identity: it's lighter in colour, with austere aromas reminiscent of violets and roses, it's rich in acidity, and it's elegant in the incredible flavour on the palate. The history of this family of vines is different from all the others and of all the Lambrusco wines, Sorbara is perhaps the closest to the wild vine. Stopping only at exclusively organoleptic deductions, it seems that Sorbara (more acidic and aggressive on the palate, with a less intense red colour, with aromas mainly of violet and rose, with cherry and blueberry) has retained greater characteristics of the original wild vine compared to the other. It's a vigorous variety, with an erect and expanded vegetation, therefore 

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LAMBRUSCO

WE NEED AMBITIOUS BOTTLES, ONLY THAT WAY CAN LAMBRUSCO FINALLY DREAM I often offer Lambrusco to our guests and, surprisingly, it is the foreigners who respond more willingly. San Domenico is an important restaurant and people always have high expectations, even in regards to wine. This is why proposing Lambrusco is always difficult with local customers, easier with those coming from outside and open to a territorial proposal. In recent years the production of the Classic Method from sorbara grapes has helped me a lot, they are wines that can be proposed beyond their belonging to the world of Lambrusco. Then it's up to me to complete the story. And I must say that there's always a happy ending. To the producers I say: be brave, be ambitious, you have history and tradition, don't be victims of a stereotype that wants you to be "poor but beautiful," with Lambrusco we can talk about territory and identity.

I experience it on my skin, especially when we travel for big events outside the region, the feedback is always positive and with this wine we can team up by also employing the extraordinary products of this region. This is why I believe that Emilia-Romagna is underestimated, it is a territory that still has so much to say but is still too shy.

– Francesco Cioria, Sommelier at San Domenico in Imo

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adaptable to traditional expanded training systems, that or espalier and double curtain forms. Fertility issues of the basal buds compromise productivity with short pruning. In purity, wines of less intense colour are obtained, characterised by a modest tannic component, sometimes aggressive, combined with high acidity.

The aroma is characterised by floral notes of rose and violet, accompanied by a fruity component dominated by small fruits (cranberry and mulberry) and cherry. It's particularly suited for the production of sparkling wines with the classic or ancestral method.

To date, 4 certified clones are available. Its aptitude for refermentation in the bottle makes it one of the protagonists of tradition. Sorbara, part of the municipality of Bomporto, is 14 km from Modena and is wedged between the Secchia and Panaro rivers. The soil included in the classical zone is formed by the flooding of the two rivers, especially the former, which is predominantly sandy, permeable, and rich in potash. In clayey soils, this wine takes on a deeper colour that differs from the typical one, also presenting a higher harshness on the palate than usual. It's all terroir, with precision, perhaps for the first time in the world of Italian wine.

LAMBRUSCO GRASPAROSSA DI CASTELVETRO DOC «There have never been vineyards here made all from a single grape variety, let alone from a single clone! This is a madness of our times. I continue along the path I learned from my father and grandfather». It's not easy to forget the words of Vittorio Graziano, spoken years ago one afternoon while walking in his vineyards. In the Emilian hills, the Lambrusco vineyards have always been like this, with 

STORIES

7 DISHES FOR 7 LAMBRUSCO: THE PAIRINGS AT CAFFÈ ARTI E MESTIERI We tried to cross our journey into the world of Lambrusco with a menu designed by one of the most interesting chefs in the region, Gianni D'Amato of Caffè Arti e Mestieri in Reggio Emilia. Tuscan by birth but Emilian by adoption, the chef is already a protagonist at Rigoletto di Reggiolo, until one tragic night in 2012 when the earthquake destroyed everything. He with his wife Fulvia - sommelier - hence moved to the historic centre of Reggio. Fulvia who pairs Gianni's dishes with seven favourite labels.

1 CALAMARI WITH BORETTANA ONIONS Modena Brut Rosé M. Cl. ’16 - Quinto Passo - Soliera (MO) «One of our historic dishes, all sweetness and minerality, with the salty air of the Adriatic blowing in the background. The classic method from sorbara grapes enhances the mineral part of the dish and contrasts the sweetness of the onion».

2 LAMB BRAINS AND SEA URCHIN Colli di Scandiano e Canossa Grasparossa Il Cardinale Pighini ’19 - Cantina di Arceto - Scandiano (RE) «Fusion of sea and land: the result is intended to be unsettling and enjoyable at the same time. The Grasparossa broadens the facets and brings elegance».

3 BOILED MEATS AND MORTADELLA MILLEFEUILLE Colli di Scandiano e Canossa Lambrusco Feudi del Boiardo ’19 - Casali - Pratissolo - Scandiano (RE) «A proposal that explores tradition with new textures and asks the tannins to cleanse the palate and relaunch all the aromatic references of the dish with each bite».

4 RISOTTO SOIL SNAILS AND GARUSOLI SEAFOOD Lambrusco di Sorbara Radice (tappo a corona) ’19 - Paltrinieri - Sorbara (MO) «The very pure soul of Sorbara aims to surprise the mouth with a dish that recalls Gianni's native Lunigiana: a landscape of mountains that plunge into the sea. To link these Mediterranean elements are the very delicate citrus fruits that the refermentation in the bottle brings to the fore».

5 CAPPELLETTI IN BONE BROTH Reggiano Lambrusco Concerto ’19 - Ermete Medici - Reggio Emilia «A great traditional classic paired with another great classic: creamy and full, elegant and refined expression of the Lambrusco salamino».

6

SUCKLING PIG WITH PASSION FRUIT SAUCE AND RASPBERRY-FLAVOURED TROPEA ONIONS Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro Opera Pura ’19 - Opera 02 di Cà Montanari - Castelvetro di Modena (MO) «Gianni's freedom plays (and wins) with the risks of inventions: the energy of this pure Grasparossa adds red fruits and freshness in a wonderful combination».

7 WHITE PEACH AND BASIL SAUCE Lambrusco Salamino di Santacroce Dedicato ad Alfredo Molinari ’19 - Cantina di Carpi e Sorbara - Carpi (MO) The salamino grape, with its deep and dark fruits, finds its balsamic nature in the encounter with basil. What follows is a game of iridescent and never sweet scents. A dry wine ideal for a dessert that plays more with flavours than with sweetness.

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LAMBRUSCO

THE 6 DOC IN NUMBERS

8299 ha 3541

3989

Lambrusco Ancellotta

ď‚„a protagonist, for example grasp-

gi

g Re

768

Other

ilia

m oE

na

M

e od

8321 ha 6297

Lambrusco

453

Ancellotta

1570 Other

BOTTLES (0.75) PRODUCED IN 2019

Lambrusco di Modena DOC

13.459.347

Reggiano DOC

10.017.984

Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro DOC

9.602.631

Lambrusco di Sorbara DOC

4.692.576

Lambrusco Salamino di S. Croce DOC

4.629.052

Colli di Scandiano e di Canossa DOC

1.340.083 TOTALE LAMBRUSCO DOC 42.132.270

LAMBRUSCO DOC MARKET

30% INTERNATIONAL 70% DOMESTIC

arossa, and a variety of other grapes supporting it. There was always Barbera, for example, precious for the acidity that cooled the hottest years, and there was the Ancellotta, a guarantee for colour. A variety that gave the wine complexity and the ability to adapt to the vintage. This peasant wisdom fortunately is still in the cultural heritage of this land. We must mention Vittorio Graziano and his experience, because it was helpful to us, and we need to think about style and identity.

Grasparossa is the Lambrusco of the hills and never, even in historical documents, are there references to its presence in the plains. It is suitable for poor soils and its moderate vigour is well suited to more difficult conditions. It owes its name to the color of the petioles of the leaves and the stalks, although today several clones don't have this red characteristic.

It is a Lambrusco of great character whose forte is the strength of its tannins. The fruit is austere and the most interesting productions today find the courage of small reductions that add complexity to the wine. The challenge of this "hilly" Lambrusco today is to recover the difficult heritage of identity that the 1970s erased with an enological idea that was then considered reassuring. Year after year the productions are regaining character, tannins, austerity and dry mouths.

LAMBRUSCO SALAMINO DI SANTA CROCE DOC Santa Croce di Carpi is a small hamlet on the outskirts of Carpi, a short distance from the Secchia river. We are in the Modenese plain, on the border with the Reggio area, so close here that some parishes of the diocese of Carpi are in the province of Reggio ď‚„

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18 RESTAURANTS CHOSEN

BY GAMBERO ROSSO

STORIES

Modena Osteria Francescana via Stella, 22 - 059223912 - osteriafrancescana.it

Fiume Po

L’Erba del Re via Castel Maraldo, 45 - 059218188 - lerbadelre.it

Antica Corte Pallavicina

Hosteria Giusti vicolo Squallore, 46 - 059222533 - hosteriagiusti.it

R)

Antica Moka via Emilia Est, 1496 - 059284008 - anticamoka.it Il Fantino via Donzi, 7 - 059223646 - trattoriailfantino.it via

LOMBARDIA

llo

(P

Baldini

be

in

es

l Po

i eZ

Trattoria Cognento Trattoria Cacciatori

La Franceschetta 58 Vignolese, 58 - 0593091008 - franceschetta.it

Mirandola

Carpi (MO)

Novellara

Baldini San Martino Scuole - via Livorno, 30 059662691 fraz.

Trattoria Cognento Nazioni Unite, 7a 0598638022 - cognento.it

Cavezzo

Caffè Arti e Mestieri Marta in cucina

via delle

Carpi

A Mangiare

Correggio

Trattoria Cacciatori Griduzza, 1 059650551 - @trattoriacacciatori1972

La Nunziadeina

via

Osteria di Rubbiara

Castelvetro di Modena (MO) Locanda del Feudo via Trasversale, 2 - 059708711 - locandadelfeudo.it

Imola (BO)

Reggio Emilia

La Nunziadeina Vittorio Veneto, 95 059541112 - ristorantelanunziadeina.com

Nonantola

Loc. Bosco

San Domenico via Sacchi, 1 - 054229000 - sandomenico.it

Nonantola (MO)

Campogalliano

Fraz. Rubbianino Modena

Rubiera

Osteria Francescana

Ca’ Matilde

Scandiano

Castelfranco Emilia

L’Erba del Re

via

Bosco

Osteria di Rubbiara loc. Rubbiara - via Risaia, 2 059549019 - acetaiapedroni.it

Hosteria Giusti Antica Moka

Castelvetro di Modena

Il Fantino

Reggio Emilia Caffè Arti e Mestieri Emilia a San Pietro, 16 0522432202 - giannidamato.it

La Franceschetta 58

Vignola

via

Marta in cucina vicolo Folletto, 1c - 0522435755 - martaincucina.it

A Mangiare viale Monte Grappa, 3a 0522433600 - ristoranteamangiare.it

Quattro Castella (RE) Ca’ Matilde fraz. Rubbianino - via della Polita, 14 0522889560 - camatilde.it

Locanda del Feudo

Montefiorino Vignola Pavullo Nel Frignano 5 km

Lama Mocogno

Scandiano (RE) Bosco loc. Bosco, 133 - 0522857242 - ristorantebosco.it

Polesine Zibello (PR) Antica Corte Pallavicina Polesine Parmense strada del Palazzo delle Due Torri, 3 0524936539 - acpallavicina.com fraz.

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Tolè

LAMBRUSCO

1913 was the promoter of the Cantina Sociale Cooperativa di Nonantola, established in Modena on May 18 of the same year. But let's go back to the Salamino. It's the most “educated” of the Lambrusco wines, balanced even in the fatty soils of the plain that moves away from Secchia and Panaro, always persuasive in tannins, elegant and austere in its fruit. It is perhaps less ancestral than other Lambrusco wines, and the overall balance it gives to the wines is the signature of this characteristic. It also adapts to the looser soils of the Sorbara area, where it is planted to act as a pollinator for that wonderful and difficult vine that is the sorbara. Bunches are small and compact and resemble small salamis, a characteristic that gave it this original name.

Emilia. The plain is the kingdom of

salamino, the grape variety that gives the name to the doc. To investigate Salamino di Santa Croce it's necessary to start from here, from its landscape, from a plain marked by embankments and canals, bell towers and large solitary trees. The landscape here has changed a lot, especially with the disappearance of the famous trellises that supported the festoons formed by the vines. Then came the Bellussi, the very widespread spoked system in the Modena area that lets the plant grow freely and still has avid admirers. Finally, and currently, the modern training systems. To understand the history of this territory and the incredible spread of the vine, it's necessary to talk about its cooperative wineries, the first born in Italy. Can-

tina di Carpi, founded in 1903, is the oldest Italian cooperative winery still in business aside from the South Tyrole wineries that were founded when South Tyrol was still Austrian. At the beginning of the 1900s the threat of a wine crisis troubled the soul of all winemakers. In Carpi, Dr. Alfredo Molinari, to cope with all this, proposed the creation of a Civil Society, which together with the Cooperation of some winemakers allowed complete solidarity between the members, unlimited liability in the face of third parties, guarantee of trust.

Thus was born the Social Cellar of Carpi. We are at the dawn of modern agriculture. After the WWI, in 1918, the winery became a cooperative. An important role in those years was played by Gino Friedmann, who in

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REGGIANO DOC LAMBRUSCO The landscapes of the Reggio Emilia plain speak their own language, a melancholy poetry found along roads that all look the same and cross many towns and bridges. Every so often you come across a bicycle that seems to be stationary, but often you travel alone in the dense winter fog, or on the red-hot days of the hottest months, where the only references are the poplars on the river banks and the bell towers. These are lands that conceal, starting with the collective rites of killing the pig or the grape harvest. They hide everything and you imagine the riches hidden everywhere, which can also be found if you look hard enough.

Lambrusco Reggiano is culture and identity, but above all it is the symbol of a community. The main grape of this doc is Lambrusco Salamino, elegant and balanced in its tannins even when compared with the generous productions of the plains. In fact, 

STORIES

FIRST STEP TOWARDS THE HISTORIC UNION OF THE LAMBRUSCO CONSORTIA The Board of Directors of the three Emilian consortia – Consorzio Tutela del Lambrusco di Modena, Consorzio per la Tutela e la Promozione dei Vini Dop Reggiano e Colli di Scandiano e Canossa and Consorzio di Tutela Vini del Reno Doc – unanimously expressed a favourable opinion in regards to the merger by incorporation, starting next year, to create a single large consortium entity: Consorzio Tutela Lambrusco, i.e. the Lambrusco Protection Consortium. In September the plenary assembly of all the members will sanction the definitive incorporation into the only Consortium for the Protection of Lambrusco Doc. «Lambrusco is undoubtedly, in numbers, one of the representative wines of Italy. It's a grand universe represented by different grapes, territories and colours. This diversity, which distinguishes and represents us, must also be transformed into a great wealth for all the producers who contribute to making it alive every day» This is the comment of Giacomo Savorini, director of the consortia that currently protect Lambrusco wine.

«This is not an operation that aims to save costs – underlines Claudio Biondi, President of the Consorzio di Tutela del Lambrusco di Modena – The merger takes place between subjects that for years have shared all the respective services together, sharing them: administrative, technical and managerial. Now it's a question of taking a further step forward, to share other factors, starting with communication strategies and international promotion projects.»

«We want to go beyond the individual territorial parochialisms that have marked the history of the past – adds Davide Frascari, President of the Consortium for the Protection of DOC Reggiano and Colli di Scandiano and Canossa Wines – Now they must be put aside to make room for a union of intentions that will allow all the Lambrusco denominations to benefit greatly.»

The future new Consorzio Tutela Lambrusco will represent approximately 1.3 million quintals of grapes, for the vast majority of Lambrusco. «The many territories of Lambrusco and the various links that make up this articulated supply chain will be able, through this new Consortium, to share many promotional activities that will allow us to enhance our denominations both in Italy and around the world – concludes Ivan Bortot, President of the Consortium for the Protection of Wines of Reno Doc - It's an operation that looks to the future, to when we will all speak the only language of Lambrusco».

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LAMBRUSCO

THE THE MESSAGE OF THE PEASANTS AND THE LAND THAT'S FASCINATING THE WORLD While on the one hand Lambrusco is recovering its peasant and traditional soul, on the other its institutions are working to bring a new and finally territorial message to the world. We asked the Presidents of the two most important consortia – which are taking key steps for the creation of a common structure – what they see in the future and what strategies they are setting up for the next few years. There is a challenge to face and, above all, there is the need to learn to market the products and to welcome in Emilia wine lovers who are starting to arrive from all over the world, attracted by a combination of elements that make this region a food and wine paradise: restaurants such as Massimo Bottura's Osteria Francescana or Massimo Spigaroli's Antica Corte Pallavicina, products such as Parmigiano Reggiano, Traditional Balsamic Vinegar and Parma, and increasingly good wines, with a troop of small producers that is emerging with force. And it is more and more common to meet some American, or some Japanese traveller, grinding kilometers on the dirt roads of these provinces. And it is easy to think that for those who love food and wine, here unique experiences can be had.

«Everyone knows us, but maybe nobody knows us well enough! I see an opportunity, a possible story that also involves non-experts, that brings Lambrusco to the world with the strength of its roots. The Modena docs are turning 50 and I think it's a good opportunity to open up to the world. We are thinking of a great event that will claim an important role in the world of wine for our bottles. And we need to speak to young people. For this reason we have set up a group of young people within the Consortium that can propose ideas and bring new energy, it's a very innovative initiative. Everyone is in it and there is a role to play between adults and children that is virtuous».

– Claudio Biondi, President Consorzio di Modena «We are becoming more and more aware of our potential and we are facing a new possibility, to bring a peasant message of great modernity and strength to the world. We have made peace with our roots and we are aware of the season that has made us known, but which has left behind some strong themes of our identity. This is why we are working on the regulations and for this we must give a clear signal to the outside world: Emilia believes in its future, as never before».

– Davide Frascari, President Consorzio di Reggio Emilia

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many other Lambruscos are admit-

ted in the disciplinary: Marani, Montericco, Maestri, Sorbara, Grasparossa and Viadanese, Oliva and Barghi; but the mainly Salamino wines are always the most convincing.

COLLI DI SCANDIANO E CANOSSA DOC LAMBRUSCO Marking the diversity of the hilly territory, where Lambrusco Grasparossa dominates, from the plain where Salamino expresses a great elegance and excellent fruitiness, there is a little known but important doc. It's called Colli di Scandiano e Canossa and has its strong point in the Grasparossa typology. The hills that rise behind the Via Emilia (in the province of Reggio Emilia) have interesting and varied soils, ranging from the clay of the foreground hills to the poor and looser soils of the higher hills. We are in the heart of the famous Terre Matildiche that Matilde di Canossa defended with a system of castles including Pianello, Rossena, Canossa, Sarzano and Carpineti. There is a version of the doc that involves the use of 100% Grasparossa grapes, but the most typical expressions are those that mix different Lambruscos and traditional grapes such as sgavetta and ancellotta.

MODENA DOC LAMBRUSCO SECCO Modena is the most generic Doc of what is considered the capital of Lambrusco. It is a denomination that allows the blend of different grapes, perhaps more suited for a brand, and therefore of a corporate style, than to one of territory. In this type there are very different wines, sometimes dark and sometimes even rosé. Modena recounts the author as the protagonist and only secondarily the great vocation of the territory. 

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PORTRAIT OF A CHEF IN THREE DISHES - GIUSEPPE IANNOTTI

GIUSEPPE IANNOTTI THE MODERNIST «I was born as a self-taught chef and what has always characterised me is my strong inclination towards scientific, methodical study, in-depth study of gastronomic techniques and the knowledge of raw materials with which I like to experiment." Passion, determination, thirst for knowledge, travels and world cuisines have always been precious masters for Giuseppe Iannotti. "My philosophy is based on the concept of "modernism," or rather on the continuous need to renew ideologies and methods to make them conform to the new needs of the modern world» WHERE KRÈSIOS Telese Terme (BN) via San Giovanni, 59 0824940723 - kresios.com POINTS ON THE 2020 GUIDE Cuisine 44 Cellar 17 Service 27 Total 88 YEAR OF OPENING 2011

by Stefano Polacchi - Portrait by Andrea Di Lorenzo - photos by Marco Varoli

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RECIPES

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LYCHEE AND VIOLET Lychee and violet for me is "the dessert."

I I can't take it off the menu for at least 4 years, and for a question of textures and techniques.

It personally represents a journey from Paris to Madrid: tonic water and violets for Madrid, Champagne and lychees for Paris.

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PORTRAIT OF A CHEF IN THREE DISHES - GIUSEPPE IANNOTTI

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RECIPES

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PORTRAIT OF A CHEF IN THREE DISHES - GIUSEPPE IANNOTTI

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ROAST CHICKEN It's a sensorial memory of going to the rotisserie, when pinching the crisp and steaming skin of the chicken, the scent would flood the car. Today at Krèsios it's a way to break the ice and be playful at the table: in fact it's one of the opening dishes we serve as a snack

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PORTRAIT OF A CHEF IN THREE DISHES - GIUSEPPE IANNOTTI

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SPAGHETTO ALLO SCOGLIO Spaghetti with seafood “allo scoglio” is definitely the dish that best represents me both from a technical and an emotional point of view. The sea literally explodes in your mouth in the heart of the Samnite countryside. I work on the extraction and concentration of fish and crustaceans, to obtain a liquid sauce with a bright red colour, of great flavour, in which to complete the cooking - almost like with risotto - of the spaghetti, which thus acquire its colour, flavour and marine iodine elements.

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GAMBERO ROSSO www.gamberorosso.it SENIOR EDITOR Lorenzo Ruggeri PHOTO EDITOR Rossella Fantina LAYOUT Chiara Buosi, Maria Victoria Santiago CONTRIBUTORS Stefania Annese, Gianluca Atzeni, Livia Montagnoli, Giorgio Melandri, Stefano Polacchi, William Pregentelli, Loredana Sottile PHOTOGRAPHS AND DRAWINGS Gianluca Biscalchin, Andrea Di Lorenzo, Alessandro Naldi, Marco Valori GR USA CORP PUBLISHER & PRESIDENT Paolo Cuccia Advertising Class Pubblicità SpA Milano, Via Marco Burigozzo, 8 - tel. 02 58219522 For commercial enquiries: mprestileo@class.it Advertising director Paola Persi email: ufficio.pubblicita@gamberorosso.it

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September 2020

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