May 22nd at 7:00 pm the seminar “Wines of knowledge” will be held as part of Enoforum, a conference dedicated to the wine sector, hosted for the first time in Verona.

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Enoforum, the largest wine conference in Europe, the first event dedicated to the relationship between scientific research and consumer communication will be held. There is only one good, knowledge, and only one evil, ignorance. (Socrates)

This is the spirit of “The wines of knowledge” , which will be held as part of Enoforum , the international conference dedicated to viticulture which, for the first time, is coming to Verona .

The theme of the meeting is new and challenging. How can the value of science be transmitted and communicated to the final consumer? Behind a wine, in fact, there are experiments, trials, tests, both in the cellar and in the vineyard, which create a virtuous circle to create sustainable, excellent wines obtained from safe and guaranteed procedures. Wines that, through science and study, can be considered excellent from every point of view.

But how can we disseminate all this with appeal to the final consumer market? The hope is that this value will come out of university classrooms and company research and development laboratories to tell, in a simple and direct way to those who then buy and drink wine, that studies and technologies add, not take away from the final product.

In all fields, knowledge is recognized and appreciated: for some arcane reason, in the dissemination of the world of wine it seems the opposite happens and the use of advanced systems and science is often demonized. On the contrary, these studies and technologies often help to make wines healthier, for example through the reduction of the much discussed sulphites with the use of cold technology or other preventive and sustainable practices.

The debate first, and the tasting of wines from virtuous companies then, will have the objective of making all this understood, with important speakers and technicians, who will be able to find the right words, with wines that are very different from each other, but with the same common denominator: knowledge.

Enoforum is the largest European wine congress, aimed at oenologists, agronomists, researchers, technology suppliers, with the aim of presenting the most recent and effective innovations in the wine sector.

Nature gave us the seeds of knowledge, not knowledge itself.

Cantina Saffirio regarding wine tourism proposals to discover and taste in depth Barolo and the Langhe territory.

In Castelletto di Monforte d’Alba, where Barolo is born among ancient hills and deep silence, the Saffirio winery, which is part of Brave Wine, the wine holding company founded by the entrepreneur Renzo Rosso, chooses to transform hospitality into a natural and conscious gesture.

Here, wine tourism is not a trend to follow, but the concrete extension of an idea of wine that focuses on people, the landscape and time: time to listen, to understand, to savor. It is with this spirit that the company has built over the years a hospitality project capable of telling not only about the wines, but also about the philosophy that generated them, through experiences designed to experience the cellar as a place of relationship, discovery and shared memory. A project born from the desire to open up to those seeking authenticity and depth, and to do so with proposals that combine storytelling, tasting and immersion in the territory.

This is where the Gold Wine Experience comes from, the most intense testimony of this approach: not a simple vertical, but a journey through five vintages of Barolo chosen between 1978 and 2020, selected from the company’s historic reserve. A journey that speaks of soil, seasons, evolution, and that returns in every glass the value of time and the coherence of a production vision handed down for over two centuries. Before the tasting, the visit to the vineyards and the cellar allows you to fully understand the silent work that lies behind each vintage: a work that is rooted in respect for nature and is nourished by attention, listening and precision.

With the Barolo Experience , however, the story expands to embrace the entire history of the winery: from the first steps on the hills of Monforte d’Alba of the Saffirio family, to the discovery of the individual vineyards, up to the tasting of the four different interpretations of Barolo produced today through the Cru Castelletto Persiera, Ravera, Perno and Barolo Riserva Millenovecento48 . It is a way to enter the beating heart of the company, touch the living material of wine and understand first-hand what it means, even today, to preserve an iconic denomination with an eye to the future. For those who wish, it is possible to complete the journey with a selection of cured meats and cheeses, to make the experience even tastier.

Finally, from April to October, the Pic Nic nelle Vigne offers a moment of freedom among nature, silence and horizons of beauty: after the guided tour and tasting of four labels, guests receive a lunch box designed for two people, complete with a bottle of Barbera d’Alba Superiore and a Saffirio-branded corkscrew to take with them among the rows for a moment of authentic conviviality, to be experienced independently under the Langhe sky.

A new development created thanks to the investments made by Brave Wine, the company has recently inaugurated a new tasting room with an adjoining kitchen, a modern and functional space designed not only to host classic tastings, but also private or corporate events, thanks to the possibility of collaborating with selected caterers. A refined environment integrated into the context of the estate, where hospitality is warm, discreet and personalized

In a time when the word “experience” risks losing its meaning, Saffirio restores it to its fullest meaning: that of a profound encounter between wine and those who taste it, between the territory and those who pass through it. An invitation to slow down, listen, understand. And to take with you, at the end of the visit, not only a bottle, but the memory of a shared time, of an authentic story, of a land that lets itself be discovered in small sips.

Sandro Bottega (Bottega Spa), ‘Prosecco is an anti-stress “pill”, ideal after a day of voting’.

“During the Conclave, the ideal wines for the electors to consume are light and savory ones. Therefore, among the structured ones, Chianti and Brunello are the most suitable to drink before the white smoke. Sparkling wines such as Prosecco are instead an excellent option at the end of the daily voting for the election of the new Pope because they act as an anti-stress”, declared Sandro Bottega, wine entrepreneur at the head of the historic company Bottega SpA of Bibano (TV), one of the leaders in Italy for the production of Prosecco . The Conclave that will lead to the election of the successor to Pope Francis will begin today, Wednesday 7 May at 4:30 pm and will last until one of the candidates obtains two thirds of the votes. The cardinal electors, in the meantime, will stay at the Casa Santa Marta where they will consume their meals and every day they will be transferred by bus to the Sistine Chapel for the vote. “For such important days,” explains Sandro Bottega, “we can make some distinctions about the type of wines that could be consumed. Alcohol, obviously, is almost always present in this type of product, but when the wine is of a savory nature it brings wisdom and therefore I recommend a glass of Chianti or Brunello di Montalcino – two red wines – on the occasion of the electors’ meal that will take place on the days of the voting for the new Pope. Sparkling wines like our Prosecco are instead anti-stress because with their bubbles they make the alcohol enter the blood more quickly and bring tranquility. They can therefore be consumed especially at the end of a day of voting on the occasion of the Conclave. Finally, Barolo and Amarone are red wines with a higher alcohol content that combine well with the euphoria for the election of the new Pope and therefore could be consumed after the final white smoke.” The 2013 Conclave for the election of Pope Francis lasted two days, as did the one that led to the pontificate of Benedict XVI in 2005. To find the last Conclave that lasted more than two days, we need to go back to 1978 when the white smoke for Pope John Paul II arrived on the third day. “Regardless of the length of the Conclave, in general we at Bottega Spa advise voters to drink water for breakfast, for lunch, if possible, a glass of non-alcoholic or low-alcohol wine (even better if rosé) if it is an ‘important’ meal; a glass of white wine, even a structured one, if it is a light dish such as a plate of pasta. For dinner we always suggest a savoury red wine such as Chianti and Brunello which gives wisdom in view of the votes or a glass of sparkling wine, from the classic method to prosecco, to be paired according to the foods which is an anti-stress ‘pill’. Finally, for the key day, when the white smoke is near, we recommend drinking a glass of Valdobbiadene Superiore di Cartizze, a slightly sweet Italian sparkling wine and then toasting the end of the Conclave with a glass of Amarone or Barolo, wines with a high alcohol content”, concluded Sandro Bottega, wine entrepreneur and leader of Bottega Spa, among the leaders in Italy for the production of Prosecco.

Villa Navagero Erizzo Rovarè of San Biagio (TV) – 23/25 May 2025.

For its sixth edition, the traveling exhibition Biennale Ville Venete will host a MasterClass dedicated to heroic wines, with particular reference to sparkling wines, in the splendid setting of Villa Navagero Erizzo: “The courage to be unique: the bubbles of extreme lands”. The MasterClass, which will be held on May 25 at 4:00 pm in the historic cellar of the Villa, will present a selection, with tasting, of ten labels of sparkling wines (Charmat method, Classic and Rifermentati) from ten different heroic areas, starting from Veneto, arriving in Sicily and ending with Brazil, with wine aged at sea. The tasting will be led by Alessandra Dinato , creator of the L’Assaggiastorie project (sommelier with a diploma from the London Wine and Spirit Education Trust – WSE), supported by Alvaro De Anna , founder of Vini da Terre Estreme. The wines offered: Toghe Rosse Rosé – 2018 – La Staffa del Quinta (Valpolicella Alta, Veneto) ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————– Radiosa Aurora – 2020 – Claudio Polesana (Wines of the Dolomites, Veneto) ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————– His Highness 650 – 2024 – Tenuta Lombardo (Sicily) ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————– Lumassina di Bosco 2020 – Terrazze Singhie (Western Liguria) ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— DueZeroSette Metodo Classico Pigato – 2016 – Tenuta Maffone (Western Liguria) ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— Centosanti Metodo Classico Brut – 2018 – Dragone (Basilicata) ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— Martina Biagi Metodo Classico 2022 – Biagi (Gran Sasso vineyards, Abruzzo) ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————– Armuar Metodo Classico 2019 – La Sbercia – (Oltre Pò Pavese, Lombardy) ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————– Metodo Classico Miolo 2020 aged at sea – Miolo (Brazil) ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————– Apum Rosato 2021 – Cantine di Nessuno (Etna – Sicily) Places are limited, reservations are required.