On October 20th and 21st Modena becomes the Italian capital of champagne.

More than 900 champagnes representing 167 companies. Everything is ready again this year in Modena for the most important event in Italy dedicated to the world of champagne. Two days of tastings and master classes of the highest level.

There are now just a few days left until the opening of the 7th edition of Champagne Experience , a reference event in Italy dedicated to champagne that will take place in the spaces of ModenaFiere on Sunday 20 and Monday 21 October 2024. The event is organized by Excellence – Società Italiana Distributori e Importatori Srl, a company that brings together twenty-one of the largest Italian importers and distributors of excellent wines and spirits.

This edition will also offer professionals and enthusiasts a unique opportunity to deepen their knowledge of the world of champagne thanks to the presence of more than 900 labels for tasting representing 167 entities divided between historic Maisons and small vignerons .

The exhibition subdivision of the wines, based on their geographical origin, corresponding to the different production areas of Champagne – Montagne de Reims, Vallée de la Marne, Côte des Blancs, Côte des Bar – in addition to the “classic maisons” gathered in a specific area, is confirmed again this year within the five thousand square meters of the ModenaFiere Pavilions.

“ The Champagne Experience organizational machine is ready to welcome all the professionals, operators and champagne lovers who have already registered,” says Luca Cuzziol , president of the Italian Distributors and Importers Society. “The places available for the master classes are almost sold out, which, like every year, represent a highlight of the event and allow for in-depth study of specific topics thanks to the presence of exclusive guests and highly professional speakers.”

There will be 6 master classes, divided into two days of the event. It starts on Sunday 20 October , at 12.30 with the master class entitled “ FROM CHOUILLY TO MESNIL-SUR-OGER ”, led by one of the most expert journalists and champagne promoters in Italy, Alberto Lupetti : it will not be a generic comparison of Blanc de Blancs, but a real sensory journey that will allow participants to understand the small, but decisive, differences of two terroirs that are very close to each other.

At the same time, sommelier Luca Boccoli will lead the engaging meeting “ THE DARKNESS BEYOND THE PERLAGE ”, a master class where participants will taste 6 cuvées blindfolded, guided by a great blind taster.

Champagne Experience cannot fail to have a speaker from beyond the Alps and this year Geoffrey Orban will be present, director of Educavin, consultant and trainer who for over 20 years has been committed and working for the dissemination and knowledge of Champagne: he combines parcel studies with geo-sensorial tastings of the land, to understand the interactions between soil, vine and fruit. There will be two meetings that will see him as protagonist and presenter, always on Sunday 20 October: the first, entitled: “ AUBE, RICEYS AND MONTGUEUX ” at 2.00 pm, the second, “ QUALITY BETWEEN SMALL AND LARGE MAISON ” at 3.30 pm.

On Monday 21 October, two more master classes will see Alberto Lupetti as speaker: starting at 12.30 with “ DA BOUZY AD AY ” and ending at 15.30 with “ COTEAUX CHAMPENOIS ”.

This year, the collaboration between Modena Champagne Experience and Champagne de Vignerons is renewed, an association created in 2001 by the Syndicat Général des Vignerons de la Champagne with the aim of spreading the work carried out by small vignerons.

Finally, the calendar of events includes a series of Sponsor Classes, organized by the partners of Champagne Experience, dedicated not only to champagne, but also to excellent products from the Emilia region. In this regard, this year too, the Consorzio del Formaggio Parmigiano Reggiano and the Consorzio Tutela Lambrusco will be present as partners of the event.

All catering services during the event will be provided by the Modena a Tavola Consortium, while the wine services will be provided by ONAV (National Organization of Wine Tasters), a historic partner of Champagne Experience.

Champagne Experience takes place under the patronage of the Municipality of Modena and with the support of the Modena Chamber of Commerce : their contribution and presence alongside the event are essential for the organization of this important event.

over twenty of the best wineries in Trentino-Alto Adige producing wine together, at almost three thousand metres above sea level, for a unique tasting: the Top Wine 2950 Symposium returns on 18 and 19 October for its twenty-fourth edition.

Christian Rabensteiner of Società Incremento Turistico Canazei: «An opportunity to promote the beauty and excellence of our territory». Roberto Anesi, sommelier: «Tasting at high altitude is a unique experience for the sense of smell and taste which, after an initial moment in which they need to adapt, will allow us to appreciate the most refined part of the wine!».

Over twenty of the best wineries in Trentino-Alto Adige that produce wine together, at almost three thousand meters above sea level, for a unique tasting: the Top Wine 2950 Symposium returns on October 18 and 19 for its twenty-fourth edition. If, as one of the greatest Italian food and wine experts, Luigi Veronelli, said, “wine is the song of the earth towards the sky”, one can easily understand the peculiarity of the highest food and wine tasting in the world, which is held on the panoramic terrace of the Val di Fassa inside the Rifugio Maria , on the summit of Sass Pordoi , at an altitude of 2950 meters.

An increasingly popular event. This edition opens on October 18 with the masterclass featuring the excellences of Tuscany with Lupicaia and Trentino with San Leonardo.

All in a breathtaking natural setting, Sass Pordoi, which offers a novelty, inaugurated in 2024: the new «Lunar Tour» trail, a route through the suggestive landscape of the peak that recalls the characteristics of the lunar environment.

Top Wine Symposium 2950 is organized by the Canazei Tourist Enhancement Company , in collaboration with the Fassa and Fiemme Sommelier Association and Cedea Mineral Water.

“Top Wine is not just a food and wine event, but an opportunity to promote the beauty and excellence of our territory, in the perfect combination of landscape and taste – explains Christian Rabensteiner of Società Incremento Turistico Canazei -. Starting from a simple idea, we were able to create an event that for more than twenty years has attracted more and more wine lovers and not only to our beautiful Dolomites”.

“Tasting at 3000 meters above sea level is an uncommon experience for our senses. Due to the lower pressure and the reduction of oxygen – says Roberto Anesi , sommelier – the aromatic profile of the wine that initially appears a little restrained, after an initial moment of adaptation, returns soft and elegant aromas”.

The link between wine and mountains

With its ability to link the passion for wine to that for the mountains, Top Wine is the most significant autumn event for Sass Pordoi, between the summer and winter seasons. For the first day of the Symposium, Friday 18 October, the meeting between Trentino and Tuscany takes place: in the masterclass of the expert sommelier Roberto Anesi , guests will be accompanied in the tasting of wines, deepening the characteristics of the territories of origin, through flavours, nuances and history.

The second day, Saturday 19 October, will be the beating heart of the Symposium, with a rich and varied wine offering: twenty local wineries will be the protagonists, with Tuscany as the guest of honour. In addition to a selection of whites, reds and sparkling wines, the event will offer an exceptional gastronomic experience with the “Top Wine Plate”, created by chef Giovanni Gabrielli. To accompany the wines, a refined selection of finger food, the result of the event’s precious collaborations. The welcome will be taken care of by Gaetano Bonanno, Matthias Trottner and Stefano Ghetta, to guarantee an unforgettable experience.

The beauties of the territory and the Lunar Tour

The Terrazza delle Dolomiti, the heart of the event, is part of the complex which also includes the funicular system built in 1963 by Maria Piaz, also known as “Mare del Pordoi”, together with her son Francesco. From the terrace, guests will have the opportunity to admire the iconic peaks of the Dolomite chain, from the Catinaccio Group, Sassolungo, Sella to the historic Marmolada. To enhance these environments even more is the new Lunar Tour route, inaugurated for the 2024 summer season: 1300 meters of path through a “lunar” landscape, precisely because of the absence of vegetation typical of high-altitude environments. The route, reachable via cable car, is also suitable for inexperienced walkers and people with reduced mobility.

Sass Pordoi is a mountain that can be enjoyed in all seasons: from the winter snow to the awakening of nature in spring, from summer sunsets to the colors of autumn. And it is a mountain visited every year by tens of thousands of people, coming from all over the world.

A RAIN OF AWARDS IN ITALY AND ABROAD.

Cocchi, a historic Piedmontese house founded in Asti in 1891 and always committed to the forefront of the affirmation of the Piedmontese classic method, confirms itself at the top of the wine scene with a series of awards and scores of great importance obtained by its Alta Langa wines.

The Tre Bicchieri awarded to the Alta Langa Extra Brut Millesimato 2019 by the Gambero Rosso Vini d’Italia 2025 guide stand out: a highly prestigious achievement that adds to the numerous other awards that Cocchi has collected in the last year.

Cocchi’s list of winners continues to grow: the newborn Espressione Bianc Alta Langa DOCG 2018 , a new and refined 100% Chardonnay cuvée without any dosage, was recently selected as a Top Wine by the Slow Wine 2025 guide.

The Pas Dosé Alta Langa DOCG 2018 obtained the Gold Medal at the Wow Competition of Civiltà del Bere , the Gold Seal at The Wine Hunter Award and 94 points in Luca Teboni ‘s tastings (in the 2017 vintage).

The Totocorde Alta Langa DOCG Brut 2018 won the Vinibuoni d’Italia 2025 Crown and 90 points at the latest edition of the Decanter competition; in the 2017 vintage it had been rated with 92 points by Wine Enthusiast.

Now, with the Alta Langa Extra Brut 2019 from organic grapes awarded the Tre Bicchieri, Cocchi consolidates its leading role in the panorama of Piedmontese High Bubbles.

Alta Langa Cocchi Extra Brut Millesimato 2019: a very young label that boasts a pioneering legacy

The first vintage of Alta Langa DOCG Extra Brut by Cocchi was previewed in Verona at the last Vinitaly. In just a few months, this wine has achieved great prominence.

Since its first steps in the world of Alta Langa, at the beginning of the experimental project that led to the creation of the denomination in the 1990s, Cocchi has made innovation and quality its flagship. The winery was among the first to believe in the potential of this appellation, with a visionary approach. Today, the result of these investments translates into cuvées that best express the unique characteristics of the territory of the high lands of Langa and that continue to obtain recognition worldwide.

“The Alta Langa DOCG Extra Brut Biologico 2019 was a new bet on a denomination in which we have believed and invested since the beginning, and which we have supported with energy – comments Giulio Bava , owner of Giulio Cocchi with his family -. The long history of Cocchi is studded with important records within the appellation: Cocchi was among the first producers to believe in the Alte Bollicine Piemontesi, so much so that today, in our cellars, two entire decades are preserved in magnums to be tasted, from when “Alta Langa” was little more than a dream, a project and a brand, not yet a denomination” .

Cocchi and Alta Langa DOCG: a story of commitment and records

Cocchi stands out not only for the quality of its wines, but also for its constant striving for excellence. The recent success of the Alta Langa Extra Brut 2019 is just the latest confirmation of a path made of pioneering and passion. Each new cuvée represents a further step forward in the close relationship between Cocchi and the Alta Langa denomination: Cocchi was the first winery ever to offer an Alta Langa wine made from only Chardonnay grapes ( Bianc ‘d Bianc ), first vintage 2000, and in the same year the first to offer a rosé wine ( Rösa ); in 2019, even the first to launch a Grappa di Alta Langa .

“ Even today, Cocchi is still a point of pride for its complete loyalty to the denomination, its perfect compliance with a particularly rigorous specification, which allows it to produce only vintage wines, that is, the expression of a single harvest that is reported on the label; a specification that requires no less than 30 months of refinement for this classic method, and Cocchi does more, coming out on the market with cuvées that have rested on the lees for an extra year, beyond the 30 months required, as happens today with this organic cuvée, 46 months on the lees ”.

CASEUS 2024 5–6 October 2024 Villa Contarini Piazzola sul Brenta (PD).

The promotional events continue with the LoST EU project which, after having touched Piedmont and Lombardy with the events in September, will be among the protagonists in Veneto , guest of the Caseus Italy event, on 5 and 6 October, in Piazzola sul Brenta .

In a unique location like Villa Contarini , one of the most beautiful baroque villas in Italy, LoST will organize a very special weekend of taste , including promotional stands and tastings.

An institutional LoST stand will be set up in the Villa spaces to promote the project, tell the many spectators who will be present about it and distribute promotional material.

Meanwhile, in a dedicated room, eight tasting sessions will be organised between Saturday and Sunday, upon reservation, where the public will be able to taste the eight LoST DOPs: Murazzano , Roccaverano , Ossolano from Piedmont, Puzzone di Moena from Trentino, Strachitunt from Lombardy, Vastedda from the Belice Valley, Pecorino Siciliano from Sicily, and Provolone del Monaco from Campania.

It will be a great showcase for the LoST project which is coming to Veneto for the first time , in a historic event which focuses on the promotion of high quality Italian dairy products, and which every year attracts a large influx of visitors, with over 60 thousand attendees in the latest edition.

A great opportunity, therefore, to continue the promotional activities of the project and above all to spread the philosophy behind the LoST project, that is, the recovery of ancient lost values through excellent products, which are an example of sustainability and respect for the environment and nature .

LOST EU IS A PROJECT OF

ALTE TERRE DOP ASSOCIATION

In collaboration with

Consortium for the Protection of Murazzano DOP

Consortium for the Protection of Roccaverano DOP

Consortium for the Protection of Ossolano DOP

Consortium for the Protection of Puzzone di Moena DOP

Consortium for the Protection of Strachitunt DOP

Consortium for the Protection of Vastedda of the Belice Valley DOP

Consortium for the Protection of Pecorino Siciliano DOP

Consortium for the Protection of Provolone del Monaco DOP