From 5 to 7 October 2024, at Palazzo Crova in Nizza Monferrato, the fifth edition of the event will kick off, celebrating the excellence of Nizza DOCG in a unique encounter between terroir, culture and authentic flavours.

Also this year, the beating heart of Nizza Monferrato is preparing to host the fifth edition of ” Il Nizza È “, an unmissable event that celebrates the art of wine and the gastronomic excellence of the area. From 5 to 7 October 2024, Palazzo Crova, with its timeless elegance, will be the stage for a unique sensory experience, capable of transporting visitors on a journey through the nuances of Nizza DOCG and the food and wine treasures that Piedmont and beyond have to offer. The event will open on Saturday 5 October at 10:00 , in the suggestive Gardens of Palazzo Crova, with the awarding of the “Tullio Mussa 2024” Prize, to a Healthy Carrier of the Tullio Pensiero . The most deserving candidate will be selected for the protection of the territory, biodiversity and the promotion and valorization of local products. The winner, who will be able to best interpret these values, will receive a prize, symbol of a commitment to sustainability and excellence. The new look of the 2025 award will then be presented, which will be awarded through a scholarship, financed by the Association of Producers of Nizza, the Regional Wine Shop of Nizza and Slow Food Alessandria and Colline Nicensi. The scholarship, starting next year, will concern, in alternate years, the Istituto Tecnico statale Pellati of Nizza Monferrato and the University of Gastronomic Sciences of Pollenzo. For three days, from 10:00 to 13:00 and from 14:00 to 20:00, the tasting tables will become the meeting point for the public with 115 labels of Nizza DOCG, coming from more than 70 wineries. Accompanied by the sommeliers of the AIS, visitors will be able to explore the diversity of a territory that tells its story through six tasting stations, each with its own peculiarities, offering a mosaic of aromas and flavors that will fascinate even the most demanding palates. New to this edition will be the meeting between the souls of the terroirs: the Nizza DOCG will embrace the wines of Etna DOC, thanks to the precious collaboration with the Consorzio Tutela Vini Etna DOC , offering visitors a dedicated tasting counter that will compare the volcanic strength of Sicily with the refined elegance of Piedmont. No less important will be the homage to the Roccaverano DOP, proposed in collaboration with the Consorzio dei Produttori del Roccaverano DOP , for a perfect combination of wine and cheese that will tell stories of tradition and artisan mastery. The experience will be completed with the initiative “Nizza È Ristorazione”, where fourteen restaurateurs of the area, in synergy with the Association of Merchants “Nizza col Cuore”, will offer special menus, designed to enhance the pairings with Nizza DOCG wines, thus offering an original gastronomic journey. “Il Nizza È” is the result of the passion and commitment of the Enoteca Regionale di Nizza, the City of Nizza Monferrato and the Association of Nizza Producers, made possible thanks to the contribution of the Piedmont Region and the technical support of the Asti delegation of AIS Piemonte. Numerous prestigious partners, including the Consorzio Tutela Vini Etna DOC, the Consorzio dei Produttori del Roccaverano DOP, Valverde, Mario Fongo and the Associazione Commercianti Nicese, have contributed to the realization of this event, which also enjoys the patronage of important local authorities.

The harvest in Sicily ends with a significant reduction: the island’s production records a 20% drop, which added to last year’s reduction leads to an overall decline of 55%.

An early start due to the high temperatures that accelerated the ripening of the grapes and the usual longevity that distinguishes the longest harvest in Italy.

Despite the quantity of grapes being lower than last year, this harvest promises to be historic in terms of quality, with peaks of excellence for Nero D’Avola: the 2024 Sicilian harvest is affected by the effects of climate change, first and foremost the scarce rainfall in recent months with a significant impact on the vineyards, which nevertheless confirm excellent quality also thanks to the absence of plant diseases – precisely in relation to the dry climate – after last year’s problems related to downy mildew.

In many areas, moreover, the use of water from company lakes and wells as well as agronomic techniques to limit the effects of the climate has proven to be fundamental. “ We have certainly experienced an anomalous year : – comments Filippo Buttafuoco, Doctor Agronomist – in Sicily it usually rains on average 500-600 mm in a year, while from last autumn until today 250 mm of rain has fallen. In 2023 the vineyards were already coming from a period of stress and great heat, unfortunately they have not had the chance to recover even during this year. Therefore, the entire development process of the new fruits has occurred early, starting with budding and flowering which were brought forward by two weeks. The yields since the beginning of the harvest have been very low, with notable losses. On the quality front, however, we have a very high quality, the grapes are healthy, ripe and the wines are expected to be spectacular ”. “This year it was expected that there would not be much grapes – adds Filippo Paladino , vice president of the Consortium for the protection of DOC Sicilia wines – Grillo had a 40% drop compared to the average, the reds were a little better, starting with Nero D’Avola. Good yields for Zibibbo and international vines instead. It will be difficult to sustain the costs”. “Even if it is still early to draw up a definitive balance – concludes Alessio Planeta , member of the Board of Directors of DOC Sicilia – we can already observe some significant trends. In much of Sicily, the conditions of the vineyards before the harvest had already led to the prediction of a drop in grape production: this was due to the little rain and relatively warm winter and a cold and windy spring. The expected rains never arrived: this factor and a long summer made us anticipate the harvest by about 10 days. The harvest results vary greatly from East to West: while in the western part the decline is more marked, in the eastern area and, above all, in the North, the harvest levels are close to those of last year. The reduction in quantity, however, has brought with it a notable increase in quality. This year, we are seeing surprising results, with peaks of excellence, especially for varieties such as Nero d’Avola, Grillo and Frappato. Profoundly Sicilian varieties that have interpreted a southern harvest at their best”.

The new sparkling wine produced with the “sur lie” method is now available on the market in a limited edition.

After the preview at Vinitaly, Canevel Spumanti, a château in Valdobbiadene part of the Masi Group, is launching San Biagio Brut Nature Valdobbiadene DOCG on the market.

San Biagio is obtained from pure Glera grapes from the hillside vineyards of Valdobbiadene and made with the “s ur lie” method, which expresses the essence of the oenological heritage and winemaking tradition of the area: the Prosecco known as “sui lieviti” or “col fondo” is in fact the oldest sparkling wine produced in Valdobbiadene.

Federico Girotto , President and CEO of Canevel Spumanti , stated: “San Biagio, with its ancient and contemporary production method, reaffirms Canevel’s anchoring to the Valdobbiadene area. In recent years, in addition to having codified and enhanced our company sparkling wine production protocol ‘Setàge’, we have undertaken a path of distribution development in Italy and international markets, consolidating the premium positioning of our brand and reaching a presence in 40 countries, with an extremely versatile range of sparkling wines. San Biagio therefore represents a ‘tribute to the origins’, but made by today’s Canevel, fully immersed in contemporaneity and oriented towards the future”.

The connection with the roots is also evident in the name, which recalls the homonymous hill of Valdobbiadene where the winery is located.

The second fermentation in the bottle gives San Biagio, available from after the summer in a limited edition, a unique personality, characterized by a fine and persistent perlage , a soft and complex taste, a long and savoury finish and a visible, savourable and unmistakable presence of non-disgorged yeasts. Characterised by a pale yellow colour with greenish reflections and, on the nose, by delicate aromas of vine flowers, apple, citrus fruits, San Biagio is the ideal aperitif, served fresh with traditional cicchetti. It accompanies tasty salads, vegetarian first courses, fish crudités , cod or sardines in saor .

CANEVEL SPUMANTI: Historic château in the heart of Valdobbiadene, Canevel’s mission is to produce excellent sparkling wines in the historic Prosecco DOCG area, a territory suited to viticulture and sparkling wine production. Since its origins, Canevel has developed an integrated supply chain approach, from the selection and care of the vineyards and raw materials to the vinification and sparkling wine production, to effectively monitor the quality of the products and obtain wines with a strong identity and characterized by a premium market positioning. Canevel wines are characterized by the “Setàge” protocol which consists of obtaining fine and elegant bubbles like silk thanks to a slow, low-temperature sparkling wine production process. Canevel is part of the Masi Agricola Group, a leading producer of Amarone in Valpolicella Classica.

Glass and vitrified steel enter the Oslavia cellar. The first tank is already leased, the others will arrive by early 2025.

An absolute protagonist of Italian wine and its recent history, considered by many to be the father of orange wines, Joško Gravner has always been an indomitable innovator in constant movement, in search of the right container in which to give birth to his wines. Supported by his nephew Gregor Pietro, Gravner has recently explored new frontiers for refinement , deepening the use of glass for its qualities of inertia, resistance and ease of cleaning. There are two companies that have created the new containers destined to accompany the underground amphorae, between the end of 2024 and 2025 , thus integrating the production process of the Oslavia winery: EnoKube and Pfaudler.

The collaboration with EnoKube , an entirely Italian project created, starting from an idea by Joško Gravner, by Enrico Cusinato together with the master glassmaker Vittorio Benvenuto, has seen the creation of an innovative 10 hectolitre glass tank. Introduced in the cellar already last spring, the container has allowed us to test new methods of refining small batches or selections, leaving a lot of room for experimentation . Thanks to the precision and properties of glass, EnoKube has proven to be a precious ally for the qualitative maturation of small quantities of wine.

However, the challenge of managing larger volumes revealed the limits of glass in supporting higher weights. It was then that, at the suggestion of a local engineer, the Gravner family also came into contact with Pfaudler Italia , a company specialized in the construction of vitrified equipment for the chemical and pharmaceutical industry and part of the GMM Pfaudler group. Together they developed the vitrified steel tanks with a maximum capacity of 70 hectolitres, whose design combines the strength of steel and the chemical resistance of glass. After careful initial design and construction, the steel tanks undergo the manual internal vitrification process which involves a first base layer and subsequent covering layers. Each vitrification is followed by a heat treatment of approximately 900 °C in order to permanently join the steel and glass, making it a true composite material. The glass coating guarantees a smooth, pore-free surface that is highly hygienic and does not release unwanted substances, making it ideal for storing and refining wine. In addition to their long service life, glass tanks are fully recyclable, thus reducing environmental impact and improving sustainability.

“The constant search for innovation is never an end in itself, but comes from the desire to improve every aspect of the production process, remaining faithful to our roots,” says Mateja Gravner . “With EnoKube we have found a perfect solution for small, high-quality productions, where every detail makes the difference. Pfaudler, on the other hand, has allowed us to face the challenge of refining normal production volumes without compromising the quality of the wine. Both solutions are essential for us, because they represent two sides of the same coin: the search for perfection in wine, regardless of quantity. Each container has a specific and valuable role in our process, and together they allow us to continue doing what we love.”

“The collaboration between the GMM Pfaudler Group and Gravner represents a significant step for both companies, leaders in their respective sectors. It is a meeting between industrial research and nature that opens up new opportunities, markets and solutions for both brands – underlines Mauro Bona , Regional Sales Manager of Pfaudler Italy srl –. For the Oslavia winery it means integrating cutting-edge technologies into its historic wine production, for GMM Pfaudler it is the opportunity to demonstrate the adaptability of its technologies to a growing sector and to contribute to the evolution of an established leader like Gravner”.