Chiara Meloni wins the competition that unites poetry and viticulture with Ogni futuro primo sorso.

Five prizes were awarded, including the Special Prize of the President of Cantine di Verona and the Special Prize of the Jury.

Chiara Meloni from Perugia won first prize with her composition Ogni futuro primo sorso : a blend of childhood memories and reflections on environmental responsibility, celebrating the fruits of the earth with a magical and evocative language. The winning poem of the National Poetry Award Cantine di Verona , unveiled on Saturday 23 November at the Fucina Culturale Machiavelli theatre, will become the protagonist of the limited edition Idyllium , a wine selected for the occasion by the President of the Scaligero cooperative group Luigi Turco.

The competition was born with the aim of enhancing the link between poetic art and winemaking tradition, while reflecting Cantine di Verona’s commitment to environmental protection and biodiversity. The theme of this edition, In Search of a Sustainable Future: Acting to Preserve the Environment , has inspired emerging and established poets, gathering over 300 entries from all over Italy.

In second place on the podium was Sualen Riccardi from Ponso (PD) with L’uomo che piantò un ricordo , a composition that uses the metaphor of the flower to explore the cycle of life and memory. Raffaello Corti , from Bergamo, took third place with Il perdono , a composition that invites reflection on the human impact on the environment and offers a message of hope through the symbol of the bud. The Special Jury Prize was awarded to Gianluca Padrin from Santorso (VI) for Sussurri di natura , a reflection on the importance of regenerative breaks in a frenetic world. Albano Mazzaretto , from Longare (VI), received the Special Prize of the President of Cantine di Verona with Per un nuovo simposio , a celebration of wine created with love as a symbol of conviviality, friendship and respect for the earth. The winners and those with a special mention received commemorative plaques and a selection of fine wines and oils from the Scaligero cooperative winemaking group.

The winning composition will be printed on the label of a celebratory edition of Idyllium , a robust and elegant wine, obtained from Corvina, Rondinella, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, ideal when paired with grilled dishes, fried foods and mature cheeses. The limited edition will be on sale in the e-commerce and in the 10 company wine shops at a price of 8 euros.
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“Chiara Meloni’s poetry struck us for its intensity and for its ability to translate Cantine di Verona’s mission into words: to preserve and enhance the land. It is an honor to link her message to our label,” says Luigi Turco , President of Cantine di Verona, “in a competition born in 2010 with the name of Premio Poesia Cantina Valpantena , which this year is growing, broadening its scope as it has been for us, following the merger of the three cooperatives – Cantina Valpantena, Cantina di Custoza and Cantina Colli Morenici – into the Cantine di Verona group.”

Turco continues: “With the National Poetry Award we want to highlight the cultural link between wine and literature , uniting two worlds linked by a love of emotions, beauty and traditions. At the same time, this union recalls a cultural heritage that enhances the territory of Verona, where illustrious authors such as Shakespeare who set the love story of Romeo and Juliet here and Dante with his Comedy have set their works, inserting it however in a modern context”.

The complete list of winners and those who received a special mention will be available on the Cantine di Verona website .

Press Chefs, the event dedicated to Cuvette, the “gastronomic” Franciacorta of Villa Franciacorta, has combined good humor, cuisine, wine and journalism for the second year at Gustincanto (Fidenza, Parma).

“ Autumn Walk in the Villa ” is the name of the winning dish of the second edition of Press Chefs, a challenge to the last forkful that saw food and wine journalists , for once, put aside pens and notebooks, dedicating themselves to pots and rolling pins in the preparation of a “creative” potato tortello , under the direction of Luca Bagnoli, resident chef of Gustincanto . The professional chefs , usually the recipients of their reviews, evaluated them, objectively and without a spirit of revenge. Three teams, Green&Black, Emozione and Forever Green , got to work to prepare, respectively, three “signature” recipes: Autumn Walk in the Villa , Emozione Veronica and Non è autunno . The first was judged perfect when paired with Cuvette , the “gastronomic Franciacorta” of Villa Franciacorta. << Cuvette was a gift from my father, Alessandro Bianchi, for my wedding >>, said Roberta Bianchi , who runs the company together with her husband Paolo and sons Alessio and Matteo. << With Press Chefs we wanted to change perspective, asking journalists to think of a dish in relation to the wine and not vice versa. The result is a fun and exciting event. The challenge for the next edition could also include an anti-waste message, asking the authors to also create a recipe with leftovers >>, concluded Roberta, who hosted the evening with Alberto Schieppati .

The format of Villa Franciacorta , a historic company in Monticelli Brusati (BS) that produces exclusively Millesimati, was created to enhance a specific idea : Franciacorta is not just a wine for toasts or special occasions, but can successfully accompany an entire meal . The perfect demonstration is Cuvette , a brut vintage with golden reflections and a fine and persistent perlage, with a bouquet that recalls brioche bread and candied fruit, of excellent complexity and a wonderful flavor, which played a key role in the competition, enhancing the tortelli , the first course that was the object of the challenge and revealed to the competitors only at the beginning.

Press Chefs was not just a competition, but also an opportunity to underline the link between the two worlds , that of food and wine criticism and that of cooking, which, without cooperation, could not fully express themselves. The competitors, who during the challenge realized how much work there is behind a dish, were divided into teams of four: the winner Green&Black, with Alex Li Calzi, Camilla Guiggi, Elena Formigoni and Nadia Toppino; Emozione composed of Elio Ghisalberti, Francesco D’Agostino, Sandro Piovani and Veronica Fumarola and Forever Green made up of Alberto Lupini, Alfonso Mollo, Marco Lupi and Paolo Valente. The teams were judged by a jury of experts composed of chef Cristina Cerbi of Osteria di Fornio (PR), chef Carlo Bresciani of Antica Cascina San Zago (BS), president of the Italian Chefs Federation , and Luca Bagnoli, resident chef of Gustincanto . The pairing commission was composed of Chiara Marando, Lorenzo Caraffini , Riccardo Penzo and Stefano Incerti . Not an arrogant challenge nor a moment of conflict, but a game that wanted to unite with humor and irony two areas that are close and, in some respects, interconnected .

<< Once again, toasting with Villa Franciacorta means sealing unique moments and making them special >>, said Roberta Bianchi. << Villa Franciacorta, a wine to remember !>>

Emblem of the volcanic terroir, composed of 90% Corinto Nero, it is the symbolic wine of the Sicilian winery with the aim of preserving the traditions and peculiarities of the territory.

An ancient native variety, the clear intent to perpetuate the thousand-year-old winemaking tradition of the island of Lipari, the idea of giving life to the first true “ classic Rosso delle Eolie ”: this is how Nero Ossidiana was born, one of the symbolic wines of Tenuta di Castellaro , which takes its name from obsidian, the intense black volcanic rock that characterizes the landscapes of the Aeolian Islands. Sun, stones, wind, earth and sea: this and much more are contained in the organic wines of Castellaro, which are born from the volcanic and at the same time Mediterranean terroir of Lipari, and from native vines of the Aeolian Islands. Corinto Nero has ancient origins, and is thought to have been introduced to Sicily by the Greeks. Over the centuries, it has adapted to the climate and soil of the Sicilian islands, where it has found the ideal conditions for growing, thanks to the proximity to the sea and the presence of volcanic soils rich in minerals. “ With the consultants of the French company Pépinières Guillame – says Massimo Lentsch , who founded the winery on the island of Lipari in 2005 – specialized since 1895 in the production of quality vines, at Tenuta di Castellaro a mass selection of this indigenous variety, the Corinto Nero, was carried out in the vine-growing lands of the Aeolian islands, together with the Malvasia delle Lipari ”.

The plants were reproduced starting from the scions (vine shoots), chosen in a vineyard with different DNA, in order to maintain maximum genetic variability within the same vine variety, with plants with different physiological and productive characteristics. Thanks to this recovery work, Tenuta Di Castellaro can take advantage of the national primacy of the cultivation of Corinto, a variety with a very low yield and challenging in agronomic management.

Present since the first harvest, that of 2008, Nero Ossidiana – Corinto Nero cut with 10% Nero d’Avola – with a deep ruby red color, ” is a complex and structured wine – explains the winemaker of Tenuta di Castellaro Emiliano Falsini – which stands out for its salty scents and spicy tones, but also for its strong and decisive character. The wine, which balances the acidity and elegance of Corinto Nero with the soft warmth of Nero D’Avola expresses all the typicality of a land that is both volcanic and marine, representing the oenological union between the island and the sea “.

The award ceremony at Palazzo Rospigliosi will be introduced by a wine talk on biodiversity in the vineyard. Starting at 3 pm, tasting tables at the Starhotels Metropole.

The awards ceremony for the winners of the 32nd Mondial des Vins Extrêmes and the 4th edition of the Extreme Spirits International Contest will be held on Saturday 30 November in the Sala delle Statue of Palazzo Rospigliosi in Rome.

Organised by CERVIM – Centre for Research, Studies, Safeguarding, Coordination and Promotion of Mountain Viticulture, the Mondial des Vins Extrêmes is the only wine competition in the world dedicated to wines from heroic viticulture , to promote and safeguard the production of small island or mountain wine-growing areas, on steep slopes or terraced, while the youngest Extreme Spirits International Contest was created to enhance distillates from grape marc, lees and wine and their respective extreme production areas.

To anticipate the ceremony, at 10.00 , the wine talk entitled Extreme wines: biodiversity that gives value to the territory . The debate will see authorities, experts in the sector, journalists and producers discuss the topic: speakers will include Giancarlo Righini , Councillor for Budget, Economic Planning, Agriculture and Food Sovereignty, Hunting and Fishing, Parks and Forests of the Lazio Region, Narvay Quintero , Minister of Agriculture of the Government of the Canary Islands, the winemakers Antonio Santarelli , of the Casale del Giglio Winery – Le Ferriere (LT), Margherita Longo , of the Hibiscus Winery in Ustica (PA), and Marko Skočaj , of the Dolfo Winery in Brda (Slovenia). Moderator Franco Santini , journalist and food and wine critic.

At 11.30 the delivery of the 64 Grand Gold Medals and 241 Gold Medals to the wines that have distinguished themselves in the Mondial des Vins Extrêmes , carefully selected from over 1000 competing labels from 356 companies from 25 countries, and the awarding of the spirits that won 8 Grand Gold Medals and 25 Gold Medals from among the 76 entries in the Extreme Spirits International Contest from Italy, Switzerland, Peru and Spain.

“We are proud to celebrate again this year in the Eternal City the excellence of wines and spirits that are born in heroic territories, where the passion and tenacity of producers give life to extraordinary references – declares Nicola Abbrescia , President of CERVIM –. The Mondial des Vins Extrêmes and the Extreme Spirits International Contest represent not only a certificate of quality but also a tribute to the biodiversity that these areas preserve. These awards confirm the importance of continuing to promote heroic viticulture that preserves traditions, protects the environment and contributes to making the wine and cultural identity of each territory unique”.

The event will continue at the Starhotels Metropole with tasting tables of the award-winning excellences . The tasting will be organized in three shifts starting at 3:00 pm, each lasting two hours. The first, from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm, will be reserved exclusively for accredited journalists and operators. The following ones, from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm and from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm, will also be open to the public of enthusiasts at a cost of 25 euros. There is a reduction of 15 euros for Go Wine members and 20 euros for members of industry associations (AIS, FISAR, ONAV). Entrance tickets can be purchased at the link www.gowinet.it/evento/degustazione-vini-premiati-al-32-ed-del-mondial-des-vins-extremes-a-roma-2024/. ​