PO

ST

E

ITA

LIA

NE

sp

a -

SP

ED

. IN

A

. P.

D

. L

. 3

53

/20

03

(C

onv

. in

L

. 2

7/0

2/2

004

n

. 4

6)

art.

1

, C

om

ma

1,

DC

B

- F

orl

ì -

Il

So

le

24

O

RE

B

usi

nes

s M

edia

S

rl

20

14

1

Mil

ano

, v

ia

G.

Pat

ecch

io

2

- te

l.

02396461

fax

0239844800

AN

NO

I

n.

01

AMBASSADOR Lidia Bastianich promoter of Italian cuisine in the USA

HIGH QUALITY PRODUCTS Parmigiano Reggiano, Grana Padano and DOP prosciutti

WINE A trip among the secrets of Prosecco Doc di Conegliano Valdobbiadene

1 2009

T H E W O N D E R F O O D S A R O U N D T H E W O R L D

C

Ba

ITALIAN EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OILINTERVIEW Luca Zaia, Minister of Agricultural, Alimentary and Forestry Policies

http://www.buonitaliaspa.it

3

Dear restaurant owners, chefs and Italian entrepre-neurs spread over the continents, let’s admit the truth: Italian food is the best in the world. And our

Mediterranean diet is the healthiest there is. Th at’s why we’re so much imitated! At the expense of our high quality ali-mentary products, above all, which risk being confused with clumsy copies, damaging our country’s culture and econo-my. But the extraordinary world of agricultural production is once again at the centre of the country’s interests, there’s a renewed passion for traditions that we wish to bring, with Tasting Italy, to the threshold of your eating-places, to help you feel them more alive than ever. I believe that the information given here will help you in your precious work of achieving proper appreciation for high-quality Italian products. Tasting Italy, which will come out bi-monthly, is the international version of a successful Italian pub-lishing project, the monthly magazine Ristoranti - Imprese del Gusto, aimed at catering entrepreneurs. Th is new adventure by the multi-media publisher Il Sole 24Ore-BusinessMedia (a company of Gruppo24Ore), is also my own commitment to assisting the growth of entrepreneurial culture. For restau-rants abroad, this culture is principally a question of product quality. Which we will discover and rediscover together. In the company of the personalities and institutions and interpreters of our joyful alimentary world.

Cari ristoratori, cuochi, imprenditori italiani sparsi nei continenti, dicia-mo la verità: il cibo italiano è il migliore del mondo. E la nostra alimen-tazione mediterranea, la più sana che c’è. Per questo siamo così imitati! Ne soff rono le nostre eccellenze alimentari, soprattutto, che rischiano di esere confuse con copie maldestre, danneggiando la cultura e l’economia del nostro Paese. Ma lo straordinario mondo della produzione agricola è di nuovo al centro degli interessi del Paese, una rinnovata passione per le tradizioni che vogliamo accompagnare con Tasting Italy (il nuovo bime-strale de Il Sole 24Ore-BusinessMedia, società del Gruppo24Ore) fi no alla soglia dei vostri locali, affi nché siano sentite più vive che mai.

enjoyITALY

by Antonio Mungai, editorantonio.mungai@businessmedia24.com

RISTORANTI - IMPRESE

DEL GUSTO, IS THE MOST

WIDELY CIRCULATED

PROFESSIONAL MONTHLY

DEDICATED TO RESTAURANT

KEEPING IN ITALY.

a publication of

www.b2b24.it

http://www.coppini.it

5

T H E W O N D E R F O O D S A R O U N D T H E W O R L D

InterviewTh e Italian Minister of Agricultural, Alimentary and Forestry Policies, Luca Zaia, explains the programs of the Italian agrifood policy and the role of Italian restaurants in the world.

True Italian Known since Roman times in a great number of varieties, extra virigin oli-ve oil enhances the table in classical or creative recipes.

In this interview Walter Brunello, Chairman of Buonitalia, explains stra-tegy for the promotion and defence of italian agro-alimentary quality pro-ducts.

The protecting Consortiums of Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano guarantee, with a firebrand-ed mark on the cheese, the quality and authenticity of the most coun-terfeited cheeses in the world.

Precious resources of the Italian ag-ricultural industry, Prosciutti Dop are prominent on the contemporary table.

Taste of Italy In his open letter Davide Paolini calls for Italian restaurant-owners over the world to rediscover genuine products as away of fighting fakes.

Lidia Bastianich is ambassador of Italian cuisine in the United States of America and with her broadcasts leads people to discover Mediterra-nean tastes.

Ristorante Enoteca Pinchiorri. How the prize-winning restaurant of Annie Féolde and Giorgio Pinchiorri reinterprets traditional Tuscan cui-sine in Italy and in Japan.

High class wines Prosecco di Conegliano Valdobbia-dene is the Italian spumante with the highest world sales and is the original expression of a wonderful land.

Foreign sales of Italian high quality wines are holding up. Spumante sales are growing everywhere.

Passion and managerial rigour, crea-tivity and emotion. Th us has José Ral-lo (Tenuta Donnafugata) made Sicilian wines famous throughout the world.

40

42

46

54

64

66

Good News 71Restaurants, Traditions, Wines

Exhibition 78Meet Tasting Italy at Vinexpo Bordeaux

Addresses 80Contacts around the world

6

10

20

24

30

30

46

54

YEAR 1 ISSUE 1 2009

61- 2009

Following his highly favourable re-ception at the recent G8 meeting dedicated to agriculture at Cison di Valmarino (Tv), the Minister of

Agricultural and Forestry Policies Luca Zaia reviews with Tasting Italy the Italian agricul-tural-alimentary system, pervaded as it is by undoubted fervour while still vulnerable to many external threats and to its own intrin-sic weaknesses.

Minister, exploitation of product origin, transparency of the production line, con-sumer guarantees. What is Italy’s position?

Th e G8 agriculture Ministers’ meeting held in Cison di Valmarino highlighted these issues, al-so stressing that they are vital for a positive out-come of the current crisis. Land is a certainty; food sovereignty a shared objective; the trans-parency of the production line and consumer guarantees are the main points of our politi-cal action: allowing citizens to make informed choices when they buy food is above all a polit-ical choice, not one governed by market rules. Th is Government has a clear understanding of the importance of the agrifood sector in the Ital-ian economy, and will continue to work hard to make it grow, focusing on some central issues: the bill on compulsory indication of the origin on the label, which I hope will soon be approved by the two Chambers of Parliament; support-ing and creating farmers’ markets around the Country, and strengthening the control activi-ties carried out by the police forces.

GMOs, agricultural land used to pro-duce energy, cultivations poisoned by pes-ticides and fertilisers. On which of these threats should we concentrate?

It is useless to concentrate on only one prob-lem, it is necessary to outline an organic agro-

environmental development plan. A very good example of this approach concerns the “bee” issue. Th e Italian Ministry of Agricul-ture (Mipaaf) suspended the use of neonico-tinoids, used for seed tannery and the possi-ble cause of death of these insects. Following this decision, it now seems that bees are once

INTERVIEW • • • Minister Luca Zaia

«From the Country of ‘Pizza e Spaghetti’ to one able

to export a real cuisine»

THE ITALIAN MINISTER,

LUCA ZAIA ON

IMPROVEMENTS TO THE

AGRICULTURAL SYSTEM,

THE WEALTH OF ITALIAN

TRADITIONS AND THE ROLE

OF ITALIAN RESTAURANTS

IN THE WORLD.

by Antonio Mungai

7

again ‘dancing’ and doing their work in our fi elds. Scientifi c evidence still has to prove the connection, but this is already an encouraging piece of news. It is, however, necessary to ponder and re-fl ect on the issue. Buying cherries in January is a “non-environmentalist” choice: for each imported calorie, at least seven are spent on transport. Some products come from coun-tries where, for example, the use the carcino-genic DDT is still allowed. It would be suffi -cient to ensure that seasonability and territori-ality are rewarded at the moment of purchase; this would bring immediate and enormous benefi ts to the atmosphere and to our purses. My position regarding GMOs is known: max-imum precaution. Research must go on, but we must proceed respecting the harmonious cohabitation between men and the environ-ment we live in. Th e scientifi c world is divided and we have only two certainties: it is not true that where there are GMO cultivations farm-ers earn more and the majority of citizens are against their use.Th en there is the energy issue. I think that the majority of discussions on biofuels are not mo-tivated, but we will carefully evaluate the pos-sibilities off ered by this technology, while still respecting the territory and its development..

What is needed to strengthen the “typ-ical product-tourism” pairing, a marriage that has become vital for our economy?

With the Ministry for tourism we have created a Commission to promote and support wine and food tourism. Th e ambassador of Italian food, Gualtiero Marchesi, is heading this commission. Th e commission will support and exploit the ex-cellent products of our Country: wine and food tourists can count on 4,500 typical products, the identity and quality of which are known all over the world. Th ese products represent the envi-ronmental and cultural characteristics of our re-gions and the wealth of the Italian land.

How can restaurants be involved in strengthening the values of Italian wine and food production?

By focusing on Italian regional cuisine, a tradition that narrates the history of Ital-ian families. Th e restaurants off ering it to-day have an important mission: to exploit our rich agrifood heritage, to defend it from the risk of uniformity of taste arising from globalization, and to present it again and again, choosing the best products, selecting them according to seasons and territorial-ity. In this way we recover and spread, also outside the national borders, an inimitable asset: the memory and the identity of our territories.

What do you think about the world of the Italian food industry, which is an inte-gral part of the development of the sector?

“God created food, the Devil created cooks”, said Joyce. I think he was thinking about Ital-ian cooks. Th ere has been an important evo-lution, in the last few years, that has allowed Italy to pass from the country of “pizza and spaghetti” to one able to export a real cuisine, made of many agricultural systems, many dif-ferent traditions, at least as many as are the Italian regions. And this is also thanks to the Italian restaurant business.

How can we imagine incorporating them in a ‘system’ since there are people who believe that those who support local traditions and values do it only on a per-sonal note?

Th e lack of a ‘systematic’ approach has been, until now, the weak link of wine and food tourism; however the creation of the Com-mission should overcome this weakness.For the Ministry, helping restaurants means strengthening exports, which today are worth

24 million euro, and fi ghting speculation and fraud. Out of ten products sold abroad as Ital-ian, nine of them are not Italian. We are los-ing 60 billion euro. We have to help those who are the ambassadors of Italian cuisine in the world to get easy access to raw materials and give them the certainty that what they buy are real Italian-made products.

Our restaurants abroad are our real ‘ambassadors’: a constant and more dy-namic relation with them is necessary; how can this be done?

For example, by formally ‘codifying’ and rec-ognizing their role as international ambas-sadors. Th is is something that can be done. We must also continue to invest in Buonitalia Spa, which promotes Italian-made products abroad, and we should stress the importance of the origin of the raw materials, focusing on our local recipes and national expertise and professionalism, for example working with cooking schools.

Promises are sometimes just mere words, so we are not asking you for promis-es but we are asking for your commitment. What will be your priorities?

Agriculture and agrifood have always been the Cinderella of the productive world. I in-tend to put them again at the centre of Eu-ropean economic policies; to guarantee food security and transparency of label informa-tion to consumers; to strengthen agrifood ex-ports, as we have done in the recent agree-ment signed with Hong Kong for the wine sector. I will also continue to work strenu-ously to eliminate the frauds and contami-nations that create so much damage to our producers. Th ese are not promises, but facts, things we started working on as soon as I started my work as agriculture minister one year ago.

81- 2009

Passa dalla ristorazione la varietà della cucina italiana

Signor Ministro, valorizzazio-ne dell’origine dei prodotti,

trasparenza della fi liera, garanzie al consumo: qual è la posizione dell’Italia?Il G8 dell’agricoltura di Cison di Val-marino ha rimarcato con forza que-sti concetti, fondamentali per usci-re dalla crisi. La terra è certezza; la sovranità alimentare un obiettivo condiviso; la trasparenza della fi lie-ra e le garanzie al consumo un pun-to qualifi cante della nostra azione politica: consentire ai cittadini scel-te alimentari consapevoli è innan-zitutto una questione di civiltà, non di mercato. Dal Ddl sull’obbligato-rietà dell’indicazione dell’origine in etichetta, che mi auguro ottenga al più presto il via libera delle Camere, fi no ai farmer’s market e alle attivi-tà di controllo da parte delle forze di polizia, questo Governo ha chia-ra l’importanza del settore agroali-mentare nell’economia italiana e la-vorerà per farlo crescere.

Che cosa serve per potenziare il bi-nomio “prodotto tipico-turismo”, un’accoppiata divenuta vitale per la nostra economia?Insieme al Ministero del Turismo, abbiamo istituito la Commissione per la promozione e il sostegno del turismo enogastronomico. La pre-siede Gualtiero Marchesi, ambascia-tore della ristorazione italiana nel mondo. La Commissione sosterrà e valorizzerà le eccellenze del Paese, consapevole che il turismo enoga-stronomico fa leva su un Atlante di ben 4500 prodotti tipici, di qualità e identità riconosciute.

Come possono essere coinvolti i ri-storanti per raff orzare i valori del-l’eno-agroalimentare?Puntando sulla cucina regionale italiana, quella che racconta la sto-ria delle famiglie italiane. I risto-ranti che oggi la propongono han-no una missione importante: valo-rizzare il nostro ricchissimo patri-monio agroalimentare, difenderlo dai rischi della globalizzazione che uniforma i gusti, e riproporlo, in chiavi sempre nuove, scegliendo i prodotti migliori, in base alla sta-gione e al territorio. Così recupe-riamo e diff ondiamo, anche fuori dai confi ni nazionali, una ricchez-za inimitabile: la memoria e l’iden-tità dei territori.

Che cosa pensa del mondo della ri-storazione italiana, che è parte inte-grante dello sviluppo del settore? C’è stata una importante evoluzio-ne, negli ultimi anni, che ha permes-so di passare dall’Italia tutta “pizza e spaghetti”, a quella reale, che vede tante agricolture, e tante, diverse cu-cine e tradizioni, quante sono le re-gioni italiane. E questo è anche me-rito della ristorazione italiana.

E come si può pensare di aiutarli ad entrare nel “sistema”?Il mancato approccio di sistema è stato un anello debole del turismo enogastronomico, che l’istituzione della Commissione prevede di raf-forzare. Per il Mipaaf, aiutare il la-voro dei ristoratori signifi ca anche potenziare l’export, che oggi vale 24 Mld di euro, e combattere contraf-fazioni e imitazioni. Oggi, su dieci prodotti venduti all’estero come ita-liani, nove non lo sono. Così perdia-mo circa 60 Mld di euro. Dobbiamo garantire a chi è ambasciatore del-la cucina italiana nel mondo, una maggiore facilità nel reperire le ma-terie prime di qualità e la certezza che siano made in Italy.

I nostri ristoratori all’estero sono veri “ambasciatori”: come pensare ad un rapporto fra loro e l’Italia più continuo e dinamico?Ad esempio “codifi cando” in ter-mini formali il riconoscimento del loro ruolo di ambasciatori a livello internazionale. E su questo si potrà lavorare. E dobbiamo continuare a investire sull’azione di Buonitalia Spa, impegnata nella promozione del made in Italy all’estero, e punta-re su origine, materie prime, ricette, competenze e professionalità, imma-ginando anche, ad esempio, di dia-logare con le scuole di cucina.

Minister Luca Zaia

LUCA ZAIA nasce a Bibano di Godega di San-

t’Urbano (TV), il 27 marzo 1968. Si diploma al-

la Scuola Enologica “Giovanni Battista Cerletti”

di Conegliano e nel 1993 si laurea alla Facoltà

di Medicina Veterinaria, corso di laurea in Scien-

ze della Produzione Animale, all’Università degli

Studi di Udine.

Nel 1995 è Assessore all’Agricoltura alla Provin-

cia di Treviso. Nel 1998 ne diviene Presidente. È

il più giovane d’Italia. Da giugno 2005 fi no a mag-

gio 2008, è vicepresidente della Giunta Regiona-

le del Veneto dove si occupa tra l’altro di politiche

del turismo, commercio estero, politiche dell’agri-

coltura e zootecnia. Dall’8 maggio 2008 Zaia ri-

copre l’incarico di Ministro delle Politiche agrico-

le alimentari e forestali nel IV Governo Berlusconi.

Sul fronte internazionale Zaia organizza e acco-

glie il summit di Venezia sulla pesca, il vertice di

Verona sul tabacco e il primo G8 agricolo di Cison

di Valmarino in provincia di Treviso.

Profilo

LUCA ZAIA was born in Bibano di Godega di

Sant’Urbano (TV) on 27 March 1968. He ob-

tained the diploma of the “Giovanni Battista

Cerletti” Oenological School of Conegliano and

in 1993 graduated in the Faculty of Veterinary

Studies of Udine University. In 1995 he became

Councillor for Agriculture of the Province of Tre-

viso. In 1998 he became President, the young-

est in Italy. From June 2005 to May 2008 he

was Vice-President of the Regional Parliament

of Veneto where he dealt, among other things,

with policies of tourism, foreign trade, agricul-

ture and zootechnology.

Since 8 May 2008 Zaia has been Minister of Ag-

ricultural, Alimentary and Forestry Policies of the

fourth Berlusconi government.

On the international front, Zaia organized and

hosted the Venice summit on fi shing, the Verona

summit on tobacco and the fi rst agricultural G8

at Cison di Valmarino in the province of Treviso.

Profile

Il legame tra un prodottoagro-alimentare e le carat-teristiche agronomiche,ambientali e culturali delterritorio in cui esso è otte-nuto è l’elemento che piùdi ogni altro ne definiscel’unicità.

Nel Pecorino RomanoD.O.P. tale legame è fruttodi processi produttivi disecolare tradizione chenon possono prescinderedalle componenti ambien-tali e culturali dei territoridi origine: il Lazio, la

Sardegna e la provincia diGrosseto.La sua storia risale aglialbori della civiltà latina, ilsuo archetipo fu descrittocompiutamente da Catonee da Columella.Dalla fine del XIX sec. la

Sardegna divenne per ilPecorino Romano l’area diproduzione più importan-te, dove l’industria casea-ria rappresentò l’attivitàeconomica più aderentealla realtà sarda, valoriz-zando nel modo migliorele due tipiche risorse del-l’isola: il pascolo e lapecora. Il Consorzio per la Tuteladel Formaggio PecorinoRomano, costituito nel1979, ha ottenuto i ricono-scimenti Ministeriali persvolgere le attività diVigilanza, Tutela ePromozione a favore delPecorino Romano, nel1996 l’Unione Europea hariconosciuto la DOP al for-maggio Pecorino Romano.La sfida del Consorzio èportare sulla tavola deiconsumatori di tutto ilmondo non solo un cibosano e genuino, ma ancheuna parte della storia, delletradizioni e della cultura diun popolo che il PecorinoRomano rappresenta.Coniugare i sapori antichicon la tutela e le garanzieche un allevamento tradi-zionale ed un industriaagro-alimentare modernimettono a disposizione delconsumatore è la verasfida per il futuro dellaDenominazione d’OrigineProtetta Pecorino Romano.

www.pecorinoromano.com

Pagina Pecorino Romano 2009.qxd 09/06/2009 10.16 Pagina 1

101- 2009

TRUE ITALIAN • • • Extra virgin ol ive oi l

GOLDGreen

11

A journey in Italy is also a journey in the land of the olive. Anyone passing through our country, even the least atten-tive of observers, could hardly help noticing the constant presence of the silvery crests of these ancient and venera-

ble trees, the history of which is intimately linked to the development of human civilisation. From the great lakes of the north to the Rivi-

era of Liguria, from the hills of Tuscany to the plains of Puglia, from Calabria to Sicily and Sardinia, every zone and region of Italy, apart from the Valle d’Aosta, is carpeted by the orderly rows of olive trees and rings with the dry swish of their leaves in the Mediterranean breeze. Over 1,100,000 hectares are dedicated to their cultivation, an overall heritage of 225 million plants and a production of extra-virgin olive oil

U

1

g

p

q

a

li

tr

p

THERE ARE 225 MILLION OLIVE PLANTS IN ITALY WITH A GREAT NUMBER OF VARIETIES KNOWN

AND CULTIVATED SINCE ROMAN TIMES. THE RESULT IS A WEALTH

OF FLAVOURS AND SUBTLETIES THAT ENHANCE THE TABLE IN CLASSICAL OR MORE CREATIVE PREPARATIONS.

by Riccardo Oldani

In green the most important production areas of extra virgin olive oil in Italy

121- 2009

oscillating, according to the year, between 580,000 and 600,000 tonnes, deriving from the work of over 5,800 oil presses. Th ese statistics place Italy second only to Spain, but its position in the world is domi-nant thanks to the number of varieties cultivated, the so-called cultivar. According to some, these amount to over 500 - the offi cial fi gure is nearly 400 - com-pared with 20 in Spain and 53 in France.

several varietiesWhy is there so much more variety in Italy than in other countries? For a series of geographical and his-torical reasons. First and foremost, Italy stretches al-most 1,200 km from north to south with a great di-versity of landscapes and micro-climates, which cre-ate very diff erent conditions, even at a distance of a few kilometres, for the cultivation of the plants. And then, Italy does not have a unitary history: un-til 150 years ago it was subdivided into several states with oft en quite diff erent governments, customs and traditions, which still remain alive even today. But

above all, Italy is the most direct heir to the great tradition of the Ancient Romans, who developed the cultivation of olives and the production of oil to the highest agronomical and technological level. Developed in Asia Minor at least 6 to 8 thousand years ago, as was also the case with vines, the tam-ing of the wild olive plant was swift ly transformed into a precious economic practice, widespread in all the principal Mediterranean civilisations: Egyptian, Phoenician and Greek. Th e Greeks brought the cultivation of olives to It-aly around the 8th century B.C. and the Romans made it their own with experiments, technical de-velopments and by selecting varieties, described in minute detail in numerous scientifi c treatises. Even 2,000 years ago, the Romans distinguished several Italian varieties, with characteristics that are still conserved today. Th e oils of Liguria, for example, were appreciated for their delicacy, those of Sabina for their savoury qualities. For every type of terrain they had identifi ed the best system of cultivation, the minimum distance between one plant and an-

OLIVE CULTIVATION

EXTENDS OVER MOST

OF THE ITALIAN TERRITORY

WITH AUTOCHTONOUS

CULTIVAR.

Get

ty im

ages

Mer

idia

na im

mag

ini

Extra virgin ol ive oi l

Mer

idia

na im

mag

ini

THE BEST OIL IS PRODUCED FROM DRUPES

HAND-PICKED FROM THE PLANTS WHILE NOT YET

RIPE, RATHER THAN WAITING FOR THEM

TO FALL FROM THE TREE.

13

other, the amount of water necessary for irrigation and graft ing techniques. Th eir wisdom was partially lost with the barbarian invasions and the end of the Empire, which brought about a drastic reduction in the areas of Italy with ol-ive cultivations. Th e tradition was kept alive by the religious orders, till it acquired new life in Tuscany in the renaissance period, with Lorenzo il Magnifi co, and grew steadily thereaft er. Curiously, while the Romans used olive oil primarily as a foodstuff , in the Middle Ages it was mainly em-ployed as a fuel, especially with ritual functions. Only with the 16th century were the organoleptic proper-ties rediscovered of a product which has become a cornerstone of Mediterranean cuisine.

a treasure in the kitchenExtra-virgin olive oil is not only exceptional and healthy when used uncooked, to dress salads, veg-etables, bruschette, pasta or grilled meat and fi sh. It is also one of the most healthy oils for frying, thanks to its high smoke point, that is to say the tempera-ture at which it deteriorates and releases substances that are toxic, particularly for the liver. Olive oil, in fact, has a smoke point of 210° C, com-pared with 110 for butter, 160 for maize oil or 170 for sunfl ower or soya oil. Bearing in mind that the ideal temperature for frying is 170°, it therefore guaran-tees maximum healthiness even for this type of cook-ing. But the properties of extra-virgin olive oil do not stop here. «Recent studies», explains Carlo Canella, Professor of Alimentary Science at La Sapienza Uni-versity, Rome, «show a strict correlation between the daily consumption of extra-virgin olive oil and a no-ticeable reduction in the incidence of cardiovascu-lar disturbances». It appears that these healthy prop-erties of the oil are linked above all to the oleic acid, which is able to reduce cholesterol, and to the numer-ous antioxidants, such as phytosterols, which reduce the capacity of the intestine to absorb animal fats, the most dangerous for the accumulation of “bad” choles-

BIANCOLILLA

Another of the numerous Sicilian cultivar. Par-

ticularly vigorous, it produces an oil notable

for its light colour.

Un’altra delle numerose cultivar siciliane.

Particolarmente vigorosa produce un olio ca-

ratteristico per il colore chiaro.

CASALIVA

Originally from the North-East, it is wide-

spread around Lake Garda. Its oil is particu-

larly refi ned and perfumed.

Originaria del Nord-Est, è diffusa intorno al la-

go di Garda. Il suo olio è particolarmente fi -

ne e profumato.

MORAIOLO

Originally from Tuscany, it became established

in Central Italy. It gives a fruity oil, slightly bit-

ter and spicy and with an intense perfume.

Originaria della Toscana, si è affermata nel

Centro Italia. Dà un olio fruttato, leggermente

amaro e piccante e dal profumo intenso.

NOCELLARA DEL BELICE

Derives from the Sicilian valley of that name.

It is also a table olive, and gives a delicate,

perfumed oil.

Proviene dall’omonima valle siciliana. È un’oli-

va anche da tavola, da cui si ricava un olio de-

licato e profumato.

OGLIAROLA

A variety found prevalently in Puglia which

gives a suave, perfumed oil, rich in vitamins

and nutritional properties.

Varietà diffusa prevalentemente in Puglia che

dà un olio soave e profumato, ricchissimo di

vitamine e di proprietà nutritive.

TAGGIASCA

Typical of Liguria, it gives fruits which are

small but very rich in oil, which has an ex-

tremely delicate fl avour.

Tipica della Liguria, dà frutti piccoli ma ric-

chissimi di olio, che ha un sapore molto de-

licato.

The most important Italian cultivar

Mer

idia

na im

mag

ini

141- 2009

Extra virgin ol ive oi l , recipesch

ef G

aeta

no T

rova

to R

isto

rant

e A

rnol

fo, c

ourt

esy

by G

ribau

do E

dito

re

Spelt cake with cream of beans and

prawns with lard of Colonnata

(to serve 4)

200 g beans of Pratomagno, 1 yel-

low onion, 1 sprig of rosemary, 8 slic-

es of lard of Colonnata, 6 dl vegetable

broth, 150 g spelt of Garfagnana IGP,

1 carrot, 1 celery rib, 1 laurel leaf, 8

Caromote prawns from the Tyrrheni-

an, shelled, 1 bunch of fresh dill, 1

bunch of chives, 1 bunch of chervil, 8

confi t tomatoes, 1 dl extra virgin olive

oil, salt and pepper in grains

PREPARATION: After soaking the

beans, boil them for 40 m. Drain off 4

spoonfuls. Beat the remaining beans

with the cooking water to obtain a fl u-

id cream. Brown the onion, chopped

with the rosemary, in a casserole with

a little oil and add the spelt, cover it

with the vegetable broth. Add a salt,

carrot, celery rib, the onion, laurel,

and 5 grains of pepper and cook for

20 m. Clean the Caramote prawns,

slit the back and place in a sprig of

dill, wrap them in the lard and half-

cook them in a non-stick frying-pan

on a low fl ame for a minute per side.

Chop the confi t tomatoes and dilute

them in a couple of spoonfuls of oil.

Emulsify the bean cream, adding a

trickle of oil. With the help of a mould,

lay the spelt on plates, pour the re-

maining cream around and decorate

with drops of tomato oil, the beans

kept apart and 2 Caramote prawns on

each cake. Keep a few leaves apart to

beat with a couple of spoonfuls of oil,

and garnish with the herb oil.

15

chef

Ant

onio

Fal

lini

Ris

tora

nte

Pog

gio

Ros

so d

el R

elai

s B

orgo

San

Fel

ice,

cou

rtes

y by

G

ribau

do E

dito

re

San Felice fillet steak of pork with spinach in extra virgin oil(to serve 4)

600 g pork fi llet, 300 g cleaned spin-

ach, 12 slices of lard of Colonnata, 1

dl veal stock, 2 ripe but fi rm toma-

toes, 5 sprigs of rosemary, 4 sprigs of

thyme, 2 dl olio extra virgin olive oil,

salt and black pepper

PREPARATION: Cut the fi llet steak

into eight circles and brown them in

a frying-pan with the oil, 2 sprigs of

thyme and a sprig of rosemary. Salt

and pepper them and fi nish cooking

for c.8 minutes in an oven at 190°

C. Remove from oven and place on

grill to lie hot. Half-cook the toma-

toes in boiling water for a couple of

minutes, cool them at once, peel and

seed them and cut them into slices.

Cook the lard slices au gratin till they

become brown and crisp. In another

frying-pan, sauté the spinach rapidly

in oil and fl avour with salt and pepper.

Lay the spinach on the plates, cov-

er it with two rings and garnish with

the tomato slices and lard. Heat the

veal stock, fl avoured with two sprigs

of thyme, and pour, fi ltering it, onto

the meat. Conclude with a trickle of

oil and garnish with a sprig of rose-

161- 2009

terol in the organism. Not all extra-virgin olive oils can boast these qualities, however, only those of the highest quality, which are concentrated above all in Italy. One of the principal features of the panorama of Italian production, which is also synonymous with high quality production, is the notable fragmentation of the land properties and, consequently, the excep-tional number of producers.

cold squeezingA great diversity, in short, which involves more than anywhere else the jealous perpetuation of techniques and cultivar suited to the territory, as well as stren-uous eff orts to remain diff erent from the competi-tors, this in itself being a stimulus to continual im-provement of the product. Suffi ce to think that only 52.8% of active oil presses use the continuous cycle system of oil extraction, that is to say, using a single machine for all processing stages. While 46% adopt the traditional divided up system, with extensive use of stone grinders, and 1% adopt the percolation system, which produces only the highest quality oil, with yields of barely 70%. Th e result can be deduced from the extremely high number of DOPs, denominations of protected ori-gin, which recognize no fewer than 37 Italian oils and amount to well over half all European DOPs taken

together. To these may also be added an IGP, pro-tected geographical indication, recognized for Tus-can oil, proof of the high quality of a product that distinguishes the entire region. Technologies are in-dispensable if the maximum healthiness and genu-ineness of the end product is to be guaranteed. Ol-ive oil is not obtained, in fact, as is the case with the other alimentary oils in commerce - from seed oils to palm oil - by means of chemical operations, neces-sary to separate, using solvents, the fatty material of the seed. Instead, it is simply crushed from the pulp of the fruits, indeed from the drupes, where it accu-mulates inside particular cells. It is a natural food, and the more the entire pro-duction process, from cultivation to harvesting and crushing, conserves the olives integrally, the richer the oil is in healthy nutritional properties. For this reason it is better not to adopt heavy chemical in-terventions to protect the plants but to develop, as is becoming increasingly widely the case in Italy, gen-tle techniques of biological agency or phytosanitary protection. Better still is harvesting by picking, that is to say by hand, the olives while not yet ripe, rather than using machines which reduce harvesting times, but may cause damage to the plants and fruit. In a traditional oil press, furthermore, the olives can be crushed by pressure, with stone grinders or mechanical crushers.

Acidity: if it is below 0.8% (0.8% of

oleic acid in 100 g of oil), the oil may

be classifi ed as extra virgin olive oil.

Bitter: this denotes quality. A me-

dicinal fl avour indicates defects in

the olives.

Sweet: oil thus defi ned, also called

soft or gentle, is not very bitter or

astringent and not very aromatic.

Spicy: a typical sensation noticed

as the oil is rolled towards the back

of the tongue. It must be moderate

in a well balanced oil.

Astringent: noticed when a sensa-

tion of aridity is felt on the tongue.

Fruity: an oil is so described when

its perfume, or aroma, recalls the

fragrance of the whole olive.

Herbaceous: Typical, above all, of

sweet oils.

Vegetable: an oil has vegetable

notes when it recalls the perfume

of kitchen garden produce or veg-

etables.

Tasting Oil

Extra virgin. This is the fi nest

quality, obtained exclusively from

a process involving the stages of

washing, pressing, decanting, cen-

trifuging and fi ltering. It has an ac-

id content not exceeding 0.8 g per

100 g of oil.

Virgin: like extra virgin, but with a

higher acid content, not exceed-

ing 2g/100 g of oil.

Lamp: like virgin, but with an acid

content more than 2 g/100 g of oil.

Refi ned: obtained by refi ning virgin

olive oil, with a free acidity no great-

er than 0.3 g/100 g of oil. Refi n-

ing eliminates the active principles

which make oil a precious food.

Extra virgin ol ive oi l

Types

WITH STONE CRUSHERS

OR MORE MODERN EQUIPMENT EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

IS SQUEEZED COLD.

chef

Ant

onio

Fal

lini

Ris

tora

nte

Pog

gio

Ros

so d

el R

elai

s B

orgo

San

Fel

ice,

cou

rtes

y by

Grib

audo

Edi

tore

Mer

idia

na im

mag

ini

Grib

audo

Edi

tore

17

Un viaggio in Italia è anche un viaggio nelle terre dell’olivo. Dai grandi laghi

del Nord alla Riviera Ligure, dalle colline to-scane alle piane Pugliesi, dalla Calabria alla Sicilia, alla Sardegna, tutte le zone regioni d’Italia, tranne la Valle d’Aosta, sono tap-pezzate di oliveti. Sono oltre 1.100.000 gli ettari dedicati a questa coltura, per un pa-trimonio complessivo di quasi 225 milioni di piante e una produzione di olio extravergine che oscilla, secondo le annate, tra 580.000 e 600.000 tonnellate, frutto del lavoro di oltre 5.800 frantoi. Per queste cifre l’Italia è seconda al mondo soltanto alla Spagna, ma prevale per il nume-ro di varietà coltivate, le cosiddette cultivar, che secondo alcuni superano le 500 - uffi cial-mente sono quasi 400 - contro le 20 spagnole e le 53 francesi.Prodotto cardine della cucina mediterranea, l’olio extravergine d’oliva non è soltanto ec-cezionale e sano nell’uso a crudo, per condi-re insalate, verdure, bruschette, pasta, carne o pesce grigliati. È anche uno tra i più sani da utilizzare nelle fritture, grazie all’elevato punto di fumo, cioè la temperatura oltre la quale si deteriora e rilascia sostanze tossi-che, soprattutto per il fegato. L’olio d’oliva ha infatti un punto di fumo di 210°C, contro i 110 del burro, i 160 dell’olio di mais o i 170 dell’olio di girasole o di soia. Tenuto conto che la temperatura ideale per la frittura è di 170°C, garantisce quindi la massima salubrità anche per questo tipo di preparazione. Ma ha anche proprietà salu-tari anti-colesterolo legate soprattutto al-l’acido oleico e dei numerosi antiossidanti-Non tutti gli extravergini però possono van-

tare queste proprietà, ma soltanto quelli di qualità più elevata, che si concentrano so-prattutto in Italia. Una delle particolarità principali del pano-rama produttivo italiano, che è anche sino-nimo di elevato livello produttivo, è l’altis-sima frammentazione delle proprietà e, di conseguenza, l’eccezionale numero di pro-duttori. Una grande diversità, insomma, che porta più che altrove alla gelosa perpe-tuazione di tecniche e di cultivar adatte al territorio, oltre che allo sforzo per diff eren-ziarsi dai concorrenti, che è anche stimolo continuo al miglioramento del prodotto con un’ampia diff usione di tecniche di spremitu-ra ed estrazione dell’olio a freddo. Il risultato è attestato dall’elevatissimo nu-mero di Dop, denominazioni di origine pro-tetta, che premiano ben 37 oli italiani e sono ben più del 50% di tutte le dop europee. Le tecnologie sono indispensabili per ga-rantire la massima salubrità e genuinità del prodotto fi nale. L’olio d’oliva, infatti, è sem-plicemente spremuto dalla polpa dei frutti, anzi delle drupe, dove si accumula all’inter-no di particolari cellule. È un alimento naturale, tanto più ricco di salutari proprietà nutritive quanto più tutto il processo di produzione conserva le olive nella loro integrità.

Th e paste which is obtained, a mixture of olive pulp, oil and water from cultivation, is then subjected to so-called gramolatura (kneading), that consists of keep-ing the olive paste slowly stirring to favour the aggre-gation of the oil in large-sized drops which are more easily separated from the water and pulp.Other extrac-tion systems exist, nevertheless, based on centrifuging to separate the oil from the water and the pulp.

benefi cial substancesTh e aim is to maintain whole all the substances present in the olives which give the oil its unique organoleptic features. Although olive oil is a fat, and able as such to provide 9.3 kilocalories per gram (similarly to butter and other oils), it is made unique by its composition. Th e lipidic part, that is to say the fatty part, corresponds to 98-99%. However, the larg-er part of these are monounsaturated fats (particu-larly oleic acid), to which are added modest percent-ages of polyunsaturated and saturated fats, the worst and most harmful for our organism. Th e more fl uid and “runny” it is, therefore, the better the quality. Th e remaining 1-2% consists of no fewer than 220 other natural substances, including antioxidants and vitawhich all contribute to conferring perfumes, aro-mas and nutritional properties of the highest value to extra-virgin olive oil.

L’oro verde che esalta la cucina e fa bene alla salute

chef

Ant

onio

Fal

lini

Ris

tora

nte

Pog

gio

Ros

so d

el R

elai

s B

orgo

San

Fel

ice,

cou

rtes

y by

Grib

audo

Edi

tore

181- 2009

Italian oil is even colonizing the Himalayas. At least in the intentions of the Azienda

Agricola Coppini Arte Olearia (www.coppi-ni.it), which was the fi rst in the world to think of bringing an olive plant to an altitude of 5 thousand metres, at the feet of Everest. Th e exceptional mountaineer in this trekking, la-sting about a month, was Americo, an olive plant selected from the Coppini farmlands and which showed a surprising resistance to cold. Th e entire initiative is described on an English language website, www.loveisanoli-vetree.com, which tells in detail all the whys

and wherefores of the mission. “I wanted to undertake an initiative that would be able to promote the world of high quality Italian ex-tra virgin olive oil”, explains the owner Paolo Coppini. “More especially, I wanted to give visibility to a product which would represent the essence of our cuisine and which would be the symbol of Italian gastronomic excel-lence in the world, something that people on average know very little about. So we braved the mountain, bringing our little tree with us as a symbol of Italian oil, but also bearing a social message: love is an olive tree”.

Olio in cucina, culture and recipes

For those who want to know eve-rything, really everything, about oli-

ve oil (but you need to be able to read Ita-lian), we suggest the volume “Olio in cu-cina”, by Pia Passalacqua and Carlo Vi-schi, published by Gribaudo (www.edi-zionigribaudo.it). It has 200 large pages (and costs 25 euro), rich in illustrations and above all in recipes, subdivided on the basis of the region of origin. Indicated for each dish, as well as the ingredients and method, is the preparation time needed, the oil (strictly Italian) to be used and the wine (also Italian) to be matched with it. A real treat for gourmets and for whoever wishes to practise a real cuisine based on our territory.

Olio in cucinaricette e culturaPer chi vuole sapere tutto sull’olio di oliva, segnaliamo il volume “Olio in cucina”, di Pia Passalacqua e Carlo Vischi, pubblica-to dalla casa editrice Gribaudo (www.edi-zionigribaudo.it). Sono 200 pagine (al co-sto di 25 euro), ricche di illustrazioni e so-prattutto di ricette, suddivise in base alla regione di origine.

L’olio italiano colonizza anche l’Himalaya. Al-meno nelle intenzioni dell’Azienda Agricola Coppini Arte Olearia (www.coppini.it), che per prima al mondo ha pensato di portare una piantina di olivo all’altitudine di 5 mila me-tri, ai piedi dell’Everest. Un trekking, durato circa un mese, che ha visto come viaggiato-re d’eccezione Americo, una piantina di olivo selezionata nelle tenute Coppini, che ha mo-strato una sorprendente resistenza al freddo. Tutta l’iniziativa è descritta in un sito inter-net in lingua inglese, www.loveisanolivetree.com, che racconta nel dettaglio il perché e il

percome della missione. «Volevo intraprendere un’iniziativa in grado di promuovere il mondo dell’extravergine italiano d’eccellenza», spiega Paolo Coppini, il titolare. «Soprattutto, vole-vo dare visibilità a un prodotto che dovrebbe rappresentare l’essenza della nostra cucina e dovrebbe essere il simbolo delle eccellenze ga-stronomiche italiane nel mondo, di cui invece la media delle persone conosce piuttosto poco. Così abbiamo aff rontato la montagna, portan-do con noi l’alberello, simbolo dell’olio italia-no, ma anche di un messaggio sociale: l’amo-re è un albero di ulivo».

An Italian olive tree on Everest

Un olivo italiano sull’Everest

Olio extravergine di ol iva news

Provincia di PadovaDepartment of cultural activities

www.pd-promex.it - info@pd-promex.it

PADOVA CANADA CALIFORN

IA

(USA

)

TOGETHERPadova wine producers

meet Californian and Canadian distributors at

Villa Beatrice d’Este (Padova, Italy)on 29 and 30 June 2009

under the sponsorship of

Pro

getto

C.G

. - w

ww

.ditr

egro

up.c

om

pp_235x299_90803 5-06-2009 13:57 Pagina 1

201- 2009

Buonitalia S.p.A. was created in Ju-ly 2003 at the wish of the Minis-try of Agricultural, Alimentary and Forestry Policies (MIPAAF).

Th e idea was to build a “captain’s cabin”, a sin-gle point of reference for the internationali-zation, promotion and protection of the Ital-ian agro-alimentary system. «Th e intention - explains Chairman Walter Brunello - is to pool the skills of all the professionals working in the sector to bring about a real sharing of the strategies to be set in motion, in order to strengthen the competitive capacities of the Italian agro-alimentary industry on the glo-bal scene».

So what role can Buonitalia have in this diffi cult economic moment, both for our country and for the rest of the world?

In this moment of crisis, obviously, it is all the more important to do what Buonitalia was made to do: to listen and to interpret the needs that are expressed to us by the market

base, that is to say by the world of produc-ers and consortiums. In this sense our role is to commit ourselves to directing and align-ing their commercial strategies into a single shared strategy that will be of service to the overall economy of our country. For this rea-son it is necessary to give priority to planned actions that will be eff ective and repeatable over time in the various markets.

High-class Italian agro-alimenta-ry production certainly has great poten-tials. On what elements in particular does Buonitalia intend to concentrate for eff ec-tive promotional action on the interna-tional markets?

We must start from the absolute awareness that the highest value of our agro-alimentary productions lies in their historical, cultural and productive links with their territories of origin. I believe, therefore, and this is also the opinion of the Minister Zaia, that the key to achieving concrete results lies in emphasiz-

TRUE ITALIAN • • • Walter Brunel lo, Buonital ia

«Products and territory an unrepeatable asset»

THE STRATEGY FOR THE PROMOTION

AND DEFENCE OF ITALIAN

AGRO-ALIMENTARY QUALITY

PRODUCTS IS BASED ON THEIR

SOLID LINKS WITH THE TERRITORY.

INTERVIEW TO WALTER BRUNELLO,

CHAIRMAN OF BUONITALIA.

by Antonio Mungai

WALTER BRUNELLO, after leaving

the management of the Promozione

Turistica integrata (turismo e

agroalimentare) della Regione

Veneto, has since 1st November

2008 been Chairman and General

Manager of Buonitalia S.p.A., the

company for the promotion and

appreciation of the Italian agro-

alimentary system, controlled by the

Ministry of Agricultural, Alimentary

and Forestry Policies. Following the

strategic orientation recommended

by the Minister Zaia, Dr. Brunello

has undertaken to make Buonitalia

S.p.A. become a concrete reference

point for all activities relating to the

internationalization of the agro-

alimentary and wine-producing

sector, and to create real agreement

over the strategies to be adopted.

The aims are to defend, protect

and promote in Italy and the world

the agro-alimentary and wine-

producing culture that the regional

territories have been able to develop,

preserving the strong link between

products and places of origin.

Chairman Brunello recently became

a member of the “Commissione

per la promozione ed il sostegno

del turismo enogastronomico”

set up by the Ministers of Tourism,

Michela Vittoria Brambilla,

and of Agricultural, Alimentary

and Forestry Policies, Luca Zaia.

Profile

21

ing this link: the promotion of this sector as-sumes greater power if it goes in tandem with its association with a particular territory. By exploiting this aspect of identity, we can con-vey to the foreign consumer the qualitative virtues of Italian agro-alimentary products and induce him to go beyond the borders of his own country and touch with his own hand the history, the national and regional tradi-tions and the human labour that is behind each one of them. Th is is the strategic and op-erative model that I would like to adopt on a national scale, sharing it with all representa-tives of the Italian agricultural system. Th ey can try copying our products elsewhere, but they certainly can’t copy our territories, these are unrepeatable.

Eff ectively, there’s been much talk of forgeries in recent months…

Th is is just the kind of phenomenon that should make us understand how important the territorial identity of our products is and

how strategic it is to make known in the world the characteristics linked to our production and denomination. It’s for this reason that we’ve committed our-selves to activities that will show operators, no less than the general public, the value of Ital-ian quality products. Th e identity of a product and of the territory of origin allows consum-ers to recognize their diff erences and their qualitative features and so to appreciate them. Th is sort of information needs to be assimi-lated by the foreign consumer, too, so he can choose knowingly between products of certi-fi ed quality and misleading Italian sounding products, that is to say products that make reference to Italy but have nothing to do with our country. It’s necessary to draw attention to the added value, in economic terms and

those of image, that an adequate system for the protection of geographical origins can bring to agro-alimentary productions and to the entire territory of reference.

So let’s talk about this “Italian sound-ing”. Th e growth of this phenomenon is oft en due to a failure to inform consum-ers, given that they are great lovers of our wines and gastronomy, they want to eat and drink Italian and unfortunately they think they’re doing so when they buy - un-knowingly - non-original products.

Just to give you a statistic referring to the North American market, the United States plus Can-ada, I can tell you from a study carried out by Indicod and Nomisma that imitative Ital-ian sounding products - with a false/true ra-tion of 10 to 1, bill a total of 21 billion euros. Th is is why Buonitalia has programmed vari-ous activities in this geographical area aimed precisely at helping original Italian products to regain the market quotas held by the so-called imitative products. For this reason we must increase our ability to promote Italian-made alimentary products by conveying to foreign buyers and consumers the real value of our products, and by standing alongside our producers in every phase of the internationalization process and consequently that of market penetration. Above all we must remember not to abandon our products once they’ve reached the foreign markets, we must ensure that they are correctly positioned on the foreign shelves, and are not mixed up with Italian sounding products.

TO ENSURE THAT

THE CHARACTERISTICS OF ITALIAN

QUALITY PRODUCTS

ARE APPRECIATED AND RECOGNIZED.

BUONITALIA is the control room that realises initia-

tives by conceiving and promoting internationalisa-

tion projects of Italy’s agricultural and food products.

Buonitalia was established by the Ministry of Agricul-

tural, Food and Forestry Policies to offer the Italian

Agro-food system a control room able to strength-

en its competitive ability on the global scenario. The

main aims of Buonitalia Spa are the internationaliza-

tion, the promotion and the safeguard of the made

in Italy agro-food products, in coordination with the

whole sector’s subjects. Buonitalia Spa will achieve

them enhancing, by the mean of its work schedule

approved by the Ministry. the awareness of Italian

agro-food brand in the world, and above all in the

target-markets that are a top priority for Italy.

221- 2009

Prodotti e territorio, la forza del nostro successo

Buonitalia Spa nasce nel luglio 2003 per volontà del Ministero delle politiche agricole alimentari e fore-

stali (Mipaaf) con l’obiettivo di costruire un punto di rife-rimento unico in materia di internazionalizzazione, pro-mozione e tutela del Sistema agroalimentare italiano.

Quale ruolo può avere Buonitalia in questo momen-to economico particolare per il nostro Paese e per il re-sto del mondo?

Ora è ancora più importante fare quello che comunque Buonitalia ha come funzione: ascoltare ed essere interpre-ti delle esigenze espresse dai produttori e dai consorzi. Il nostro ruolo è di impegnarci a convogliare le loro strategie commerciali in un’unica strategia condivisa. Per questo è necessario agire per priorità dando vita ad azioni effi caci e ripetibili nel tempo sui diversi mercati.

L’agroalimentare italiano di qualità ha grandi potenzia-lità. Su quali elementi intende concentrarsi Buonitalia per un’azione effi cace sui mercati internazionali?

Ritengo che per ottenere risultati concreti si debba puntare all’esaltazione del legame fra prodotti e territori. Un rap-porto che, se valorizzato anche evidenziandone l’aspetto identitario, trasmette al consumatore straniero la virtù qualitativa dell’agroalimentare italiano e riesce a spingerlo a varcare i confi ni del proprio Paese per toccare con ma-no la storia, la tradizione nazionale e regionale e il lavoro dell’uomo che c’è dietro ognuno di loro. Altrove possono provare a copiare i nostri prodotti, ma certamente non ci possono copiare i territori, questi non sono replicabili.

In eff etti in questi ultimi mesi si è fatto un gran par-lare di contraff azione…

Proprio questo genere di fenomeni deve farci capire quanto sia importante l’identità territoriale dei nostri prodotti e quanto sia strategico divulgare nel mondo le caratteristi-che legate alle nostre produzioni a denominazione. Pro-prio per questo noi siamo impegnati in attività che pre-sentano agli operatori e al grande pubblico il valore delle

eccellenze italiane. L’identità di un prodotto e del territo-rio di origine consente ai consumatori di riconoscerne le diff erenze e le sue caratteristiche qualitative e quindi di apprezzarlo. Un genere di informazioni che devono essere assimilate anche dal consumatore straniero affi nché possa essere in grado di scegliere consapevolmente tra i prodotti di qualità certifi cata e i prodotti Italian sounding, che si richiamano all’Italia ma che non hanno nulla a che fare con il nostro Paese.

Parliamo allora proprio di Italian sounding. La cre-scita di questo fenomeno è dovuta spesso a mancanza di informazione dei consumatori, dal momento che ci so-no moltissimi amanti della nostra enogastronomia che vorrebbero mangiare e bere italiano e purtroppo pen-sano di farlo acquistando - inconsapevolmente - i pro-dotti non originali.

Per darle un dato relativo al mercato nordamericano, Sta-ti Uniti più Canada, le dico che uno studio sviluppato da INDICOD e Nomisma, i prodotti imitativi Italian soun-ding - con la proporzione falso/vero di 10 contro 1, fattu-rano complessivamente 21 miliardi di euro. Ed è proprio per questo che Buonitalia ha già programmato diverse at-tività su quest’area geografi ca proprio con l’obiettivo di far riconquistare ai prodotti originali italiani le quote di mer-cato detenute dai cosiddetti prodotti imitativi. Per questo dobbiamo essere sempre più in grado di promuovere il ma-de in Italy alimentare nel mondo trasmettendo ai buyer e ai consumatori stranieri il vero valore delle nostre pro-duzioni stando al fi anco dei produttori in ogni passo del processo di internazionalizzazione e dunque nella pene-trazione dei mercati. Soprattutto dobbiamo ricordarci di non abbandonare i nostri prodotti una volta arrivati sui mercati esteri, ma dobbiamo fare in modo che vengano posizionati correttamente sugli scaff ali stranieri, evitando una commistione con i prodotti Italian sounding.

Walter Brunel lo, Chairman of Buonital ia

Walter Brunello, dopo aver la-

sciato la Direzione della Promozio-

ne Turistica integrata della Regio-

ne Veneto, dal 2008 è Presidente e

Amministratore Delegato di Buoni-

talia Spa, la società per la promo-

zione e la valorizzazione del Siste-

ma agroalimentare italiano, con-

trollata dal Ministero delle politiche

agricole alimentari e forestali. Se-

guendo l’indirizzo strategico del

Ministro Zaia, il dr. Brunello è im-

pegnato a far sì che Buonitalia di-

venti il punto di riferimento per tut-

te le attività di internazionalizza-

zione del settore agroalimentare

e vitivinicolo. Brunello fa parte del-

la “Commissione per la promozio-

ne ed il sostegno del turismo eno-

gastronomico” istituita dal ministro

del Turismo Michela Brambilla.

Profilo

BuonitaliaBuonitalia intenede offrire al Si-

stema agroalimentare italiano un

luogo di coordinamento utile per il

rafforzamento della sua capacità

competitiva nello scenario globa-

le. Internazionalizzazione, promo-

zione e tutela dell’agroalimentare

made in Italy sono i suoi principa-

li obiettivi.

http://www.deliziandoitalia.it

241- 2009

A law of marketing says that the success of a product can be meas-ured by the extent to which it is counterfeited. From this point of

view the Italian grana cheeses pass with fl y-ing colours. A survey by Nomisma found that sales of Parmigiano Reggiano “clones” alone amount to 678 million dollars. From Parme-san to Regianito, these cheeses with names that make Italians laugh for the way they proclaim their foreign origin are produced in many countries. But the real grana chees-es, the originals, are born only in Italy. In-deed, more precisely, in one part of Italy, the Po Plain, from which come the two chees-

es symbolizing Italian dairy art: Parmigiano-Reggiano and Grana Padano. Th e production area of Parmigiano-Reggiano is smaller, that of Grana Padano is more ex-tended. Common to both products is the cheese-making technique, already known in Roman times, though historical docu-ments ascribe the birth of Grana Padano to the Cistercian monks of Chiaravalle Abbey in the 12th century. When these latter be-gan large-scale reclamation and drainage of Lower Lombardy they provided the impulse for cattle rearing, swift ly creating an abun-dance of milk, considerably in excess of the needs of the local population. Th e search for

inimitable GRANA

TRUE ITALIAN • • • Cheeses

by Manuela Brambilla

The Grana Padano production area

25

PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO AND GRANA PADANO

ARE THE MOST CONTERFEITED CHEESES

IN THE WORLD. TO DISTINGUISH ORIGINALS

FROM FAKES CHECK THE GUARANTEE MARK

OF THE PROTECTING CONSORTIUM

FIREBRANDED ON THE CHEESE.

Mer

idia

na Im

mag

ini (

9)

261- 2009

Chesees

Production area: through-

out the territory of Piedmont,

Veneto and Lombardy (ex-

cluding the Mantua area to

the east of the Po), the Prov-

ince of Trento and, in Emilia-

Romagna, the Provinces of

Ferrara, Forlì, Piacenza and

Ravenna, as well as the Bo-

logna territories located east

of the River Reno. The cheese

produced in Trentino with lo-

cal milk has the label “Trent-

ingrana”.

Cow foodstuff: fresh and si-

lo-stored fodder.

Processing: untreated milk

is used from maximum two

milkings in the same day, par-

tially creamed by skimming.

Conservatives: lysozyme, an

anti-fermentative, is permitted.

Minimum ripening: 9 months

Shape: wheel 18-25 cm, di-

ameter 35-45 cm and weight

24-40 kg.

Features: tough, smooth

thick rind, of light yellow col-

our. Compact, granular paste,

of straw-yellow colour.

• • •Zona di produzione: tutto il

territorio di Piemonte, Veneto

e Lombardia (esclusa l’area

mantovana situata alla destra

del Po), la provincia di Trento

e, in Emilia-Romagna, le pro-

vince di Ferrara, Forlì, Piacen-

za, Ravenna, nonché i territo-

ri bolognesi situati alla destra

del fi ume Reno. Quello pro-

dotto in Trentino con latte lo-

cale è contrassegnato con il

marchio “Trentingrana”.

Alimentazione bovina: fo-

raggi freschi e insilati.

Lavorazione: si utilizza il latte

crudo di massimo due mungi-

ture dello stesso giorno, par-

zialmente scremato per affi o-

ramento.

Conservanti: ammesso il li-

sozima, un antifermentativo.

Stagionatura minima: 9 mesi

Forma: 18-25 cm di scalzo,

35-45 cm di diametro e 24-

40 kg di peso.

Caratteristiche: la crosta è

dura, liscia, spessa, di colo-

re giallo chiaro. La pasta è

compatta e granulosa, di co-

lore giallo paglierino.

Grana Padano Dop cheese

MILCH COWS FOR GRANA

PRODUCTION ARE ALL REARED

AND MILKED IN THE PO PLAIN.

a way of conserving the surplus milk led to the creation of the recipe for Grana Padano, a hard paste cheese which conserves with rip-ening the nutritional properties of milk and acquires an unmistakeable fl avour. Th us were born the fi rst dairies for the production of a cheese with a hard, granular paste, which was spontaneously named grana. While there are diff erences between Parmi-giano-Reggiano and Grana Padano (to be seen later - Ed.), the production process is largely the same. Th e raw cow’s milk (only of local origin and so 100% Italian) is placed in heaters shaped like upside-down bells. When warmed, lactic acid bacteria are added, ob-tained by leaving the whey of the previous day’s processing to acidify naturally.

the ripening may last from 9 to 36 months

Th e milk is then made to coagulate with whey starter and calf rennet. Having obtained the curd, it is broken manually and brought to a temperature of 53-56° C. It is left to purge and then removed for placing in special moulds (the so-called fascere). Aft er 2-3 days the cheese, which has in the meantime assumed in the moulds its typical cylindrical shape, is dried and put in brine for 16-25 days. At the end of salting the cheese is ready to begin its long, exclusively natural, ripening. Th is lasts from 9-36 months and takes place in dedicated ripening storehouses at control-led temperatures and humidity. Th e cheese

27

therefore ripens slowly, frequently control-led by the operators who carefully turn, clean and select the shapes. Since 1955 Parmigiano-Reggiano and Gra-na Padano have been safeguarded as DOPs (Denomination of Protected Origin). Th is en-sures their traditional production methods, quality and authenticity. Both must be made in compliance with rules that discipline the entire production process: from the feeding of the cows to the organoleptic requirements of the cheeses. Th e two sets of rules are slight-ly diff erent, largely explaining the diversity

of taste and aromas between them. To begin with the raw material: the milk used for Gra-na Padano is less fatty than that intended for Parmigiano-Reggiano and the two cheeses re-fl ect this. Parmigiano-Reggiano is produced with milk obtained from animals fed only with dry fodder, green forage and meadow hay, while in the case of Grana Padano use is permitted of silo-stored fodder, obtained from whole cereal plants that are cut up and stored in silos. An anti-bacteria product, lys-ozyme, is permitted in the silos to prevent development of harmful organisms. Ripen-

ing times are also diff erent: at least 9 months and up to 15 for Grana Padano, from 12 to 36 months for Parmigiano-Reggiano.To begin with the names: only true DOP Italian cheeses can be called “Parmigiano-Reggiano” and “Grana Padano”. And only these cheeses can bear, fi re-branded, the trade-names of the protecting consortiums and the names carved on the rind in such a way as to appear on all the pieces or punte into which the cheese is divided when it is ready for consumption.

a cheese with great nutritional properties

Branding also confers an important distinguish-ing element on the product: every cheese, in fact, has indelibly impressed upon it a number that permits identifi cation, through a special register, of the dairy in which it was produced and the month and year of production. No fewer than 16 litres of milk are needed to make 1 kg of grana cheese. Th is explains its in-tense fl avour and nutritional wealth, 30 g are suffi cient to obtain the nutrients contained in half a litre of milk. Th e result is a food that is exceptional for its content of calcium and phosphorus, protein and vitamins, but which is also very light because rich in mono- and poly-saturated fatty acids. Th ese ensure high digestibility and guarantee a readily available source of energy. Grana cheese has been used for decades in sportsmen’s diets and has also entered astronauts’ menus. Last but not least, grana is a pleasure that can be permitted even

GRANA PADANO DOP CHEESES

RIPENING. THIS MAY LAST

FROM 9 MONTHS TO 2 YEARS.

ONLY RIPENED CHEESES THAT ARE

PERFECT RECEIVE THE FIREBRAND

OF THE PROTECTING CONSORTIUM.

281- 2009

to those allergic to lactose: recent research has revealed that the lactose content is between a hundred and a thousand times lower than the maximum level foreseen by the EU to defi ne an artifi cial milk as “lactose free”.

a typical ingredient of many italian recipes

Th e youngest grana (9-12 months’ ripening) is an excellent table cheese; that aged over a year and a half, on the other hand, is a cheese for meditation (especially when accompanied by sweet wines) and is perfect for grating. Indeed, there is not a table in Italy without its cheese dish. Just as there is no simple pasta, fi lled pasta, rice, soup or consommé without a grating of grana cheese. From fi rst dishes to meat dish-es, from vegetables to timbales, from quiches to au gratin dishes, these cheeses lend nobility and fl avour to even the simplest preparations. Yet Parmigiano-Reggiano and Grana Padano are second to none as table cheeses: in small pieces, together with a good glass of wine, or together with fresh or dried fruit, such as pears, peaches, fi gs, grapes and walnuts. Delicious with strawberries and balsamic vin-egar, surprising with kiwis or pomegranates, these cheeses become very fresh and appetiz-ing. Grana served in small pieces may be “re-newed” by adding a few drops of balsamic vine-gar and accompanying it with olives and capers. While the suggested combination at the end of the meal is with typical Cremona mustard or chutney or with honey and fruit compote. Or

Cheeses

Production area: the Prov-

inces of Reggio Emilia and

Modena and some of those of

Bologna (western bank of the

Reno) and of Mantua (eastern

bank of Po).

Cow foodstuff: only fresh

fodder and hay.

Processing: made only once

a day, with milk from previ-

ous evening’s milking partial-

ly creamed in special tanks,

to which is added whole milk

from the morning’s milking.

Conservatives: banned.

Minimum ripening: twelve

months.

Shape: PR-RE: wheel 18-24

cm, diameter 35-45 cm and

weight 24-40 kg.

Features: tough, dark and

greasy or golden yellow rind.

Soft and velvety paste, fi ne-

ly granular, darker or lighter

straw-yellow colour.

• • •Zona di produzione: le pro-

vince di Parma, Reggio Emi-

lia e Modena e parte di quelle

di Bologna (solo sulla riva si-

nistra del Reno) e di Mantova

(solo sulla riva destra del Po).

Alimentazione bovina: sol-

tanto foraggi freschi e fi eno.

Lavorazione: nella zona di

Parma e Reggio Emilia, si fa

soltanto una volta al giorno,

con il latte munto la sera pri-

ma, parzialmente scremato

e conservato in apposite va-

sche, cui si aggiunge diret-

tamente quello intero prove-

niente dalla mungitura del

mattino.

Conservanti: vietati.

Stagionatura minima: dodi-

ci mesi.

Forma: 18-24 cm di scalzo,

35-45 cm di diametro e 24-

40 kg di peso.

Caratteristiche: crosta dura,

scura ed oleata oppure giallo

dorato. Pasta morbida e vellu-

tata, fi nemente granulosa, di

colore giallo paglierino più o

meno intenso.

Parmigiano Reggiano Dop cheese

THESE CHEESES ARE

PRODUCED ACCORDING TO

RIGOROUS QUALITY CRITERIA

DEFINED BY REGULATIONS

AND GUARANTEED BY THE DOP.

The Parmiggiano Reggiano production area

29

with fi gs or a fi ne bunch of grapes. If you love cold dishes, try combining bresaola of Valtel-lina with raw courgettes, slices of kiwi and the inevitable fl akes of grana.Another very “Italian-style” idea is that of serving fl akes, lumps and mouthfuls of Par-migiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano (maybe together with olives or capers) with aperitifs and cocktails: a combination that brings out the

Scopriamo le qualità di Grana Padano e Parmigiano-Reggiano

Nel mondo le ven-dite di imitazio-

ni del Parmigiano Reg-giano valgono 678 mil-ioni di dollari l’anno. Ma i veri formaggi gra-na, gli originali, nas-cono solo in Italia, nel-la Pianura Padana, da cui provengono i due simboli dell’arte case-aria italiana: il Par-migiano-Reggiano e il Grana Padano. Il latte vaccino crudo (solo locale) viene ri-scaldato con l’aggiunta di fermenti lattici e por-tato alla cagliata, che viene rotta manualmen-te e scaldata a 53-56° C. Quindi la si lascia spurgare e la si estrae per porla negli stampi. Dopo 2-3 giorni, viene asciugata e messa in sa-lamoia per 16-25 gior-ni. Quindi è pronto per la maturazione da 9 a 36 mesi. Dal 1955 Parmigiano-Reggiano e Grana Padano sono tutelati dalla Denominazione di origine protetta, che ne garantisce l’autenticità. Il latte con cui viene fat-to il Grana Padano è più magro di quello desti-nato a Parmigiano-Reg-giano. Ogni forma reca impresso un numero che

permette di individuare il produttore e il mese e anno di produzione. Per ottenere 1 kg di for-maggio grana servono 16 litri di latte: ne nasce un alimento eccezion-ale per tenore di calcio e di fosforo, di proteine e vitamine, ricco di aci-di grassi mono e polinsa-turi, assai digeribili, una fonte energetica pronta-mente disponibile. Il grana più giovane (9-12 mesi di stagionatu-ra) è ottimo da tavola; quello che supera un an-no e mezzo è invece da meditazione (soprattut-to se accompagnato da vini dolci) e ideale per essere grattugiato. Si possono anche servire scaglie, noci e boccon-cini di Parmigiano Reg-giano o Grana Padano (magari insieme a ol-ive o capperi) con aper-itivi.Per conservarlo, l’ideale è avvolgerlo in un cano-vaccio umido e tenerlo in frigo alla temperat-ura di 4°C. Quello con-fezionato sottovuoto può essere conservato anche a lungo tra 0 e 5°C.

best in dry liquors while tempering their alco-holic eff ect. Beware of preparing it in advance; the fl akes and mouthfuls dry rapidly.As for conservation, the ideal method is to wrap them in a damp cloth (to prevent them from dry-ing out too much) and to keep them stored in a refrigerator at 4° C. Vacuum-packed cheeses can be conserved for much longer periods at tem-peratures ranging from 0 to +5° centigrade.

A CURIOUS RISOTTO,

CARVED DIRECTLY FROM

THE GREAT CHEESE

SHAPES.

RESTAURANT-FASHIONED,

IT WAS AND IS A FASHION.

301- 2009

Probably prosciutti - hams - are the alimentary product with the shortest list of ingredients: pork haunches and salt. Even though,

in all truth, these two concrete ingredients are joined by two more ethereal ones: good air and the weather. Th ere is not a single raw ham, in Italy, that is not born of the long, slow and patient ma-turing of the pork haunches in storerooms located in hilly areas, where the air is fresh and breezy, and using solely the most natu-ral of conservatives, salt. And it is extraor-dinary to note how the natural combination of these four elements produces hams so dif-ferent from each other, off ering such a wide range of tastes, perfumes and aromas. Th e merit on the one hand of the environ-ment and a particular micro-climate, and

on the other hand of the choice of quality meats, of the operators’ skills and of a tech-nique handed down over the centuries and still deeply rooted.

traditional working processStill today as a thousand years ago ham is left to mature slowly and naturally, with the passing of the months, without recourse to chemical substances or additives which might speed up the maturing (and would notably reduce costs), but would demean the ham. If 9 months are needed to give birth to a child, a quality ham requires at least 12. And only mature, high-quality meats will stand up to this long maturing. If the meat is not mature, if the ham is not seasoned and if the seasoning has not been

completely natural, the ham is not “good”. Italy is recognized without dispute as the country of raw hams. Products which have been created for centuries in various areas of the county: from Friuli Venezia-Giulia, mov-ing down towards Veneto and then towards Emilia-Romagna and further down still to Marche and Tuscany. Th ese production ar-eas, while diff erent, adopt a very similar tra-ditional working process, articulated in the following phases: ■ selection of the fresh haunches. In particu-lar, the Parma, San Daniele and Tuscan hams are made with heavy pork; that is to say, com-ing from especially heavy pork with reduced water content and the presence of inter-mus-cular fat which is a necessary condition for achieving particularly tasty fi nal products.■ trimming of the haunches when necessary

TRUE ITALIAN • • • Delicatessen

PROSCIUTTIthe true

Prosciutti Dop production area

31

PRECIOUS RESOURCES OF THE ITALIAN

AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRY, PROSCIUTTI OF

PROTECTED ORIGIN ARE PROMINENT ON

THE CONTEMPORARY TABLE.

by Manuela Brambilla

Mer

idia

na Im

mag

ini (

11)

321- 2009

Delicatessen

to give the ham its typical shape, which facili-tates salting;■ salting: this is done dry, using salt and aromatic herbs when necessary. It is shorter in damper areas (such as Parma or Mode-na), since humidity facilitates salt penetra-tion, while it is longer in Tuscany, where it lasts 3-4 weeks;■ pre-seasoning: this is a phase when the ham undergoes gradual dehydration accom-panied by slow and gradual maturing of the meat. It concludes with washing and drying the haunches;■ larding: the haunches are covered by a paste of pork fat ground with salt and pep-per (and possibly corn fl our or rice). Th is serves to keep them soft , while permitting them to continue drying out, and to protect them from dehydration;■ seasoning: kept in environments with optimal conditions of temperature and hu-midity, they mature slowly, developing all the aromas and special flavours character-istic of raw hams;■ fi re branding: aft er long seasoning the ol-factory features of the ham are checked by in-serting a horse bone, shaped like a needle, in-

to the meat at various points. Aft er this check, which permits detection of any defects in the product, hams considered up to standard are fi re branded with the DOP mark which iden-tifi es and guarantees their quality.

the DOP guaranteeItaly currently has 6 raw hams which have obtained the EU recognition of Denomi-nation of Protected Origin (DOP), an im-portant mark of origin since it guarantees alimentary products created in compli-ance with traditional methodologies, us-ing exclusively local raw materials that are worked in loco. The DOP is therefore the true, deep soul of a terroir and its typical features, and permits the unaltered main-tenance of a traditional production tech-

nique, to safeguard the prestige and quality of these quality products.But the DOP is also a guarantee of con-sumer security: it ensures, in fact, that ham producers have complied with a rigorous disciplinary code of production that fore-sees the obligation of “traceability” from breeding to consumption in order to guar-antee the purchaser a quality product and the presence of the producer’s “name and surname”. Control of the entire production process is carried out by a certifying or-ganism authorized by the Ministry of Ag-ricultural, Alimentary and Forestry Policies which checks compliance, throughout the production line, from breeding to season-ing, with the rules foreseen in the produc-tion disciplines of the single DOPs.Lastly, the DOP guarantees a ham genuine-ly “made in Italy” and is a defence against agricultural piracy. This latter is a consid-erable problem for the Italian alimentary industry. Suffice to say that Italian food and beverage exports amount to 20 billion euro, while the imitation of such products throughout the world is worth more than double (over 50 billion euro). DOP hams

The pork haunches are salted and, after pre-seasoning, are larded with pork fat. After seasoning

each prosciutto is fi re-branded with the DOP logo of its origin.

ONLY THE DOP GUARANTEES THAT

THE CONSUMER IS TASTING REAL

ITALIAN-MADE PROSCIUTTO

WITH ITS RICH FLAVOURS AND UNIQUE

CHARACTERISTICS

33

are quality products, widely consumed and rooted in the Italian economic-productive tradition, the proper appreciation of which is part of the complex support strategy for Italian-made agro-alimentary products and goes hand in hand with the conservation of the heritage of flavours and skills character-izing this same sector.

the magnifi cent sixDOP raw hams travel the world and are known in gourmet restaurants and shops all over the globe. So they are really “in-ternational”. ■ Prosciutto di Carpegna: obtained from processing the haunches of heavy pigs whose lives have been spent in Marche, Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy, this is produced in the territory of the Munici-pality of Carpegna, in the Province of Pe-saro-Urbino. It can boast an ancient tradi-tion, linked to the abundance of oak trees which provided acorns for pig fodder: this is testified by a 12th century canvas con-served in the Church of San Leo, Car-pegna, in which a local ham is illustrated.

Around 95,000 items are produced a year.■ Prosciutto di Modena: it was the Bronze Age Celts who introduced pork processing into the Modena area. Today the production of this raw ham, the processing of which lasts at least 14 months, amounts to around 136,000 items per year.■ Prosciutto di Parma: this is one of the fl ag-ships in the world of Italian delicatessen pro-duction, with its 9.7 million items per year. It is made exclusively from the fresh haunches of pigs aged over nine months, weighing at least 150 kg and which are laid for 24 hours, before processing, in special cold rooms till they reach a temperature of 0° C, so that the meat becomes fi rm as it cools and can be trimmed more easily. ■ Prosciutto di San Daniele: another major protagonist of Italian production, with pro-duction of 2.7 million items per year, this comes from the Municipality of San Dan-iele del Friuli. As a result of its location in the hills, where the fresh, balsamic Alpine air meets the milder, more tingling air of the Adriatic, this area has an ideal micro-climate for ham production.■ Prosciutto Toscano: this is produced in Tus-

cany, where laws concerning the slaughtering of pigs and the conservation of their meat al-ready existed in the days of Charlemagne. Th e use, during the processing, of spices, aromatic plants and essences typical of the Tuscan ter-ritory (such as laurel, rosemary, juniper ber-ries, garlic) lend them organoleptic proper-ties that set them strongly apart from other Italian hams. Unlike almost all other national hams, which are machine-cut into thin slices, the Prosciutto Toscano is sliced with a knife, and purists maintain that its fl avour is fully ap-preciated only with this type of cut. Around 300,000 items are produced per year. ■ Prosciutto Veneto Berico-Euganeo: proc-essed and seasoned for at least 12 months in the typical transformation zone, between the Provinces of Vicenza, Verona and Padua, this is fi re-branded with the Lion of St. Mark and the word “Veneto”, symbols which safeguard its origin and quality. 66,500 items were pro-duced in 2007.

a healthy and light foodRaw ham is not “just” a tasty hors d’oeuvres or a tempting snack; as a food it may be

Checks on the seasoning of the prosciutti (minimum 12 months) are fi rst visual and tactile; after this

a horse-bone needle is inserted to test the olfactory characteristics.

341- 2009

PROSCIUTTO

DI CARPEGNA DOP

Shape: rounded and slightly pressed,

weight between 8 and 11 kg.

Seasoning: minimum 13 months

Appearance when cut: delicate

salmon colour and just proportion of

fat, giving exterior a pinker shade.

Fine, intense aroma, delicate, fra-

grant taste.

Production area: Carpegna, in

the Province of Pesaro-Urbino, in

Marche.

Conservation: conserve at 7-10 °C

when boned, +15-20 °C with bone.

www.naturalmenteitaliano.it

PROSCIUTTO

DI MODENA DOP

Shape: pear-shaped, without foot.

Minimum weight 7 kg, but gener-

ally 8-10 kg.

Seasoning: at least 14 months.

Appearance when cut: intense

red colour, tasty but not salty, rich,

sweet aroma.

Production area: hills not more

than 900 metres high in Provinc-

es of Bologna, Modena and Reggio

Emilia, in Emilia-Romagna.

Conservation: when whole, keep in

cool place (but never in refrigerator),

gently oiling the cut part and cov-

ering it again with transparent fi lm

to maintain the right softness of the

meat. If boned and portioned, con-

serve in refrigerator.

consorzioprosciuttomodena.it

PROSCIUTTO

DI PARMA DOP

Shape: generally rounded, without

foot, weight from 8 to 10 kg, never

less than 7 kg.

Seasoning: not less than 12 months.

Appearance when cut: lively pink

colour, tending to red, with white

veins in the fat parts. Aromatic, fra-

grant perfume, tasty but sweet and

typical fl avour.

Production area: Province of Par-

ma, in the Emilia Romagna Region.

Conservation if whole and with

bone, conserve hung at room tem-

perature between 17° and 20° C.

When boned and packed, keep in

refrigerator below 10° C. After slic-

ing has begun can be kept in the

refrigerator for about a month, tak-

ing care to cover the cut with fi lm or

aluminium foil.

www.prosciuttodiparma.com

PROSCIUTTO

DI SAN DANIELE DOP

Shape: guitar-shaped with foot,

weight not less than 12 kg.

Seasoning: 13 months, with at

least 8 of natural seasoning.

Appearance when cut: just balance

between lean part, red-pink in colour,

and fat part, perfectly white. Sweet,

typical fl avour with intensity varying

according to period of seasoning.

Production area: San Daniele del

Friuli in Province of Udine.

Conservation: when whole and

with bone, keep in cool place. When

boned, keep in refrigerator, at tem-

perature between 4° and 8° C, with

tin foil on the cut and wrapped in a

damp cloth. When sliced should al-

ways be kept in refrigerator and is

best eaten within 24 hours.

www.prosciuttosandaniele.it

PROSCIUTTO

TOSCANO DOP

Shape: rounded, more bow-shaped

towards top. Weight varies between

8 and 9 kg.

Seasoning: according to weight,

but never less than 10 months.

Appearance when cut: the lean

part is between light and bright red

with slightly fatty veins, the subcu-

taneous fat is pure white with slight

pink veins. Typical fragrant and in-

tense aroma, savoury taste.

Production area: throughout Re-

gion of Tuscany.

Conservation in a cool place when

whole, in refrigerator when sliced.

www.prosciuttotoscano.com

PROSCIUTTO VENETO

BERICO EUGANEO DOP

Shape: naturally semi-pressed

shape, without foot, weight between

8 and 11 kg.

Seasoning: at least 12 months, but

usually from 16 to 20 months.

Appearance when cut: the lean

part is intense pink, the fat parts

pure white. The taste is delicate and

rounded, with fragrant aroma.

Production area: 15 Municipalities

in the Veneto Region (Montagnana,

Saletto, Ospedaletto Euganeo, Este,

Noventa Vicentina, Sossano, Sare-

go, Lonigo, Alonte, Orgiano, Pressa-

na, Roveredo di Guà, Pojana Mag-

giore, Barbarano, Villaga).

Conservation: when whole, keep in

dry, cool place; when boned keep in

refrigerator at temperature between

4° and 10° C, protecting the cut

part with tin foil or transparent fi lm

and wrapping it in a damp cloth.

www.prosciuttoveneto.it

High-quality Italian prosciutti

Del icatessen

35

rightfully considered as a complete, light and healthy meal. Indeed, raw hams, as well as being superbly “good”, are “inno-cent” sins of the appetite, given that they are highly nutritional foods: lacking in ad-ditives of any kind, rich in proteins, min-erals (such as iron and zinc) and vitamin Bs, they have a cholesterol content equal to sole or beef. 100 grams of raw ham, without fat, contains 58% water, 29% protein, 5% fat and provides 159 kilo-calories. Fats have been reduced in recent years – today they are around 12% - but above all they have improved qualitatively: saturated fats have fallen to 30% compared with 75% polyunsaturated and monounsaturated. During seasoning, in fact, a high percent-age of the saturated fatty acids contained in raw meat is transformed into unsaturated fat acids, the same as are contained in ex-tra-virgin olive oil. Furthermore, raw ham is very light be-cause, during the long seasoning, the enzymes break the proteins down into simple amino acids, thereby perform-ing in advance what normally happens inside the human stomach.

how to taste them

Delicious as they are already, little more is needed: a slice of bread or a grissino and a glass of good wine. Th is makes them an even easi-er pleasure, since therÈs no need to go to the gas rings and they don’t take up time cooking. Even so, a little bit of imagination can make them better still. All that is needed is to take inspiration from the way in which the hams are eaten in their areas of origin. In Tusca-ny the local ham is also used on hot canapés stuff ed with liver; in Emilia-Romagna the ham dish is never served without twirls of butter; in Marche slices of ham add fl avour to rusks soaked in tomato. In recent years raw ham has been increasingly served with vegetables or fruit. And truly, it adds a touch of fl avour

and refi nement to mixed green salads, those of red lettuce or chicory, better still if enriched with aromatic herbs (such as thyme or marjo-ram) and dressed, obviously, with extra-virgin olive oil. Intriguing, too, are the combinations with summer fruit, such as fresh fi gs, melon, kiwis or grapes, as well as exotic ones such as mango or papaya. In the winter it is a perfect match for pomegranates, oranges and black-currants. Th ose who love cooking can try us-ing raw ham as an ingredient for tortelli fi llings or for vegetables sauces (such as asparagus), to stuff pecorino cheese crêpes or to enrich roast veal and white meat roulades. Both red and white wines are perfect match-es for raw ham. A fruity Lambrusco or a dry Malvasia from the hills of Parma or Piacenza are ideal for Prosciutto di Parma, but in any region of Italy or of the world the Prosciutto is a wonderful match for the local wines. Just to mention a few, the Tuscan reds, the whites of

Alsace, or the wines of the Lorraine, or even Champagne. Th e best choice will take in-to account the occasion of the meeting: a white will be more suitable for a matinée,

while for a carefully structured dinner a red with a round bouquet may be conceded.

Raw ham is a healthy, light and nourishing food. To be tasted with a grissino, or in combination with fruit

and vegetables. Below: prosciutto di Parma with granita of white melon (Alma Scuola di Cucina).

361- 2009

PROSCIUTTO

DI CARPEGNA DOP

Forma: tondeggiante e schiaccia-

to, di peso tra gli 8 e gli 11 kg.

Stagionatura: 13 mesi minimi.

Aspetto al taglio: delicato color sal-

mone e giusta proporzione di gras-

so, che all’esterno presenta una no-

ta più rosata. Profumo fi ne e inten-

so, gusto delicato e fragrante.

Area di produzione: Carpegna, in

provincia di Pesaro-Urbino, nelle

Marche.

Conservazione: disossato si con-

serva a 7-10 °C mentre con l’osso

a +15-20 °C.

www.naturalmenteitaliano.it

PROSCIUTTO

DI MODENA DOP

Forma: a pera, senza piedino. Pe-

so minimo di 7 kg, ma in genere di

8-10 kg.

Stagionatura: almeno 14 mesi.

Aspetto al taglio: colore rosso in-

tenso, gusto saporito ma non sala-

to, profumo ricco e dolce.

Area di produzione: colline non

oltre i 900 metri di altitudine nel-

le province di Bologna, Modena e

Reggio Emilia, in Emilia-Romagna.

Conservazione: intero va tenuto in

luogo fresco (ma mai in frigorifero),

ungendo con un fi lo d’olio la par-

te del taglio e ricoprendola poi con

pellicola trasparente per mantenere

la giusta morbidezza della carne. Se

disossato e porzionato conservare

in frigorifero.

consorzioprosciuttomodena.it

PROSCIUTTO

DI PARMA DOP

Forma: tendenzialmente rotondo,

privo del piedino, di peso tra gli 8-10

kg e mai inferiore ai 7 kg.

Stagionatura: almeno 12 mesi.

Aspetto al taglio: colore rosa viva-

ce, tendente al rosso, con venature

bianche delle parti grasse. Profumo

aromatico e fragrante, gusto sapori-

to ma dolce e caratteristico.

Area di produzione: provincia di

Parma, in Emilia Romagna.

Conservazione: se intero e con l’os-

so si conserva appeso a temperatura

ambiente compresa tra i 17° e 20°

C. Disossato e confezionato va in fri-

gorifero a meno di 10° C. Una vol-

ta che lo si comincia ad affettare si

mantiene in frigorifero per circa un

mese, avendo cura di ricoprire il ta-

glio con pellicola o alluminio.

www.prosciuttodiparma.com

PROSCIUTTO

DI SAN DANIELE DOP

Forma: a chitarra con il piedino, di

peso non inferiore a 12 kg.

Stagionatura: 13 mesi, di cui al-

meno 8 di stagionatura naturale.

Aspetto al taglio: giusto equilibrio

tra la parte magra, di colore rosso-

rosato, e quella grassa, di colore per-

fettamente bianco. Il sapore è dolce

e caratteristico e l‘intensità varia a

seconda del periodo di stagionatura.

Area di produzione: San Daniele

del Friuli in provincia di Udine.

Conservazione: intero e con l’osso

si conserva in luogo fresco. Se di-

sossato va tenuto in frigorifero, ad

una temperatura compresa tra i 4°

8° C, con una stagnola sul taglio ed

avvolto in un canovaccio umido. Se

affettato va sempre conservato in

frigorifero e sarebbe bene consu-

marlo entro le 24 ore.

www.prosciuttosandaniele.it

PROSCIUTTO

TOSCANO DOP

Forma: tondeggiante con una linea

più arcuata sulla sommità. Il peso

oscilla sugli 8-9 kg.

Stagionatura: varia in base al peso

delle cosce, ma non può essere in-

feriore ai 10 mesi

Aspetto al taglio: il colore della pol-

pa è tra il rosso chiaro e il rosso ac-

ceso con poche venature dii grasso.

Quaello sottocutaneo è bianco pu-

ro vagamente venato di rosa. Aroma

fragrante ed intenso, gusto sapido.

Area di produzione: l’intero territo-

rio della regione Toscana

Conservazione: intero in luogo fre-

sco, affettato in frigorifero

www.prosciuttotoscano.com

PROSCIUTTO VENETO

BERICO EUGANEO DOP

Forma: forma naturalmente semi-

pressata, privo del piedino, di peso

compreso tra gli 8 e gli 11 kg.

Stagionatura: almeno 12 mesi, ma

di solito tra i 16 e i 20 mesi.

Aspetto al taglio: il colore della pol-

pa è di un rosa intenso, con le parti

grasse bianco puro, il gusto è delica-

to e rotondo, il profumo fragrante.

Area di produzione: 15 comuni

della regione Veneto (Montagnana,

Saletto, Ospedaletto Euganeo, Este,

Noventa Vicentina, Sossano, Sare-

go, Lonigo, Alonte, Orgiano, Pressa-

na, Roveredo di Guà, Pojana Mag-

giore, Barbarano, Villaga).

Conservazione: intero in ambiente

asciutto e fresco; disossato in frigo-

rifero a 4-10°C proteggendo il taglio

con stagnola o pellicola trasparente

e avvolto in un panno inumidito.

www.prosciuttoveneto.it

prosciutti italiani eccellenti

Del icatessen

37

Probabilmente sono il prodotto alimentare con l’elenco degli in-

gredienti più breve: cosce di suino e sale. Anche se, a onor del vero, a que-ste due materie prime molto concre-te vanno aggiunti due ingredienti più eterei: l’aria buona e il tempo. Ed è straordinario constatare come, dalla combinazione naturale di questi quat-to elementi, si ottengano prosciutti così diversi tra loro, che off rono una gamma tanto ampia di gusti, profu-mi e aromi. Ancora oggi come mille anni fa si la-scia che il prosciutto maturi in mo-do lento e naturale, con lo scorrere dei mesi, senza ricorrere a sostanze chimi-che o additivi che ne velocizzerebbero la stagionatura (comportando anche un notevole taglio dei costi) ma svili-rebbero il prosciutto.

La produzione italianaL’Italia è la patria riconosciuta e in-discussa dei prosciutti crudi. Prodotti che, da secoli, vengono realizzati in di-verse zone del paese: dal Friuli Venezia Giulia scendendo verso il Veneto e poi verso l’Emilia Romagna e ancora giù nelle Marche e in Toscana. Queste aree di produzione, pur essendo diff erenti, adottano un processo di lavorazione tradizionale molto simile, che prevede diverse fasi.■ Selezione delle cosce fresche. In par-ticolare, l prosciutto di Parma, il San Daniele e il Toscano sono fatti con sui-no pesante, cioè un suino di elevato pe-so caratterizzato da carni con un ri-dotto contenuto in acqua e con una presenza di grasso intramuscolare che è condizione necessaria per avere pro-

dotto fi niti particolarmente saporiti.■ Eventuale rifi latura delle cosce per conferire al prosciutto la sua forma ti-pica, che ne facilita la salagione.■ Salatura: eseguita a secco con l’im-piego di sale ed eventualmente di er-be aromatiche. È più breve nelle zone umide (come a Parma o Modena), per-ché l’umidità facilita la penetrazione del sale, mentre è più lunga in Tosca-na, dove dura 3-4 settimane.

■ Pre-stagionatura: è una fase duran-te la quale il prosciutto va incontro ad una progressiva disidratazione a cui si accompagna una lenta e graduale ma-turazione della carne. Si conclude con la lavatura e l’asciugatura delle cosce.■ Sugnatura: le cosce vengono coperte da impasto di grasso di maiale maci-nato con sale e pepe (o anche farina di grano o riso per mantenerle morbide e per proteggerle dalla disidratazione.■ Stagionatura: in ambienti con ot-timali condizioni di temperatura e di umidità maturano lentamente.

■ Marchiatura a fuoco: dopo una lunga stagionatura si procede alla verifi ca delle caratteristiche olfattive del prosciutto introducendo un osso di cavallo, modellato a forma di ago, in vari punti delle carni. Dopo que-sta verifi ca che permette di eviden-ziare eventuali difetti del prodotto, i prosciutti ritenuti idonei vengono marchiati a fuoco con il contrassegno della DOP.

Una garanzia chiamata DOPAttualmente l’Italia conta ben 6 pro-sciutti crudi che hanno ottenuto dal-l’Unione Europea il riconoscimento della Denominazione di origine pro-tetta (DOP), un marchio importante perché garantisce i prodotti alimenta-ri realizzati secondo metodologie tra-dizionali, utilizzando esclusivamente materie prime locali che vengono lavo-rate in loco. La DOP rappresenta anche una garanzia di sicurezza per i consu-matori: infatti assicura da parte dei prosciuttifi ci il rispetto di un rigido di-

sciplinare di produzione che prevede l’obbligo della “tracciabilità” dall’alle-vamento al consumo così garantire al-l’acquirente un prodotto di eccellenza e con “nome e cognome” del produttore. Infi ne la DOP è garanzia di prosciut-to autenticamente “made in Italy” e difende dall’agropirateria. I prosciutti Dop sono prodotti pregiati, largamen-te consumati e radicati nella tradizio-ne economico-produttiva italiana.

Come gustarloDeliziosi come sono, non richiedono granché: una fetta di pane o un gris-sino e un buon bicchiere di vino. Ci si può poi ispirare alle abitudini con cui i prosciutti vengono consumati nelle loro zone d’origine. In Toscana il pro-sciutto crudo locale si usa anche sui crostini caldi farciti con il fegato, in Emilia-Romagna nel piatto del pro-sciutto non mancano mai i riccioli di burro, nelle Marche le fette di prosciut-to arricchiscono le bruschette al po-modoro. Sempre più spesso il prosciut-to crudo viene servito con verdura o frutta, classicamente fi chi freschi, me-lone, kiwi o uva. In cucina il prosciut-to crudo è ingrediente dei ripieni per i tortelli o dei sughi alle verdure (co-me gli asparagi), per farcire le crêpes al formaggio pecorino, o per arricchi-re arrosti di vitello e involtini anche di carni bianche. E quanto ai vini, sia i bianchi che i rossi si acompagnano perfettamente al prosciutto crudo. Che non teme lo Champagne.

Suino, sale, aria buona e tempo: il prosciutto crudo si fa così

381- 2009

Delicatessen news

Alma recipes for Prosciutto di Parma

A splendid series of recipes for Prosciut-to di Parma display the taste and ver-

satility of this treasure of Italian agricultu-ral produce. Th ey are signed by the chefs of Alma, the International School of Ita-lian Cuisine directed by Gualtiero Mar-chesi and are now brought together in a volume published by Battei in the Parma in tavola series (battei.it), with photos by Alessandro Carra and Gianni Mezzani. Th e volume, in Italian and English, is di-stributed through the press offi ce network of the Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma (prosciuttodiparma.com) in Europe, Asia and the United States.

Le ricette di Alma col Prosciutto di ParmaUna strepitosa serie di ricette con il Prosciutto di Parma mette in risalto il gusto e la versa-tilità di questo tesoro dell’agroalimentare ita-liano. Sono quelle fi rmate dagli chef di Alma, la Scuola internazionale di cucina italiana di-retta da Gualtiero Marchesi e ora raccolte in un volume pubblicato dalla casa editric Bat-tei nella collana Parma in tavola (battei.it). Il volume, in italiano e inglese, è distribuito attraverso gli uffi ci stampa che il Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma (prosciuttodiparma.com) ha in Europa, Asia e Stati Uniti.

Prosciutti and salami aperitif italian style

Dop and Igp delicatessen products are high among Italian excellences. To

increase awareness of them the Istituto di valorizzazione dei salumi italiani is or-ganizing SalumiAmo, meetings in trendy eating-places in great cities, at aperitif ti-me. Th e idea is to show how the tastes of our tradition combine well with the most fashionable consumer habits. Th e latest fo-reign stage of the event took place in Ger-many, with stops in Hamburg, Munich and the grand fi nale in Berlin in May. It will re-sume aft er the summer break, destination Great Britain (www.salumi-italiani.it).

Prosciutti e salumi l’aperitivo italianoI salumi Dop e Igp sono fra le produzioni d’ec-cellenza italiane. Per promuoverne la cono-scenza l’Istituto di valorizzazione dei salumi italiani organizza “SalumiAmo”, incontri in locali di tendenza di grandi città, all’ora del-l’aperitivo. Lo scopo è sottolineare come i gu-sti della nostra tradizione si ben si sposano al-le abitudini di consumo più alla moda. L’ul-tima tappa dell’evento all’estero si è svolta in Germania, con tappe ad Amburgo, Monaco e gran fi nale a Berlino, in maggio. Dopo la pausa estiva si replica, con destinazione Gran Bretagna. (www.salumi-italiani.it)

Prosciutto di San Daniele culture in art photos

Dedicated to the nature, city, people and prosciutto of San Daniele is the

exhibition bearing the same name. Th e crowning event of Aria di Festa, it will be held in San Daniele del Friuli from 26 to 29 June. Th e work of two photographers can be admired at the Museo del Territorio of the Friuli town, Mario Dondero, born in 1928 and among the most authoritati-ve photo-journalists, and Marco Signorini (1962). Both wished to show how San Da-niele goes “beyond the product to become a sort of witness to the extraordinary cul-ture of the prosciutto”, as the Chairman of the Consortium, Alberto Morante, puts it (prosciuttosandaniele.it).

Scatti d’autore per il Prosciutto San DanieleÈ dedicata alla natura, alla città, alla gen-te e al prosciutto di San Daniele l’omonima mostra, evento clou di Aria di Festa, che si svolge a San Daniele del Friuli dal 26 al 29 giugno. Al Museo del Territorio della citta-dina si potranno ammirare gli scatti di due autori: Mario Dondero, classe 1928 e Marco Signorini (1962). Entrambi hanno illustra-to come San Daniele vada «oltre il prodotto per diventare una sorta di testimone della straordinaria cultura del prosciutto», com-menta il presidente del Consorzio Alberto Morante (prosciuttosandaniele.it).

Mar

io D

onde

ro

http://www.worldfood-moscow.com

401- 2009

TASTE OF ITALY • • • Open letter

What do you know about Italian sounding? Th at’s the phrase they use in the United States to describe the market of food

products inspired by Italian-made ones. Nothing unusual at fi rst sight. But this “item” includes natural sons and illegitimate child-births no less than in the fashion sector, which swarms with fakes alongside the authentic la-bels. In the same way, products circulate in the food sector that have no legitimate rela-tionship with the Italian-made agro-alimen-tary system, yet proudly display references to Italian material culture, thereby taking ad-vantage of its fame and great gastronomic tra-ditions. Agro-piracy involves nine “Italian” products out of ten. Th e Italian sounding record belongs to the United States. Nomisma research has calcu-lated a retail market amounting to 17.7 billion dollars, of which 1.5 billion relates to authen-tic Italian products while the remaining 16.2

(91.4%) regards fakes. More recent research has confi rmed these statistics with only slight variations (fakes oscillating between 80 and 90% of the total billing). A scandalous phenomenon that undermines real Italian exports, not to speak of the quali-tative credibility of our cheeses, delicatessen products, desserts, baked foods, pasta, fruit and vegetables. But who guarantees these fakes with USA passports? Th e damage is provoked by that same country which rules the roost at the WTO, starting with “geographical indica-tions” (protection of typical products). But “let he who is without sin cast the fi rst stone”, because rumour has it that the “fakers” are oft en of Italian origin or closely linked with Italian companies. Some, for that matter, were already produc-ing “Italian fakes” before our products were protected in their territorial origin, or had de-posited their “brand”.

«Italian restaurant-owners of the world, defend our food»

DAVIDE PAOLINI, man of Romagna by nature,

globetrotter by choice, describes himself as a

gastronauta, a promoter of material culture. He

has been a marketing communication manager in

Benetton, including the Formula 1 team. He has

created numerous events with his team, including

Taste in Florence, Squisito with the Community of

San Patrignano, Territori in Festival at Montecatini.

He has held seminars on the material culture of the

Italian territories in the institutes of Italian culture

in Madrid and Frankfurt; subjects he has also

taught, fi rst at the University of Urbino and then at

that of Parma. A contributor to Sole 24 Ore on food

culture since 1983, he presents Il Gastronauta, a

programme broadcast on Radio 24. Every year he

prepares for the press the Guida ai ristoranti of Sole

24 Ore (Businessemedia 24 editore). His writings

include I luoghi del gusto (Baldini & Castoldi), Guida

agli itinerari dei formaggi d’Italia (Gruppo Calderini

Edagricole), Cibovagando (Il Sole 24 Ore), Dal riso ai

Risotti and Viaggio nei giacimenti golosi (Mondadori,

translated into several languages); Il mestiere del

Gastronauta and La Garzantina dei prodotti tipici

d’Italia (Garzanti).

Profile

DAVIDE PAOLINI, JOURNALIST AND WRITER,

IS A PROFOUND CONNOISSEUR OF THE HIGH-CLASS

PRODUCTS OF ITALIAN OENOLOGY-GASTRONOMY

AND HAS BEEN FIGHTING A RUNNING BATTLE TO

PROTECT THEM AND SPREAD AWARENESS OF THEM.

THE BEST KNOWN CONNOISSEUR OF ITALIAN OENOLOGICAL-GASTRONOMIC RESERVES

CALLS FOR A REDISCOVERY OF GENUINE PRODUCTS AS A WAY OF FIGHTING FAKES.

41

DAVIDE PAOLINI’S RESTAURANT GUIDE LISTS

THE BEST ITALIAN EATING-PLACES, IDENTIFYING

THE POSITIVE VALUES OF EACH ONE, FROM THE QUALITY

OF THEIR PRODUCTS TO THEIR TRADITIONAL RECIPES

AND THE ORIGINALITY OF THEIR MENUS.

DAVIDE PAOLINI romagnolo nel carattere,

globetrotter per scelta, si definisce “gastronauta”,

promotore di cultura materiale. È stato direttore

marketing communication in Benetton, compreso

il team di Formula 1. Con la propria azienda

ha creato numerosi eventi, tra cui: Taste a

Firenze, Squisito con la Comunità di San

Patrignano, Territori in Festival a Montecatini.

Ha tenuto seminari sulla cultura materiale dei

territori italiani negli istituti di cultura italiana

a Madrid e Francoforte; tematiche della sua

docenza all’università di Urbino e poi a Parma.

Collaboratore del Sole 24 Ore di cultura del

cibo dall’83, conduttore della trasmissione “il

Gastronauta” su Radio 24. Ogni anno dà alle

stampe Guida ai ristoranti de Il Sole 24 Ore

(Businessemedia 24 Ed.). Nella sua attività di

scrittore: I luoghi del gusto (Baldini&Castoldi),

Guida agli itinerari dei formaggi d’Italia (Calderini

Edagricole), Cibovagando (Il Sole 24 Ore), Dal

riso ai Risotti e Viaggio nei giacimenti golosi

(Mondadori, tradotti in più lingue); Il mestiere del

Gastronauta e La Garzantina dei prodotti tipici

d’Italia (Garzanti).

Profilo

Th is explains the “Parma” (prosciutto, of course) legally circulating in Canada by courtesy of Ma-ple Leaf Consumer Foods and the Prosciutto San Daniele produced by Santa Maria foods. Th ese are isolated cases, to some extent legal, but I have seen personally in certain gour-mandize stores imitations of protected de-nominations such as Gorgonzola, Asiago and Fontina, produced by Stella Cheese in Illinois and by Belgioioso in Winsconsin, which even markets Grana Americano with the same shape as Grana Padano. Th e record for fakes goes to Provolone (Belgioioso, Grande, Polly’o). Also to be had is Crescenza from Bellwether Farms (California), which also trade Toscano and Pepato cheeses. Other cheeses with names vaguely suggesting real Italian ones are Fontal and Fontinella, not to speak of “Parveggiano” which has the orig-inal feature of vegetable curd. And let us not forget the raid on Parmigiano Reggiano, start-ing with “Parmesan”, followed by “Regianito”

and capped by the inspired “Parveggiano”, an-other Belgioioso invention, it seems.Parmesan cheese by Kraft is naturally up and running; you can get it even in Hong Kong.Obviously, delicatessen products are not spared: Salami Toscano and Nostrano, Salame di Varzi, Salsiccia calabra, Sopressata, Finoc-chiona, Mortadella and Coppa. Th ere’s a wide choice of producers: Molinari, Santa Maria Foods, Columbus, Cariani & Busseto. Wouldn’t it be worth spending just a little more to protect our denominations (partic-ularly DOPs and IGPs) on the foreign market, in view of their evident earning power?I would only like to mention the long and diffi cult legal battle won in Germany by the splendid Italian artisan ice-cream makers (UNITEIS) a couple of years ago when, aft er a sentence of the Bonn Court, the “Gelateria Mi-no” was closed because it displayed the notice “Italian product” when it was run by an Iraqi. A pity it was only an isolated case! D.P.

Ristoratori italiani all’estero, baluardo del cibo made in Italy

Conoscete l’italian sounding? Così è

defi nito negli Stati Uni-ti il mercato dei pro-dotti alimentari che si ispirano a quelli di produzione italiana. L’agropirateria coin-volge 9 prodotti “ital-iani” su 10 e il record dell’italian sounding ap-partiene agli Usa. Lo ha quantifi cato una ricer-ca di Nomisma : il mer-cato retail ammontava a 17,7 miliardi di dol-lari, di cui 1,5 miliardi per prodotti italiani a tutti gli eff etti; i restan-ti 16,2 miliardi fanno capo a prodotti imita-tivi (pari al 91,4%). Un fenomeno scandaloso che mina il made in It-aly nell’export, ma pure nella credibilità della qualità dei formaggi, dei salumi, dei dolci, dei prodotti da forno... In questo modo si spi-

ega il “Parma” legal-mente in circolazione in Canada per opera di Maple Feaf consum-er foods e il prosciutto San Daniele, prodotto da Santa Maria foods. O Belgioioso in Wins-consin, che immette sul mercato il grana amer-icano con la stessa for-ma del Grana Padano. Anche i salumi non so-no risparmiati: Salami Toscano e Nostrano, Salame di Varzi, Sal-siccia calabra, prodotti da salumifi ci Usa come Molinari, Santa Maria Foods, Columbus. Non servirebbero forse più fondi per proteggere le denominazioni Dop e Igp nei mercati esteri, considerato il valore economico generato?

421- 2009

However you look at her, Lidia is a phenomenon. She is the ambassador who has introduced Italian fl avours and reci-pes to the Americans, via the tables of her restaurants, with TV series and through cookery books.

She is also a woman who has dedicated all her energy to her children, who have rewarded her by sharing many aspects of her work: Joseph is a sommelier and a super manager of catering, Tanya is an expert

in the history of Italian renaissance art, with an Oxford degree. Lidia Bastianich is a model employer: she is the owner (or part-owner) of six restaurants (Felidia, Becco, Esca and del Posto in New York and Lidia’s in Kansas City and Pittsburgh), a production company for her Lidia’s Italy programmes, broadcast on the American public TV net-work (Tavola Productions), a travel agency, Esperienza Italiane, which organizes tours in every region of Italy in search of good food, good

TASTE OF ITALY • • • Lidia Bastianich, New York

MAMMA LIDIAEVERYBODY TO THE TABLE TO EAT!

WITH THESE WORDS

LIDIA BASTIANICH INVITES

THE AMERICANS IN HER

BROADCASTS TO DISCOVER THE

TREASURES OF ITALIAN CUISINE

by Alessandra Rotondi

43

wine, architecture and historical sites. And what else? Her name appears on best-selling recipe books, on extra-virgin olive oil of Carso, on vegetable conserves and sauces deriving from two agricultural concerns located in the best areas of the Italian peninsula, on the eastern hills of Friuli, at Buttrio and Premariac-co in the Province of Udine, and at La Mozza, near the village of Scansano, in Maremma, in Southern Tuscany. Th e Queen of this fruitful kingdom showed her voca-tion, as well as her tenacity, at an early age. From Is-tria, exiled from Pola in the late 1950s, she arrived in the United States while still a girl, with a mother who was an excellent home cook and fragrant memories of the fi replace of her grandmother’s tavern. Before long she was taken on by a New Jersey bakery and so began a life that has been as busy as it is happy, rich in encouragement and testimonials not only from her customers, but from the Italo-American community, from the citizens of New York and from American and Italian institutions. But let us hear from Lidia Bastianich herself, the au-thor and witness of all this. She found space for an interview with Tasting Italy between one fl ight and another from Europe.«When I opened my fi rst restaurant in 1971 - Lid-ia says - there existed ‘Italo-American cuisine’ but there was no real Italian cuisine. I only knew the tra-ditional dishes of Veneto or Friuli, riso e bisi, saor, liver alla Veneziana and I obviously had to create an ‘adapted’ cuisine. Some of our products, like arborio or carnaroli rice, just couldn’t be found. But those rec-ipes were a novelty and some journalists liked them. Th ey understood that Italian cuisine was something diff erent. Everything started from there. And the cus-tomers started coming. Obviously, I’ve never stopped going back to Italy, to keep myself updated, to make research and investigate. I go several times a year. You can’t export a cuisine, with its identity, if you don’t

use its traditional products, those of its daily life and its people. My being a cook goes parallel with my wanting to transfer culture, something that has al-ways been so with me, I’m committed to making typ-ical Italian gastronomic specialities known through my books, by bringing them to shows. Th is way people discover Pecorino di Fossa cheese, extra-virgin olive oil from Liguria and Sicily, Tuscan pasta and beans, wine. Opening a bottle of our wine means giving a voice to Italy and its regions».

Lidia quite oft en involves her children in her TV shows, launching a positive, serene and well-fl avoured image of the Italian family. Every epi-sode fi nishes with the invitation: “Everybody to the table to eat!”. Aft er all, her mother Erminia, 88, lives with Lidia and she has her daughter be-side her. And Joseph and Tanya are partners in many activities. America that strides ahead and a story of Italian identity. How did the Bastian-ich story go?

My children were born in America. Th ey could have entered the restaurant business straight away, but they preferred to begin by measuring them-selves against diff erent experiences. Aft er graduat-ing, Joseph worked as an analyst for Merrill Lynch, Tanya went on with her studies. Th en they came back because they wanted to help me promote Italian food in America. Th is is thanks to my having taken them to Italy every summer, where they discovered a gas-tronomic heritage without equals. Today Tanya collaborates in creating my cookery books and shows. Joe runs several restaurants and controls wine production in Friuli and in Marem-ma. My mother, my real root, has taught us the Ital-ian lifestyle, she helps us to remember what it was like before we left Italy when we prepared gnocchi or sowed the fi rst shoots of red chicory. Th is is why I

One of Lidia Bastianich’s

publishing ventures.

Below, a room of the Felidia,

the fi rst of her four restaurants

in New York and,

at the bottom, Lidia back

in her farm in the Eastern Hills

of Friuli where she produces

excellent wine.

A SUCCESSFUL ENTREPRENEUR, LIDIA HAS ALWAYS

DEDICATED PART OF HER ENERGIES TO HER FAMILY.

HERE SHE IS WITH HER CHILDREN TANYA, WHO HELPS

HER PREPARE HER BOOKS AND TV PROGRAMMES,

AND JOSEPH, A SOMMELIER AND WINE EXPERT.

441- 2009

like markets and kitchen gardens laid out wherever you can. Here it was big news when Michelle Obama created a kitchen garden at the White House. In Italy this is normal: where there’s a patch of land, there’s a little kitchen garden.

Adulterated, counterfeit food, and the plan-etary crisis that’s emptying our wallets, the me-dia have been telling the bad news for months, yet Lidia has declared fi rmly to the Americans that the Italian cuisine is the real antidote to the economic crisis. A certainty and a hope.

In Italy there’s a long habit of saving food and rein-venting it. Th ose who have known hunger make vir-tue of necessity. Th e Tuscan Pappa al Pomodoro is extraordinary, but it’s nothing more than dry bread and tomato. Th e Pasta cu la Muddica of Calabria is just spaghetti, garlic, oil and chilli peppers sprin-kled with fried bread crumbs. Th e Mazzamurru of Sardinia is a lasagna of old bread soaked in to-mato sauce and with lots of pecorino cheese; even Tiramisù was born as old bread soaked in melted chocolate. And the heritage of spontaneous pulses and vegetables? A more varied culture than that of Italy doesn’t exist. Take pasta, you fl avour it with everything, vegetables, meat, fi sh, and it can be-come a dessert as torta di fettuccine. Organic products are welcome, but people should be taught to make best use of everything, there’s not just ‘noble’meat, there’s also liver, off al, tripe, heart, tail. A saying they use in the United States warns about ‘not seeing the wood for the trees’. I’d like to remind the Italians of this. Th ey’ve got a stupendous land and the Americans adore it. It’s a great satisfaction to know that in Idaho they’ve made iota, the bean soup of Friu-li. It makes me feel very happy because it’s a piece of Italian culture which got here through me, it’s a seed I sowed. Not to speak of when I learn that someone who watched me on TV really went to visit a restau-rant I mentioned in Basilicata, or the rice factory of San Sabba, which played such a role in my life.

ARRIVAL IN THE STATES

Born at Pola in Istria (now part

of Croatia), Lidia Bastianich came

to the USA as a child with her family,

who opened a restaurant in the

Queens, New York, in the 1970s.

CAREER

In 1981, with her husband Felice,

she opened the restaurant

of her dreams, the Felidia (243 East

58th Street, New York City). Another

three followed in New York and

two in Kansas City and Pittsburgh.

Lidia is a true ambassador of Italian

culture, cuisine and treasures.

She appears in the photo as

the Grand Marshal opening the

Columbus Day parade.

THE FUTURE

She is about to publish the volume

Lidia Cooks From The Heart of

Italy. She is preparing fi ve TV

shows and has a series of lectures

programmed in Portorico and

Vancouver. (lidiasitaly.com).

Stages

Lidia Bastianich spiega la vera cucina italiana agli americani

Quando ha aperto il suo primo ristorante

nel 1971 esisteva la cucina ‘Italoamericana’, ma non una vera cucina Italiana.Oggi Lidia Bastianich è l’ambasciatrice che ha fat-to conoscere i sapori e le ri-cette italiane agli americani, attraverso la tavola dei suoi ristoranti, con le serie tv e li-bri di cucina. È una impren-ditrice modello: proprieta-ria (o comproprietaria) di sei ristoranti (tra New York, Kansas City e Pittsburgh), una casa di produzione per le sue trasmissioni Lidia’s Italy in onda sulla rete tv pubblica americana (Tavo-la Productions), un’agenzia di viaggi, Esperienza Italia-ne, che organizza tour i ogni regione d’Italia, alla volta di buon cibo, buon vino, ar-chitetture e siti storici. Ma è anche una donna che ha de-dicato tutta l’energia ai fi gli, che l’hanno ripagata condi-videndo con lei molti aspetti del lavoro, Joseph è somme-lier e manager della ristora-zione, Tanya è un’esperta di storia dell’arte rinascimen-tale italiana, con laurea ad Oxford. Un percorso modello per la sua generazione, quello di Lidia, in cui si specchiano anche la progressiva integra-zione dei nostri emigrati nel-la società americana e l’indi-

struttibile costanza nel man-tenere aperto un ponte con i luoghi d’origine. «Quando ho aperto il mio primo risto-rante nel 1971 – racconta Li-dia - esisteva la cucina ‘Ita-loamericana’, ma non una vera cucina italiana. Io co-noscevo solo i piatti tradizio-nali del Veneto o Friuli, riso e bisi, saor, fegato alla vene-ziana e per forza creavo una cucina di “adattamento”, mancavano i nostri prodot-ti, il riso arborio, il carnaroli. Ma quelle ricette erano una novità e a qualche giorna-lista piacquero. Comprese-ro che la cucina Italiana era qualcos’altro. Tutto cominciò semplicemente così. E i clien-ti arrivarono».Non ha mai smesso di tor-nare in Italia: ci va più volte l’anno per aggiornarsi, ricer-care, approfondire. «Il pro-secco, l’espresso, gli asparagi bianchi di Treviso e il for-maggio di fosssa sono teso-ri. E occorre difenderli dal-l’invasione del convenience food. Non esiste una cultura del cibo così variegata come l’italiana. Ecco, vorrei ricor-dare agli italiani che hanno una terra stupenda. Che gli americani adorano».

• • •Lidia Bastianich, New York

• • •

http://www.bormioliroccocasa.com

461- 2009

TASTE OF ITALY • • • Enoteca Pinchiorri , Florence

ANNIE FÉOLDE, MISTRESS OF THE

KITCHEN OF THE MULTI-AWARD-

WINNING ENOTECA PINCHIORRI,

WITH HER BRIGADE IN THE KITCHEN

OF THE FLORENTINE RESTAURANT.

cort

esy

by E

note

ca P

inch

iorr

i

47

by Marzia Tempestini

Annie Féolde, one of the most famous chefs in the world and the fi rst woman to receive the Michelin Guide’s three stars, had her fi rst encounter with cuisine in Florence in 1969 when, still young and fascinated by the Italian language, she decided

to settle in the city of Dante. In order to pay her way while studying, she took a job in a restaurant. Giorgio Pinchiorri, originally from Modena but Florentine since August 1955, came to know the soul of wine, a meeting that was to change his life, in 1967. One evening at the Buca Lapi, where he was working as a waiter, Burt Lancaster and Anthony Perkins, aft er a Brunello Biondi Santi Vin-

Stars of TUSCANY

A HUNDRED THOUSAND

BOTTLES ON THE LIST.

AWARDS FROM

TOP GUIDES AND NEW

PROJECTS IN JAPAN FOR

ANNIE FÉOLDE

AND GIORGIO PINCHIORRI.

481- 2009

Enoteca Pinchiorri , Florence

tage 1955 and a Barolo Gaja of ’61, ordered a bottle of Chateau Lafi te 1957. Th at night Giorgio was too excited to sleep. Not long aft er, at the farm of Lamole, where Annie was touring with friends and Giorgio was visiting his farmer friend, their paths crossed. «It’s 40 years last May that I’ve been living in Florence, a city which has become ‘mine’», says Annie Féolde. «I couldn’t live anywhere else. And it was on 21 May that the city of Florence awarded me the Genio Fiorentino prize. But even before that, in 2004 they’d given me their highest award, the Fiorino d’oro».Today, in Florence alone, at the Enoteca (Vintage Wine Cellar) Pinchiorri, the temple of gastronomic taste in its totality, they have 46 employees for 55 places, 1,000 metres of cellar with over 100 thou-sand bottles for an extraordinary assortment of la-bels and vintages (around 4,000), with some of the most exclusive wines in the world.

Th ere are even producers who select and bottle their wines exclusively for Giorgio Pinchiorri, the guru of Italian wine, a man the French love to envy. Th ere are two wine lists: Italian and international, completed by a series of samplings unique of their kind, both for the variety of choices and for the prestige of the wines proposed, off ered by the glass. Th ere is also the list of spirits with rare bottles of Cognac, Whisky, Rum, Bas Armagnac, a selection of grape spirits and authentic grappe to be tasted with sophisticated cigars. Th e environment itself exudes cosiness and refi ne-ment with its mosaics and parquet, its antique fur-niture and paintings. From the very beginning the cuisine of this “chef di charme” made reference to French techniques while at the same time off ering an interpretation of the Tuscan culinary tradition, with rigorous selection of the best quality products as a fundamental and with complete conservation of the

1972-1982 Giorgio Pinchiorri was

appointed to manage the Enoteca

Nazionale in Via Ghibellina; 1974,

Annie Fèolde arrived at the Enote-

ca Nazionale, 1979 they buy up

the holdings of the other partners.

1979 Luigi Veronelli awards the

“sole” to the Enoteca. 1982 the

fi rst Michelin star awarded.

1983-2004 two Michelin stars

awarded; 1984 they receive the

Grand Award of Wine Spectator;

1992 they open the Enoteca Pin-

chiorri in Tokyo; 1993 the third

Michelin star awarded; 1995 they

lose the Michelin third star follow-

ing a malicious fi re that destroyed

the cellar; 2004 the third Miche-

lin star re-awarded, Fiorino d’Oro

awarded by the city of Florence.

2007-2009 they open the Enote-

ca Pinchiorri in Nagoya; 2009 they

open “La lista di Giorgio” in Kyoto;

Genio Fiorentino prize awarded by

the city of Florence.

Enoteca Pinchiorri, Via Ghibellina,

87 Firenze tel. 055 242757 www.

enotecapinchiorri.com

Kyoto Places 55, Fireplace room

25, Gallery 10, First fl oor room 20.

Stages

THIS YEAR ANNIE FÉOLDE

AND GIORGIO PINCHIORRI OPENED

A NEW RESTAURANT, “LA LISTA

DI GIORGIO”, IN KYOTO (JAPAN).

cort

esy

by E

note

ca P

inch

iorr

i

49

original fl avours. Th e menus off ered, besides those à la carte, are “Sampling from the list”, seven, nine or eleven dishes, and “Back from the market…”. Th ey propose dishes such as Poached egg breaded with Jamaican pepper, with sauce of Parmesan cheese of Reggio Emilia, cream of courgettes, bacon, lamb carré with purée of aubergines fl avoured with cori-ander, ricotta cheese and pralines. «We’ve always worked together, with the same de-sire to satisfy the customers, to seek out quality, in total harmony since the earliest times, when I limited myself to off ering cold dishes, a few fi rst courses, or a quick buff et. Meanwhile Giorgio was studying, travelling around in search of new wines and the cellar was growing, he loved to off er French wines, but we couldn’t serve them because this was not allowed for in the statute of the Enoteca Nazi-onale. We therefore decided to buy up the company: thus was born the Enoteca Pinchiorri. It was a hard

struggle», Annie confesses. «With such a massive wine cellar it’s diffi cult to cover costs. It was there-fore a constant commitment, but it was also enjoy-able because without research you end up with mo-notony, and so decadence». Italo Bassi and Riccardo Monco grew up profession-ally alongside Annie. In the course of time they’ve become pillars of the Ristorante Enoteca Pinchiorri, managing enthusiastically and skilfully the kitch-en staff with the aim of interpreting and realizing as well as possible the carefully considered stylistic exercise that distinguishes Annie Féolde’s cuisine, raising them to the Olympus of world-wide cater-ing. In 1992 came their fi rst restaurant in Tokyo. «We had the opportunity to open an Italian restau-rant aft er our own hearts. Urged by our desire to make contact with completely diff erent countries and mentalities - relates Annie Féolde - we decided to embark on this new adventure. It required a lot

A VIEW OF THE ENOTECA

PINCHIORRI WINE

CELLAR. A SPACE

OF OVER A THOUSAND

METRES CONSERVING

GREAT LABELS

AND SOME 4,000

OF THE WORLD’S FINEST

VINTAGE WINES.

cort

esy

by E

note

ca P

inch

iorr

i

cort

esy

by G

ribau

do E

dito

re

501- 2009

Knobs of grilled scallops, with fried ravioli stuffed with thistlesi(to serve 4)

Enoteca Pinchiorri , recipes

20 scallops

For the sauce: 50 g of celery, 50 g of

carrot, 50 g of onion, 3 ripe tomatoes,

3 dl of shellfi sh broth, 2 teaspoons of

white wine vinegar.

For the ravioli: 100 g of 00 fl our, water,

salt, 150 g of thistles.

For the dressing: 8 slices of toasted

Tuscan bread, extra virgin olive oil, salt,

pepper.

PREPARATION: Clean the scallops,

opening them with a knife in the ar-

ea of the central muscle and put aside

the corals, the central body (the knobs)

and the fringes around the knobs. For

the sauce, cut the vegetables and sau-

té them in a sliver of olive oil, then

add the tomatoes, peeled and cut into

cubes, and the shellfi sh broth. Contin-

ue cooking until the sauce is reduced

by half. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Clean the fringes in running water, par-

boiling them in water and vinegar for 2

minutes. Spread out the mixture gently

and make 8 ravioli, fi lling them with the

thistles and then frying them in oil for

2 minutes. Keep them hot after cooking

is fi nished. For the dressing, toast the

bread and grill the corals after salting

and peppering them. Spread the sauce

and add the fringes on each dish, lay out

the scallop knobs, rapidly grilled, and

the fried ravioli. Place beside them the

toasted bread with the grilled corals.

cort

esy

by G

ribau

do E

dito

re

51

of work, but what we loved was the continuous ex-change of experiences. I go to Tokyo at least three times a year, we make comparisons, demonstrations, we taste everything and every year the Japanese chef comes here to us to create continuity. Th is experience has broadened our horizons, it’s very interesting to measure yourself against diff erent gastronomic civi-lizations, there are products I wish I could add to the menus in Florence. We recently renovated the restau-rant, but soon we’ll be changing address». Th eir second restaurant was the Cantinetta Pinchior-ri. Opened in 2000, it was closed in 2008, since the lo-cation no longer matched their expectations. Th us in 2007 the choice fell upon Nagoya, more than fi ve hun-dred kilometres to the south of Tokyo, on the Bay of Ise. Th e city is the headquarters of Toyota, the found-ers of which have built a skyscraper/head-offi ce in which they decided to install, to increase their pres-tige still further, Giorgio and Annie’s restaurant.

«Nagoya is diff erent from Tokyo. In the Japanese cap-ital - continues Annie - there are very many business men, lots of competition, thousands and thousands of restaurants of various kinds. Nagoya, the third city of Japan, is more provincial but younger. We had to pay more attention here to the local products, though obviously interpreted in the Italian manner». Th e kitchen and dining-room are on the forty-sec-ond fl oor, almost 300 metres high. Th ere are on-ly around forty places, half as many as in the fi rst Enoteca Pinchiorri in Tokyo, making the restaurant even more intimate. Guests enjoy the Annie Féolde menu while taking in a view that is spectacular to say the least, including the plain, the river and the bay. All accompanied by the wines that have brought such fame to Italy: all the great labels are here.And then the latest project, newly born in spring 2009, the “Lista di Giorgio Pinchiorri” in Kyoto, the city twinned with Florence.

Above: the dining-room of

the Florentine restaurant.

The recipes are taken

from “Toscana via

dei sapori”, by Carlo

Vischi and Elisa Zanotti

(www.edizionigribaudo.it).

cort

esy

by G

ribau

do E

dito

re

cort

esy

by E

note

ca P

inch

iorr

i

521- 2009

Pigeon breast and candied legs with polenta pie

(to serve 4)

Enoteca Pinchiorri , recipes

cort

esy

by G

ribau

do E

dito

re

For the pigeons: 4 whole pigeons of

around 500 g each, 500 g of goose

fat, 3 cloves of garlic, 2 twigs of rose-

mary, 1 carrot, 1 celery rib, 1/2 onion,

1 bunch of aromatic herbs, 1 l of red

wine. For the polenta: 100 g of yel-

low fl our, 4 dl of water, 50 g of black

cabbage, 50 g of fresh beans (or 30

g of dried beans soaked in water for

3 hours), 20 g of lard. For the dress-

ing: 8 croutons of Tuscan bread, 30 g

of sugar, rosemary tips, extra virgin ol-

ive oil, salt and pepper.

PREPARATION: For the pigeons,

pluck them and burn off any impu-

rity with the gas ring, remove the en-

trails and debone them, apart from the

legs which are to be oven-roasted in the

goose fat for about 3 hours at 60 °C.

Grill the breasts rapidly, salt and pep-

per them and leave them to marinate for

an hour in olive oil, rosemary and two

whole peeled garlic cloves. Brown the

chopped vegetables, aromas and bones

in oil until the ingredients become dark,

add the wine and reduce the liquid by

2/3. Cooking will require about an hour.

At the end, add salt and pepper and fi l-

ter the sediment obtained. For the po-

lenta, prepare the polenta and add the

black cabbage after parboiling and sau-

téing it with a clove of garlic. Add the

chopped lard and the beans after cook-

ing them in a little water and a little ol-

ive oil. With the help of transparent fi lm,

form a “sausage” about 5 cm in diam-

eter, let it cool and cut off discs of po-

lenta about 3 cm thick. For the dress-

ing, brown the breasts, legs and polenta

discs again. Complete the sauce.

53

Enoteca Pinchiorri, Firenzeambasciatori d’Italia in Giappone

Per Annie Féolde, chef tra le più famose del mondo, prima don-

na a ricevere le tre stelle della Guida Michelin, l’incontro con la cucina av-venne a Firenze nel 1969, quando an-cora giovanissima decise di stabilirsi nella città di Dante e trovò lavoro in un ristorante. Due anni dopo incon-tra Giorgio, l’uomo della vita.«Nel mese di maggio ho fatto 40 an-ni vissuti a Firenze- dice Féolde - e a maggio la città ci ha consegnato il premio Genio Fiorentino».Oggi all’Enoteca Pinchiorri di Firenze hanno 1.000 metri di cantina con ol-tre 100 mila bottiglie per uno straor-dinario assortimento di etichette e millesimi (circa 4000) con vini tra i più esclusivi del mondo. I menu proposti oltre alla carta, sono “Degustazione dalla carta” con sette, nove o undici piatti, e “Al ritorno dal mercato…”. Dice Féolde: «Ci siamo sempre con-frontati, stessa passione per soddisfare la clientela, per la ricerca della qua-lità, tutto all’unisono fi no dall’inizio, quando mi limitavo a proporre piatti freddi, qualche primo, un buff et velo-ce. Intanto Giorgio studiava, girava alla scoperta di nuovi vini e la canti-na cresceva. Cè stato un impegno co-stante, è stato piacevole perché se non c’è ricerca c’è monotonia, e quindi de-cadenza. Adesso siamo arrivati ad un equilibrio tra cucina e vini». Nel 1992 arriva il primo ristorante a Tokyo. Il secondo locale la “Cantinet-ta Pinchiorri”, aperto nel 2000, è stato chiuso nel 2008, perché il luogo in cui si trovava non soddisfaceva più le loro aspettative, così nel 2007 la scelta di Pinchiorri è caduta su Nagoya. La cit-

tà è il quartier generale della Toyota, dove i fondatori hanno voluto instal-lare, per aumentarne ulteriormente il prestigio, il ristorante di Giorgio Pin-chiorri e Annie Féolde. «Abbiamo fatto un ‘esame della clien-tela: Nagoya è diversa da Tokyo. Nel-la capitale del Giappone, continua Annie, ci sono molti uomini d’aff a-ri, grande competizione, mille e mil-le ristoranti di vario genere. Nagoya, terza città del Giappone, è più pro-vinciale ma più giovane. Qui abbia-mo dovuto porre attenzione anche ai prodotti locali interpretati ovviamen-te alla maniera italiana». La cucina e la sala sono al quaranta-duesimo piano, a quasi 300 metri di altezza, solo una quarantina di coper-ti, la metà di quelli della prima Eno-teca Pinchiorri a Tokyo, il che rende il locale ancora più intimo. A tavola assaporano il menù di Annie Féolde godendosi una vista spettacolare. Il tutto accompagnato, dai vini che han-no dato una rinomanza all’Italia. In-fi ne l’ultimo progetto, nato nella pri-mavera del 2009: la “Lista di Giorgio Pinchiorri” a Kyoto, città gemellata con Firenze.

Noci di capesantegrigliate, con ravioli fritti farciti di cardi(per 4 persone)

Per i piccioni: 4 piccioni interi da 500

g ciascuno, 500 g di grasso d’oca, 3

spicchi d’aglio, 2 rametti di rosmarino,

1 carota, 1 costa di sedano, 1/2 cipol-

la, mazzetto di erbe aromatiche, un li-

tro di vino rosso.

Per la polenta: 100 g di farina gialla,

4 dl di acqua, 50 g di cavolo nero, 50 g

di fagioli freschi (o 30 g di fagioli sec-

chi da ammollare in acqua per 3 ore)

20 g di lardo.

Per la guarnizione: 8 crostini di pane

toscano, 30 g di zucchero, rosmarino,

olio extravergine d’oliva, sale e pepe.

PREPARAZIONE: passate i piccioni

spiumati sulla fi amma, togliete le inte-

riora e disossateli, tranne le cosce che

metterete a cuocere in forno nel grasso

d’oca, per circa 3 ore a 60°C. Grigliate

i petti, salati e pepati, e metteteli a ma-

rinare un’ora in olio d’oliva, rosmarino e

aglio intero. Rosolate in olio le verdure

tritate, gli odori e le ossa fi no a brunitu-

ra, aggiungete il vino e fate ridurre il li-

quido di 2/3. Salate, pepate e fi ltrate il

fondo così ottenuto. Preparate la polen-

ta e incorporate il cavolo nero, sbollen-

tato e saltato con uno spicchio d’aglio

in precedenza. Aggiungete il lardo trita-

to e i fagioli cotti con poca acqua e olio.

Con l’aiuto della pellicola trasparente,

formate un “salame” di circa 5 cm di

diametro, fate raffreddare e tagliate in

dischi spessi circa 3 cm. Rosolate nuo-

vamente i petti, le cosce e i dischetti di

polenta. Completate la salsa con i fega-

tini crudi di piccione passati al setac-

cio. Disponete i dischetti di polenta su

ogni piatto, con a fi anco il petto e la co-

scia, cospargete con rosmarino. Guar-

nite con la salsa e servite il crostino di

pane imbevuto con una riduzione di vi-

no e zucchero.

20 capesante

Per la salsa: 50 g di sedano, 50 g di

carota, 50 g di cipolla, 3 pomodori ma-

turi, 3 dl di brodo di crostacei, 2 cuc-

chiai di aceto di vino bianco.

Per i ravioli: 100 g di farina 00, ac-

qua, sale, 150 g di cardi.

Per la guarnizione: 8 fette di pane to-

scano tostato, olio extravergine di oli-

va, sale, pepe.

PREPARAZIONE: pulite le capesante

aprendole con un coltello, agendo nel-

la parte del muscolo centrale e mette-

te da parte i coralli (la parte arancione),

il corpo centrale (le noci) e le frangette

intorno alle noci. Per la salsa, tagliate

le verdure e fatele saltare in un fi lo di

olio d’oliva, aggiungete poi i pomodo-

ri pelati e tagliati a cubetti e il brodo di

crostacei. Continuate la cottura fi no a

quando la salsa non si sarà ridotta alla

metà. Regolate di sale e di pepe. Puli-

te le frangette in acqua corrente, sbol-

lentatele in acqua e aceto per un paio

di minuti. Per i ravioli, preparate il ri-

pieno di cardi che andranno sbianchi-

ti in acqua e farina, snervati e tagliati

a dadini. Impastate la farina con l’ac-

qua e il sale. Tirate sottilmente l’impa-

sto e realizzate otto ravioli farcendoli

con i cardi e friggendoli poi in olio per

circa 2 minuti. Al termine della cottu-

ra teneteli in caldo. Per la guarnizione,

tostate il pane e grigliate i coralli che

avrete regolato di sale e pepe. Stende-

te la salsa e aggiungete le frangette su

ogni piatto, disponete anche le noci di

capesante che avrete grigliato rapida-

mente e i ravioli fritti. Appoggiate i cro-

stini di pane con i coralli grigliati.

Petto di piccione e coscia candita con tortino di polenta(per 4 persone)

cort

esy

by G

ribau

do E

dito

re

541- 2009

HIGH CLASS WINES • • • Spumanti

For Hemingway, “wine is one of the greatest signs of civiliza-tion in the world”. While Mario Soldati described it as the “poetry of the earth”. Two almost complementary defi ni-tions, reminding us that two creative forces coexist in wine,

man’s millennia-old wisdom and the generosity of nature.One of the most refi ned visiting cards of Veneto, the traditional land of wine, is Prosecco, a product that in recent years - especially in its

spumante typology, undoubtedly the one which shows the denomina-tion in its best light - has been constantly gaining preferences among consumers throughout the world.We are in the Province of Treviso, in a sort of triangle at the foot of the mountains of which the summits are Valdobbiadene, Vittorio Veneto and Conegliano. Rich and hardworking towns, as they say, with a wealth of history and art. Inside the triangle there are other little towns, abbeys

THE ITALIAN

SPUMANTE WITH THE

HIGHEST

WORLD SALES

IS PRODUCED IN OVER

4,300 HECTARES

OF VINEYARDS

IN THE HILLY PART

OF THE PROVINCE

OF TREVISO

BETWEEN THE TOWNS

OF CONEGLIANO

AND VALDOBBIADENE.

PROSECCO WINE lives here

The Prosecco production

zone includes the territory

of 15 Municipalities

in a triangle touching

Vittorio Veneto, Conegliano,

the city of the wine

institutions, and Valdobbiadene,

the heart of production.

Venice is only

50 kilometres away.

by Marco Bevilacqua

55

561- 2009

and castles such as those of Serravalle and Follina, but more than anything else there are hills and vine-yards stretching as far as the eye can see. A complex of hill ranges rising from the plain to the pre-Alps, and at an equal distance from the Dolomites - by which they are protected to the north - and the Adri-atic Sea, which has its positive eff ect on the climate and the nature of the landscape.Here a centuries-old wine-making culture has shaped not only the landscape but the hearts and lifestyles of the people. Th eir passion for this prod-uct has made vine-growing possible even in the most impervious and inaccessible areas, giving rise, as in the case of the tiny zone of Cartizze, to even nobler and more refi ned variants of Prosecco, as well as to other noble whites (Verdiso and Bian-co di Conegliano), reds (Colli di Conegliano rosso) and two splendid wines for meditation, Refrontolo passito and the precious Torchiato di Fregona.A passion that can also be seen in the way the vineyards are tended almost like gardens, worked by hand using timeless techniques and materials. An essential choice for the small vine-growers: the hills are extremely steep, making mechanization of the work almost impossible.

Th e result of all this dedication is Prosecco, a wine that in its most famous version, that of spumante, is sparkling, limpid, with a fragrance of fruit and fl owers, excellent as an aperitif and in combina-tion with fi sh and seafood, as well cuisines of other countries, especially eastern ethnic dishes.

the wine routeTh e Prosecco production zone includes the terri-tory of 15 municipalities and extends over an area of some 18 thousand hectares of agricultural sur-face. Th e vines are cultivated only on the south-ern sides of the hills, at an altitude of between 50 and 500 metres above sea level, while the north-ern slopes are mainly covered by woodland. Th ere are presently 166 authorized wine-cellars, and they have made this the most specialized district on the production of spumante using the Italian method of natural secondary fermentation in autoclave. Conegliano is considered the cultural centre of the Prosecco zone and it is the seat, among other things, of the celebrated Scuola Enologica Cer-letti, founded in 1876. Here Luigi Manzoni, one of the directors of the institute, invented the well-

Spumanti

THE PROSECCO ZONE

IS A FASCINATING TERRITORY, RICH

IN SURPRISES. HERE IS THE PRIEST’S

HOUSE OF CISON DI VALMARINO.

57

It exists in both a still version

(Prosecco Tranquillo, around

17% of production) and in

the spumante form, but it is

certainly the latter which has

achieved fortune with con-

sumers all over the world.

Its producers love to call it

the “wine of welcome”, to be

consumed on every pleasur-

able occasion. It is a modern

spumante, characterized by

a moderate alcoholic grade

and elegant aromas recall-

ing fruit such as apples and

pears and fl owers such as

acacia, hawthorn, roses and

wisteria.

It is of straw-yellow colour

and is produced in Brut, Ex-

tra Dry and Dry versions.

Recently, some companies

have also begun to experi-

ment with Extra Brut, prac-

tically without sugar resi-

due and given sparkle by

the champenois method of

secondary fermentation in

the bottle.

SPUMANTE

Today this represents around

83% of DOC bottling. Spu-

mante production makes use

of grapes deriving from medi-

um-high hills, where ripening

takes longer, the aromas are

more developed and there is

greater acidity. The sparkle is

added by re-fermentation of

the basic wines in autoclaves,

stainless steel pressure-proof

containers (Italian method).

Prosecco Doc of Conegliano

Valdobbiadene spumante is

of bright straw-yellow col-

our with slender perlage. Ver-

sions of spumante: dry, extra

dry, brut, extra brut.

SUPERIORE

DI CARTIZZE

The hill of Cartizze is the

most famous sub-zone, the

cru of the denomination. The

vines are cultivated here on

steep slopes and at a high-

er altitude. The Cartizze has

more intense colours with

perfumes of apple, pear, ap-

ricot and even almond, with

a minimum alcohol grade of

11.5°, and is produced in

the Dry version.

FRIZZANTE

(SPARKLING)

This is the easiest typolo-

gy. It is an “ancient” version,

Prosecco DOC as it used to

be produced. Sometimes it

is re-fermented in the bot-

tle and therefore takes the

name “sur lie”.

TRANQUILLO (STILL)

This is the least known ty-

pology, obtained from grapes

produced in thickly planted

vineyards, with longer ripen-

ing times. Wine-making fore-

sees brief maceration of the

skins, which gives the wines

greater aroma and structure.

the ID cardknown “crossbreed” bearing his name, produced today in a rare white variant.Th e other great pole of the Prosecco “triangle” is Valdobbiadene, which is host every year to the historical Mostra Nazionale dello Spumante. Th e route linking the two capitals of Prosecco, for the joy of tourists seeking wine and gastronomy, is to-day a genuine “wine route”, the fi rst of its kind to be set up in Italy, in 1966, thanks to the commitment of experts such as Giuseppe Schiratti, who wished to off er visitors a brief but concentrated overview of the products of this land. It is a suggestive path that winds along the hills and takes in the most important production centres. It is also an opportunity to discover the many artistic beauties of the zone: from the cas-tle to the Cathedral of Conegliano, from the Ab-bey of Follina to the spectacular Castelbrando di Cison of Valmarino, from Molinetto della Cro-da to Refrontolo and the scores of ancient inns to be found along the roads and piazzas of the zone, where the best gastronomic specialities of the Treviso tradition can be tasted.But let us try to know better this spumante which has become a symbol for the world of Italian drink-ing and which was recently used for the toasts taking place during the fi rst G8 of agriculture, at Castelbrando, and at the presentation of the hun-dredth Cycling Tour of Italy.

non-seasonal consumptionsToday the name of Prosecco is often known throughout the fi ve continents as a synonym of Italian spumante. Yet Prosecco is above all a va-riety of grape, slightly aromatic, which has been cultivated for some three centuries in the hilly ar-ea of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene. If Prosecco is today an internationally successful wine, this is certainly the merit of the tenacity and passion of the producers, but also and above all of the im-portant research centres - the Istituto Sperimentale

581- 2009

per la Viticoltura and the Scuola Enologica - which have made Conegliano one of the capitals of vine-growing and wine-producing studies. Vineyard and wine-cellar production techniques have been refi ned here and, in particular, the Italian method of bringing sparkle to wine has been studied and applied to Prosecco for the fi rst time. Th is involves secondary fermentation for short periods in re-cipients which maintain pressure, and conserves intact the aromas of the varieties.From the point of view of production, aft er years of exceptional performance (the average annu-al growth between 2003 and 2007 was 11% and reached +15% in 2007), 2008 was also a positive year overall. Th e denomination maintained its val-ue, in fact, in spite of growing competition and a decidedly diffi cult world situation. Th e most in-teresting element is the non-seasonal nature of its consumption, a truly unique phenomenon. While for other spumanti the months of Decem-ber and January represent 60% of sales, these two months account for only 27% in the case of Pros-ecco of Conegliano Valdobbiadene and the sales pattern is fairly constant throughout the year.Exports are also growing; the increase for spuman-te between 2003 and 2007 was of 15.9%, and it is

becoming more and more characterized by the di-versity of its markets. Today Prosecco of Coneg-liano Valdobbiadene is exported in over 40 coun-tries. Th e largest companies have succeeded in winning back historical markets, fi rst and fore-most Germany, where spumante consumption has grown in the last year by no less than 21.2%.

the fi rst Spumante districtTh ese statistics make it clear why the economic value of the land and the vineyards in this area has increased considerably in recent years: today vineyards in the Conegliano Valdobbiadene terri-tory reach an average valuation of 428,000 euro, with a minimum of 340,000 and a maximum of 516,000 euro. Th is is the highest valuation for an Italian DOC or DOCG. Just to give an example, Montalcino has an average valuation of “only” 390,000 euro.Th e quality of Prosecco of Conegliano Valdob-biadene is controlled by the Consorzio di Tutela, created in 1962 at the wish of the producers to protect and promote their wine. Since 2005, to-gether with a small number of other Italian con-sortiums, it has been appointed by the Ministry

Spumanti

THE PROSECCO DISTRICT IS A TRULY INTEGRATED

HOSPITALITY SYSTEM WITH RESTAURANTS,

HOTELS, WINE CELLARS, TAVERNS AND AGRO-

TOURISM, WHERE A GLASS OF BUBBLY SOUNDS

THE WELCOME.

CARTIZZE IS AN AUTHENTIC CRU,

BORN FROM THE PERFECT

COMBINATION OF A GENTLE

MICRO-CLIMATE AND A WELL VARIED

TERRAIN IN A SMALL AREA

OF THE MUNICIPALITY

OF VALDOBBIADENE.

59

The Consorzio di Tutela devel-

ops production techniques,

guarantees and improves the

quality of Prosecco.

Consorzio per la Tutela del

Prosecco Conegliano Val-

dobbiadene, Via Roma 7,

31053 Solighetto di Pieve

di Soligo (TV). Tel +39 438

83028. Chairman: Franco

Adami (picture above); Man-

ager: Giancarlo Vettorello

www.prosecco.it

THE DISCIPLINARY

REGULATIONS

Prosecco of Conegliano Val-

dobbiadene production is

governed by special Regu-

lations. The DOC dates from

1969 and foresees cer-

tain strict rules which from

2010 - in obedience to the

new DOCG - will be more

stringent still.

Grapes: these must come

exclusively from vineyards

in the area, consisting of 15

municipalities from Coneg-

liano and Valdobbiadene;

Variety: at least 85% must

consist of Prosecco grapes,

while a maximum percent-

age of 15% can be accepted

of Verdiso, Perera and Bian-

chetta, local varieties;

Wine-making: this takes

place exclusively in the mu-

nicipalities of the denomina-

tion of controlled origin ar-

ea. The grapes of the sin-

gle vineyards are made into

wine separately and com-

bined later. Wine-making

takes place in steel tanks at

temperatures of 18-20° C

for around 15-20 days.

Spumante, the typology-

symbol of the DOC, acquires

its sparkle after assembling

the cuvée, of sugar and se-

lected yeasts. The wine is

then put into a pressure-re-

sistant container where the

bubbles and typical aromas

develop. Spumante may be

bottled only in the Prov-

ince of Treviso. After 30-40

days from bottling, Prosec-

co is ready to be put on the

market. Before reaching

the consumer, however, it

must pass the organoleptic

test of the tasting commis-

sion of the Treviso Cham-

ber of Commerce.

WINE FESTIVAL

Vino in Villa, the International

Festival of Prosecco of Con-

egliano Valdobbiadene, is

held every year in May and

is the principal display win-

dow of Prosecco (picture.

The results of the latest edi-

tion were more than en-

couraging: over 10,000 vis-

itors from all over the world,

the presence of some 160

journalists, from Korea, Ja-

pan, the United States, Rus-

sia, Estonia, Poland, Finland,

Austria, Germany, Switzer-

land and many other coun-

tries. Coverage by the inter-

national press increased by

200% compared with pre-

vious years, as proof of the

constantly growing interest

shown for this wine.

EVENTS FOR THE

PROMOTION

An important chapter of the

promotional activities car-

ried out in Italy and abroad,

Vino in Villa is not merely a

tasting-point: every year a

guiding motive is chosen to

provide new stimuli for pro-

ducers and visitors.

Since 2003 Vino in Villa has

also become internation-

al as a result of the “Vino in

Villa USA” exhibitions in New

York and San Francisco and

“Vino in Villa London”.

rules & promoof Agricultural Policies to create, as an experi-ment, the “Control Plan”, a self-controlling sys-tem certifying the quality and conformity of the product from the vineyard to the bottle. Today this system, obligatory by law, represents an im-portant guarantee for the consumer and for pro-ducers, since it permits maintenance of a high qualitative standard on the market.In 2003, thanks to the commitment of the Con-sortium, the Conegliano Valdobbiadene area was recognized as the fi rst Spumante District of Italy according to the Regional Law on the productive Districts of Veneto. Th is was an important mile-stone since it demonstrates that Prosecco is the economic activity principally characterizing this area of North-Eastern Italy.

from DOC to DOCGTh e next important stage is now the achievement of the DOC, as from the 2010 harvest. «Th e proc-ess for the recognition of DOCG for Conegliano Valdobbiadene is nearing conclusion», explains the Chairman of the Consortium Franco Ada-mi. «Th e new denomination will be Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore and the name of the territory will therefore become a central element of the message. Th is is a choice which has become a necessity in view of the changing world of Prosecco due to the Reservation of the Name.While our wine has been known in the world as Prosecco DOC since it obtained the denomi-nation of Controlled Origin in 1969, among the fi rst in Italy, and while it has remained the only Prosecco DOC together with those of Montello and Colli Asolani, today this is no longer enough. With the new regulations a new, larger Prosec-co-based DOC will be created covering no fewer than eight Provinces. For the historical area, then, the name of Prosecco no longer fi ts … it need-ed courage to change but the time is ripe». Forty

601- 2009

Il Prosecco di Conegliano Valdobbiadene lo spumante espresso dal territorio

Nella provincia di Treviso, a 50 chiolometri da Ve-

nezia, in una sorta di triango-lo di colline che ha come vertici Valdobbiadene, Vittorio Veneto e Conegliano, tra borghi, abba-zie e castelli, si stendono i vigne-ti da cui si produce il Prosecco. Un vino che nella sua versione più famosa, quella spumantiz-zata, è frizzante, limpido, pro-fumato di fi ori e di frutta, otti-mo come aperitivo e in abbina-mento con pesci e crostacei, ma anche alle cucine di altri pae-si, in particolare quella etnica orientale.La zona di produzione del Pro-secco (una varietà di uva, leg-germente aromatica) compren-de il territorio di 15 comuni e si estende su un’area di circa 18 mila ettari di superfi cie agri-cola. Esiste sia nella versione ferma (il Prosecco Tranquillo, circa

il 17% della produzione) sia in quella spumantizzata, ma è certamente la seconda che ne ha fatto la fortuna presso i consumatori di tutto il mondo. Quattro sono le declinazioni in cui è prodotto: Spumante (dry, extra dry, brut ed extra brut), Superiore di Cartizze, il cru del-la denominazione, Frizzante e Tranquillo.Sulla qualità del Prosecco di Conegliano Valdobbiadene vi-gila il Consorzio di Tutela, nato nel 1962 dalla volontà dei pro-duttori di proteggere e promuo-vere il proprio vino.Nel 2003, grazie all’impegno del Consorzio, l’area di Conegliano Valdobbiadene è stata ricono-sciuta primo Distretto Spuman-tistico d’Italia secondo la Legge Regionale sui Distretti Produt-tivi del Veneto. Si tratta di un traguardo importante perché dimostra che il Prosecco è l’atti-

vità economica più caratteriz-zante di quest’area del Nord-est d’Italia.La prossima tappa importante è ora l’ottenimento della Docg, a partire dalla vendemmia 2010.«Si sta concludendo l’iter per il riconoscimento a Docg per Co-negliano Valdobbiadene», spie-ga il presidente del Consorzio, Franco Adami. «La nuova de-nominazione sarà Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Supe-riore e il nome di territorio di-verrà quindi elemento centrale del messaggio. Una scelta dive-nuta un’esigenza nella prospet-tiva del cambiamento del mon-do Prosecco grazie alla Riserva del Nome. Con la nuova nor-mativa verrà creata una nuova grande Doc base Prosecco, este-sa su ben otto province».Il territorio diventa l’elemento centrale per l’identità del vi-no più noto d’Italia. Non solo perché in etichetta si porterà il suo nome, ma anche perché è un ambiente straordinario, uni-co a livello nazionale. Per que-sto, presto l’area intraprenderà una nuova sfi da: ottenere il ri-conoscimento a Patrimonio del-l’Unesco.

Spumanti

years on from recognition as a denomination of controlled origin, therefore, the Consorzio per la Tutela del Prosecco Conegliano Valdobbiadene and all those active in the territory are launch-ing a new identity. It is a courageous decision be-cause the change has been decided at a moment of great success. In spite of more than positive re-sults, then, the producers are paving the way for programming which is attentive to the variables of a rapidly changing scenario.

an extraordinary environmentFor this reason the Consorzio di Tutela has de-cided to set up a strategy capable of consolidat-ing Conegliano Valdobbiadene as a diff erential qualifying element. Reservation of the name and modifi cation of the Regulations will be the basic point in which they are investing. «Th e territory becomes the central element for the identity of the most famous wine of Italy», explains Giancar-lo Vettorello, Manager of the Consortium. «Not only because the labels will bear its name, but also because it’s an extraordinary environment, unique at the national level. For this reason, the area will soon be taking up another challenge: that of obtaining recognition from Unesco as a World Heritage Site».Th ere is no territory in Italy today which has ob-tained this recognition as a result of wine-grow-ing. Th e Conegliano Valdobbiadene area with its hills embroidered with vineyards and an envi-ronment that is still intact, is considered by the experts to have the requisites to win this chal-lenge on the basis of its specifi c environmental value. Th us we will begin to speak of Prosecco, not as a wine from a territory, but as a territory expressed in its wine.

http://www.mazzetti.it

621- 2009

Prosecco News

“Da Giovanni” uncorks Extra Dry Valdo

Prosecco Extra Dry Selezione Oro Val-do Spumanti is currently being in-

cluded in the menu of the “Da Giovanni” restaurants and can be tasted in elegant fl ûtes. Th is is the beginning of a common initiative between two great Italian makes, Valdo Spumanti itself (valdo.com) and Giovannni Rana, a leader in the produc-tion of simple and fi lled fresh pasta (rana.it). “Da Giovanni” is the restaurant for-mat that Rana is developing in Italy and Europe (with eighty restaurants already present in France), the Far East and the United States, to combine the quality of the Italian culinary tradition with Gio-vanni Rana specialities.

“Da Giovanni” si stappa l’Extra Dry ValdoNel menu dei ristoranti “Da Giovanni” è in corso l’inserimento del Prosecco Extra Dry Selezione Oro Valdo Spumanti, che si potrà gustare in eleganti fl ûte. È l’inizio di un percorso comune tra due grandi marchi italiani, Valdo Spumanti appunto (valdo.com), e Giovannni Rana, leader nella pro-duzione di pasta fresca liscia e ripiena (ra-na.it). “Da Giovanni” è il format di risto-razione che Rana sta sviluppando in Italia e in Europa (ottanta locali già presenti in Francia), Far East e Stati Uniti.

The idea of including the Prosecco ter-ritory among those considered a herit-

age of humanity sets the seal upon the new DOCQ Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosec-co Superiore (prosecco.it). Not an easy en-deavour, the lines of which were set out at San Salvatore di Susegana (in the photos), the castle where the annual appointment is held with Vino in Villa.“Th e process for being considered a herit-age of humanity site is long and complicat-ed”, explained Marie Paul Roudil, manag-er of the UNESCO offi ce in Venice, “and it

is necessary fi rst of all to gauge the Italian State’s commitment towards safeguarding the zone in the future and preventing any kind of alteration to it”. Th e game is worth the eff ort and the terri-tory between Valdobbiadene and Coneg-liano truly contains, in just a few hectares, inestimable artistic treasures and a unique hill landscape, with an extraordinary geo-logical history and precious vineyard scen-ery, its rows of plants embroidering eve-ry square centimetre of the hill-slopes ex-posed to the south.

L’idea di inserire il territorio del Prosecco tra quelli considerati patrimonio dell’umanità dall’Unesco rappresenta il sigillo alla nuova Docg Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Su-periore (prosecco.it). Un’impresa non facile, di cui sono state tracciate le linee a San Salvatore di Susegana (nelle foto), il castello dove ha sede l’annuale appuntamento con Vino in Villa.«Il processo per entrare a far parte dei siti pa-trimonio dell’umanità è lungo e complicato», ha spiegato Marie Paul Roudil, responsabile

dell’uffi cio Unesco di Venezia, «e deve vede-re innanzi tutto l’impegno dello Stato italia-no a tutelare in futuro la zona e a sottrarla a ogni possibile alterazione». Il territorio compreso tra Valdobbiadene e Co-negliano raccoglie, in pochi ettari, inestimabili tesori artistici e un paesaggio collinare unico, dalla straordinaria storia geologica, con il pre-zioso scenario dei vigneti, che ricamano con il disegno dei loro fi lari ogni centimetro quadra-to dei versanti dei rilievi esposti a sud.

Th e Prosecco zone wants an OK from Unesco

Il territorio del Prosecco vuole l’OK dell’Unesco

63

Belcanto Bellussi rewards young opera singers

The link between Bellussi Valdobbiadene and the world of opera is becoming in-

creasingly close, so much so that it has cre-ated a Belcanto line of spumanti. For three years now, the Belcanto line of the company managed by Enrico Martellozzo has been a sponsor of the Torre del Lago Puccini Fes-tival (9 July - 22 August 2009), and every year the appointment is renewed with the Premio Bellussi Valdobbiadene (bellussi.com), reserved for winners of the “Toti Dal Monte” International Competition for Sing-ers, with the aim of placing the brand image in a cultural context open to young people.

Belcanto Bellussi premia i giovani cantanti d’operaIl legame di Bellussi Valdobbiadene con il mondo della lirica è sempre più stretto, tan-to da aver creato la linea di spumanti Belcan-to. Da tre anni proprio con Belcanto l’azienda guidata da Enrico Martellozzo è sponsor del Festival Pucciniano a Torre del Lago Pucci-ni (9 luglio - 22 agosto 2009) e ogni anno si rinnova l’appuntamento con il Premio Bel-lussi Valdobbiadene (bellussi.com) riservato ai vincitori del Concorso internazionale per cantanti “Toti Dal Monte”.

With Bisol noSO2, goodbye to headache

Standing out in the research for increas-ingly natural wines is Bisol (bisol.it)

which launched a new Prosecco at the lat-est Vinitaly without added sulphur anhy-dride. It is called noSO2 and it is aimed at those who cannot tolerate the sulphur-based additive which is habitually added to wine, in compliance with laws and regula-tions, to prolong conservation times. Bisol, also the owner of the Relais Duca di Dolle, will entrust the management of the restau-rant to Paola Budel and Franco Bianchi (in the photo with Desiderio Bisol).

noSO2 di Bisolmai più il mal di testaNella ricerca di vini sempre più naturali, si distingue Bisol (bisol.it), che ha lanciato al-l’ultimo Vinitaly un nuovo prosecco senza l’aggiunta di anidride solforosa. Si chiama noSO2 ed è rivolto a chi è intollerante all’ad-ditivo a base di zolfo che abitualmente viene aggiunto al vino, a termini di legge e di disci-plinare, per prolungarne i tempi di conser-vazione. Bisol, titolare anche del Relais Du-ca di Dolle, affi derà la responsabilità del ri-storante a Paola Budel e a Franco Bianchi (nella foto con Desiderio Bisol).

Th e Confraternita promotes Prosecco

An exceptional display window for the Confraternita del Prosecco di Valdo-

bbiadene, which has guarded since 1946 the history and oenological culture of the hills of Valdobbiadene and Conegliano. Th e Giro d’Italia del Centenario made a lap to Valdobbiadene and Valdobbiadene Spumante was used to toast the offi cial oc-casions and in the VIP area. Among its other promotional, publishing and culi-nary initiatives aimed at enhancing and spreading awareness of the territory, the Confraternita (confraternitadelprosecco.it) is promoting the special bottle marked on its shoulder with the three V-shaped monograms.

La Confraternita promuove il ProseccoVetrina d’eccezione per la Confraternita del Prosecco di Valdobbiadene, che dal 1946 cu-stodisce la storia e la cultura enologica del territorio dei colli di Valdobbiadene e Co-negliano. A Valdobbiadene ha fatto tappa il Giro d’Italia del Centenario e con il Valdob-biadene Spumante si è brindato nnelle oc-casioni uffi ciali e nell’area Vip. La Confra-ternita (confraternitadelprosecco.it), tra le altre azioni promozionali, editoriali e cu-linarie, promuove la speciale bottiglia mar-chiata con i monogrammi a forma di V sul-

ENRICO MARTELLOZZO WITH THE DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER GIANNI LETTA (RIGHT).

A MEETING OF THE CAVALIERI DELLA CONFRATERNITA DEL PROSECCO DI VALDOBBIADENE.

641- 2009

Italian wine has concluded a not very satisfactory 2008 on the foreign mar-kets, with sales increasing in volume by 2% but decreasing in value by 7%.

Th e chief diffi culty for the future lies in giving a new boost to the consumption of medium/high priced wines, which have been most af-fected by the problematic economic situation, while at the same time attempting to promote new denominations which can satisfy the cu-riosity of young consumers.

mantaining price listsIn short, Italian wine will have to measure it-self successfully against new emerging coun-tries (Australia, Chile, USA, South Africa and New Zealand) by attempting to compete not only in terms of price, but exploiting to the maximum the notable productive diversity that characterizes it. «In the USA, where the average price of imported wine fell by 26% in the fi rst three months of 2009», comments Denis Pantini, coordinator of the agricultur-al and food industry areas of the research company Nomisma, «some of our producers have taken the courageous decision not to ad-just their price lists downwards. Th e Tuscan DOCs and DOCGs, for example, have suf-fered the same fall in sales by volume as by

value, thereby showing that they intend to re-act to the crisis without reducing prices». Celebrated denominations such as Barolo and Brunello di Montalcino, rather than Amarone, Chianti Classico and Nobile di Montepulciano, may fi nd new outlets in emerging markets such as Russia, where Italian wine imports last year increased in volume by 38%. But the most in-teresting surprises could come yet again from Southern Italy, especially from regions little known until now such as Campania, Calabria and Sardinia. Regions capable of producing a vast typology of wines, including white, aro-matic whites and perfumed, well-structured rosés, ideal to accompany the spicy cuisine of various Asiatic countries. It will not be easy, but the affi rmation of new typologies of Italian wines on the world mar-kets could truly be around the corner: this is witnessed, for example, by the success regis-tered in recent years by Prosecco di Coneg-liano Valdobbiadene DOC, which increased its sales between 2003 and 2007 by over 25% in Great Britain alone. A similar phenome-

HIGH CLASS WINES • • • Export

The Pathway to SuccessFOREIGN SALES OF ITALIAN WINES

ARE HOLDING UP. SPUMANTE SALES

ARE GROWING EVERYWHERE.

ITALIAN RESTAURANTS ARE

THE BRIDGEHEAD FOR ACCESS

TO FOREIGN MARKETS.

by Nicolò Regazzoni

CAMPANIA IS GROWING

(variations in the export value of Italian wine by region

- December 2008/2007)

Campania +19.8%

Calabria +16%

Sardinia +13.,7%

Marche +10.9%

Piedmont +8%

Abruzzo +5.7%

Lombardy +4.2%

Emilia Romagna +2.6%

Puglia +2.2%

Veneto +1.6%

Trentino Alto Adige -0.8%

Friuli Venezia Giulia -0.9%

Tuscany -4.7%

Sicily -6.5%

Umbria -7.8%

Lazio -12.8%

Liguria -25.2%

Basilicata -26.9%

Molise -29.8%

Valle d’Aosta -82.1%

(variazioni in valore dell’export del vino italiano per re-

gioni - dicembre 2008/2007)

Sou

rce:

Den

isPan

tini/N

omis

ma

Sou

rce:

Ass

oenol

ogi

65

Sui mercati esteri il vino italiano archivia un 2008 non molto soddisfacente, durante il quale

le vendite a volume sono aumentate del 2% e quelle a valore sono diminuite del 7%. In futuro la diffi -coltà maggiore consisterà soprattutto nel riuscire a rilanciare i consumi dei vini di prezzo medio/alto, che più hanno risentito della diffi cile congiuntura economica, cercando allo stesso tempo di promuo-vere nuove denominazioni che soddisfi no la curio-sità di giovani consumatori. Insomma, il vino italiano dovrà riuscire a con-frontarsi con i Paesi emergenti (Australia, Cile, Usa, Sud Africa e Nuova Zelanda) cercando di non competere solo in termini di prezzo, ma valoriz-zando il più possibile la spiccata diversifi cazione produttiva che lo caratterizza. «Negli Usa, dove nei primi tre mesi del 2009 il prezzo medio del vi-no importato è sceso del 26% - commenta Denis Pantini, coordinatore area agricoltura e industria alimentare della società di ricerche Nomisma - al-cuni nostri produttori hanno preso la coraggiosa decisione di non adeguare i loro listini al ribasso. I Doc e Docg toscani, per esempio, hanno subìto un analogo calo nelle vendite a volume e a valore, dimostrando in tal modo di voler reagire alla crisi senza ridurre i prezzi». Celebri denominazioni quali Barolo e Brunello di Montalcino, piuttosto che Amarone, Chianti Clas-sico e Nobile di Montepulciano potranno trovare nuovi sbocchi in nuovi mercati quali la Russia, dove l’anno scorso le importazioni di vini italiani sono cresciute del 38% a volume. Ma le sorprese più interessanti potrebbero arriva-re ancora una volta dal sud Italia, e più in parti-colare da regioni fi no ad oggi relativamente poco conosciute, come la Campania, la Calabria e la Sardegna. Regioni in grado di produrre una vasta tipologia di vini, compresi bianchi leggeri e aroma-tici e rosati profumati e di buona struttura, ideali

per accompagnare la cucina speziata di vari Pae-si asiatici. Non sarà facile, ma l’aff ermazione di nuove tipologie di vini italiani sul mercato mon-diale potrebbe davvero essere dietro l’angolo: lo te-stimonia per esempio il successo fatto registrare in questi ultimi anni dal Prosecco di Conegliano Val-dobbiadene Doc, che tra il 2003 e il 2007 ha visto aumentare le sue vendite di oltre il 25% nella sola Inghilterra. Un fenomeno simile ha riguardato an-che il Franciacorta Docg, che esporta ormai circa il 15% della sua produzione totale, soprattutto in Germania, e in generale tutto il comparto degli spumanti italiani, che tra il 2000 e il 2008 hanno incrementato del 145% le loro vendite a valore. Senza dimenticare il comparto dei vini rossi, dove il toscano Morellino di Scansano, che per il mo-mento viene esportato soprattutto in Germania e in Inghilterra, potrebbe avere buone opportunità di sviluppo anche al di fuori dell’Europa.Per rispondere alle minacce dei suoi concorrenti più agguerriti l’Italia dovrà anche individuare e sfruttare al meglio i diversi canali di vendita alter-nativi alla distribuzione moderna, dove la compe-tizione sui prezzi è solitamente più aggressiva. «Le aziende vinicole dovranno dedicare più attenzione al canale della ristorazione - aff erma Denis Pan-tini - e in particolare ai ristoranti italiani all’este-ro, che rappresentano una vera e propria “testa di ponte” per l’accesso ai singoli mercati, indispen-sabili strumenti per diff ondere informazioni sulle peculiarità dei vini e sulla cultura alimentare del nostro Paese». La globalizzazione, insomma, con-tinuerà a off rire interessanti opportunità ai pro-duttori di vino italiani, e questi ultimi non se le faranno certo sfuggire di mano.

I ristoranti italiani all’estero hannoun ruolo strategico per l’export di vino

A BOOM IN ITALIAN SPUMANTE

the evolution of Italian bottled wine exports

data in millions of euro

Anno Still wines Spumante wines

2000 1,918 181

2001 2,125 203

2002 2,291 219

2003 2,227 232

2004 2,361 246

2005 2,495 267

2006 2,627 309

2007 2,812 400

2008 2,818 444

(l’evoluzione delle esportazioni di vino imbottigliato

italiano - dati in milioni di euro)

Sou

rce:

Den

is P

antin

i/N

omis

ma

non was seen with Franciacorta DOCG, which now exports some 15% of its total production, particularly to Germany, and the Italian spu-mante sector generally, which increased its sales in value by 145% between 2000 and 2008. Without forgetting the red wine sector, where the Tuscan Morellino di Scansano, which is at present exported principally to Germany and Great Britain, could have good growth poten-tial outside Europe as well.

exploiting new sales channelsIn order to respond to the threats of its most cut-throat competitors, Italy will also have to identify and exploit to the maximum the various alternative sales channels to mod-ern distribution, where price competition is generally more aggressive. «Wine producing companies will have to pay more attention to the catering channel», declares Denis Pan-tini, «and particularly to Italian restaurants abroad, which represent a real ‘bridgehead’ for access to the single markets, indispensable instruments for the spreading of information on the special nature of our country’s wines and food culture». Globalization, in short, will continue to off er interesting opportuni-ties to Italian wine producers, and these latter will surely not let them escape.

661- 2009

HIGH CLASS WINES • • • José Rallo, Sici ly

sound

PASSION AND MANAGERIAL

RIGOUR, CREATIVITY

AND EMOTION. THUS HAS JOSÉ

RALLO MADE SICILIAN WINES

FAMOUS THROUGHOUT

THE WORLD

by Stefania Vinciguerra

WINEofthe

67

José Rallo is a woman who exudes a sun-ny disposition, like her native land, Sic-ily. Lively, extrovert, pleasant to know. Brought up in a family of wine entrepre-

neurs, she learnt early the importance of basic val-ues like work, commitment, meritocracy and study. But Sicily was too small for her and at the age of 19 she decided that her destiny would not necessarily be that of the family company. «I wanted to prove, to myself fi rst of all, that I was able to manage on my own», she relates. «So, aft er my leaving diploma from the classical high school, I took the entrance exam of the S. Anna di Pisa Higher Institute (the equivalent of the Normal school for economic sub-jects - Ed.) and I passed. It was an incredible satis-faction! Th anks to this scholarship I could support myself for the 4 years needed of ‘mad and desper-ate study’: we had to get an average of 27/30, with a minimum mark of 24/30, and take all the exams for each academic year by 30 November».

organizational modelsAft er graduation (with merit and an honourable mention), José tried an academic career for a year, with a research doctorate, but “got bored” and decid-ed to look for a job: she joined a large American com-pany, Andersen Consulting, where she learnt impor-tant principles that she was able to put to good use in the family company. Because, unlikely as it had

seemed at fi rst, aft er a couple of years José returned to Sicily. But not for love of wine, for love of a man, her present husband. It was the 1990s and Sicily was living through its sad-dest period, if we think of the numerous mafi a kill-ings. But it was also - maybe for this same reason - the moment of resurrection for its civil society. A sort of moral revolt, encouraged above all by the women, who were seen as the “new” part of society, the clean part which was able to give a serious impulse to the rebirth of a deeply wounded country.Josè Rallo was there, in the front line. Sicilian at heart but with an international outlook on work, extremely broadminded with professional experience that had taught her the organizational and managerial mod-els of a large company. Her winning card was the idea that these models can (and must) be applied also to a small company, as Donnafugata still was in those days, with a turnover of few billion liras but constantly growing. “Revolutionary” concepts such as computerization of management control, budget, forecast, cash fl ow, and marketing plan were intro-duced and applied to the running of a family venture, but aimed from the beginning to fl y high. «Th e basic principles of management may seem cold but they’re absolutely indispensable for the economic equilibri-um of a company». José continued: «I’m convinced that getting the most out of your company calls in equal measure for rules and creativity, feeling and technique. Th ese two

José Rallo in the Khamma

vineyards in Pantelleria,

holding a glass of Zibibbo.

Below, the Passito of

Pantelleria, Ben Ryé, hero

of a historical evening at the

Blue Note, New York.

THREE GENERATIONS OF THE RALLO FAMILY, WHOSE

MISSION IS TO PRODUCE QUALITY WINES, RESPECTING

THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENHANCING SICILY, WITH

A PASSIONATE VISION LOOKING AHEAD TO THE FUTURE.

681- 2009

“souls” most coexist and feed each other. Th is is the only way to get great results». Great re-sults have certainly been achieved by the Ral-lo family, given that the world today does not speak of Sicilian wines without mentioning Donnafugata, which has the undoubted merit - together with a small group of other energet-ic producers - of raising the island’s wine-pro-duction to prominence on the world stage.

multi-sensorial experienceIf the rigorous side of Josè’s character is clear from her studies and her fi rst company role (that of management control), another facet of her personality is nevertheless fundamen-tal to her work, that which draws on creativity, feeling and imagination. Not by chance, she is also responsible for the company’s marketing and communication. Her biggest contribution to this sector arises from that part of herself that apparently has least to do with wine: mu-sic. But in reality the facts show that there is a link, and a strong one. Josè and her husband Vincenzo Favara have always shared a passion for music. Hence the idea of “using” music as a part of their work, of attempting a diff erent way of communicating wine, off ering a multi-sensorial experience linked to the combination of the organoleptic notes of a wine and those

of music. Th us was born the “Music & Wine” project: relating wine through music, playing and singing with a group of professional musi-cian friends in restaurants and wine bars. Each piece of music is matched with a wine. «Th e notes of the wine correspond to musical notes ranging from jazz to Brazilian music. I remem-ber two incredible evenings at the Blue Notes of New York, all 220 seats sold out, the pub-lic beside itself as it sipped Ben Ryé while lis-tening to Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Meditaçao”. Or a concert at the Four Seasons of Shanghai with guided wine tasting. At a certain point it seemed to me that the time taken up by trans-lation wasn’t helping to convey emotions, so I

took the microphone and sang Pino Daniele’s “Sicily” and you could feel the emotion in the hall». Th e language of music is international, it can touch a person’s deepest heartstrings and do more than a thousand words to make a wine understood. «We love to try out continu-ally new matches with our wines, right now I’m experimenting the jazz ballad “An older man is like an elegant wine” with the Mille e una notte, our Nero d’Avola raised in barriques, rich and involving». Needless to say, this match was an-other successful one.But there is not only music in her communica-tion projects. With her brother Antonio, Pro-duction and Sales Manager, and her parents, she has contributed to making a media event out of what is actually a technical decision: the nocturnal grape-harvest, originally conceived to avoid gathering Chardonnay under the bak-ing sun of Sicily in August, to the detriment of both men and grapes. «In order to conserve their aromatic properties, we were compelled to cool the grapes in refrigerated rooms at 10° C, when the temperature outside was of-ten above 35° C. A useless waste of electricity. At night the temperature goes down to 16-18° C, the grapes suff er less stress and energy con-sumption is reduced by 70%». Furthermore, the vineyards are lit by a photovoltaic plant, which permits night working.

José Rallo, Sici ly

ANTONIO RALLO, DURING THE NOCTURNAL

HARVEST OF CHARDONNAY GRAPES, AN

INNOVATION OF THE DONNAFUGATA WINE CELLAR.

DONNAFUGATA MARKED THE BEGINNING

OF THE HISTORICAL FAMILY WINE CELLARS AT MARSALA

AND THE CONTESSA ENTELLINA VINES (LEFT) IN THE HEART

OF WESTERN SICILY, LATER EXTENDING TO THE ISLAND

OF PANTELLERIA. MARSALA (RIGHT)

IS DEDICATED TO REFINING AND BOTTLING.

Puc

ci S

cafi d

i

Wal

ter

Leon

ardi

69

José Rallo, che ha dato nuovo impulso al vino italiano

Allegra, estroversa, simpatica, so-lare come la sua Sicilia, José Ral-

lo, una laurea in economia ed esperien-ze in Andersen Consulting, ha portato nell’azienda di famiglia, Donnafuga-ta, i modelli organizzativi gestionali da grande azienda. Sono gli anni Novanta e la Sicilia sta vi-vendo il suo periodo più buio, ma anche – forse proprio per questo – il momento di resurrezione della società civile. Una sorta di rivolta morale, favorita soprat-tutto dalle donne, che vengono vissu-te come la parte “nuova” della società, quella pulita, che può dare un serio im-pulso alla rinascita di un paese ferito nel profondo. José Rallo è lì, in prima linea e la sua rivoluzione gestionale dà i suoi frutti. Oggi nel mondo non si par-la di vini siciliani senza citare Donna-fugata, che ha l’indubbio merito - con un piccolo gruppo di altri produttori - di aver portato alla ribalta della scena internazionale l’enologia dell’isola.«Sono convinta che per far vivere al meglio la propria impresa occorrono in ugual dose regole e creatività, emo-zione e tecnica. Queste due “anime” de-vono convivere e alimentarsi a vicen-da. Solo così è possibile ottenere grandi risultati», aff erma José. E proprio la creatività, l’emotività e la fantasia so-no gli aspetti della sua personalità de-terminanti nel suo lavoro. E l’impronta più grande che ha dato a questo settore nasce da quella parte di sé apparente-mente meno legata al vino, la musica. Ma non è così, come dimostra il proget-to “Music & Wine”: raccontare il vino attraverso la musica, suonando e can-tando con un gruppo di amici musici-sti professionisti, in ristoranti e wine

bar. Per ogni brano musicale, un vino in abbinamento. «Alle note del vino ri-spondono note musicali che spaziano dal jazz alla musica brasiliana. Ricor-do due incredibili serate al Blue Note di New York, 220 posti tutti esauriti, con il pubblico impazzito nel sorseggia-re il Ben Ryé ascoltando “Meditaçao” di Antonio Carlos Jobim. O un concerto al Four Season di Shanghai con degu-stazione guidata. A un certo punto mi sembrava che i tempi lunghi della tra-duzione non facilitassero la trasmissio-ne delle emozioni, così presi il microfo-no e cantai “Sicily” di Pino Daniele e percepii la commozione in sala. Quello della musica è un linguaggio in-ternazionale, che tocca le corde più pro-fonde di una persona facendole capire un vino meglio di mille parole. Ora sta sperimentando la ballata jazz “An ol-der man is like an elegant wine” con il Mille e una notte, Nero d’Avola elevato in barrique, ricco e avvolgente. Inutile a dirsi, anche questo è un abbinamen-to di successo.

PORTRAIT

Born in 1964, Libra, married to Vin-

cenzo Favaro, they have two chil-

dren, Gabriella (12) and Ferdinando

(10). Her enthusiasms include aran-

cini [“orange-balls”] of rice, which

she rates among the great dishes of

world cuisine. Apart from the wines

of her own land, she loves aromatic

whites of the Alto Adige, the antipo-

des of Mediterranean taste.

BELLISARIO PRIZE

In 2002 she was awarded the

prestigious “Mela d’oro” prize of the

Fondazione Bellisario “for having

earned success, with the help of

her collaborators - mainly women -

for the Donnafugata wine producing

company, proving the value of

adopting an innovative and effective

marketing strategy in Sicily”.

COMPANY NATURE

CULTURE PROJECT

A company commitment towards

the eco-compatible and cultural de-

velopment of the territory, thanks

not least to the choice of photovolta-

ic cells for electrical energy produc-

tion (among the fi rst wine-produc-

ing companies to do so in Italy). This

project won, in 2005, the recogni-

tion of the President of the Republic

in the form of the National Prize for

company social responsibility.

Chairperson of the “Territorial Com-

mittee” for Sicily of the Unicredit

European banking group. She was

elected to this offi ce in March 2008.

“We’re concentrating on three im-

portant projects”, explains José Ral-

lo. “Congress-linked tourism, the

growth of the entrepreneurial leader-

ship of our companies and the pro-

motion of the Sicilian brand abroad.

They all aim at enhancing the territo-

ry and have been conceived to pro-

vide an opportunity for the concrete

development of our land”.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

OF THE BANCO DI SICILIA

The fi rst woman to do so, togeth-

er with Maria Luisa Averna, in April

2008 she joined the Board of Direc-

tors of the historical Sicilian bank-

ing institute, at the proposal of the

Unicredit European banking group,

the majority shareholder. “A bank of

European dimensions that can sup-

port entrepreneurial culture in Sici-

ly and the growth of the island’s ex-

ports”.

CAVALIERE DEL LAVORO

This illustrious decoration was pro-

posed for her by the Minister of

Agricultural, Alimentary and For-

est Policies, Luca Zaia, during the

most recent Vinitaly, “in recogni-

tion of a person who has chosen

to dedicate her life with passion to

the modernization and promotion of

the agriculture of her own land, en-

hancing extraordinary products, the

economic and cultural strength of

which represents perfectly the Ital-

ian made product”.

Profile

http://www.cecchi.net

71

The Gruppo Virtuale Cuochi Italiani is a community consisting of over 800 (real)

Italian cooks and restaurant owners working abroad in 70 diff erent countries, who meet on the web to exchange notes on questions rela-ting to their profession and to communica-te among themselves about work opportuni-ties and the safeguarding of recipes and real Italian-made food (www.itchefs-gvci.com). Th anks to this association the fi rst Internatio-nal Day of Italian Cuisine was organized last year. Protagonist was pasta alla carbonara. All

the GVCI cooks around the world off ered this recipe in their restaurants, in the traditional Italian manner. A great success, repeated this year in February. Th is time it was the turn of risotto alla milanese, “the father of all Italian risottos”, as Mario Caramella, GVCI Chair-man, quotes, “and one of the world’s most imi-tated dishes”. All that remains is to defi ne the next “global dish” for celebration in February 2010, and the candidates are already lining up. In pole position are lasagne, fi lled pasta and gnocchi alla romana.

Il Gruppo Virtuale Cuochi Italiani, è una co-munità costituita da oltre 800 cuochi e risto-ratori italiani (reali) che lavorano all’estero in 70 Paesi diversi. E che si ritrovano sul web per confrontarsi su problematiche legate al-la professione, alla cucina, forniture, per co-municare fra loro su opportunità di lavoro e di tutela delle ricette e del vero cibo made in Italy (www.itchefs-gvci.com). L’ associazione lo scorso anno ha organizzato la prima Gior-nata internazionale della cucina italiana: pro-

tagonista la pasta alla carbonara. Tutti i cuo-chi Gvci sparsi nel mondo hanno proposto nei loro locali la ricetta in questione, come tradi-zione italiana comanda. Quest’anno in feb-braio è stato scelto il risotto alla milanese, «Il padre di tutti i risotti italiani - lo defi nisce Ma-rio Caramella, presidente Gvci - nonché uno dei piatti più imitati al mondo». Per il pros-simo “piatto globale” da celebrare il prossimo febbraio in pole position ci sono lasagne, pa-sta ripiena, gnocchi alla romana.

International day of Italian Cuisine in 2010

Lasagna day, appuntamento nel 2010

GO

OD

NE

WS

The world of the restaurant

LASAGNE IS ONE

OF CANDIDATES FOR THE

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF ITALIAN

CUISINE PROMOTED BY CUOCHI

VIRTUALI (BELOVE, THE LOGO)

Stoc

kfoo

d

721- 2009

The world of the restaurant

A Sardinian pasta worth knowing

There is a long rooted tradition in Sici-ly of home-made pasta. Sardegna Ri-

cerche has taken the trouble to codify the-se products and make them more widely known with the publication of “Sardegna - Le paste della tradizione”, a recipe book with photos by Antonio Saba and docu-mented texts by Gilberto Arru. Explained here, for example, are the techniques for making “culurgionis”, corn-ear-shaped ra-violi, stuff ed with potatoes, mint and garlic, or “lorighittas”, a pasta wound around the hand. All accompanied with recipes from local tradition. www.sardegnaricerche.it

Pasta sarda tradizione da conoscereIn Sardegna è radicata un’antica tradizione della pasta fatta in casa. A codifi care e dif-fondere la conoscenza di questi prodotti ci ha pensato Sardegna Ricerche, che ha pubblica-to il libro di ricette “Sardegna - Le paste del-la tradizione”, con le foto di Antonio Saba e documentati testi di Gilberto Arru. Qui sono spiegate le tecniche per realizzare ad esempio i “culurgionis”, ravioli a forma di spiga, farci-ti con patate, menta e aglio. Il tutto corredato dalle ricette della tradizione locale.

Meat, a symbol of abundance and pro-sperity, is a precious element for the human diet and an indispensable

source of protein. A raw material that beco-mes an expression of high class gastronomy when interpreted by great chefs. Which is just what twelve great Italian professionals have done, gathering their refi ned and pre-viously unpublished recipes in the illustra-ted volume “Le carni - sapori e profumi nel-la cucina di 12 grandi chef” (Il Gusto series - Edizioni Gribaudo, www.edizionigribaudo.it). Th e book has a historical part illustrating meat consumption and use over the centu-

ries and dedicates ample space to diff erent types of meat (pork, lamb, game, beef, etc.) and to ways of cooking and serving. Th ere are seventy-two recipes illustrated in detail, signed by chefs recognized by the most pre-stigious guides, such as Luisa Valazza, Ni-co Romito, Igles Corelli and Walter Ferret-to. Proposals respectful of tradition and Italian fl avours while at the same time un-precedented in their combinations, such as Lamb with salted dried cod whipped with ratatouille (in the picture) by the chef Ar-min Mairhofer of the restaurant of the Gar-dena Hotel at Ortisei. www.gardena.it

La carne, simbolo di abbondanza e prosperi-tà, è un elemento prezioso per la dieta umana e fonte indispensabile di proteine. Una mate-ria prima espressione dell’alta gastronomia se viene interpretata da grandi cuochi. Proprio come hanno fatto dodici grandi professioni-sti italiani, le cui raffi nate e inedite ricette so-no state raccolte nel libro illustrato “Le carni - sapori e profumi nella cucina di 12 grandi chef” (collana Il Gusto - edizioni Gribaudo, www.edizionigribaudo.it). Il volume compren-de una parte storica dove sono illustrati usi e

consumi delle carni nei secoli e dedica ampio spazio ai diff erenti tipi di carne (maiale, agnel-lo, bovina etc.), alle modalità di cottura e ser-vizio. Settantadue le ricette dettagliatamen-te illustrate, fi rmate da cuochi premiati dalle più prestigiose guide come Luisa Valazza, Ni-co Romito, Igles Corelli, Walter Ferretto. Pro-poste rispettose della tradizione e sapori italia-ni e inedite per abbinamenti, come l’Agnello al baccalà mantecato con ratatouille (foto) dello chef Armin Mairhofer del ristorante dell’hotel Gardena di Ortisei. www.gardena.it

Twelve top Italian chefs give lessons on meat

Dodici top chef italiani fanno scuola sulle carni

73

Bice, certifi ed Italian cuisine in the Emirates

Bice, with over 20 restaurants in the world, is synonymous with high-class

Italian cuisine. In the news now is Bice di Abu Dhabi (Arab Emirates, the staff in the picture), at the Hilton Hotel: inaugurated 4 years ago, in April it received a prestigious award as the best restaurant in the city. And not only that. Th e restaurant is the only one in the Emirates to have obtained certifi ca-tion from the Accademia italiana della Cu-cina for the genuineness of the Italian cuisi-ne it off ers. Th e menu is traditional; among the most popular dishes are “elephant ear” cutlets, rigatoni pasta with lobster and Alba truffl es, timbale of Parmigiana cheese and aubergines or guitar spaghetti with Bolo-gnese ragù. www1.hilton.com

Bice, cucina italiana certifi cata negli EmiratiBice, con più di 20 ristoranti nel mondo, è sinonimo di cucina italiana di qualità. A far notizia è il Bice di Abu Dhabi (Emirati Ara-bi), presso l’hotel Hilton: in aprile ha vinto un Award come miglior ristorante della città. Il locale è l’unico degli Emirati ad aver rice-vuto la certifi cazione dell’Accademia italia-na della Cucina per la sua genuina cucina italiana. Il menu è tradizionale; fra i piatti più richiesti, la cotoletta, i rigatoni con ara-gosta e tartufo d’Alba. www1.hilton.com

Roman specialities in NY signed Quinto Quarto

In April David Ranucci, owner of suc-cessful eating-places in Milan, Rome

and the Principality of Monaco, inaugu-rated Quinto Quarto, in New York, a re-staurant with Roman cuisine. Ranucci says: «We wanted to off er authentic re-cipes using excellent ingredients, inclu-ding local ones, such as meat, one of our strong points. And all cooked by people who know the Roman cuisine very well and respect it». “Cult” dishes include gri-cia (amatriciana without tomato), spa-ghetti cacio e pepe (cheese and pepper), bucatini pasta all’amatriciana, lamb, tail alla vaccinara and pajata (quintoquarto.com). Th e wines, strictly Italian, are limi-ted to around a hundred labels, with an excellent quality/price relationship.

Specialità romane a NY, fi rmate Quinto QuartoDavid Ranucci, proprietario di locali a Milano, Roma e nel Principato di Mona-co ha inaugurato in aprile Quinto Quarto, a New York, ristorante di cucina romana. Fra i piatti “cult”, la gricia (amatriciana in bianco), spaghetti cacio e pepe, bucatini all’amatriciana (quintoquarto.com). I vini, solo italiani, sono circa 100 etichette.

Th e Garibaldi wins a prize in Singapore

At the age of 17 the Italian Roberto Galetti was an assistant chef. Now,

still not forty, he is owner of 7 restauran-ts in Singapore. One of which was judged “Best Restaurateur of the year for South East Asia” at the prestigious World Gour-met Summit in Singapore, 2009. And his Garibaldi Italian restaurant received the “Best Restaurant of the year” prize. «Th e Garibaldi - he says - is the only one of my restaurants where I cook every day; a lu-xury restaurant where Italian cuisine is de rigueur». Obtaining the products is by no means easy: suffi ce to say that only 4 Ita-lian ham producers are able to export to Singapore. www.garibaldi.com.sg

Il Garibaldi vince un premio a SingaporeL’italiano Roberto Galetti a 17 anni era aiu-to cuoco. Oggi a Singapore è proprietario di 7 ristoranti e al World Gourmet Summit di Singapore 2009 ha vinto come “Best Re-staurateur of the year for South East Asia”. Ed è stato premiato per il suo ristorante ita-liano Garibaldi come “Best Restaurant of the year”. «Il Garibaldi - dice - è l’unico do-ve cucino ogni giorno; una trattoria di lusso di cucina italiana». Le diffi coltà per avere i prodotti non sono poche: basti dire che solo 4 prosciuttifi ci italiani possono esportare a Singapore. www.garibaldi.com.sg

741- 2009

Shortly opening is the latest Premio Ospitalità Italiana, an award conceived

by Isnart (Istituto Nazionale Ricerche Tu-ristiche) and the Chambers of Commerce to establish, by means of customers’ votes, the best companies in the holiday sector. Says Giovanni Cocco, General Manager of Isnart: «Th e award follows the current trend in international tourist circuits, where it’s the customers who lead the way with their comments and opinions».Participating in the award are more than 4,400 tourism companies which have recei-

ved the ISNART Mark of Quality, “Ospita-lità Italiana”. Customers can vote until 31 August by SMS or by linking to the www.premiospitalita.it site and giving a mark from 1 to 10. Th ree nominations will emer-ge from the voting for each of the ten com-peting categories (hotels from two to fi ve stars, gourmet, typical, international and classical Italian restaurants, pizzerias and agro-tourism structures). A jury of exper-ts will select from among these candidates the award winner as the best Italian tourist structure for 2009.

Prende il via la nuova edizione del Premio Ospitalità italiana, un riconoscimento idea-to da Isnart (Istituto Nazionale Ricerche Tu-ristiche) e le Camere di Commercio per stabili-re quali sono le migliori aziende del comparto vacanze, proprio grazie al voto della clientela. Dice Giovanni Cocco, direttore generale Isnart: «Il premio segue la tendenza in atto nei circuiti turistici internazionali, dove sono i clienti a fare le guide con i loro commenti e giudizi».Al premio partecipano le oltre 4.400 imprese tu-

ristiche che hanno ricevuto il Marchio di Qua-lità “Ospitalità Italiana” di Isnart. I clienti po-tranno votare fi no al 31 agosto tramite sms o collegandosi al sito www.premiospitalita.it ed esprimere un voto da 1 a 10. Dalle votazioni emergeranno tre nomination per ciascuna delle dieci categorie in gara (alberghi da due a cinque stelle, ristoranti gourmet, tipici, internaziona-li, classici italiani, pizzeria e agriturismo). Una giuria di esperti decreterà chi sarà la migliore struttura turistica italiana per il 2009.

Ospitalità Italiana Prize, tourists called to vote

Premio ospitalità italiana, turisti al voto

Traditional Campania

The Atlante dei Prodotti Tradizionali della Campania is the result of several

years’ research, involving producers, local populations, municipalities, pro-loco orga-nizations and cultural associations. Th e Pro-dotti Agroalimentari Tradizionali represent, together with denominations of origin, an important visiting card for Italian agricul-ture and, of the 4,000 registered in Italy, no fewer than 360 are in Campania. Th e volu-me catalogues them in lively descriptions and has been realized by the Region of Cam-pania (www.regione.campania.it) in colla-boration with Il Sole 24 Ore.

La Campania cataloga i suoi prodotti tradizionaliL’Atlante dei Prodotti Tradizionali della Campania è il risultato di un lavoro di ricer-ca durato diversi anni, con il coinvolgimen-to di produttori, popolazioni locali, comuni, pro-loco ed associazioni culturali. I Prodot-ti Agroalimentari Tradizionali rappresenta-no, assieme alle denominazioni di origine un importante biglietto da visita dell’agricoltura italiana di qualità e dei 4000 prodotti cen-siti in Italia, ben 360 sono in Campania. Il volume li presenta con agili schede ed è rea-lizzato dalla Regione Campania (www.re-gione.campania.it) in collaborazione con Il Sole 24 Ore.

Cou

rtes

y Fo

rte

Villa

ge, S

arde

gna

Origin and tradit ion

75

New museum of Salame Felino

The Italian Region of Emilia Romagna is the homeland of many high-class

gastronomic products and the city of Par-ma stands out for such famous speciali-ties as Parmigiano Reggiano. A Food Mu-seum circuit has been created to celebrate these products, including the Museum of Parmigiano Reggiano and that of Parma hams and salami. To these has now been added a new Museum of Salame Felino, located in the castle of the same name in the Province of Parma, in which the tools and the production methods of this typi-cal delicatessen product may be studied. info@museodelsalamefelino.org

Nuovo museo del salame felinoCome il museo del Parmigiano Reggiano e quello del prosciutto e dei salumi di parma, anche il museo del salame Felino fa parte del circuito didattico provinciale dei Musei del Cibo. Per far meglio conoscere questo salume, ora è stato pubblicato il quaderno didattico del Salame Felino, che riporta ap-profondimenti e informazioni sul maiale e sul salame. Una sezione è dedicata alla vi-sita nel museo, con schede e presentazioni, mentre la parte fi nale riporta itinerari nei luoghi del salame, laboratori e una appen-dice sulle curiosità legate al prodotto.

Saff ron, three high quality types

Used in many traditional dishes, for example the famous Risotto alla mi-

lanese, saff ron has great gastronomic po-tential and many Italian chefs use it in ice-cream, with chocolate, to create sauces and to fl avour pasta. Th ere are three Ita-lian DOP saff rons obtained from crocus fl owers (not to be confused with curcuma, little valued and produced from a type of wild thistle, “Saff ron of San Gimignano” (SI), “Saff ron of l’Aquila” (AQ) and, recen-tly named, “Saff ron of Sardinia” (OR). Ita-lian saff ron is sold in powder or in pistils, the most highly valued of all.

Zaff erano, tre tipi di gran pregioUtilizzato in polvere o in pistilli in molti piatti tradizionali, ad esempio il famoso risotto alla milanese, lo zaff erano ha grandi potenzialità gastronomiche e molti chef italiani lo utiliz-zano nel gelato, col cioccolato, per creare sal-se o insaporire la pasta. Tre sono gli zaff erani Dop italiani ottenuti dai fi ori di crocus (e da non confondere con la curcuma, poco pregia-ta e ottenuta da un tipo di cardo selvatico): lo “Zaff erano di San Gimignano” (Si), lo “Zaff e-rano dell’Aquila” (Aq) e, di recente nomina, lo “Zaff erano di Sardegna” (Or).

Protected denomination for Italian mint

The DOP for Italian-produced mint is on the way. Th e benefi ciary is the es-

sential oil created with the mint of Pan-calieri, near Turin. “Black-mint” has been cultivated here for over 140 years. Distil-led from it is a high quality essential oil, used to give an unexpected touch to many products, from grappa to chocolate. Pancalieri mint is part of the basket of typical products of the Province of Turin and is used in Innovative or local dishes. Th e fi rst museum dedicated to mint and Offi cinal herbs was also born in Pancalie-ri. comune.pancalieri.to.it

Denominazione protetta per la menta italianaArriva la Dop per la menta “made in Italy”. A fregiarsene è l’olio essenziale realizzato con la menta di Pancalieri, vicino a Tori-no. Qui da 140 anni si coltiva la “black-mint”, da cui si distilla un olio essenziale pregiato, usato per dare un tocco insolito a molti prodotti, dalla grappa al cioccola-to. La menta di Pancalieri fa parte del Pa-niere dei prodotti tipici della Provincia di Torino ed è utilizzata in piatti innovativi o del territorio. A Pancalieri è anche nato il primo museo dedicato alla menta e al-le erbe offi cinali (comune.pancalieri.to.it), che ripercorre un secolo di storia contadi-na del Piemonte.

761- 2009

Wines & Wine makers

Alma, culinary school is now training sommeliers

The sommelier is a fundamental fi gure for the serving of wine in restauran-

ts. For this reason Alma, the international school of Italian cooking with its seat in Reggia di Colorno, in the Province of Par-ma (Emilia-Romagna), has set up an in-ternational course for sommeliers, with a duration of 11 months. Th e aim is to tea-ch notions of wine but also of serving, cel-lar management and marketing. Th e fi gu-re of reference for the course, which co-sts 11,500 euro (alma.scuolacucina.it), is Giuseppe Vaccarini, previously elected the best sommelier in the world. Alma is the most important school of Italian cooking, directed by the maestro of Italian chefs, Gualtiero Marchesi.

Alma, la scuola di cucina ora forma i sommelierIl sommelier è una fi gura fondamentale al ristorante. Per questo Alma, la scuola inter-nazionale di cucina italiana a Colorno (Pr), ha avviato un corso di sommellerie della du-rata di 11 mesi. Lo scopo è impartire nozio-ni sul vino, sul servizio, sulla gestione della cantina e il marketing. Figura di riferimento del corso, che costa 11.500 euro (alma.scuo-lacucina.it), è Giuseppe Vaccarini, già eletto miglior sommelier del mondo. Alma è la più importante scuola di cucina italiana, retta dal maestro Gualtiero Marchesi.

The name is Consorzio Italia del Vi-no and it is a union of great wine-making companies, with a total an-

nual turnover of 500 million euro, created to safeguard alimentary quality and safety. Belonging to it are makes of the calibre of Cecchi, Sartori, Terredora, Santa Marghe-rita, Drei Donà, Medici Ermete, GIV, Zo-nin and Marchesi di Barolo. Ettore Nicoletto, Chairman of the Consor-tium and General Manager of Santa Mar-gherita, explains the initiative: «We feel the time is ripe to pool the experiences

of the single companies and to certify the product as good and safe from the alimen-tary point of view. For this reason we are working to defi ne protocols with ethical and production rules that go beyond tho-se foreseen by the law». Th e initiative is aimed at the Italian and foreign market. The first project, be-gun in May, intends to enhance vineyard management by means of sustainability and reduced use of pesticides, anticipa-ting the European law that will come into force in 2011.

Si chiama Consorzio Italia del Vino ed è un’unione tra grandi imprese vinicole, per un totale di 500 milioni di euro di fatturato an-nuo, nato per tutelare qualità e sicurezza ali-mentare. A farne parte sono marchi del calibro di Cecchi, Sartori, Terredora, Santa Marghe-rita, Drei Donà, Medici Ermete, Giv, Zonin, Marchesi di Barolo. Ettore Nicoletto, presiden-te del consorzio e amministratore delegato di Santa Margherita, spiega l’iniziativa: «Credia-mo sia giunto il momento di mettere in comu-

ne le esperienze delle singole aziende e certi-fi care il prodotto buono e sicuro dal punto di vista alimentare. Per questo stiamo lavorando per defi nire protocolli con regole etiche e pro-duttive che vadano oltre quelle previste dalle leggi». L’iniziativa è rivolta al mercato italiano e straniero. Il primo progetto, avviato a mag-gio, mira a valorizzare la gestione del vigneto puntando sulla sostenibilità e la riduzione nel-l’uso dei pesticidi, anticipando la norma euro-pea che entrerà in vigore dal 2011.

Italia del Vino, a consortium for high quality

Italia del vino, consorzio per l’alta qualità

77

Frescobaldi Wine Bar & Restaurant at Harrods

In September the Wine Bar & Restaurant Frescobaldi will open on the ground fl oor

of Harrods in London. It will be a room of around 80 square metres, with places for 60. Th e best Frescobaldi wines and Italian ali-mentary specialities will be enjoyed in a de-licate-toned environment recalling the Tu-scan landscape. Aft er those in the airports of Fiumicino and Florence, this is the fi rst stage in the wine bar and restaurant project laun-ched abroad by the Tuscan company, using the franchising formula. Other realities fol-lowing the same format will open over the next few years in combination with highly select partnerships. www.frescobaldi.it

Frescobaldi Wine Bar & Restaurant da HarrodsAprirà a fi ne settembre il Wine Bar & Restau-rant Frescobaldi al pianterreno di Harrods a Londra. Sarà un locale di circa 80 metri qua-drati, dove troveranno posto 60 coperti,. In un ambiente dai toni che richiamano il paesag-gio toscano si potranno gustare i migliori vi-ni Frescobaldi e specialità alimentari italiane. Dopo quelli dell’aeroporto di Fiumicino e Fi-renze, è il primo episodio all’estero del proget-to di wine bar e ristoranti che l’azienda tosca-na apre all’estero, con la formula del franchi-sing. Sulla base dello stesso format vedranno la luce nei prossimi anni altre realtà, appog-giate a partnership molto selezionate.

Th e Sagrantino di Caprai on the cinema screens

The previews were well received and release of the fi lm is expected in au-

tumn. Holy Money, the debut fi lm of the Italo-Belgian director Maxime Alexan-dre, looks like being a new Sideways: those who remember the scenes of that American fi lm will now fi nd Italian atmo-spheres, since it is in Italy that the fast-moving thriller is set. Appearing in it is the Sagrantino di Montefalco, “25 Anni” di Arnaldo Caprai (www.arnaldocaprai.it), fi lmed together with the owner of the Umbrian company, Marco Caprai, who is now negotiating its use as the location for another fi lm, directed by Max Sender.

Il Sagrantino di Caprai sugli schermi dei cinemaSi attende l’uscita nelle sale in autunno di Holy Money, fi lm d’esordio del regista italo-belga Maxime Alexandre, che si annuncia come il nuovo Sideways, ma con atmosfere italiane, perché proprio in Italia è ambienta-to il thriller. Tra i protagonisti c’è il Sagranti-no di Montefalco “25 Anni” di Arnaldo Ca-prai (www.arnaldocaprai.it), ripreso insie-me al titolare dell’azienda umbra, Marco Caprai, ora in trattativa per fare da location a un altro fi lm, del regista Max Sender.

Abruzzo makes a start with the new Doc Tullum

A new denomination of controlled ori-gin is born in Abruzzo in recognition

of the wine produced in the area of Tol-lo, in the Province of Chieti. It is called Tullum and it evokes the name given to the location by the Ancient Romans, who already produced wine here 2,000 years ago. Th e Doc was requested by the Can-tina Tollo, an important local producer (cantinatollo.it), and by another fl agship company of the territory, the Cantina Col-tivatori Diretti. It foresees various typolo-gies, mainly whites, from trebbiano grapes of Tuscany and or Abruzzo, Chardonnay, Passerina, Falanghina, Montepulciano, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, Pecorino, Moscato and Malvasia.

L’Abruzzo riparte con la nuova Doc TullumNasce in Abruzzo una Doc per valorizzare il vino prodotto nella zona di Tollo (Chieti). Si chiama Tullum, e rievoca il nome dato dagli antichi Romani, che qui producevano vino già 2.000 anni fa. La Doc è stata volu-ta da Cantina Tollo, importante produtto-re locale (www.cantinatollo.it), e dall’altra azienda di riferimento per il territorio, la Cantina Coltivatori Diretti. Prevede varie tipologie, specie bianche, da uve trebbiano toscano e/o abruzzese, chardonnay, passe-rina, falanghina, montepulciano, merlot, cabernet sauvignon, sangiovese, pecorino, moscato e malvasia.

781- 2009

The world’s most important wine expo is close at hand.

On 21 June Vinexpo opens in Bordeaux, attended by thou-sands of producers. It is here that the pulse of the global market is taken, with attention paid to both wine-world novelties and busi-ness intensity. But, in spite of the long pavilion with its orderly suc-cession of stands for tasting and contacts, the most sought-aft er locations are the various restau-rants, for it is here that business is done, comfortably seated at the tables and sampling specialities

from around the world. And it is in one of these, the BUONITALIA restaurant marked on the Vinex-po map above, that our new pe-riodical TASTING ITALY is be-ing presented to numerous Ital-ian and international guests. A full dress international baptism!Expected at the Buonitalia restau-rant are the Italian producers and the top ranks of Italian Cham-bers of Commerce from all over the world. Th ere is a wine list with the Italian exhibitors in a precious package enriched by profi les of the wines and cellars.

EXHIBITION • • • where we are

TASTING ITALY HAS ITS INTERNATIONAL BAPTISM DURING VINEXPO IN BORDEAUX.

LOCATION: THE BUONITALIA RESTAURANT, NEAR TRADE FAIR ENTRANCE F.

Map of the French Trade Fair

Tasting Italy, debut at the Vinexpo of Bordeaux

Alongside: map of the Vinexpo Trade Fair area. The Italian fl ag shows the location of the Buonitalia restaurant, where the new periodical Tasting Italy is being distributed.

H1

H2H3

RESTAURANTS

AND BRASSERIES

DU JARDIN

RESTAURANTS

AND BRASSERIES

DU JARDIN

F E

NTR

AN

CE

E E

NTR

AN

CE

F E

NTR

AN

CE

K E

NTR

AN

CE

PRESS CENTRE

CLUB VINEXPO

BUSINESS CENTRE

SERVICES

H1

V C

ON

VE

NTIO

N C

EN

TR

E

LAKE

RESTAURANTS

AND BRASSERIES

DU JARDIN

RESTAURANTS

AND BRASSERIES

DU JARDIN

La manifestazione più im-portante del mondo per il

vino è alle porte. Il 21 giugno scatta Vinexpo, a Bordeaux, con la presenza di migliaia di pro-duttori. È qui che si tasta il pol-so del mercato globale, sia per le novità vinicole, sia per l’inten-sità degli affari. Ma al di là del lungo padiglione dove si susse-guono ordinatamente gli stand per gli assaggi e i contatti, so-no i vari ristoranti le location più ambite, dove si porta avanti il business, comodamente sedu-ti a tavola, assaggiando specia-

lità del mondo. Proprio in uno di questi, il ristorante di BUO-NITALIA segnalato sulla map-pa di Vinexpo qui sopra, viene presentato ai numerosi ospiti italiani e internazionali, il no-stro nuovo periodico TASTING ITALY. Battesimo internaziona-le in piena regola!Nel ristorante di Buonitalia sono attesi i produttori italiani e i ver-tici delle Camere di Commercio italiane nel mondo. Lista dei vini con gli espositori italiani, in una preziosa confezione arricchita dai profi li dei vini e delle cantine.

Taste of Italy 235x299 bacio.indd 1Taste of Italy 235x299 bacio.indd 1 3-06-2009 11:28:273-06-2009 11:28:27

801- 2009

AUSTRIAItalienisches Institut für Aussenhandel WienWIENPh. 00431-5039080vienna@vienna.ice.it

CANADADelegation Commerciale d’italie - Italian Trade Commission MONTREAL 001514-2840265montreal.montreal@ice.it

Ice Italian Trade Commission Trade Promotion Section of the Consulate Generale of ItalyTORONTOPh. 001416-5981566toronto.toronto@ice.it

CHINAItalian Institute for Foreign Trade ChengduCHENGDU, SICHUAN Ph. 008628-86626506 / 86628973icecd@public.cd.sc.cn

Italian Trade CommissionGUANGZHOUPh. 008620-85160140 Fax.008620-85160240canton.canton@ice.it

Italian Trade CommissionWANCHAI Ph. 00852-28466500hongkong@hongkong.ice.it

Italian Trade CommissionNANJINGPh. 008625-84700558 / 84700559

Italian Trade CommissionBEIJING Ph. 008610-65973797pechino@pechino.ice.it

Italian Trade CommissionSHANGHAIPh. 008621-62488600 / 54075050shanghai@shanghai.ice.it

Italian Trade CommissionTIANJINPh. +86 22-24450616icetianjin@gmail.com

INDIAItalian Trade CommissionKOLKATA (CALCUTTA)Ph. 0091-33-30080663-70calcutta.calcutta@ice.it

Italian Trade CommissionCHENNAIPh. 009144-28214941ice99@md4.vsnl.net.in

Italian Trade CommissionMUMBAI Ph. 009122-22815654 / 22821125 / 22821214mumbai.mumbai@ice.it

Italian Trade CommissionNEW DELHIPh. 009111-24101272newdelhi.newdelhi@ice.it

JAPANIce FukuokaFUKUOKA-CITYPh. 0092-472-3733fukuoka.ice@feel.ocn.ne.jp

Italian Trade CommissionOSAKAPh. 00816-69206400osaka.osaka@ice.it

Italian Trade CommissionSENDAI-CITYPh. +81 22-2658911

Italian Trade CommissionTOKYOPh. 00813-34751401 / 34751404tokyo@tokyo.ice.it

FRANCEItalian Trade CommissionPARISPh. 00331-53757000parigi@ice.it

GERMANYItalienisches Institut für AussenhandelBERLINPh. 004930-8844030berlino@berlino.ice.it

Italienisches Institut für AussenhandelDÜSSELDORFPh. 0049211-387990dusseldorf@dusseldorf.ice.it

GREECEItalian Trade CommissionATHENSPh. 0030210-7294971 / 7294972 / 7294973atene@ice.it

RUSSIAEmbassy of Italy - Sezione Sviluppo e Scambi (ICE)MOSKOWPh. 007495-9670275 / 9670277 / 9670278mosca@mosca.ice.it

Embassy of Italy - Sezione Sviluppo e Scambi (ICE)ST. PETERSBOURGPh. 007812-3123216 / 3123356 / 5718396pietroburgo.pietroburgo@ice.it

Italian Trade CommissionVLADIVOSTOK Ph. 0073832-220229 / 221272ice_vlad@stl.ru

SAUDI ARABIAItalian Trade CommissionRIYADHPh. 009661-4659201/ 4659637riyad.riyad@ice.it

SINGAPOREItalian Trade CommissionSINGAPOREPh. 0065-68203180singapore@singapore.ice.it

SPAINInstituto Italiano para el Comercio ExteriorMADRIDPh. 0034-915974737 / 915973429 / 915974724madrid@ice.it

THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (Uae) Ice EauDUBAIPh. +9714-4345280dubai.dubai@ice.it

UNITED KINGDOMItalian Trade CommissionLONDONPh. 004420-73890300londra@londra.ice.it

USAItalian Trade CommissionATLANTAPh. 001404-5250660atlanta@atlanta.ice.it

Italian Trade CommissionCHICAGOPh. 001312-6704360chicago@ice.it

Italian Trade CommissionHOUSTONPh. 001 713-4005200houston.houston@ice.it

Italian Trade CommissionLOS ANGELESPh. 001323-8790950losangeles@losangeles.ice.it

Italian Trade CommissionCORAL GABLESPh. 001305-4613896miami.miami@ice.it

Italian Trade CommissionNEW YORK Ph. 001212-9801500newyork@newyork.ice.it

AUSTRIAItalian Chamber of Commerce in Austria WIENPh. +43 1 7158782vienna@italcham.at

CANADAItalian Chamber of Commerce in CanadaMONTREALPh. +1 514 8444249info.montreal@italchamber.qc.ca

Italian Chamber of Commerce of TorontoTORONTOPh. +1 416 789-7169info.toronto@italchambers.ca

Italian Chamber of Commerce in Canada - Vancouver Edmonton CalgaryVANCOUVER Ph. +1 604 6821410iccbc@iccbc.com

Italian Chamber of Commerce of ManitobaMANITOBAPh. +1 204 4876323contact@iccm.ca

CHINAItalian Chamber of Commerce in ChinaBEIJINGPh. +86 10 85910545info@cameraitacina.com

Italian Chamber of Commerce Hong KongHONG KONGPh. +852 25218837icc@icc.org.hk

FRANCEItalian Chamber of Commerce Lyon LYONPh. +33 (0) 472003240ccil@ccielyon.com

Italian Chamber of Commerce Nice, Sophia-Antipolis, Cote d´AzurNICEPh. +33 4 97 03 03 70nice@ccinice.org

Italian Chamber of Commerce in FrancePARISPh. +33 1 53 93 73 73ccif@france-italie.net

GERMANYItalian Chamber of Commerce in Germany FRANKFURT AM MAINPh. +49 69 97145210info@ccig.de

Italian Chamber of Commerce Munich MUNICHPh. +49 89 96166170info@italcam.de

GREECEItalian-Greek Chamber of Commerce - AteneATHENSPh. +30 210 7213209panos.vamvakaris@italia.gr livia.piedimonte@italia.gr

Italian-Greek Chamber of Commerce - Thessaloniki THESSALONIKIPh. +30 2310 947744 / 947844 / 951272camerait@otenet.gr

INDIAThe Indo-Italian Chamber of Commerce and IndustryMUMBAIPh. +91 22 24368186iicci@indiaitaly.com

JAPANCamera di Commercio Italiana in GiapponeTOKYOPh. +81 3 35601100iccj@iccj.or.jp

RUSSIAItaly-Russia Chamber of CommerceMOSKOW Ph. +7 495 9165560info@ccir.it

SINGAPOREItalian Chamber of Commerce (Singapore) ICCS SINGAPOREPh. +65 6223 0356singapore@italchamber.org.sg

SPAINItalian Chamber of Commerce - Barcelona BARCELONAPh. +34 93 318 49 99/ 98italcambcn@camaraitaliana.com

Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industryin SpainMADRIDPh. +34 915 900 900info@italcamara-es.com

SWITZERLANDCamera di Commercio Italiana per la Svizzera ZURICHPh. +41 44 2892323info@ccis.ch

UNITED KINGDOMThe Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry for the United KingdomLONDONPh. +44 (0) 20 7495 8191info@italchamind.org.uk

USAItalian American Chamber of Commerce Midwest CHICAGOPh. +1 312-553-9137 info@italianchamber.us

Italy-America Chamber of Commerce of Texas, IncHOUSTONPh. +1 713 626 9303info@iacctexas.com

Italy-America Chamber of Commerce West, IncLOS ANGELESPh. +1 310-557-3017info@iaccw.net

Italy-America Chamber of Commerce SoutheastMIAMIPh. +1 305 5779868info@iacc-miami.com

Italy-America Chamber of CommerceNEW YORKPh. +1 2 12 4590044info@italchamber.org

Italian trade Commission Offices

The Italian Chambers of Commerce Abroad

ADDRESSES

For more information about Italian productsMINISTERO DELLE POLITICHE

AGRICOLE, ALIMENTARI E FORESTALI

00187 ROME, ITALY

Via XX Settembre, 20

www.politicheagricole.it

BUONITALIA SPA

00187 ROME, ITALY

Via XX Settembre, 20 - Ph +39 0642012607

buonitalia@buonitaliaspa.itwww.buonitaliaspa.it

Autore di vini siciliani

www.carlopellegrino.it Ufficio vendite Tel. +39 0923 719944/47

Distributore esclusivo

Solo Pellegrino ti garantisce la più completa gammadi vini siciliani di qualità. Bianchi, rossi, raffinati blend eautentici monovitigni. Vini Marsala DOC, vini dolci di Sicilia, Vini di Pantelleria DOC e Malvasia delle Lipari DOC. Per ogni pagina di Sicilia da scrivere, c’è un vino Duca di Castelmonte, Cantine Pellegrino o Hauner da poter abbinare. Per i tuoi clienti, per la tua cantina, per te.

821- 2009

T H E W O N D E R F O O D S A R O U N D T H E W O R L D

HOW TO SUBSCRIBETO THE MAGAZINES OF INFORMATION FOR PROTAGONISTS

OF ITALIAN RESTAURANT KEEPING

TASTING ITALY THE WONDER FOODSAROUND THE WORLDThe bi-monthly illustrating high quality Italian productsIntended for Italian restaurant keepers abroad and international buyers, the magazine relates the extraordinary wealth of Italian agri-food, the products, the people and the institutions who work passionately to sustain, promote and defend them in the world.

ENGLISH VERSION

Tasting Italy and Ristoranti are publications of

Annual subscription offers for magazines of the Ristorazione line.

TASTING ITALY: € 40,00 per year (6 issues) RISTORANTI: € 60,00 per year (9 issues)

For further information SERVIZIO CLIENTI tel. 0039.02 39.64.6420

Informativa ex D.Lgs. n. 196/03 (tutela della privacy):Il Sole 24 ORE Business Media S.r.l.- Via Patecchio 2, 20141 Milano - Titolare del trattamento, raccoglie presso di Lei e tratta, con modalità connesse ai fini, i dati personali il cui conferimento è facoltativo ma serve per fornire i servizi indicati e, se lo desidera, per aggiornarla su iniziative ed offerte delle società del Gruppo.Responsabile del trattamento è il Responsabile I.T. presso il quale, all’indirizzo di cui sopra, risulta disponibile l’elenco completo ed aggiornato di tutti i Responsabili del trattamento. Potrà esercitare i diritti dell’art. 7 del D.LGS. n. 196/’03 (accesso, correzione, cancellazione, ecc.) rivolgendosi al sopraindi-cato Responsabile. I Suoi dati potranno essere trattati da incaricati preposti agli ordini, al marketing, al servizio clienti, all’amministrazione e potranno essere comunicati alle società del Gruppo Il Sole 24 ORE per il perseguimento delle medesime finalità della raccolta, a società esterne per l’evasione dell’ordine e per l’invio di nostro materiale promozionale ed agli istituti bancari.Consenso. Attraverso il conferimento del Suo indirizzo e-mail, del numero di telefax e/o del numero di telefono (del tutto facoltati-vi) esprime il Suo specifico consenso all’utilizzo di detti strumenti per l’invio di informazioni commerciali.

RISTORANTIIMPRESE DEL GUSTO

The new partner for managers of restaurant enterprises

The new magazine, fruit of the experience of Bargiornale

and Gruppo 24 Ore, is an indispensable

information tool for restaurant entrepreneurs.

Greater awareness for better choice.

ITALIAN VERSION

Rivolta ai ristoratori italiani all’estero e ai buyers internazionali, la rivista racconta le straordinarie ricchezze dell’agri-food italiano, i prodotti, le persone, le istituzioni che lavorano per sostenerle, promuoverle e difenderle nel mondo con passione.

La nuova rivista nata dall’esperienza di Bargiornale e del Gruppo 24 Ore, strumento di informazione

indispensabile per gli imprenditori della ristorazione.Conoscere per scegliere al meglio.

You can subscribe by CREDIT CARD. Please ll in the form hereunder and return it by fax (+39/02/39646421) or BY e-mail (abbonamenti@businessmedia24.com)

VISA MASTERCARD expiry date ........................

Cardholder’s name ...........................................................................

Card number .....................................................................................

Address ...............................................................................................

Country................................................State ......................................

Ph .................................................. Fax ................................................

SIGNATURE______________________________

YEAR 1 ISSUE 1 2009

Horeca Business UnitPublisher: Angelo Borrello

Adv dept: alessandra.danella@businessmedia24.comAdv services: tiziana.belotti@businessmedia24.com

Single copy: € 3,33 (tax purpose)Subscription service: abbonamenti@businessmedia24.com

Subscriptions: Italy, € 20,00 (per year), Foreign € 40,00 (per year)Printer: Faenza Industrie Grafi che - 48180 Faenza

AdvertisingTel. +39 051 6575859 - +39 051 6575834 Fax +39 051 6575853

e-mail: pubblicita.agroindustria@ilsole24ore.com

ContributorsMarina Bellati redazione.ristoranti1@businessmedia24.com,

Fabrizio Gomarasca redazione.ristoranti2@businessmedia24.com, Marco Bevilacqua, Manuela Brambilla,

Riccardo Oldani, Davide Paolini, Nicolò Regazzoni, Alessandra Rotondi, Marzia Tempestini, Stefania Vinciguerra.

Translations: Miranda MengaCartography: Angelo Siviglia

Pictures: Getty Images, Gribaudo Editore (www.edizionigribaudo.it), Meridiana Immagini, Stockfood.

Cover: Getty Images,

EDITORAntonio Mungai

antonio.mungai@businessmedia24.com

Cristina Negri cristina.negri@businessmedia24.com

Assistant editorRita Galimberti

rita.galimberti@businessmedia24.com

Walter Bertorelliwalter.bertorelli@businessmedia24.com

Elisabetta Delfi ni elisabetta.delfi ni@businessmedia24.com

Graphic design

Il responsabile dei trattamento dei dati persona-li raccolti in banche dati di uso redazionale è il Di-rettore Responsabile a cui, presso il coordinamen-to delle segreterie redazionali (fax 02 39844800), gli interessati potranno rivolgersi per esercita-re i diritti previsti dall’art. 7 D.LGS. n. 196/’03.

“Annuncio ai sensi dell’articolo 2, comma 2, del “Co-dice di deontologia relativo al trattamento dei dati

personali nell’esercizio dell’attività giornalistica”.La società Il Sole 24 ORE Business Media S.r.l., edi-tore della rivista Tasting Italy, rende noto al pubblico che esistono banche-dati di uso redazionale nel-le quali sono raccolti dati personali. Il luogo dove è possibile esercitare i diritti previsti dal D.LGS. n. 196/’03 è l’ufficio del Responsabile del Tratta-mento dei dati personali, presso il coordinamen-to delle segreterie redazionali (fax 02 3984 4800).

©2009 lI Sole 24 ORE Business Media . Tutti i diritti di riproduzione in qualsiasi forma, compresa la messa in rete, che non siano espressamente per fini personali o di studio, sono riservati. Per qualsiasi utilizzo che non sia individuale è necessaria l’autorizzazione scritta da parte di lI Sole 24 ORE Business Media. Ai sensi degli artt. 7 e 10 del Decreto Legislativo 196/2003 Vi informiamo che i Vostri dati personali sono trattati da Il Sole 24 ORE Business Media, via Patecchio, 2 20141 Milano. Titolare del trattamen-to, e che le finalità del trattamento dei Vostri dati sono l’invio del presente periodico e/o di eventuali proposte di abbonamento, e/o l’elaborazione a fini statistici e/o la trasmissione di iniziative editoriali e/o commerciali di lI Sole 24 ORE Business Media. I Vostri dati saranno trattati con le finalità sopra esposte dalle seguenti categorie di incaricati: addetti dell’Ufficio Abbonamenti e Diffusione, addet-ti al confezionamento e alla spedizione, addetti alle attività di marketing, addetti alle attività di re-dazione. Vi ricordiamo che in ogni momento avete il diritto di ottenere l’aggiornamento, la rettifica, l’integrazione e la cancellazione dei Vostri dati inviando una richiesta scritta a lI Sole 24 ORE Busi-ness Media - Maurizio Ballerini, Responsabile Trattamento Dati - via G. Patecchio, 2 - 20141 Milano.

Chairman: Eraldo Minella Chief Executive Officer: Antonio GrecoEditorial Director: Mattia Losi

Associato a:

Unione StampaPeriodica Italiana

Il Sole 24 ORE Business Media SrlVia G. Patecchio 2 - 20141 MilanoTel. 0239646.1 - Fax 0239844800 - www.b2b24.it

Registrazione Tribunale di Milano n° 286 del 10/06/2009ROC n. 6357 del 10 dicembre 2001

www.buonalombardia.it

P R O D O T T I T I P I C Il o c a l p r o d u c t

C I B O E V I A G G If o o d & t o u r

E D U C A Z I O N E A L I M E N TA R En u t r i t i o n e d u c a t i o n

R I C E T T E LO M B A R D E

L O M B A R D I A . C O S T R U I A M O L A I N S I E M E .

l o m b a r d r e c i p e s

Pagina Regione Lombardia 2009 9-06-2009 17:16 Pagina 1

GranaP-235x299 8-06-2009 14:53 Pagina 1