We’ll break the ice with the quintessential symbol of Italian hospitality and offer an informal introduction to the concept of breakfast wine. Coffee and tea will also be served for those needing greater stimulus.
Over 1,800 different native wine grape varietals thrive (or survive) on Italy’s patchwork quilt of soil types, ranging from her mountainous Apennine backbone and volcanic soils to the rich clay of her plains and the sandy loam near her long coastline. A panel of winemakers from five of her 20 regions – Piemonte (Alberto Lazzarino), Toscana (Rudy Buratti), Lazio (Mauro Merz), Veneto (Andrea Sartori) and Abruzzo (Enrico Cerulli) - will show you some of the winning combinations of unique varietals and special places. Small bite pairings will be served.
Rosé is growing in popularity and seasonality; as it takes the market by storm Italians won’t be left behind. That argument will be made with the lighter side of five famous red varietals – Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, Corvina, Montepulciano and Lambrusco di Sorbara – by the men who made them, served with some inventive pairings.
A cash prize is on the line for the student who can correctly identify the most characteristics of our four wines.
Hailed by Wine Spectator Magazine as “Builders of Brunello, the Castello Banfi estate has pioneered clonal research and zonation studies in their pursuit of excellence, raising a tide of quality that has lifted the region. Veteran winemaker Rudy Buratti will reveal the elements of his three-decade-long research and demonstrate how Sangiovese behaves so uniquely not only in Montalcino, but from hill to hill on just one single estate.
Two of Verona’s leading producers of Amarone and Ripasso wines will share their knowledge, passion and insights for this winemaking technique that dates back to the ancient Romans and was a ‘secret’ of farmers for centuries.
Benedetta Poretti of Sicily’s historic Florio winery will show why her cellars are renowned for their reserves and reveal the complexity, flexibility and future of Marsala. Malvasia delle Lipari and Florio Fernet add Sicilian counterpoints.