What do our wines have in common with the Piedmontese excellence of Slow Food and the “heroic” hills of Prosecco Conegliano-Valdobbiadene, recently nominated UNESCO World Heritage Site?
To discover it, on October 12th Piedmont – represented by our best labels – and Veneto gathered together for an evening dedicated to food and wine culture and conviviality in the breathtaking restaurant da Andreetta, located in Rolle di Cison di Valmarino among the steep slopes of the Valdobbiadene hills, enshrined into one of the most picturesque “shores” of the Prosecco territory.
Slow Food Alta Marca Trevigiana took the two regions by the hand and brought to the table the greatest Piedmontese gastronomic excellences. Twelve Presidia, a record, prepared with unparalleled skills by Andreetta’s “master” chef Annamaria and served by the host Alberto, have been matched with our wines, carefully chosen to best express the flavours and aromas of the Piedmontese territory. The result was irresistible.
Our Chardonnay was a knight to the giant Vercelli rice at Castelmagno d’Alpeggio and to the tajarin with porcini mushrooms. The Morozzo capon, served with the Borlotti beans and the Nizza Monferrato hunchback thistle, was a perfect match for our Barbera d’Asti Superiore DOCG. For Nizza DOCG, on the other hand, a combination that we will certainly repeat in the future has been proposed: three extraordinary cheeses such as Robiola di Roccaverano, Raschera and, of course, Castelmagno d’Alpeggio. To close, our Moscato d’Asti DOCG delighted the palate along with the meliga sweets from the Monregalese area, all accompanied by a tasty zabaglione.
There are two lessons to be learned from this “twinning” between two precious UNESCO territories – in addition to the tasty combinations: first of all, wine can be an extraordinary collector of different identities, traditions and communities, which can act as a driving force for virtuous collaborations to generate a sustainable and shared development. Secondly, it also reminded us that wine is not an object to exhibit and possess, but rather a social product created to unite, share and enjoy together.
Wine, like the evening spent with the Slow Food friends, is the most extraordinary way to celebrate one of life’s fundamental values: friendship.
At the end of the evening, we asked Renato Grando, Slow Food Professor of Gastronomic History and promoter of the initiative, to tell us about the spirit with which this convivial moment was born: “We wanted to create these moments of conviviality to introduce people to the extraordinary eno-gastronomic heritage of Italian regional cuisines, able to propose an enormous variety unique in the world, by connecting products with different ways of cooking and preparing them. Thanks to these events, food takes on a social value, as we exchange traditions and knowledge useful for our cultural heritage” – said Renato.
“At Andreetta’s, the typical products of the North West of Italy met the skillful hand of the cook from the North East – in this case the phenomenal Annamaria, who sometimes interpreted the dishes according to her own style: this is the case of the Morozzo Capon, from which the idea of the Slow Food Presidium was born, prepared “in tecia” as the Venetian tradition requires. Other elements of continuity have been found, for example, in the dessert, the sweets of Meliga, which in Piedmont means corn and therefore find their counterpart in the Venetian “zaeti” (from the Veneto “yellow”, the color of corn). Or the great cheeses led by Castelmagno accompanied by the mustards of the Venetian Lazzaris.”
And how was the wine? “il Botolo’s wines were a pleasant surprise for all the guests, who unanimously appreciated all the labels proposed, from Chardonnay to Barbera, from Nizza to Moscato. il Botolo is a beautiful reality at the heart of the most important area for Barbera, namely Nizza Monferrato, which is constantly looking at quality ad attention to details” – continued Renato. “The limited production reflects the particular attention to the work both in the vineyard and in the cellar. Barbera, which in Piedmont is wrongly crushed by the giants of the region, expresses here its unparalleled qualities: a wonderful drink that, let me say, I often prefer over Barolo and Barbaresco for its unparalleled softness and pleasantness. In short, il Botolo has been promoted with flying colours!”
An assessment of the evening? “Everything went perfectly, as it doesn’t always happen. Everyone was enthusiastic and the wines from il Botolo were one of the most appreciated surprises. I’m sure we’ll soon be able to work – and have fun – together again!
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