Wine News - July 05, 2006 |
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Welcome to
VOLUME IV,
NUMBER 7 of Wine News, the e-Letter from the WineCountry.IT network. (Would you
rather see the e-Letter on your favorite browser? Use
this link. Usa il link seguente se vuoi leggere
le News in italiano).
The Italian Flavor Forum V, held at the Golden gate Yacht Club in San Francisco the 27 of June, 2006 has welcomed over 100 wine and food professionals who, in general, appreciated the variety of products introduced, as highlighted by the feedback received by the guests.
The feedback indicated that the Best of Show was the Cranberry Sauce with Balsamic Vinegar from Modena, produced by Premiata Distilleria Galdino Caselli, featured also as Company of the Month, with an average score of 95 points on a 100-point scale. The runner-up was another product from Distilleria Caselii, the Fragolino liqueur made with wild strawberries, which scored 94.8. The top wine was the Brunello di Montalcino La Togata dei Togati, produced by Tenuta La Carlina, with 94.5 points.
We have already reserved the Commodore Room at the Golden Gate Yacht Club for the next Italian Flavor Forum VI, which will take place on November 21, 2006. Buyers for restaurants, wine bars, specialty stores and resellers, as well as distributors, importers and trade journalists which are not yet on our guest list and are interested in participating, are kindly reminded to request their invitations in advance.
This month we have had to skip the update of Rosa D'Ancon'sa column on Italian native vines, which will be updated around mid July. There is, however, no lack of interesting articles, such as the one about Villa Cafaggio, by enologist Massimo Pala, a new addition to our pool of associated writers.
Another interesting piece is the one about the effects of red wine on insomnia according to researchers of Milan university.
That's all for this issue. We hope that you enjoy it and will take advantage of the summer season to wind down in your own favorite way. Make sure to drink good wine but, of course, please drink responsibly.
Loris Scagliarini,
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Articles
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| Italian Flavor Forum V |
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 For the Italian Flavor Forum V we returned to one of our favorite locations by the San Francisco Bay, the Golden Gate Yacht Club, located at the end of the pier at One Yacht Road, in the heart of the Marina district.
We enjoy the place so much, and the comments from our guests were so positive that we have already reserved the Commodore room for the Italian Flavor Forum VI, to be held on November 21, 2006
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| Villa Cafaggio: The Soul and Body of the Chianti Classico |
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 The car hugs the curves and bumps of the narrow hilly road that winds between cultivated fields, olive groves and cypresses, leaving behind the last houses of Panzano in Chianti. The bosco dei cipressi (cypress wood) appears almost as an enchanted fairy spot, from which arises the miniature bell tower of a small, super-cute little church. It's the Basilica Cafaggio. From here on, the road is unpaved, then, further down, there suddenly appears a breathtaking view of the whole "conca d'oro" ("golden hollow"). The road plunges on through the vineyards, which extend almost as far as the eye can see. The estate building is well laid out, and communicates a pleasant, welcoming feeling of intimacy, with its characteristic rustic style made of Tuscan, hazelnut colored stones.
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Can't Fall Asleep? Have a Glass of Red Wine |
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 It tastes rather pleasant, is good for our health and may help us live longer. If that weren't enough to convince us, recently Italian scientists have come up with yet another reason to enjoy a glass or two of red wine. In fact, recent research done at the University of Milan, shows that drinking red wine may help us get to sleep easily.
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Italian Wine Export Up 9% |
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 Based on ISTAT data concerning foreign trade in the first quarter of 2005, Coldiretti announced that there has been record 9% growth for 'Made in Italy' wine worldwide. Particular successes were recorded in the United States (up 18%) and in emerging countries, such as Russia (up 20%) and China (up 132%), while traditional imports within the European Union have shown a decrease (-2%).
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GAUDIO in Sicily |
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 GAUDIO (Gruppo Amici Uniti Di Indole Oraziana, or Group of United Friends of Horatian Indolence, the exclusive Bolognese club whose purpose is to enjoy and promote the great and minimal pleasures of life, recently took an extremely interesting tour of discovery of some of the most important Sicilian wine estates. The group visited the western part of the island, following an itinerary which took them across the provinces of Trapani, Agrigento and Palermo.
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Opening of MiWine at Fiera Milano |
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 The wine fair was inaugurated in the presence of Viviana Beccalossi, agricultural advisor for the Lombardy region; Pier Gianni Prosperini, Lombardy regional Sport and Tourism advisor; Piergiacomo Ferrari, CEO of Fiera Milano SPA, and Ambrogio Folonari, chairman of the association 'Project Wine'.
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Italian Wine Union Complains Wine VAT at 20% |
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 "I wonder if there is some politician who can find the time, or should I say the courage, to step forward seriously in defense of the wine sector. Without intention to belittle canned pet food, (we may agree that) wine has more historic, economic and social value compared to such products."
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The July 2006, Company of the Month, Premiata Distilleria Galdino Caselli, takes us to Sassuolo, in the Emilia region of Italy. Sassuolo is a small town in the foothills of the Modenese Apennines, famous worldwide for the production of superior quality tiles.
At the beginning of the 20th century however, Sassuolo made a name for itself across Italy as well as abroad, with the Sassolino, a liqueur whose name was coined by Distilleria Galdino Caselli.
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Josko Gravner: Best Vintner Career "for having had the courage to change the style of his wines many times, paying little heed to the success previously obtained, thus ending by producing wine following 5,000-year-old methods, though starting out employing the latest technologies."
Cuneo's chapter of the 
The European Commission announced that it would spend €131 million (
