Vino 09
Vino 09
Largest Italian Wine Event in America
The Italian Trade Commission in cooperation with the regional governments of
and under the auspices of the Italian Ministry of Economic Development Present Vino 09, the First Industrial Convention of Italian Wines in
Three cities,
An inaugural reception at the Waldorf Astoria and dinners at some of
Brunello di Montalcino; Sustainable, Organic and Biodynamic Viniculture in
of Abruzzo; and many others. I did attend many seminars and found them interesting and informative.
On the afternoon of the 27th, a luncheon hosted by the Consorzio del Brunello di Montalcino. I was unable to attend but Michele did and enjoyed both the food and wine. I had already accepted an invitation to attend a luncheon at Remi Restaurant to taste the wines from Eugenio Collavini Viticultori.
On the night of the 27 there was the Hall of Fame induction dinner at the Rainbow room, honoring those in the wine industry throughout the
There were many levels of awards. I, along with many others, received The Distinguished Service Award. There were eight Hall of Fame honorees -- this was the highest award. Author Burton Anderson, Darrell Corti of Corti Brothers, author Victor Hazan, Leonardo LoCascio of Winebow Imports, John Mariani of Banfi Vintners, Hubert Opici of Opici Wine Group, Piero Selvaggio of Valentino Ristorante, and Anthony J. Terlato of Terlato Wine Group were honored.
On the afternoon of the 28th there a tasting featuring over 300 producers on two floors of the Hilton Hotel. There were producers from
I decided to begin with Brunello. There were over 45 producers. 2004 was a classic vintage in Montalcino and it is rated five stars. I was looking forward to tasting them. The first wine I tasted was the Castello Banfi Brunello 2004. I tasted the wine and then to make sure, tasted it again. In my opinion it is one of the best Brunello’s that they have ever produced and I cannot say enough about it. There were so many good wines that I cannot list them all. Here are a few of my favorites:
One of the seminars featured the medal winners of the 2008 Selezione dei Vini di Toscana.( see Judging Tuscan Wines 12-18-08) I was one of the judges at this event last October in
The Chianti Classico 2006 from Casa Sola (see Chianti Classico DOCG 5-18-08) was the best wine tasted in the seminar. Later that day, I was able to find the producer, Dott. Matteo Gambaro. I spoke with him and tasted his wines, most of which are vinified in a very traditional way. His Pergliamici is made from 85 % Sangiovese, 9% Canaiolo and two white grapes, Trebbiano 9% and Malvasia 3%. As of 2005, white grapes can no longer be used in Chianti, breaking a tradition that went back over 200 years. He could not call the wine Chianti Classico. I enjoyed all his wines. His wines do not come to the U.S because he does not have an importer.
I hope that they do they do the event next year but do the wine tasting on two different days.