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Cantine Aperte, wine and the pleasures of the "tastings" craze
For twelve years now, Cantine Aperte has been the most important event for sommeliers and wine-tasting fans. It is a ritual that repeats itself each spring all over the country, when wine- growers meet the public during the guided tours aimed at wine tourism.
Cantine Aperte is a sort of initiation into the secrets of Bacchus: visitors have free access to the production areas of the finest wines. For an entire weekend at the end of May, Italian wine- making businesses transform themselves into one great cultural museum open for discovering... and tasting.
Promoted by the Movement for Wine Tourism, the tastings involve over one thousand wineries and are accompanied by gastronomic initiatives that propose wine along with typical products. The aim is to set out recreational events such as folkloristic performances and thematic exhibitions combining culture, art, nature and handicrafts, providing an opportunity to immerse oneself in the wine-making traditions whilst at the same time celebrating the land and its resources.


WINE AND CHOCOLATE: A PAIR OF ACES

The food and wine proposals of Cantine Aperte are making headway, for the senses are no longer only tickled by the main dishes of traditional regional cuisine. Yet the latest craze in the world of tastings might seem somewhat far-fetched: sipping a glass of wine along with a bar of chocolate.
Cocoa and wine are good-mood allies, but in order for this combination to be pleasing to the palate it is necessary to combine a good year with an excellent cocoa product. Indeed only quality chocolate should be used, namely those types containing at least 70 percent cocoa with only a small amount of added butter or oily seeds. Experts advise tasting, experimenting and deciding. If you are curious then we suggest tasting Chuao (Venezuelan cocoa) along with a glass of Supertuscan (one of the best Tuscan reds). One of the best combinations then is Marsala, Barolo Chinato and l'Anghelo Rujo (a sweet Sardinian wine) to be tried with bitter chocolate. Combinations of Port, Pedro Ximenez, and some Sherries are also excellent.

On the other hand, combinations with cakes, desserts and chocolates must only be accompanied by sweet wines and dried raisin wines: Sacher cake with superior Marsala, chocolates with Vin Santo, Aleatico or Passito di Pantelleria. Even white or milk chocolate can be combined with wine. In this case, precisely due to the high quantities of butter and milk-origin fats, the wines must be sweet, fresh white raisin wines: Recioto di Soave and Gambellara, but also the l'Erbaluce di Caluso Passito. An alternative is provided by the Muscat grape wines such as Chambave (Aosta Valley) or Scanzo (Valcalepio, Bergamo).


YOUNG PEOPLE CENTRE-STAGE

Cantine Aperte in 2004 recorded an overall turnout equal to one million 200 thousand tasters. These were principally young people from town on an alternative weekend out: whether in couples or committees, they are the ones that increasingly appreciate the side events taking place around initiatives like Cantine Aperte. In Puglia, for example, tourist packages that encourage awareness of agricultural food products have been set out, calling in at olive mills, trattorias and farms. In the hills of Piedmont, Lazio and Tuscany, alongside the wine cellars accommodation has sprung up where visitors can have a relaxing stay in the midst of the vineyards.
In 2004, Lombardy's Giracantine experienced enormous success amongst the younger visitors; these tours were organised from Milan and led out to the greatest wine-producing areas. Campania, on the other hand, inaugurated the two-sided "Five archaeological sites with wine" creating a direct link between wine barrels and monuments.
The success has convinced the Movement for Wine Tourism to involve foreign countries with high involvement in wine-making in its initiatives, thus attempting to create an international front for the protection of food and wine traditions. In the wake of Vinitaly, (held in Verona, it is the largest exhibition dedicated to wines) which gathers together no less than 30 wine-producing countries including Argentina, Australia, Canada and Japan, Cantine Aperte also intends to create future "DOC" international partnerships.

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