L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 24 L'Italo-Americano I f you love wine, you k n o w t h e n a m e Barolo: known as the King of Italian reds, B a r o l o i s a D O C G (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita, or "controlled and guaranteed designation of origin") wine p r o d u c e d w i t h N e b b i o l o g r a p e s f r o m t h e L a n g h e region of southern Piemon- te, more precisely, from the area around the homony- mous village of Barolo, in the province of Cuneo. This year the tiny, hillside village, population of 700, is going to get its centuries- long connections with one of I t a l y ' s m o s t p r e s t i g i o u s wines rewarded with a spe- c i a l t i t l e , t h a t o f I t a l y ' s Città del Vino, or City of Wine. Granted, right now it's d i f f i c u l t t o r e a c h p r e t t y Barolo from the US, but may the next few months bring along safety and, with it, the opportunity to travel again. W h e n t h a t t i m e c o m e s , mark Barolo as a possible destination, because there are a lot of reasons to spend time there. First and foremost, it's a b e a u t i f u l p l a c e t o b e . Located at the heart of the Cuneese Langhe, Barolo is a tiny, but perfectly pre- served and marvelously kept medieval village, that can be the starting point for a num- ber of amazing excursions in the surrounding countrysi- d e ; f o r t h o s e w h o a r e n ' t familiar with the area, the L a n g h e h a v e n o t h i n g t o envy to the internationally more popular Tuscan coun- tryside, but are quieter and not as filled with tourists so, if you ask me, it's a win-win s i t u a t i o n . I t ' s n o t a c a s e U N E S C O m a d e t h e a r e a part of the World Heritage Patrimony in 2014. T u c k e d a w a y b e t w e e n F r a n c e a n d L o m b a r d y , Piemonte is a chest of culi- n a r y t r e a s u r e s , t o o , a n d Barolo makes for a perfect place to experience them all. Langhe are known for their cheeses, especially famous tuma, made with sheep and, sometimes, cow milk, for the quality of their meat — you should try bollito misto, with all its sauces— and for t h e i r d e l i c i o u s h a z e l n u t s and chocolate (famous cho- colate makers like Venchi, Novi, Peyrano, Gobino and F e r r e r o a r e a l l Piedmontese).We are also in deep wine-country here, so there are a number of fine wineries to visit, of course. B u t l e t ' s g o b a c k t o Barolo. The decision to award to the village the Città del Vino 2021 award came from the Città del Vino National Association, a group crea- t e d b y r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s o f w i n e p r o d u c i n g a r e a s t o p r o m o t e , v a l u e a n d s a f e - guard the country's enologi- cal heritage. Barolo is the first to receive the award, which organizers hope will become a welcome, regular appointment every year. The o t h e r s i x f i n a l i s t s a r e a l l k n o w n n a m e s t o w i n e - l o v e r s : B i a n c o ( R e g g i o Calabria), Duino Aurisina ( T r i e s t e ) , M o n t e p u l c i a n o ( S i e n a ) , M o n t e s p e r t o l i (Firenze), Taurasi (Avellino) and Tollo (Chieti). Renata Bianco, mayor of Barolo, sees the award as an oppor- tunity to shine and bring hope to the people of his vil- lage and to the whole coun- try. She declared to Lonely Planet that 2020 was " a very difficult year and we believe that this new cam- paign is a loud message of hope and new beginnings." In Barolo, 2021 will be a year dedicated to heritage, tradition and the valoriza- tion of local culinary, enolo- gical, artistic and cultural patrimony. Indeed, Tiziano G a i a , m e m b e r o f t h e B a r o l o & C a s t l e Association noted that all the events and initiatives proposed for the year want to bring people, both locals and visitors, to rediscover the old celebrations of yore, those typical of local rural tradition that made the vil- lage, its wine and its history what it is today. Floriano Zambon, president of the Città del Vino Association stressed how the accent pla- ced on these aspects is what won Barolo the title, along with a clear interest towards the promotion of wine cul- t u r e , w i n e t o u r i s m a n d towards the importance of sustainability and environ- mental awareness. T h r o u g h o u t t h e y e a r , Barolo will propose a series of interesting events, inclu- d i n g s p e c i a l e x h i b i t i o n s about winemaking and inte- ractive experiences to learn about the process. There'll also be events dedicated to the history of Barolo pro- duction, as well as collabo- r a t i o n s w i t h o t h e r w i n e - making regions, with more details about the full pro- gram being released month by month. But even without having a f u l l p r o g r a m o f e v e n t s ready, yet, there are plenty of things to mark down on y o u r B a r o l o t o - d o l i s t already: you could start with a visit to Castello Falletti, t h e 1 0 t h c e n t u r y f o r t r e s s that dominates the village, built originally to protect the area from the Saracen and Hungarian invasions. For wine-lovers and wine- curious, there is the Museo dei Cavatappi, home to more than 200 years worth of corkscrews to show all the advancements made in the always-important techno- logy of opening that coveted bottle of delicious wine. On the premises, you'll also find a wine bar and a wine shop, the perfect location to try some local wines and to buy them before heading home. L a s t b u t n o t l e a s t , t h e m u s e u m a l s o o r g a n i z e s r e g u l a r w i n e t a s t i n g s , s o don't forget about that! CHIARA D'ALESSIO LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE Barolo is the Italian City of Wine for 2021 (Photo: Stevanzz/Dreamstime) Welcome to Barolo, Italy's City of Wine for 2021 Barolo wine is consdered the king of Italian reds (Photo: Alessadro Cristiano/Dreamstime)

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