L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2024 www.italoamericano.org 30 L'Italo-Americano O n F e b r u a r y 2 9 t h , G a m - b e r o Rosso's Tre Bicchieri US tour made its final stop in San Francisco, after Chica- go, New York City, and Los Angeles, and before April's Top Italian Wines Road- show in Dallas and Miami. F o r t M a s o n b e c a m e t h e place where wine experts, trade reps, distributors, and media gathered, on a rainy Thursday afternoon. Following the tradition of b r i n g i n g t h e b e s t w i n e s awarded by Gambero Rosso with the famous Tre Bic- c h i e r i l a b e l , the names published in the guide are rated according to a scale based on wine glasses: wines with three glasses are con- sidered excellent in their respective categories by Ital- ian experts. The wineries showcased throughout the tour also get a special spot in t h e n e w l y r e l e a s e d 2 0 2 4 Vini D'Italia, which fea- tures a curated list of thou- sands of producers selected by almost 70 tasters who traveled across the country a n d t a s t e d s o m e 2 5 , 0 0 0 wines collectively. Among them, 498 were awarded the coveted Tre Bicchieri desig- nation. L ' I t a l o - A m e r i c a n o attended the San Francisco event, meeting winemakers and distributors, some of w h o m w e r e a t t h e i r f i r s t appearance as part of this tour and were excited to see record attendance and plen- ty of interest in their offer- ings. We had the pleasure of interviewing Marco Sabel- lico, journalist and Editor- in-Chief at Gambero Rosso, responsible for the Vini d'I- talia guide, as well as a host of TV shows on the Gam- b e r o R o s s o C h a n n e l . W e f i r s t m e t M r S a b e l l i c o i n 2022, and we were happy to get his insider's views on this year's trends and the wines not to miss. "Thirty years ago, we did our first US event in New York City, and soon after, we decided to do the same in San Francisco. These are the two American cities with a true wine culture: New York C i t y i s a m u l t i e t h n i c a n d international city, while the San Francisco Bay Area is one of the most renowned places in the wine sector. C a l i f o r n i a n s h a v e a l w a y s b e e n b i g o n w i n e , b o t h drinking and producing." Mr Sabellico reminds us that both the interest in and the number of wines exported from Italy have grown over the decades. "After the pan- demic, things changed a bit. Last year, local distributors bought a lot of Italian wine to keep up with the demand a f t e r a d e a d l o c k d u e t o COVID-19. In the next six months, things will change again, and we expect high demand and more Italian wines to land here in Cali- fornia." There were around 150 winemakers in San Francis- co: "There are many produc- ers who have been here a f e w t i m e s , b u t w e a l s o brought some new names. T h e r e ' s a l w a y s a s o r t o f turnover of wineries that get awarded. We taste around forty-five thousand wines per year, so there's always a n o p p o r t u n i t y t o f i n d emerging trends and wine producers we have not met before. The Italian scenario is fun and appealing: a lot of different wines to try, from Valle D'Aosta all the way to Pantelleria. It's a big country to explore." And we shouldn't forget h o w t h i s e v e n t h a s a l s o become a moment to cele- brate local Italian restau- rants that bring the best of Italian food to California: " H e r e p e o p l e l o v e t o e a t g r e a t f o o d , a n d t h e y a r e always looking for organic and healthy options. Italian chefs have been successful for a hundred years, and this tradition isn't going to stop," Sabellico said. When it comes to 2024 top wines, we asked what the best offerings to try out are: "Piedmont and Tuscany are still the most important Italian wine regions. Every- one knows their Barolo, Bar- baresco, and Chianti Classi- co. Then there's the Veneto region and the Valpolicella. Prosecco, in particular, is today's forerunner in the Italian wine sector world- wide. A month ago, we were i n N a i r o b i , a n d e v e r y o n e l o v e d d r i n k i n g p r o s e c c o . Even in new markets, people start with Prosecco and their interest expands to other Italian wines over time. 700 million bottles of Prosecco are sold globally every year, but that's usually only the s t a r t i n g p o i n t f o r w i n e l o v e r s , w h o g e t t o d r i n k other Italian wines as they learn more." For those who love South- ern Italy, Puglia, Sicily, and Calabria produce incredible wines, too: "Puglia's Primiti- v o h a s b e c o m e m o r e a n d m o r e p o p u l a r , e s p e c i a l l y here in California, where it meets the tradition of the local Zinfandel, its cousin from overseas. They are sim- ilar and different in many a s p e c t s ; P r i m i t i v o h a s a strong Mediterranean fla- vor, and Americans love it. Sicily is well known for Gril- lo and Nero D'Avola, howev- e r , w i n e s f r o m t h e E t n a region are the ones with the highest scores. Then, this year's biggest surprise, Cal- abria: we tasted wines from small producers who cannot meet the high demand of international markets, yet they have embarked on a journey where local tradi- t i o n s a n d t h e c o n n e c t i o n with the land are making it possible to create great and unique wines. Finally, Sar- d i n i a i s c o m b i n i n g s m a l l winemakers with companies that have already entered some important internation- al markets." W h a t h a s I t a l y l e f t t o offer? "We are already working on the next edition. As I get back in a few days, I'll be meeting with my staff to talk about the 38th edition of our guide. We are getting close to the 40th anniversary, and we look forward to celebrat- ing here as well." Before wrapping up this e d i t i o n , w e m e t A n g e l o Varvaglione, Sustainabili- ty Manager of Varvaglione Vigne e Vini, a winemaker based in the Puglia region, la terra del Primitivo (the land of Primitivo). Angelo is following in his great-grand- father's footsteps, in a com- pany that was founded in 1921. Today, they produce five million bottles a year, distributed in 70 countries globally. Eighty-five percent o f t h e m a r e s o l d a b r o a d , between Germany, China, and the US. "Flexibility is our strength. The average age of people working for and with us is 36: not only are we young, but also agile a n d a b l e t o a d a p t t o t h e changes required by today's m a r k e t s . W h a t I l o v e t h e m o s t a b o u t m y j o b i s t h e opportunity to bring togeth- er tradition and innovation. I am proud of my family's heritage, however, I have the opportunity to travel a lot, and I meet new people every m o n t h . T h i s m e a n s I c a n better understand different p e r s p e c t i v e s a n d n e e d s . " Angelo met distributors and e x p e r t s a n d i n t r o d u c e d them to some wines coming f r o m t h e i r w i n e r y : t h e Susumaniello, for instance, is perfect for summertime thanks to its lightness and fragrant taste. Primitivo is still their most important wine, perfect for those who l o v e f u l l - b o d y w i n e s t h a t have been in barrels for no l o n g e r t h a n t e n m o n t h s . This is mainly due to the local weather and tempera- ture: while there are some common features with the Californian Zinfandel, main- ly the grapes, drinking the Varvaglione Primitivo is like t a k i n g a t r i p t o A p u l i a , w h e r e t h e i m p a c t o f t h e Mediterranean Sea is felt on all local produce. While the c o m p a n y d e b u t e d a t S a n F r a n c i s c o ' s T r e B i c c h i e r i this year, its success was r e m a r k a b l e : " W e l o v e d spending time here, we met lots of distributors interest- ed in our brand and some wine lovers, too. We hope to be back next year." San Francisco gets a taste of top 2024 Italian wines thanks to Tre Bicchieri US tour SERENA PERFETTO Angelo Varvaglione, sustainability manager at Varvaglione Vigne e Vini, a winemaker in Puglia (Photo courtesy of Varvaglione Vigne e Vini) SAN FRANCISCO ITALIAN COMMUNITY

• Cover