Wine Tasting – Wine Tours in Italy

The night of St. Lawrence (on August 10), in Italy also known as “La Notte delle Stelle Cadenti” — the “Night of the Shooting Stars” — offers a major event for wine lovers, “Calici di Stelle“.

On this magic night tastings and a number of wine-themed events are held in around 500 locations — “Città del Vino” — throughout Italy, situated mostly in wine growing zones.

The venues hosting the events include historic squares, gardens, castles and vineyards.

“Calici di Stelle” is an event sponsored by “Associazione Nazionale Città del Vino” and by “Movimento Turismo del Vino”.
Where: August 10 (annual)
When: to find out the locations of “2011 Calici di Stelle” visit the following page at movimentoturismovino.it.

Grapes for drinking, wine from grapes….it seems easy. But do we know what must is? Is it true that certain micro-organisms devour grapes and produce alcohol? Can you produce white wine with red grapes? The answers to these and many other questions are found in “Grapes in the Glass“, a book by Teresa Severini Zaganelli, head of marketing and communications at one of Italy’s foremost wineries.

The book combines professional know-how and a sense of responsibility to introduce youngsters and adults to enology, setting the foundation for accurate information and the culture of taste.
A fun-filled visit among the vineyards becomes the springboard for talking about the fascinating world of wine in a new and simple way: drops of technical information, poetry, history and expertise to collect in a glass, remembering the words of English poet Edward Young: “friendship is the wine of life!”.

The Author: Teresa Severini Zaganelli is one of the first women in Italy to have become a professional winemaker.
After her university degree from the Agricultural Faculty of the University of Perugia, she specialized at the Institut d’Oenologie de l’Université de Bordeaux; since 1979 she has worked full time in the family business, one of Italy’s foremost wineries. After many years in which she was responsible for the technical vinification processes, acquiring know-how that allowed her to “invent” various wines, she is now head of company marketing and communications.

Italian winemaker Teresa Severini Zaganelli’s new book is on sale for $14.99 at defalco94@aol.com.

The 2011 “Cantine Aperte” festival will take place on Sunday, May 29.

The event, sponsored by “Movimento Turismo del Vino“, offers wine enthusiasts a chance to visit wineries throughout Italy and take a closer look at how the wine is made.

Selected wineries that are members of “Movimento Turismo del Vino”, will open the doors to the public offering tasting sessions and other wine-themed events.

In order to know the wineries participating at 2011 Cantine Aperte —  it is estimated over eight hundred cellars throughout Italy — please visit this page.

When: May 29 (annually the last Sunday of May);
Where: throughout Italy.

SlowFood, the organization aiming to combine the pleasure of food with sustainability and harmony with the nature, offers a wine tour through the Monferrato hills — one of the major wine growing zones in Piedmont — on May 22.

The tour, focusing on Grignolino wine, features visits to local wineries producing this famous wine.

Each of the 25 wineries involved in the tour will be welcoming the visitors with a broad selection of local specialties to pair with their wines.
The tour also features a visit to a Grappa museum.

Where: Casale Monferrato, Piedmont;
When: May 22, 2011.
For more information and how to book the tour, visit http://monferratoslow.com .