Gambero Rosso Wine Travel Food n.132

year 22 - number 132 - september 2019 - gamberorosso.it

WINE

T R AV E L

FOOD

All you need to know about Pasta The Best 8 Ginger Beers on the market The spicy thrust of ginger combined with the fresh citrusy aroma. Ginger beer is the drink of the moment

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A superb value for money Barbaresco In recent years, prices in the Langhe have undergone an extraordinary surge, but Marco e Vittorio Adriano…

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Gambero Rosso World Tour 2019/2020 Kick Off From Tokyo to Beijing. Here’s the new itinerary of the World Tour. The program includes more than 30 stops

SOMMARIO 4

year 22 - number 132 - september 2019 - gamberorosso.it

WINE

T R AV E L

FOOD

6  11   16  14  34  18  46

All you need to know about Pasta The BesT 8 GinGer Beers on The markeT The spicy thrust of ginger combined with the fresh citrusy aroma. Ginger beer is the drink of the moment

A superb vAlue for money bArbAresco In recent years, prices in the have undergone an extraordinary surge, but Marco e Vittorio Adriano…

 Langhe

Editorial News Wine of the Month Design Gambero Rosso World Tour 2019/2020 Kick Off New Horizons for Pink Wine. Once disregarded, now trendy The world of Pasta changes course.

History and facts of the “other pasta” The Best 8 Ginger Beers on the market

Gambero rosso World Tour 2019/2020 KicK off From Tokyo to Beijing. Here’s

 the new itinerary of the World

Tour. The program includes more than 30 stops

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18

46

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Discover the

Prosecco Doc DreamlanD

There is an entire world of tradition, beauty and style inside every bottle of Prosecco DOC. That’s why Prosecco DOC is more than just sparkling.

The Prosecco DOC Dreamland welcomes you to www.prosecco.wine.

The Little Big Grape Varieties of Italy Even those like me who have been working in the world of wine for several decades, and also study its innermost aspects, must admit that we can’t know everything. And when I say “you can’t know everything”, I don’t just mean that one ignores the endless theory of labels or even wine-related denominations: this would be normal, given the speed with which this world evolves. On the other hand, it often happens that one must be surprised by the appearance – even if only in the narrow world of Italian ampelography – of a new grape variety, both in terms of newly planted vineyards and in terms of commercial success. I’m therefore not only referring to the amazement that captures me when I discover a native vine of which I had only very rarely (or even never) heard, but also of the surprises linked to the discovery of the unsuspected oenological potential of local cultivars. In fact, there are numerous native grape varieties that have come to the fore in recent years. Many of our grapes, so far known only to local winemakers, entered the daily life of sommeliers and journalists in the trade.

This has come at times for the simple awareness of some braver or more ambitious winemaker. The pignoletto of the Colli Bolognesi, for example, has long been considered a grape suitable only for the production of “homespun wines”, often sparkling, suitable for a daily family consumption. By the same token, its very close relative – for ampelographers it’s actually the same vine – grown a little further south, the grechetto of Umbria and Lazio is slowly taking on the appearance of a great aging white. In the case of pignoletto it’s not an accidentally discovered unknown cultivar, but rather the qualitative rediscovery of a grape that’s been so far not studied enough. But like the pignoletto/grechetto we could mention many other cultivars that have lived a similar history and that owe their recent success to the stubbornness of wine producers in love with their own land. Along the same lines, the case of the pecorino is emblematic and even more striking: still unknown, not only by the general public but also by industry insiders up until the end of the Eighties, it has now become Italy’s trendiest vine of the moment. In the same way, Piedmontese timorasso, almost disappeared from the vineyards in Piedmont at the end of the Eighties: it’s now become one of the white prides of Italian oenology. Who knows if the future will not offer great wines from greco musc’, pepella (Campania), erbamat (Lombardy) or from the baratuciat grape of Val Susa. In these cases the scarce knowledge could turn into an incredible wealth, and our country, so used to seeing the grass as greener on the other side, is in actual fact occupying the top ranks for the quantity of cultivated and vinified vines.

— Gianni Fabrizio

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JULY-AUGUST 2019

NEWS

In China the restaurant “born” in the middle of a eucalyptus forest Taking shape in south-eastern China, in the middle (literally) of an extraordinary eucalyptus forest, this is undoubtedly a restaurant that aims to surprise with special effects.

Designed by Muda Architects to offer, in a contemporary key, the traditional tables of the Chengdu rural area, specialized in a specialty exported all over the world, hotpot (a stew shared by all table guests, with a pot of broth simmering on the table and the ingredients ready to be cooked at one’s own choice). The Garden hotpot restaurant snakes through the forest with use of simple and natural materials, along the perimeter of a large lake dabbed with water lilies.

There are no walls, but only thin columns that support a light cover in galvanized steel: beneath, on the wooden walkway that runs flush with the water’s edge, are the tables, each equipped with the characteristic central hotpot restaurant stove. The objective is giving guests an experience of complete immersion in nature. Definitely spectacular.

The idea of Garbage Cafè, hailing from India: free food in exchange for plastic and polluting waste In a time of plastic-free campaigns (more or less virtuous), India pitches in with the opening of a Garbage Cafe, recently inaugurated in the Ambikapur district. The restaurant, destined to feed the less affluent for free, will also serve to raise awareness among the

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local population on the importance of recycling. To guarantee a meal, in fact, customers are asked to deliver plastic collected on the street or in excess: a kilo of plastic entitles them to a full meal, half a kilo for a free breakfast.

This project comes directly from 

NEWS

SEASONAL COCKTAIL

by Paola Mencarelli

BIG TROUBLE IN OAXACA Patrick Pistolesi, Drink Kong, Roma 4,5 cl Patron Silver Tequila 2 cl Giffard Caribbean Pineapple Liqueur 1,5 cl Midori 1,5 cl Ancho Reyes Verde 3 cl Lemon 1,5 cl Sugar Syrup

Sucrez vos fraises.

The Instagram account that counts sugar abuse in sugar cubes It’s called Sucrez vos fraises, whose imperative can be translated as: “Sweeten your strawberries”. It’s a French Instagram account that translates the consumption (not to say abuse) of sugar in our daily diet into images. The trick is simple, and effective: alongside snacks of all kinds, packaged ice cream, cookies, fruit juices, chocolate, the French profile matches the equivalent of the grams indicated on the label in sugar cubes, and sums it in a photo.

Often, the result is unsuspected: even a common 340 gram bottle of ketchup is a sugar condensate, equal to as many as 13 cubes! And in less than a year the profile has already reached almost 75K followers.

 the municipal administration: since it launched a program to rid the city of waste, the mayor has collected almost 20,000 Euro a month in the public coffers selling recycled plastic and paper to private companies. The model has already worked in other countries, from Belgium to Cambodia. Is it a model that’s destined to spread?

Glass: Low tumbler Tecnique: Shake and Strain “Adventurous, cheeky, green” is the subtitle of this cocktail of great visual impact, from a menu where colour is dominant and refers to personality traits, moods and feelings.

At the counter patrons follow their own colour to find themselves through the act of drinking. Big Trouble in Oaxaca reflects the soul of Drink Kong: a mezcla of fruits, alcoholic products and cultures, in which Mexico, the Caribbean and Japan merge to create a cocktail evocative of travels and adventures, pleasantly exotic and refreshing, ideal for summer evenings.

THE BARMAN: Born in 1978, half Irish and half Italian, Patrick Pistolesi is marking the history of mixology in Italy. A career behind mostly Roman bar counters, which began in nightclubs and then passed, as an employee, to iconic places such as The Gin Corner–the first exclusively gin bar in Italy–and Caffè Propaganda. Ready to embark on an adventure of its own, in September 2018 he opened the doors of Drink Kong: a large room with multiple personalities–open to all according to the concept of Irish pub– where his love for music, Japan, fine international cuisine and, of course, quality mixology. The consensus was immediate, even at a global level, so much so that he earned the entering the top 10 in the “Best New International Cocktail Bars” of the Spirited Awards of Tales of the Cocktails 2019.

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NEWS

Vinum Insulae on Elba. Making wine like the ancient Greeks did 2,500 years ago

Can wine be made like it was 2,500 years ago?

Antonio Arrighi and Attilio Scienza have tried (and have succeeded!): one is a winemaker, the other is Professor of viticulture at the University of Milan. The two in Elba together recreated the wine of the ancient Greeks of the island of Chio. To produce wine and to speed up the drying process of the grapes and thus preserve the characteristic aromas, inhabitants of the Aegean island had patented a system of fish traps for controlled sea immersion of the grapes (before the maceration phase in wine amphorae), according to the method documented by Pliny and other Latin texts. Thus Vinum Insulae–also the protagonist of a documentary film shot by Stefano Muti–was born. Starting from a very resistant native Elba vine, ansonica, and recovering the technique of the immersion grapes in in wicker baskets lowered to 7 meters deep in open sea, but near the coast of Porto Azzurro.

After the 5 days at sea, maceration in amphora followed. When will it be possible to taste it?

Probably with the next harvest.

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WINNER AT PINK ROSÉ FESTIVAL 2019

CAMPAGNA FINANZIATA AI SENSI DEL REG. UE N. 1308/2013 CAMPAIGN FINANCED ACCORDING TO EU REGULATION N. 1308/2013

CHIARETTO InANFORA Getting back to the wine making roots

Via Costabella, 9 - 37011 Bardolino (VR) Lago di Garda - Tel. +39 045 7210022 - zeni.it

NEWS

WINE OF THE MONTH BARBARESCO BASARIN 2016 MARCO E VITTORIO ADRIANO Fraz. San Rocco Seno D’elvio, 13A Alba (CN) +39 0173362294 adrianovini.it/en Ex-cellar price: 18 euros In recent years, prices in the Langhe have undergone an extraordinary surge, applying to both the wines and the land, increasingly sought after by international investors. It’s increasingly difficult to drink well at an affordable price, but there are wonderful exceptions. One of these is represented by the virtuous cellar of brothers Marco and Vittorio Adriano, based in San Rocco Seno d’Elvio, a few kilometers from Alba and Barbaresco. The style developed by Marco and Vittorio prefers detail to power, large barrels instead of barriques, thus obtaining a truly valuable aromatic precision for those in love with pure, rigorous, austere nebbiolo, with gentle extractions, plus subtle, elegant flavour traits.

The result of this is a classic and light profile, of great pleasure. In the vineyard the work is carried out with great respect for the environment, for a healthy and sustainable viticulture. The price policy is among the most contained of the area. Voilà the wine of the month. There is all the freshness and finesse of the glorious 2016 vintage in the Barbaresco Basarin, with a berry that is nothing short of fragrant, with notes of watermelon and raspberry, embellished with tones of china root and licorice; fine and complex on the palate, it closes long and vital, with a progression of great nature and character. The last suggestion is extremely fresh: excellent today, it holds a glorious future ahead. In Italian wine shops it is sold at about 25 Euro, with an advantageous value for money. Its ideal match? We tried it on a simple and fragrant pizza with mushroom, and we would be happy to repeat the experiment.

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SEPTEMBER 2019

GAMBERO ROSSO X BERTANI

Valpolicella according to Bertani The story of a terroir with style Two important news for the Veneto winery: “Catullo” Ripasso and the Bertani CRU project

The topicality of Bertani lies in the authenticity of his Two Wines and in knowing how to interpret important innovations for the Venetian company: the real potential vocation of the terroirs where its vineyards are located». In the “Catullo” Ripasso and the Bertani CRU project

by Bertani, they explain the new 2019 releases: able, once again, to tell their

origin in an extraordinary, authentic and highly recognizable way.

Two new concepts, a label and a project: 1 Catullo, Valpolicella Ripasso Clas1

Catullo, Valpolicella Ripasso Classico Superiore Doc Catullo comes from the most suitable vineyards of Tenuta Novare, in Valpolicella Classica, the same as those of Amarone. It is a wine produced only from native grapes (Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella) in a number of bottles equal to the Amarone production.

It is inextricably linked to Amarone Classico, since it’s born from the second fermentation of the Valpolicella on just the grape marc of the slightly sweet unpeeled Amarone Classico. A method that guarantees contained alcohol content and sugar residues, a freshness of a Valpolicella combined with the greater aromatic expression of an Amarone. Catullo, the second wine of the Bertani family, is a label that becomes a full member of the Bertani Icons as one of the most prestigious Italian wines.

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sico Superiore: a wine that interprets the Bertani style to perfection, classic and austere, restoring the traditional method of Valpolicella.

2 . Bertani CRU: a “new” project that emphasizes the value of territory through the creation of two selections, Ognisanti Valpolicella Classico Superiore and Le Miniere Valpolicella Classico.

GAMBERO ROSSO X BERTANI

1. The vineyards within the Novare Estate 2. Vigneto Ognisanti

Ognisanti, Valpolicella Classico Superiore Doc

Le Miniere, Valpolicella Classico doc

This is a wine that comes from the historic Tenuta Novare cru in which the entire production is dedicated to Valpolicella. The Cru takes its name from the sixteenth-century chapel of Ognisanti.

It’s a complex, long-lived, sapid and spicy wine obtained only from non-dried grapes. The Cru of Ognisanti is characterized by a soil rich in chalky limestone which gives the light and spicy grapes of Valpolicella (Corvina and Rondinella) a greater intensity and aromatic concentration as well as a greater structure on the palate. To further enhance its structure and elegance is a long maceration on grape marc after fermentation, refining for 12 months in French oak barrels and a period of at least 6 months in the bottle..

From the vineyards situated above the Le Miniere di Tenuta Novare, dalle quali in passato si estraeva ferro e manga of Tenuta Novare, from which iron and manganese were once extracted, today – thanks to six calcareous soils – the Valpolicella enhances the spicy and salty characteristics. The entire production of this vineyard is dedicated exclusively to Valpolicella. Le Minere is the wine that expresses how today, thanks to climate change and the development of wine, specific areas of the Valpolicella are able to produce highly recognizable and complex wines even for the most important and mature international markets. A Valpolicella capable of combining the pleasantness and drinkability typical of this type of wine with an extraordinary elegance. The wine is made from Corvina Veronese, Rondinella grapes and Corvinone through a fermentation with partial use of whole bunches (10%). At the end of fermentation the wine remains to macerate on the skins for three weeks in order to favour a pleasant and integrated tannic structure. Finally, a decisive factor is the aging in cement tanks for about 6 months on fine lees which allows for the achievement of that harmony and balance in perfect Bertani style.

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 Bertani - Grezzana (VR) - via Asiago, 1 - 0458658444 - bertani.net

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SEPTEMBER 2019

GAMBERO ROSSO WORLD TOUR

Top Italian wine brands join

From Tokyo to Beijing. Here’s the new itinerary of the World Tour. The program includes more than 30 stops, reaching all the main markets, from the most emerging to the strongest ones. For the very first time the biggest Italian wine tasting tour will stop in Chengdu, Salzburg, Calgary, and Ho Chi Minh. The starting bell for the tour will ring, as usual, in Rome, on October 27. Gambero Rosso will present Vini d’Italia 2020, which at this moment is in the hands of translators and will be published in English, German, Chinese and Japanese. From Rome,

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the best Italian wineries will start their complex foreign itinerary abroad. Note that the Tre Bicchieri World Tour is only for those wineries that have attained the maximum recognition in the guide. No other Italian wine event has such a restrictive selection filter, a guarantee of premium quality. Each tasting will offer a huge portfolio of wines, plus a dense program of seminars led by Gambero Rosso top experts. Shortly, a unique opportunity to get in touch with the newest vintage of the best Italian wines.

SEPTEMBER 2019

GAMBERO ROSSO WORLD TOUR

together to cross the globe

Gambero Rosso will take part to all the main wine trade fairs, from the new Vinexpo Paris to Vinexpo Hong Kong, ProWein in Dusseldorf, and Vinitaly in Verona. Special attention will be given to Dubai that will host a new event of the tour during the super awaited Expo 2020. Lastly, the tour will also feature the second edition of Wine & Sea, a unique tasting tour made possible thanks to the partnership with MSC. All the stops will feature a huge walk around tasting with only the very top labels that bring in the

GAMBERO ROSSO

glass our incredible heritage and variety of native grapes.

Italy produced 55 million hectolitres of wine in 2018, about 20 million hectolitres were sold abroad. Italian wine export reached the record amount of 6.2 billion Euro, up 3,3% in 2018 and has increased by 70% over the last decade. The Tre Bicchieri World Tour offers a unique opportunity to taste only the newest vintage of very top Italian wines.

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DESIGN

DESIGN

by Sonia Massari

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DESIGN

YOUNG, FUNCTIONAL AND VALUE COOKING VESSELS

FROM DIM SUM TO DESIGN

When we buy our kitchen utensils we often have to choose between quality, price and aesthetics.

Kitchen tools startup Great Jones has found a solution for this: their products combine an attractive design, practicality and a reasonable price. Added to this is a young and urban style, suitable for city apartments. Dutchess, for example, is a cast iron pot enamelled with very particular colours that can be brought from the stove to the table. A touch of colour in the kitchen never hurts.

greatjonesgoods.com

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queeniewongstudio.com

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NON-COFFEE COFFEE

Nowadays, mainly due to climate change, coffee production has dropped and seems to be at risk. Andy Kleisch, CEO of a Seattle startup, had an idea and started collaborating with food engineers to replicate the taste, smell and texture of coffee at molecular level. The result is a coffee that is not coffee: Atomo. Numerous natural plant-based ingredients were analyzed and eventually succeeded in replicating the texture and the typical sensation of coffee on the palate and also reducing bitterness, thus avoiding sweetening of the beverage.

ENVIRONMENT-FRIENDLY CUPS MADE WITH COFFEE GROUNDS Germany is one of the countries with the highest coffee consumption in Europe, with an average of 14 kilos per year per capita. About 99% of disposable cups end up in the trash and take at least 20 years to decompose. Kaffeeform is a startup that was born to collect coffee grounds from Berlin bars and turn them into eco-friendly cups that can be washed regularly in the dishwasher and that are very durable. Julian Lechner, mastemid behind the startup, started studying the project since he was at university in Bolzano, 10 years ago.

kaffeeform.com

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atomocoffee.com

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Queenie Wong has designed a series of crockery and tableware that highly exalts traditional Hong Kong cuisine. Every object in the Niu Niu design line proposes diners with a new experiential approach, telling a story of millenary food. Taking inspiration from the traditional dim sum preparation process, the food designer created a hand-shaped ceramic bowl, a unique object that’s used to serve both the dumpling and the sauce. Materials, food culture and culinary aptitude, all enclosed in a single element.

PRECIOUS MINI DECANTERS

DECORATIVE MICRO-SEAWEED

Riedel offers a limited edition of Mini Decanters that contain half a bottle of wine (0.375 l), a size that’s increasingly in demand in international haute cuisine and wine enthusiasts. The Horn is part of this line, a functional designer decanter that, with a touch of color, brightens up the summer table. Horn was created to celebrate the history of the Riedel family in the artisan tradition of Austria and Bohemia: it’s an extremely complex creation that three master glassmakers worked on, blowing each piece individually.

There’s a lot of talk about indoor farming and vertical gardens, but nobody has yet thought about how to introduce micro-seaweed into our daily lives. The answer actually exists and is called Coral: a tool that, in addition to being a unique and colourful piece of furniture, allows the cultivation of micro-algae in our apartments: they are edible, have high nutrient content, clean the air and set CO2 ten times more than regular plants. Coral aims to change the preconceptions about algae, with a modern and functional piece of furniture.

riedel.com

ulr.im

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THE WORLD OF PASTA CHANGES COURSE. HISTORY AND FACTS OF THE “OTHER PASTA” Whole wheat, gluten free, legume-bades, made with spelt, Senatore Cappelli, kamut, or others made with rediscovered wheat varieties, such as khorasan, saragolla, turanicum or ancient Sicilian wheats...

This is the “other pasta,” increasingly present on the market, both niche products as well as mainstream mass distribution. A trend that obviously intregues chefs and restaurateurs.

We’ve gathered opinions from agronomists, researchers, grain and marketing experts, nutritionists, chefs and influencers... words by Mara Nocilla - images Lido Vannucchi

STORIES

B

rown or pale, it’s found on sale both in food boutiques and on supermarket shelves: the pasta that until a few years ago was considered the younger sister of the conventional durum wheat one. Whole wheat and glutenfree pasta, made with spelt, kamut, legumes, ancient wheat varieties rediscovered over the past 30 years, such as Senatore Cappelli, khorasan, turanicum, saragolla, and ancient Sicilian wheat.

While the consumption of classic pasta has been declining in past years, the market for alternative pasta varieties is growing rapidly.

Statistics confirm the trend, as well as observation. «Just as an example, in the last year the production of legume pulp has increased from 552 to

If the consumption of classic pasta has been declining for some years, the “alternative” pasta business is growing rapidly as evidenced by the market stats almost 775 tonnes, for a value of nearly 6.5 million Euro against the scant 5 million Euro in 2017 – according to Unione Italiana Food, an association founded at the beginning of 2019 from the merger of Aidepi and Aiipa – a 

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MINI GLOSSARY Extrusion The pushed out dough through metal dies in various desired shapes.

Gluten sensitivity The condition in which, following the ingestion of gluten, symptoms largely appear similar to those of coeliac disease and irritable bowel syndrome (swelling, drowsiness, diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain, headache, depression); yet without atrophy of the intestinal villi or autoimmune response (described in 2011 on BMC Medicine).

Supply chain Chain that unites all the various production steps of a given product: from the soil to the seed, from the plant to the fruit, from the field to the laboratory, from the laboratory to the table. .

THE OTHER PASTA

Gluten It’s a protein complex contained in wheat and many other grains (spelt, rye, oats, barley). Certain grains (like rice, corn, millet, sorghum, teff) and so-called pseudograins, such as amaranth, quinoa, buckwheat, cassava, lack gluten altogether.

two fatty acids these become monoor di-glycerides. Used as emulsifiers..

als: in Teflon, bronze, more recently in gold, silver and platinum.

Lecithin From the Greek “egg yolk”, as the element that contains the most lecithin.

Among the major containers of lecithin are wheat germ, soy oil and butter (chemically, a phosphatidylcholine).

Fights cholesterol. An emulsifier.

Einkorn An ancient grain, the first domesticated by man 7,500 years before Christ. It has a low gluten content and leavens very little. The wild type lives naturally in Anatolia and the Middle East and is widespread from Jordan to the Balkans. Today it’s a marginal grain that’s difficult to process. It’s used a lot for bulgur and mostly cultivated in Lombardy (the Shebar of the Brescia province), Piedmont (Enkir) and in Sardinia (Grano di Atlantide di Orosei).

Turanic Coming from the lowland of the Turan, the sinking basin between modernday Turkmenistan, Iran, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan and one of the world’s largest sandy expanses.

Mono and diglycerides of fatty acids Derived from triglycerides (non-water soluble fats) formed by three fatty acids with a single glycerol molecule (water soluble): by removing one or

Die The plate at the end of the extruder from which the pressed dough comes out and which gives the pasta its shape. It can be of different materi-

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Wheat sensitivity The allergic reaction to contact and inhalation of wheat flour and/or powder and is always linked to gluten. The symptoms are rhinitis, asthma (once called baker’s asthma) and all the different symptoms of allergies in general. It’s detected with the Prick test and the Rack test. In addition to gluten, mites, albumins and globulins can also affect people who suffer from it.

STORIES

PROS AND CONS OF WEAK GLUTEN “Alternative” grains suitable for pasta making are farro dicocco spelt, Khorasan wheat or Triticum turanicum, and local durum wheat populations such as Saragolle, ancient Sicilian grains and old varieties such as Senatore Cappelli. These wheats have been “chosen” by farmers over the centuries for their environmental adaptability and yield. Pastas made with these varieties have the advantage of being suitable for those who suffer from gluten sensitivity or want to eat “light”, but in order to be of good quality and be suitable for cooking a a particular process of pasta making is needed. Everything must be slower: the dough, the extrusion and the drying. Furthermore, it’s impossible to establish a standardizable and finetuned recipe for processing: every product, every harvest, every place of origin of the raw material requires parameter adjustments. These grains have a lot of variability and the pasta makers need to constantly tweak the process in regards to qualitative/technological characteristics, the quantity of proteins and gluten of the grains of each particular harvest.

– Oriana Porfiri, agronomist and grains expert

very small part of the overall share of dried pasta produced in Italy, not even 0.03%, but with a growth of 31.4% in value and 40,3% in volume compared to 2017».

If the consumption of classic pasta has been declining for some years, the “alternative” pasta business is growing rapidly as evidenced by the market stats The reasons for choosing alternative pasta varieties are the most diverse.

First of all health-related: doctors invite patients to consume unrefined foods, plus constant studies on the topic, such as the risks posed by a diet low in whole foods, published in the April issue of Lancet, one of the leading medical magazines. But this is only one of the aspects: there

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are also ethical and cultural reasons, in addition to attention to the environment, choices oriented towards organic and eco-friendly (many of these products are in fact organic), and the increase – real or presumed – of food allergies and intolerances, and changing palates..

If the market rewards this trend it’s certainly also due to the greater palatability of alternative pasta types compared to the mainstream counterpart. Newer additions are no longer woody, punitive and weak to the bite, but rather rich in taste and compatible to cooking. The argument is even more true for glutenfree pasta (made from rice, corn, buckwheat, quinoa, amaranth), until recently only sold in parapharmacies: it was a cross between glue and pressed sawdust, which when lucky,

THE OTHER PASTA

PASTA PRODUCTION

THE NUMBERS OF PASTA

3.369.958

t.

INDUSTRIAL PRODUCERS

120 ca.

2.893.464 t. dry semolina pasta 3.111mln. €

170.775 t. fresh industrial 787 mln. €

156.912 t. yolk-based 412mln. €

4.798

mln. €

GERMANY UK FRANCE

SECTOR TURNOVER

+1,6 %

58,4

%

€

+3,7

2.240 mln. €

%

MOST IMPORTANT MARKETS IN THE EU

46,7

148.807 t. filled pasta, dry 488 mln. €

%

MOST IMPORTANT MARKETS OUTSIDE THE EU

SPAIN BELGIUM EASTERN COUNTRIES

USA JAPAN CANADA

(datas Ac Nielsen and Istat 2018 elaborated by Unione Italiana Food)

Why choose ancient flour made from ancient grains, legumes or “other” grains?

There are health reasons, but also cultural and ethical reasons related to environmental sustainability was reminiscent of polenta and popcorn. Technological and qualitative changes now give us products that are incredibly improved from an organoleptic and structural point of

view, and there is no need for emulsifiers to compact the dough, such as sunflower lecithin or mono and diglycerides fatty acids (E471). With the best interpretations that won’t make you regret classic macaroni, whether those made by industries (like Garofalo or Rummo, which in 2010 took over a former pasta factory in the Novara area to produce the entire gluten-free line near the rice fields), or made by artisans of die-extruded pastas, like Fabbrica della Pasta di Gragnano, which dries its products at low temperatures. A nice gift for coeliacs, and for those who suffer from gluten sensitivity.

HISTORY OF THE OTHER PASTA The long march of the “other pasta” began about 40 years ago, coinciding with the birth of the first 

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WHY ARE SICILIAN GRAINS SO POPULAR? Recently, grains, ancient and modern, have been investigated to understand which varieties can be useful for those consumers claiming to have wheat sensitivity, the difficulty in digesting grains.

The subject of this research, in addition to gluten and its “toxic epitopes”, are also other classes of molecules that could cause disorders similar to irritable bowel syndrome. There are several studies in progress in Sicily: one is on the perciasacchi (turanic wheat equal to kamut and native of Sicily); the other is on the genetic mapping of ancient Sicilian durum wheat to obtain a precise pedigree.

But one thing is certain, demonstrated by several research programs, and that gives a nice strength to Sicilian wheat: the island’s warm and dry climate allows it to thresh at very low humidity, with a very low risk of being contaminated by fungi that produce harmful toxins.

– Giuseppe Russo, research biologist at Gian Pietro Ballatore Grain Research Consortium in Palermo

STORIES

organic farms, one above all the one belonging to Gino Girolomoni, from 1971 locted in the upper Marche. But the turning point that brought the product into a gourmet sphere and into international markets dates back to the early 1990s.

Among the protagonists of this epochal change are the Latini, pioneers in the teaching of the artisan pasta making method, which from the beginning focused on old durum wheat cultivars and on monovarietal pasta, first of all Senatore Cappelli.

«We wanted to show that, like with wine, olive oil and other food products, pasta is also made from the soil,» says Carla Latini. If the Italian market was lukewarm at the time, the foreign one proved the Osimo pasta makers right. «In 1992, our Senatore

Small pasta producers, but also industries, have gone from processing imported grains to grains cultivated in Italy, especially from Tuscany and on down south Cappelli spaghetti, freshly extruded, was sold at Fauchon in Paris, then at Dean & DeLuca in New York. And only then in Italy: among the first to trust us was Solci wine shop in Milan; and 

THE 8S: MARKETING MANIFESTO OF THE FUTURE The world of pasta is changing, like that of food and wine in general. «But the current distribution strategy seems less responsive to consumer dynamics – explains Marketing and Sales Psychology professor Gabriele Micozzi at Luiss Business School – Marketing is often limited to the ancient Kotlerian variable based on the 4P’s: product, price, promotion, placement.

Only productions that can guarantee 8S’s will be able to enjoy growing consumer confidence and enlightened distribution.

We have supported the illusion of manipulative marketing for too long, sweeping its secondary deleterious effects under a carpet».

1 Health and food safety

2 Sustainability

3 Sincerity

4 True Stories

5 New flavours

6 Offline Socialization

7 Distributive Selection

8 Study and training of the sales network

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THE OTHER PASTA

BEST ARTISANAL PASTA MAKERS Prometeo Urbino

Gino Girolomoni Coop. Agricola Isola del Piano (PU)

Fabbri Strada in Chianti (FI)

Columbro - San.Ri Fano (PU)

Cascina Canta Novara

Regina dei Sibillini

L'Origine

Montefortino (FM)

Castegnero (VI)

La Finestra sul Cielo

La Terra e Il Cielo

Villareggia (TO)

Arcevia (AN)

Latini

Fior di Loto

Osimo (AN)

Orbassano (TO)

Mancini Monte San Pietrangeli (FM)

Mulino Marino Cossano Belbo (CN)

La Campofilone

Gioie di Fattoria

Campofilone (FM)

Torano Nuovo (TE)

Rocca Madre

Morelli

Pedaso (FM)

San Romano (PI)

Verrigni Roseto degli Abruzzi (TE)

Floriddia

Rustichella d’Abruzzo

Peccioli (PI)

Pianella (PE)

Rossi

Mulino Val d'Orcia

Pianella (PE)

Pienza (SI)

Casino di Caprafico - Santoleri

Fanelli

Guardiagrele (CH)

Canepina (VT)

La Turchina Tarquinia (VT)

Masciarelli

Cocco

Pratola Peligna (AQ)

Fara San Martino (CH)

Sottolestelle San Giovanni Rotondo (FG)

Tanda&Spada Thiesi (SS)

D'Amicis

Terre di Biccari

Serracapriola (FG)

Biccari (FG)

Terra dei Trulli Martina Franca (TA)

Gentile “Il 1650”

Sardo Sole

Cavalieri

Gragnano (NA)

Cabras (OR)

Maglie (LE)

Pastificio dei Campi Gragnano (NA)

Marella

Graziano

Gioia del Colle (BA)

Manocalzati (AV)

Cicalò Isili (CA)

Feudo Mondello Kentos

Caccese - Pasta del Camporeale

Monreale (PA)

Ariano Irpino (AV)

Orroli (CA)

Molini del Ponte

Cancemi

Castelvetrano (TP)

Caltanissetta

Callari

Fattoria di Gèsu

Niscemi (CL)

Villalba (CL) pasta di grani duri di varietà vecchie o antiche (farro, Senatore Cappelli o Cappelli, kamut, khorasan, saragolla, turanicum, matt, tumminia o timilia, russello, perciasacchi, bidì) pasta a filiera chiusa dal campo al pacco di filiera corta

Forno Santa Rita – Maurizio Spinello Caltanissetta

Damigella Chiaramonte Gulfi (RG)

Molino Soprano

Minardo Modica (RG)

Chiaramonte Gulfi (RG)

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STORIES

PRODUCERS/BRANDS OF GLUTEN FREE AND LEGUMES PASTA

Schär

Nutracentis

Burgstall / Postal (BZ)

Sarnico (BG)

Viazzo

Crova (VC)

La Finestra sul Cielo

EcorNaturaSì – PiùBene Verona

Villareggia (TO)

Germinal

Fiorentini

Castelfranco Veneto (TV)

Ki Group

Torino

Torino

Molino di Ferro

Alce Nero

Vedelago (TV)

San Lazzaro di Savena (BO)

Fior di Loto

Molino Spadoni - Vivifree

Orbassano (TO)

Barilla

Legù

Campi Bisenzio (FI)

Parma

Albizzate (VA)

Coccolia (RA)

Probios

Morelli

Rustichella d’Abruzzo Pianella (PE)

Verrigni

San Romano (PI)

Roseto degli Abruzzi (TE)

BioAlimenta - Farabella Fara San Martino (CH)

Mulino Val d'Orcia Pienza (SI)

D'Amicis Serracapriola (FG)

BiAglut Latina

Granoro Corato (BA)

Rummo

Riscossa Corato (BA)

Benevento

La Molisana Campobasso

Divella Rutigliano (BA)

La Fabbrica della Pasta di Gragnano Gragnano (NA) gluten-free pasta

Garofalo

legumes pasta

Gragnano (NA)

Felicia Bio - Molino Andriani Gravina in Puglia (BA)

Sottolestelle

closed supply chain pasta from the field to the package

San Giovanni Rotondo (FG)

artisanal producers (slow processing at low temperature)

THE 7 TRENDS OF THE PASTA-ADDICTED

1 Legumes pasta

5 Gluten-free pasta

The alternative for those who want more wholemeal and gluten-free foods: greatly improved in recent years.

Made not only with gluten-free flours, but also in environments that are absolutely not contaminated with gluten molecules.

2 Farm pasta

6 Sicilian durum wheats

Made by the same from that cultivates the field, collects the wheat, grinds it and creates pasta with it (closed supply chain).

Traditionally cultivated before WWII, were then forgotten in favour of more selected and productive crops. They are generally lower in gluten and processed without much refining.

3 Pasta made with ancient grains They are made entirely (or blended) with flours from einkorn or turanic grains, originally hailing from Asia (see mini glossary) and generally more wholegrain and with less gluten.

7 Trafiliamola strana It seems – from tests also in conducted in our editorial office – that the best dies are bronze, but marketing goes further and further, and now even those in precious materials such as gold and platinum are in fashion.

4 Protein pasta Made with animal flours (Eg. crickets) and now available for online purchase.

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THE OTHER PASTA

MAIN PASTA INDUSTRIES Felicetti Predazzo (TN)

Agnesi Fossano (CN)

Alce Nero San Lazzaro di Savena (BO)

Delverde Fara San Martino (CH)

De Cecco

Barilla

Riscossa

Fara San Martino (CH)

Parma

Corato (BA)

Granoro

La Molisana

Corato (BA)

Campobasso

Voiello

Divella

Torre Annunziata (NA)

Rutigliano (BA)

Afeltra Gragnano (NA)

wheat from the Italian supply chain (also part of production)

Di Martino

De Matteis – Grano Armando

Gragnano (NA)

Flumeri (AV)

durum wheat pasta of old or ancient varieties (spelt, Senatore Cappelli or Cappelli, kamut, khorasan, saragolla, turanicum, matt, tumminia or timilia, russello, perciasacchi, bidì)

Gragnano (NA)

gluten-free pasta

Garofalo

legume pasta

chefs Aimo Moroni and Antonello Colonna». A model that contributed to the success of pasta factories. Over the course of a quarter of a century, pure durum wheat vintage pasta lines have blossomed: think Felicetti, which in 2004 launched Selezione Monograno, and many other artisan brands. Historical small pasta makers have gone from imported grains to those grown in Italy from Tuscany on down, using both “mixtures” and single cultivars. More recently, even after the controversy over glyphosate residues found in some pasta brands, some industries have launched product lines made with only domestic wheat. The supply chains tend to shorten more and more, with networks of peasants, mills and pasta factories united by a single project within circumscribed territories. 

Antonio Amato Salerno

Gragnano (NA)

IL KAMUT E LE ALTERNATIVE ITALIANE Sul mercato si trovano paste monograno di kamut, khorasan, turanicum, saragolla, recentemente anche di perciasacchi. Nomi differenti per indicare lo stesso tipo di grano: il Triticum turgidum ssp. Turanicum, noto anche come khorasan, dal nome della regione iranica da dove originariamente proviene. Il kamut è un marchio registrato da un’azienda americana, la Kamut International, fondata nel 1990 da Bob Quinn; il nome ufficiale è QK-77, quello commerciale deriva da ka’moet, grano nell’antico egiziano, ed è il frutto di una strategia di marketing, che ha voluto legare questa cultivar alla “leggenda” della manciata di semi di grano trovati in un’antica tomba egiziana da un aviatore americano poco dopo la seconda guerra mondiale. Gli altri grani citati, khorasan, turanicum, saragolla, perciasacchi, possono essere considerate delle alternative italiane del kamut, con gli ultimi due appartenenti a popolazioni locali di frumento: la saragolla viene coltivata soprattutto in Abruzzo, Lucania e Sannio, mentre il perciasacchi fa parte del gruppo degli antichi grani duri siciliani.

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STORIES

DOES GLUTEN-FREE PASTA COOK WELL? The diffusion of products obtained from ancient grains and legumes in danger of extinction responds to a need for truth and traceability that for too many decades corporate industries have suffocated. The growth of consumer awareness has led to a climate of suspicion and rejection, sometimes even unjustified, if we think that our large companies are among the most controlled and certified in the world.

Also the relaunch of short chain or KmZero products is the result of a sensitivity that grew on the origin of the products that our great-grandparents knew well and that then went missing in the 60s and 70s, while the quality of gluten-free products is enormously grown in this decade.

Some products, however, such as pasta, often have problems related to their cooking point,others can’t keep texture during cooking altogether. This is therefore the direction to take: ensure that research leads to the same results obtained with more conventional products, so to speak. But there’s a doubt to be expressed, albeit against the trend: ther’s got to be a reason why perfection has been achieved in one way rather than another. And the explanation is not always in the lowest cost.

– Luciano Pignataro, Columnist for Il Mattino

Among the main “enemies” of good wheat are chemicals and primarily glyphosate: a herbicide that raises many controversies and different points of view INDUSTRIES, ARTISANS AND MILLERS A trend that transversally involves all production sectors: from small artisan pasta factories such as Fab-

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bri, Gentile, Verrigni, Pastificio dei Campi, Cavalieri, Marella, Rustichella d’Abruzzo, to mention the most famous, to industries (the most tangible example being De Matteis with Grano Armando), all the way to the millers: one above all Filippo Drago from Molini del Ponte, the best-known ambassador of ancient Sicilian grain varieties, with a natural stone mill alongside cutting-edge equipment. Then there are the many farmers who are tired of giving away their own grain to be made into penne and spaghetti at local pasta factories. This translates to positive implications in terms of logistics optimization, energy saving and environmental sustainability, of link with the territory and of ethical and social values. We’re talking of pasta from the Libera Terra 

THE OTHER PASTA

THE CHALLENGE OF THE TWO GS: WHEAT AND GLYPHOSATE Glyphosate is a herbicide developed in 1970 and used as a “drying” agent in farming. Its use in wheat fields stems from the fact that in areas of the planet, like some regions of Canada, at the time of harvest ripening it’s necessary to facilitate the drying of crops, which is is something that doesn’t occur naturally due to the relatively humid climate. «The question of carcinogenic effects of glyphosate on human health today sees two opposing camps, both authoritative and credited, based on both in vitro and epidemiological studies, with contrasting data and numbers––explains biologist Giuseppe Russo––The European Safety Food Authority recently declared that

state of the art glyphosate is not carcinogenic: the same position as the US Environmental Protection Agency and the European Chemicals Agency. On the other hand, in 2015 the International Cancer Research Agency, which is part of the World Health Organization, inserts glyphosate in the list of “probably carcinogenic” substances (group 2A)”. But doesn’t this create confusion for consumers? «Of course it does––says Russo ––and so is the position of those invoking precautionary principles are justified and ask to adopt a cautious attitude and use of plant protection products only if strictly necessary.

The European Directive 2009/128/ CE on purchase and use of plant

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protection products moves in this direction: a specific license is required, National Action Plan for the sustainable use of phytosanitary products, traceability and precise rules of use and disposal for each single molecule». How about the impact on the ecosystem? «EFSA recently renewed the authorization to use glyphosate in the EU until 2021. However, the hope would be to maintain a cautious stance not only in assessing the effects of glyphosate on human health but also against the possible damage caused by the replacement of glyphosate with a molecule that could perhaps be more aggressive for health and the environment».

STORIES

MASSIMILIANO ALAJMO ENRICO BARTOLINI HEINZ BECK ANDREA BERTON MASSIMO BOTTURA RICCARDO CAMANINI MORENO CEDRONI ENRICO CEREA ENRICO CRIPPA CARLO CRACCO PINO CUTTAIA GENNARO ESPOSITO ANNIE FEOLDE & RICCARDO MONCO ANTHONY GENOVESE ANTONIO GUIDA ERNESTO IACCARINO PHILIPPE LÉVEILLÉ ANTONIO E FABRIZIO MELLINO FABRIZIA MEROI NADIA E GIOVANNI SANTINI NORBERT NIEDERKOFLER DAVIDE OLDANI GIANFRANCO PASCUCCI VALERIA PICCINI GIOACCHINO PONTRELLI NICOLA PORTINARI NIKO ROMITO EMANUELE SCARELLO MAURIZIO E SANDRO SERVA FRANCESCO SPOSITO CICCIO SULTANO MAURO ULIASSI GIANFRANCO VISSANI

Antonino Cannavacciuolo has chosen not to disclose which brands he uses in his kitchen

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VICIDOMINI

VERRIGNI

VALDORO

TRAPPETTO CAPRAFICO

RUSTICHELLA D’ABRUZZO

REGINA DEI SIBILLINI

PIETRO MASSI

PASTIFICIO GENTILE

PASTIFICIO DI GRAGNANO

PASTIFICIO DEI CAMPI

MASSIMO ZERO (GF)

MASCIARELLI

MARTELLI

MANCINI

LE GEMME DEL VESUVIO

LA FABBRICA DELLA PASTA

GRAZIANO

GLUTINIENTE (GF)

GIUSEPPE DI MARTINO

GERARDO DI NOLA

GENTILE

GAROFALO

FRACASSO

FELICETTI

DE CECCO

COCCO

BENEDETTO CAVALIERI

BARILLA

ANTICO PASTIFICIO MORELLI

BRANDS USED IN TRE FORCHETTE-AWARDED KITCHENS

THE OTHER PASTA

BIG CHEFS ARE GOING BACK TO DRIED PASTA Perhaps not everyone is aware that until the 1960s pasta was bought by weight at the grocery store. It was then wrapped in typicsl blue sugar paper, something that still inspires mcuh of the pasta packaging today. The pasta was only a filling food. It’s not surprising, therefore, that up until a few years ago, haute cuisine did not consider dry pasta a very worthy ingredient. In no international gastronomic convention an whould have an Italian chef ever presented a pasta recipe. Things have changed: young chefs are proudly tracing back their roots; and pasta has undergone a great evolution.

Producers are increasingly attentive to agriculture and territory, they study the dies (from Teflon to bronze and even gold and platinum) and shapes (real jewels of food design), collect the legacy of pasta masters by digging out ancient grains and experimenting with new possibilities, from whole and semiwhole grain pastas, to pasta made with alternative grains and pseudograins, or legumes.

With a top-level pasta even the most innovative chefs feel free to tread other paths and focus on a product that is strongly identifying for Italy.

– Eleonora Cozzella, food journalist and author of Pasta Revolution

Cooperatives obtained from the wheat grown from the lands taken from the mafia and the new line worked in the small pasta factory inside the Ucciardone prison in Palermo, involving the inmates. We are witnessing a verticalization of the supply chain, from the field to the package: everything is processed in the same local system, guaranteeing the control of each step, food safety and traceability. One of the first examples of a closed-cycle company is Massimo Mancini’s, an agronomist and wheat producer in the Fermo hills, at the family farm created by his grandfather in the 1940s. In 2002 the first spaghetti made in collaboration with a small artisan, in 2010 the pasta factory was born next to the wheat fields and its first “agricultural pasta”, after a few years the line of turanic grains (coming from the current Turkmenistan): «This pasta is the brainchild of the  TO EACH CHEF HIS OWN PASTA In the dining business, the most positive response comes from chefs who are sensitive to “ancestral”, territorial products and with a strong agricultural connotation. Alternative pastas follow the radical cuisine of Michele Biagiola (chef at Signore te ne ringrazi in Montecosaro), who dresses Mancini’s turano spaghetti with raw and cooked vegetables, fruit, flowers, seeds and an infinite number of herbs according to season. For Pietro Leemann (Joia, in Milan) legume pasta is a good alternative to the conventional type for good protein intake, which is completed in a vegetable soup with brown rice (in the summer version it’s added with peppers, tomato, fresh onion, oregano and ginger). For the Spaghettino Unto in Rosso, Riccardo Camanini (Lido 84, in Gardone Riviera) chooses a particular gluten-free pasta “extruded in gold dies in Campania, with a rubbery consistency typical of Southeast Asian noodles, shifting chewiness and “al dente” on the dressing, a very crisp crab meat».

Accursio Craparo, in his Modica restaurant, prepares a soup of crustaceans and tenerumi with Felicetti spelt ditalini. Salvatore Tassa, in his restaurant in Acuto, Colline Ciociare and at the trattoria NU’, uses stone-ground wheat pasta and Senatore Cappelli, handcrafted in the area, «because it is capable of expressing a territorial flavour that belongs to us by culture». Ciccio Sultano makes his own fresh pasta in his Ragusa Ibla restaurant using russello semolina, like spaghettoni for taratatà with bottarga, “pasta della patienza” and his angel hair.

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STORIES

supply chain project born in collaboration with Oriana Porfiri, an agronomist with an experimental field of cereals on the Macerata hills, and Massimo Fiorani of the Prometheus company of Urbino, which cultivates turanicum and stone-grinds it», explains Mancini. But besides agricultural pasta factory of Monte San Pietrangeli being one of the best known examples in the gourmet segment, it’s not the only one in Italy. These closed supply chains, both small and very small, aren’t easy to find: Feudo Mondello in Monreale, the Cooperative Gino Girolomoni (ex Alce Nero, ex Montebello), Caccese in Irpinia (Pasta del Camporeale), D’Amicis in Gargano...

DIES: BRONZE, GOLD, SILVER, PLATINUM The first was Verrigni with its gold dies. The Roseto pasta factory has dedicated an entire line of gold dies, including for spaghettoni, fusilloni, three square-section shapes, plus others tailored to chefs’ taste, such as the Ondulo specially made for Roscioli di Roma, a pacchero half squashed in the middle that the Rome restaurant completes with three different tomato varieties (torpedino, San Marzano and datterino), Bruna Alpina Parmigiano and 36 month-old Piave. Recently the temptation to replace bronze dies with other made with precious metals came to a pasta factory born just a year ago, Graziano in Manocalzati, Avellino, which focused on silver and platinum dies and offered specific selections of pasta alongside traditional bronze-die pastas: classic pasta shapes and also chef-friendly, like the exclusive cross between rigatoni and mezze maniche with which Alessandro Pipero prepares his legendary carbonara. Among the three lines, all handcrafted with slow drying at low temperature in static cells, the superiority – according to us – lies with the old bronze die.

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NEW HORIZONS FOR PINK WINE. ONCE DISREGARDED, NOW TRENDY It was a wine that wasn't taken too seriously, but it has become a cultured protagonist of world oenology and is now conquering growing slices of market and audience. Let's talk about pink wine, that is, the multi-faceted universe of rosĂŠ wines and their creators: passionate and expert winemakers, who pay more attention to the vineyard and to the cellar, perhaps, than the bigger red and white wine producers.

Here's how the world of rosĂŠ is changing

words by Stefania Annese - infographics by Alessandro Naldi

STORIES

F

or years it was considered a ladies' wine, frivolous and simple, with a Mediterranean soul, to be enjoyed as an aperitif, capable of making some sense exclusively on summer evenings.

But the reality is different, and little by little it's now emerging. The world of rosé wines is complex and varied, made up of thousands of hues, technicalities and precision, acidity and body. In short, a wine in all respects like its white and red counterparts.

«I have been investigating pink wines for a long time, and the more I move into this world, the more I realize the dichotomy between territory, image and fashion, which is an increasingly strong element – says Filippo Bartolotta, journalist and great connoisseur of international markets-–rosé wines appear almost like an outcast

category, yet in Provence this is not the case. This is precisely where the rules of the game changed in 2006 with the release of wines such as Garrus by Chateau d'Esclans, an icon of rosé wines, which along with other great Provencals has paved the way for light pink wines that influence today's markets and production techniques».

THE BOOM OF PROVENCE Not surprisingly, the most expensive rosé in the world, auctioned last May for 2,600 Euro, is Provencal: Muse Miraval, magnum version, produced in the Chateau by the same name owned by Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

The consumption of rose wines is however growing all over the world, with significant progressions in countries like the U.S. From the data emerging from the survey "Rosé wine market:

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evolution & perspectives", addressed

by Denis Pantini of Nomisma Wine Monitor study center, shows an increasing world consumption due to these wines' versatility, well suited to social changes and lifestyles of newer generations that often look for products with easy drinking. France is the leading producer in the world, with 5.5% of world production in the appellation (Aop) Provence, so much that it's positioned at the top of the markets with a consumption in 2017 of 23.4 million hectoliters.

A retail success due to domestic consumption: in France, in fact, rosé wines are considered like still wines: zero inferiority complexes. An identity that Italy is still slow in grasping.

PINK WINES (NOT ROSÉ) «I never speak of rosé, but rather of "pink wines" – is what Luigi Ca- 

PINK WINE

PINK ACCORDING TO 4 FEMALE WINE MAKERS

ROSÉ WINES IN NUMBERS

WORLD CONSUMPTION 2001-2017

-0,1

%

still wines

MY ABRUZZO REDBULL The Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo is a house wine, from the Abruzzo tradition. In the region it's always been considered an important wine that comes from suitable vineyards and a technique similar to that of the production of a red wine; also because of this the bottle is dark. We must not forget that unlike the French, Italian wine is born with food, and this is the identity that must be pursued for pink wine, or to preserve the local character. For 20 years my lunch was a sandwich with mortadella and a glass of Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo, because it's an energy-giving wine, for me it's the Red Bull of Abruzzo. Who believes pink wine is only for women needs to drink water only.

– Marina Cvetic - Masciarelli - San Martino sulla Marrucina (CH)

%

+6,8

rosé wines I, THE WINEMAKER, WANT IDENTITY «I am a winemaker, so my wine is a different interpretation of pink: I do have the need to sell to everybody. Of course in Italy there is a lot of work to do. If we communicate the identity of the different territories and produce quality pink wine, then I believe that the Italian fate can change. It often happens abroad that many say the word Chiaretto wrongly confusing it with Ciaretto. It's important to remember that history of the wine and its identity reside in its name».

– Matilde Poggi - Le Fraghe - Cavaion Veronese (VR)

WORLD PRODUCTION 20,3 mln/hn 28%

FRANCE

17%

USA

15%

SPAIN

10%

ITALY

6%

SOUTH AFRICA

3%

GERMANY

2%

ARGENTINA

2%

CHILE

17%

THE COLOR OF OUR SOIL «On rosé wines this year we were decidedly daring. In the last edition of Vinitaly we presented the latest addition to our range of wines, a highly identifiable Rosa da Primitivo starting from the colour, choosing a deep, intense, bright pink that fully represents the Apulian territory and wants to be the mouthpiece of the colours of the soil of the Primitivo di Manduria. It's important that every wine is an evocative product. We like the idea of pushing on the identity of our land that we love, and of which we are proud every time we talk about it around the world. This is why our rosé is from primitivo grapes and has a unique colour that acts as a geolocalizer for winelovers».

– Marzia Varvaglione - Varvaglione - Leporano (TA)

OTHER COUNTRIES

237,82 hl

VENETO

148,95 hl

EMILIA ROMAGNA

143,96 hl

LOMBARDIA

142,56 hl

PUGLIA

358,99 hl

OTHER COUNTRIES

(data Nomisma Wine Monitor)

PRODUCTION DOC/IGT IN ITALY

OUR LOVE FOR METODO CLASSICO The Classic Method Rosé represents for us an important project that starts from the pinot noir grape employed. Colour is something secondary in the creation of a wine, it must not represent a fashion, even if this research into colour manifests itself as a current trend. Attention to rosé wines is growing so much, unfortunately people are pushed into buying or consuming rosé tones and the United States follows this trend. As for the Classic Method Rosé unfortunately we export little rosé wine to France.

– Lucia Letrari - Letrari - Rovereto (TN)

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STORIES

WHAT THE SOMMELIERS THINK ECLECTIC AND DIFFERENTLY COLOURED Customers who ask to drink rosé are increasingly more, many young people appreciate it compared to more structured wines, because it's perfect for an aperitif or for a light lunch thanks to its versatility. Rosé wines are furthermore easy to read: you cannot remain indifferent to the surprising nuances they lend. They have in their DNA the ability to marry with the most varied dishes, from seafood to meat dishes: freshness is certainly one of its strengths.

Today rosé wines are preferred with softer colours tending to onion peel, but many customers prefer those slightly more charged with colour: the beauty is that the colour identifies not only a flavour, but an entire territory that ranges from pastel colours, with Chiaretti del Lago di Garda, to more decisive hues, like the Salento rosés, up to rosé that tend to red like in the Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo wines.

– Marco Muci, Official taster for AIS Puglia SUGGESTIVE VARIETY OF DIFFERENT EMOTIONS We are in Abruzzo and here we have Cerasuolo which represents our traditional wine and is part of our wine culture, despite the fact that over time there have been changes in style and colour. In this region we're fortunate to offer Cerasuolo throughout the year, since it's not a type of wine only suitable in summer. Frequently, when speaking to customers, the first thing we ask is what kind of wine they want and often rosé is initially frowned upon: so it's important to recommend wines that are lesser known and it's interesting to let people taste different types of Cerasuolo precisely because it's fascinating to discover the wine's various aspects. The colour in fact describes the style of the wine: if you want a fresh rosé, easy to drink, you will choose a wine that does not make contact on the skins; otherwise we will choose another more structured and more colourful one. However, colour does not make wine: the important thing is that it faithfully respects the style of the producer.

– Pascal Tinari, sommelier at Villa Maiella a Guardagrele (CH) STILL MYSTERIOUS WINES, NEED TO BE TALKED ABOUT The demand for rose wines – both still and sparkling – is unfortunately quite low. There is a sort of mistrust mixed with the perception as objects of mystery. In order to promote a rosé, sommeliers shouldn't talk about the colour or the production technique, but rather link the wine to the local tradition and to the solid roots from which it hails. Illustrate instead the terroir and the place. As for the colour factor, we have often been taught that colour is half beauty, but we disagree. The customer doesn't have a favorite colour even though he/she tends to look for a certain intensity ranging from coral to cherry.

– Gianluca Castellano, sommelier at Osteria Altran, Ruda (UD)

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taldi Madonna, third generation representative of the namesake winery, has been saying forever – If you think about it, rosato in Italian is the past participle of a verb that doesn't exist. If we wanted to talk also about rosé for these wines, we would find ourselves faced with an anachronistic term, like saying abat jour instead of lampshade, like our grandparents used to say». But in Italy, although sales of rosé wines in GDO have increased in terms of values and volumes, the sensation of a minor wine continues to exist. «A greater awareness towards commercial outlets, in this case enoteca owners, sommeliers and restaurateurs that should widen the proposal of products on the shelf and in their wine lists, could improve and intensify commerce of pink wines – says Ilaria Donateo, President of De Gusto Salento association and creator of Ro-

PINK WINE

8 POINTS TO UNDERSTAND HOW PINK WINE IS PRODUCED There continues to be a lot of misinformation in the production of rosé wine. With the exception of field experts or oenophiles, many believe that rosé wine is a mere blending of red and white wine, a practice that is actually forbidden by law

1 Rosé wines are born from a light crushing of black grapes

2 The colour is obtained from the maceration of the must along with the skins: maceration time establishes a more or less intense colour

3 Vin Gris: wines with a pale pink colour, obtained by avoiding maceration on the skins

4

séxpo, International Exhibition of Rose Wines – Certainly Roséxpo, like other trade events, such as Bere Rosa or Italia in Rosa, have increased the attention of the end user, which however doesn't find equal balance with the products available in wine bars and on restaurant wine lists».

THE ROSÉ ALLIANCE Rosautoctono, the Institute of Italian Native Rose Wine, established last March, which brings together the Consortiums for the protection of the most representative denominations of origin of the sector (Bardolino Chiaretto, Valtènesi Chiaretto, Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo, Castel del Monte Rosato and Bombino Nero, Salice Salentino Rosato and Cirò Rosato) spreads drink pink culture, with the aim of boosting it, not only from a promo-

tional point of view, but also from an economic and cultural point of view, to the most significant areas dedicated to the production of this type of wine. «We wanted to use the new definition of pink wine – explains President Franco Cristoforetti – since the rosé definition applied to only some denominations. This is to emphasize how identities should always be safeguarded from the names being used. In regards to colour, if we believe in the identity and territoriality of wine, we cannot but have a different shade of pink from one area to another. The names help: the Chiaretto is named that way on Lake Garda, in Bardolino and in Valtènesi, because it is "chiaro" light pink, the Cerasuolo describes the cherry color that is in Abruzzo from Montepulciano grapes.

The Castel del Monte Bombino Nero Docg focuses on a vine that gives a 

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Blush Wines: generally sweeter rosés and characterized by a slight effervescence

5 Chiaretto: also called “overnight wine” whose colour is characterized by a 12-hour maceration of the must on the skins

6 The colour of the "wine of one day" is obtained with a 24-hour maceration

7 Saignée or salasso is a technique that involves taking a part of the must from the maceration tank, and then the rest of the wine is vinified in white

8 A particular technique is "svacata" a very ancient Abruzzo procedure revisited by Luigi Cataldi Madonna for his Piè delle Vigne

STORIES

BARTENDER. THE SUMMER’S PINK COCKTAILS Pink wines in mixology takes hold in Puglia in 2012, from the chance encounter between Diego Melorio (photo) and Stefano Garofano.

The former is the Salento bartender par excellence: together with his partner Andrea Carlucci of Quantobasta, a local of Lecce that in 2015 won the podium of the best cocktail bar in Italy for Gambero Rosso, also winning the first prize of the BarAwads on the web. Stefano is instead the descendant, as well as the owner of the Severino Garofano di Copertino winery in the heart of Salento. «After several stimulating trips, I returned to Puglia – explained Garofano – I was interested in the world of mixology, such was experimentation and knowledge of this world abroad, I was fascinated and I posed myself a question: why not create a Puglia rosé wine-based cocktail? Asking around a lot of people mentioned the names of Diego Melorio and Andrea Carlucci and immediately I had the desire to try my hand at creating Girofle-based recipes. We created 5 blends all presented in 2013 when Diego and Andrea decided to open Quantobasta. The event paved the way for other cocktail bars». A small revolution to make room for a wine sold for years in bulk, considered simple and rather mistreated.

«Stefano was a great visionary thinking he could include a rosé wine in cocktails. Together we started offering negroamaro rosé-based drinks in local bars – says Melorio – we began to do drinks tests to try to offer easily replicable cocktails, but which could highlight the complexity of negroamaro. And then the project was completed at the opening of Quantobasta».

Waves on the bay 8 cl Girofle Rosé 4 cl Aperol 2 cl raspberry syrup 2 cl soda Serve in a glass with a slice of orange and ice cubes

Jiggers of moonlight 8 cl Girofle Rosé 1 fresh raspberry 1 cl rose syrup 1/2 fresh passion fruit 4 cl Vodka Fresh rosemary Shake the raspberry and passion fruit, rose and vodka, fill with Girofle, serve in a low tumbler with a lemon twist and a sprig of fresh rosemary.

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In Italy the consumption of rosé wines is 6% of the total, despite being the third producer. In France of every 100 bottles drunk, 34 are rosé; in Italy only 5.5 bottles per 100 drunk are pink. The mission of Rosautoctono is to introduce these wines and sweep away ancient prejudices

PINK WINE

specific nuance. A pink negroamaro in Salento and a gaglioppo in Cirò have different tones: one veers towards coral, the other towards onion peel.

Rosautoctono was created to promote and enhance these differences, which are values: we believe that customers want to recognize and appreciate specific territorial identities. Italy differs from France only if it brings value to the individual identities of its pink wines, starting with their different colours».

STOP PREJUDICE In Italy, the sale of pink wines now accounts for 6% of consumption, yet Italy is the third producer of pink wines in the world, but the worst consumer ever. «Of every hundred bottles drunk by a Frenchman, thirtyfour are rosé. In Italy we are only at five and a half bottles, the European

average is over ten – continues Cristoforetti – The problem is that in Italy pink wine suffers prejudice and very superficial knowledge. Rosautoctono aims to spread the culture of Italian native pink wine and to do research on its characteristics: it's through this leverage that we will make it clear also in Italy that pink wine is a serious wine, that it has an ancient tradition and that it belongs fully to the history of select Italian territories». Supporting the vision of pink wine not as a byproduct of red, but as an ancestral wine once obtained simply by pressing red grapes and today produced with extreme care, is also Mattia Vezzola, great winemaker and owner of Costaripa. «Pink wine has always fascinated me, despite being seen as a poor wine. For this reason, through research, comparisons, travel, I came to realize that pink wine is a way 



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HISTORY It's difficult to trace the origins of rosé wine. Certainly various testimonies attribute the paternity of the pink wine to Puglia. It was in this region that tear winemaking was already practiced during the Roman Empire, characterized by a soft crushing of black berried grapes placed in jute sacks: the grapes were thus made "weep" and the must was collected without coming into contact with the skins.

The practice was then handed down over time and was used since the early decades of the 19th century by Puglia farmers.

Producing rosé wines on an industrial scale started in 1892 by Count Pavoncelli of Cerignola who started the trade, selling it in bulk. The production spread some years later also to Ruvo (BA) with the Rogadeo family who made pink wines obtaining them from bombino nero grapes.

But the consecration of the typology took place in 1943, when Salvatore Leone de Castris was the first to bottle his rosé wine made from Negroamaro grapes n Salice Salentino, grown on the Cinque Rose estate. The wine, placed in beer bottles with crown caps, was marketed under the name of Five Roses and gained great fame in England thanks to Charles Poletti, Procurement Commissioner for the Allied Forces.

STORIES

of life: those who make pink wines have a vocation. We need grapes suitable for making that kind of wine and in the most suitable areas we must create a quality wine that has a unique identity that is recognizable all over the world. Only in this way can we bring value to our viticulture. Around Lake Garda there are 65 different types of soil due to prehistoric glacial activity. Over the years I realized that the path I pursued was of quality, but still far from my idea of a pink wine.

So with time and work I realized that the great rosés are born from cuvée, that is from assemblages, to recreate and establish a corporate style. If we continue to follow trends we will never take off in sales, let's not forget that in the past we produced paper-colored whites, then we all switched to barriques, in short, colour is not a distinctive quality element. Gre-

at viticulture must dedicate itself to the design of its own rosé».

IS PUGLIA THE PROVENCE OF ITALY? When speaking of pink wine, it's impossible not to go deep into the oenological reality of Puglia, a region that gave birth to the first rosé bottled in the history of Italian wine: the famous Five Roses by Leone de Castris. From the Nomisma Wine Monitor data collected between 2016 and 2018, Puglia has recorded a significant growth in sales in large-scale distribution and has produced more than 140 hectoliters. It is precisely from this region – always devoted to production of pink wine – that the market can begin to play an important game in enhancing the typology. «My historic winery was

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born in Puglia in 1938. We produced the first rosé wine in 1964 and we were among the first to bottle it in transparent glass to show the colour and talk about our territory – says Damiano Calò of the Rosa winery del Golfo – however, request for the production of a "Provençal" rosé remain strong, which can also satisfy the needs of consumers abroad. So far we have endured to preserve Dna giving up sales: our rosé is intended for gastronomy. Now it's up to us producers to introduce Salento wines abroad because only by working together can we communicate the identity of the Negroamaro grape». Puglia seems to be serious, but to change the perceived image and culture, and to convince consumers, the whole country will have to move in the same direction. 

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PINK WINE

BEST ROSÉ WINES IN VINI D'ITALIA 2019

Rocche dei Manzoni Monforte d'Alba (CN)

 Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo Piè delle Vigne 2016 – Cataldi Madonna Ofena (AQ)

Costaripa

Marcalberto

Moniga del Garda (BS)

Santo Stefano Belbo (CN)

Scuropasso Pietra de' Giorgi (PV)

Venturini Baldini Quattro Castella (RE)

Villa di Corlo Modena (MO)

Camillo Montori Controguerra (TE)

Valentini Loreto Aprutino (PE)

I Fauri Ari (CH)

Pietraventosa

Ballabio

Gioia del Colle (BA)

Casteggio (PV)

Cataldi Madonna Ofena (AQ)

 Five Roses 74° Anniversario 2017 – Leone de Castris Salice Salentino (LE)  Valtènesi Chiaretto Molmenti 2015 – Costaripa Moniga del Garda (BS)  Reggiano Lambrusco Brut Cadelvento Rosé 2017 Venturini Baldini Quattro Castella (RE)  Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo 2017 Valentini – Loreto Aprutino (PE)  Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo Baldovino 2017 – I Fauri – Ari (CH)  Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo Fonte Cupa 2017 – Camillo Montori Controguerra (TE)  Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo Myosotis 2017 – Ciccio Zaccagnini Bolognano (PE)  EstRosa 2017 – Pietraventosa Gioia del Colle (BA)  Metiusco Rosato 2017 – Palamà Cutrofiano (LE)  Scaloti 2017 – Cosimo Taurino Guagnano (LE)  Farfalla Brut M. Cl. Rosé Ballabio – Casteggio (PV)

Ciccio Zaccagnini

 Lambrusco di Sorbara Brut Elettra Rosé – Villa di Corlo Modena

Bolognano (PE)

 Marcalberto Brut Rosé M. Cl. Marcalberto Santo Stefano Belbo (CN)  OP Cruasé Roccapietra 2012 Scuropasso – Pietra de' Giorgi (PV)

Cosimo Taurino Guagnano (LE)

Palamà Cutrofiano (LE)

Leone de Castris Salice Salentino (LE)

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 Valentino Brut Zero M. Cl. Rosé 2012 – Rocche dei Manzoni Monforte d'Alba (CN)

RANKING

GINGER BEER, DRINK OF THE MOMENT: THE 8 BEST BRANDS

by Mara Nocilla – photos by Francesco Vignali

The spicy thrust of ginger combined with the fresh citrusy aroma. Ginger beer is the drink of the moment, in the wake of the success of fermented foods and drinks.

We ranked the 8 best premium products according to a panel of food & beverage tasters and authentic mixology artists. To drink absolute, or mixed in classic cocktails (Moscow Mule, first and foremost) and new concept signature drinks

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THE BEST GINGER BEER

Enjoyed cold straight from the fridge or on the rocks, with the cool comfort of cascading ice cubes, absolute or perfumed with mint leaves and a slice of lime. Ginger beer is the summer drink par excellence, and the trendiest among non-alcoholic beverages. Loved by bartenders, by cocktail lovers and by those who enjoy the freshness of citrus and the spicy strength of ginger over a soft drink or a lager. Bartenders and barladies who remain in the reassuring groove of classical mixology prepare a Moscow Mule, the traditional long drink born in 1941 in New York but associated with Russia for the presence Vodka, served by purists in a copper cup. Creative types in the art of mixology ginger beer as a basis for innovative cocktails (see tips in the sidebar).

Ginger beer has a very low alcohol content, barely 0.5%. What is the difference with ginger ale, that’s a soft drink? The latter was born in the United States and is basically ginger-flavoured carbonated water. The beer type, on the other hand, was born in England in the 1700s and is the result of the fermentation of the ginger root along with lime or lemon, sugar and yeast.

Often acidifiers and antioxidants (citric acid, ascorbic acid, tartaric acid), stabilizers, unidentified aromas and preservatives are added. If this historic British drink has become fashionable in recent years it’s probably due to the recent widespread

passion for fermented foods. The brands that have introduced ginger beer in their assortment of soft drinks are multiplying on the market. The rediscovery of this historic drink owes a lot to the “Moscow mule” and the fact that it’s experiencing a second youth. Premium soft drink companies use ginger root and natural flavourings. To these high-end products we dedicate our latest rank feature, the selection of a blind tasting of over 20 ginger beers, which was attended by a mixed panel of food & beverage tasters and mixologist (the complete list will be published online in the coming weeks). Contrasting opinions ensued. While the pure tasters are focused on the absolute flavour of the drink, bartenders have completely different mental structure and goals. «Imagine how to mix it, if it’s the right product to enhance nuances of your drink», explains Cinzia Ferro, world champion of national and international mixology competitions and recently bar manager of Piano35 Lounge Bar in Turin. «As emerged from the tasting, each producer characterizes its own ginger beer with recognizable peculiarities: sweetness, intensity of the ginger or, on the contrary, the delicacy, the more or less effervescence of the “bubble”, for a classic or personalized cocktail, or for drunk as is». Quite divergent judgments, as we said, except one: regarding the top ranked. Cheers! 

9 TIPS FOR TASTING GINGER BEER Ginger beer can be mixed with all kinds of spirits–gin, tequila, grappa, bitters and vermouth–obtaining fresh and spicy drinks. Here are some tips by Cinzia Ferro, Solomiya Grytsyshyn and Julian Biondi

1

straight up, with or without ice, mint leaves and a lime wedge

2

to make Moscow Mule with the help of vodka and lime

3

in London Mule, the British version of the Moscow Mule with gin instead of vodka

4

in a spicier version of Chilcano, refreshing drink traditional of Peru, made with Pisco and ginger ale

5

for a stormier Dark ‘n’ Stormy, typical of Bermuda made with Black Rum Gosling’s: “dark” rum on top, “stormy” ginger beer below

in the “Bi.bit.one” made at Chorus Café

6 in Rome with crushed ginger root,

agave syrup and 3 types of citrus (lime, lemon and yuzu) served with lots of ice, perfect on very hot days; also great with vodka instead of club soda in Americano

7 (bitter, red Vermouth, club soda, orange slice), also personalized with a tonka bean as topping in any “Collins”

8 (Tom or John) 9

in the Oste-mule, drink prepared at Estremadura Café in Verbania, made with pop-corn, grappa, ginger beer and bubbles

THE PHOTOGRAPHER’S EYE I wanted a shot that illustrated the moment when ginger beer is poured into a beer glass on a yellow background, giving it that movement and effervescence that characterize it as a beverage, it seemed to me the best choice to emphasize ginger beer’s taste and originality.

– Francesco Vignali

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LEGEND  The tasting panel was attended by: Julian Biondi, beverage consultant for BarOmeter and barman at Mad Souls & Spirits in Florence Solomiya Grytsyshyn, barlady at Chorus Café in Rome Cinzia Ferro, barlady, owner of Estremadura Café and Antica Osteria Il Monte Rosso in Verbania, and bar manager of Lounge Bar di Piano35 in Turin Mara Nocilla, Gambero Rosso journalist Paolo Trimani, owner of Enoteca Trimani in Rome  Prices are the average retail prices

RANKING

1

2

3

4

Fever-Tree

Aqua Monaco

Abbondio

East Imperial

Ginger beer

Hot Ginger

Ginger Splash Beer linea Tattoos

Ginger beer

Sophisticated and immediate, this ginger beer brings everyone together, fine palates and bartenders alike.

Like all premium soft drinks of the brand (distributed in Italy by Velier), it’s produced with carbonated spring water and natural flavours, in this case a blend of three types of ginger from Nigeria, Cochin in India and Ivory Coast (in addition to sugar, tartaric acid and ascorbic acid). True appearance, pale straw-colored and opalescent, it’s an expressive ginger beer, of great complexity and character, with clear, strong and precise olfactory and aromatic sensations, the right effervescence, a fresh and decisive citrus push and a lively spice intensity typical of ginger juice, well harmonized sweetness, pleasant echoes of iodine, vegetable, fruity and resinous. Excellent persistence, dry and defined finish.

London - UK 186-188 Shepherds Bush Road +44(0)02073494922 fever-tree.com glass bottle 200 ml price 1,40/2 euro

A classy and full of personality ginger beer, produced in Munich with local mineral water and cold-pressed ginger root (plus sugar, lemon juice, citric acid and acacia gum as a stabilizer) distributed by Pretzhof Selection. Dark bottle, AQ in large type and a black swan as their logo, the Hot Ginger of the Bavarian maison (orange label) stands out from its sister Organic for the more intense spicy strength. Cloudy and yellowish, adequate perlage, precise and very clean nose, lively citrus notes, crisp and sharp fresh ginger, essential and dry taste of excellent balance with mild sweetness and small acidic counterpoint, good evolution in the mouth that reaches a beautiful finish without hesitation; it closes a little wild and honeyed.

Very good to drink, versatile for mixing.

Munich Germany Breisacher Strasse, 3 +49(0)8989083690 aquamonaco.com glass bottle 230 ml price 1,90/2,60 euro

There’s an Italian brand on the podium as well, the award-winning factory founded in 1889 by Angelo Abbondio, today is a brand acquired by Eurofood. Its non-alcoholic beverages, produced by Fava in Mariano Comense and distributed by the D&C group are famous for the charming Fifties pinups on their labels, and, for some time, with old style tattoos in the Tattoos line. Ginger beer (sugar, lime juice, natural flavours, ginger extract, ascorbic acid, salt, barley malt extract) embodies the concept of botanicals.

Scents and aromas recall many things: lemon and lime (rind, pith, juice), balsamic wood, undergrowth, licorice, celery, apple, berries, pepper, fresh cardamom. Harmonious taste with balanced sugars and small bitter edge, spiciness from beginning to end but not invasive.

Elegant persistence, clean mouth. Especially good to enjoy absolute.

Corsico (MI) via Privata Tacito, 12 02448761 - eurofood.it glass bottle 220 ml price 1,30 euro

A ginger beer that divided the panel: the mixologists gave it high scores that almost touched 90/100 putting it first in the standings, against the lukewarm judgments of the other tasters.

This fourth place that East Imperial, a New Zealand company specializing in soft drinks at the height of premium spirits, distributed in Italy by the Compagnia dei Caraibi, has achieved thanks to several advantages: beautiful effervescence, wellcontrolled sweetness, light salt breeze, good balance between citric and spicy, notes of lemongrass, lime zest and orange blossom, clean finish, good match between nose and mouth. Produced with natural aromas: only New Zealand natural spring water, ginger root from eastern Africa and eastern Asia, cane sugar, lemon, herbs and extracts, ascorbic acid, citric acid. Intended for mixology.

Tauranga New Zealand 26, Maleme Street +64(0)272336583 eastimperial.com glass bottle 150 ml price 1,70/2,40 euro

GAMBERO ROSSO

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SEPTEMBER 2019

THE BEST GINGER BEER

5

J.Gasco

6

Thomas Henry

7

8

Ginger Beer

Ginger beer

Ginger beer linea Imperdibile

Premium ginger beer

The non-alcoholic beverages of the “Rooster Man”, the logo of the brand, are premium and are produced with artisan criteria by Fava in Mariano Comense. The ginger beer, made with lime juice and natural ginger root extract, sugar, natural flavours, ascorbic acid, salt and barley malt extract, was appreciated by food & beverage tasters, less by the mixologists. The former appreciated the good balance between aromas, taste and spiciness, the unwavering spicy push of gentle but clear and persistent ginger, the citric and vegetable freshness, the nuances of tea, herbal medicine, licorice and bitter herbs, and a clean finish. The mixologists penalized it for the insufficient perlage and the too “domesticated” ginger.

J.Gasco also offers the Evia variant, with stevia extract as a sweetener, a step below the classic sister.

Turin corso Re Umberto I, 10 01119211313 jgasco.it glass bottle 200 ml price 1,40/1,85 euro

Recognizeable from the logo on the bottle, the romantic portrait of Thomas Henry, English pharmacist who in 1773 invented history’s first soda water. Made in Germany on the model of English ginger beer (ingredients: sugar, natural flavours including ginger, citric acid, acacia gum and wood resin glycerin extracts as stabilizers), is a classic, pleasant and reassuring GB. Good effervescence, robust nose with fresh and very citric impact, composed and immediate taste but not lacking in personality, harmonious in the sweet/spicy ratio, strength of the precise but not aggressive ginger, good evolution in the mouth, right persistence and beautiful finish. Also available in 1 liter PET bottle (Spicy Ginger).

Berlin Germany Bessemerstrasse, 22 +49(0)30757657950 thomas-henry.de glass bottle 200 ml price 1,25/2 euro

The result achieved by Fava goes beyond the 7th position. The company in Mariano Comense has the merit of producing also for other brands, including Abbondio, which ranked 3rd, and J.Gasco, 5th. This ginger beer entered in the ranking as a must taste, top of the range of the historic brand. The recipe is the same of the two competitors: natural ginger extract (from central Africa), sugar, lime juice, natural flavours, ascorbic acid, salt, barley malt extract. The results of the panel are discordant here too, the bartenders were more positive, they appreciated the good effervescence, the aggressive but “sparkling” nose, green and spice (unripe vegetables, citrus fruits, pepper), the mild sweetness, the fresh and dry finish, the spicy strength of ginger and other spicy substances.

Mariano Comense (CO) via per Novedrate, 111 031745282 favabibite.it glass bottle 200 ml price 1,10/1,40 euro

As the rib of Magnifique Brands, Original is a Spanish company that produces premium soft drinks made with select ingredients (spring water, citrus essential oils and Mediterranean essences, in addition to the preservative E211, sodium benzoate), distributed in Italy from D&C. This is a ginger beer of good quality and good character, persistent in the subtle perlage, in the natural and fresh citrus aromatic and floral notes, in the spiciness of the ginger (perhaps amplified by other spicy substances), which is gentle but proudly present: it tickles the nose when you smell the drink and stimulates the palate, leaving a pleasantly peppery mouth. Intense and harmonious taste with sweetness balanced by a bitter and a sour whip. To drink absolute or for mixing.

Madrid Spain Paseo De La Castellana, 141 edif. Cuzco IV / Ofic. 714 +34(0)902400068 theoriginaltonic.com glass bottle 200 ml price 1,40 euro

GAMBERO ROSSO

Fava

49

SEPTEMBER 2019

Original

GAMBERO ROSSO www.gamberorosso.it SENIOR EDITOR Lorenzo Ruggeri PHOTO EDITOR Rossella Fantina LAYOUT Maria Victoria Santiago CONTRIBUTORS Stefania Annese, Gianni Fabrizio, Sonia Massari, Paola Mencarelli, Mara Nocilla, William Pregentelli PHOTOGRAPHS AND DRAWINGS Alessandro Naldi, Lido Vannucchi, Francesco Vignali GR USA CORP PUBLISHER & PRESIDENT Paolo Cuccia Advertising Class PubblicitĂ SpA Milano, Via Marco Burigozzo, 8 - tel. 02 58219522 For commercial enquiries: mprestileo@class.it Advertising director Paola Persi email: ufficio.pubblicita@gamberorosso.it Gambero Rosso and are registered trademarks belonging to Gambero Rosso S.p.A. GAMBERO ROSSO is a Registered Trademark used under license by GR USA CORP Copyright by GAMBERO ROSSO S.P.A. 2019.

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