Tastings with producers, masterclasses led by ONAF, pairings with local specialities, Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 June the Asti village of Roccaverano becomes one of the gastronomic and tourist capitals of Piedmont. Saturday 28 (starting at 19 pm) and Sunday 29 June (from 10 am until the evening) will be held, in fact, the XNUMXth edition of the Fiera Carrettesca: the event organized by the Consortium for the Protection of Roccaverano DOP and its producers that, year after year, involves and welcomes an increasingly large and heterogeneous public, interested in discovering the gastronomic, agricultural and natural excellence of a fascinating area of the Piedmontese Langa. Roccaverano, a cheese produced on the rugged and uncultivated hills of the Asti Langa, is a historic goat's cheese of Italy, the first to have obtained the Protected Designation of Origin. And with the DOP the name was institutionalized. Before it was only called formaggetta, robiola, or arbiora in dialect.
Historic Italian goat cheese, the first to have obtained the Protected Designation of Origin
Production – as stated in a note from the Slow Food Foundation – takes place from March to the end of November, when the goats can graze. Production involves adding liquid calf rennet to the raw milk, after an initial acidification, which is left to coagulate for 8-36 hours. It is then transferred to perforated molds that are periodically turned to drain the whey, where the curd remains for about 48 hours. Dry salting is done during the turning or at the end of the process. The minimum maturation is 4 days, but it reaches excellence after a couple of weeks. The traditional production technique varies from producer to producer, due to minimal waste. Yet, the differences between one robiola and another are significant: the flowers, herbs and bacterial flora of the pastures are transferred into the cheese to the point that, as with wines, it is possible to define a real map of crus. When consumed fresh, Roccaverano offers a simple organoleptic profile: the nose perceives good sensations of yogurt, green grass, hazelnut. While in the mouth this cheese presents an extraordinary smoothness and flavor.
With the maturing process, light hints of goat cheese develop and the aromas tend more towards the aromatics of the meadow and wild plants. The taste is enriched with spicy and musky nuances and becomes long and enveloping in the finish. Roccaverano is also excellent when aged and preserved in oil. The ideal pairing includes a white wine with good structure.
“La Carrettesca is a special occasion to experience the world of Roccaverano DOP up close and enjoy a weekend full of joy, culture and authentic flavours – says Matteo Marconi, President of the Consortium for the Protection of Roccaverano DOP – A great popular festival under the banner of conviviality, aggregation and sharing between producers and consumers, industry experts and simply curious people, local residents and tourists, but also an event of absolute value to “show off” our productive treasure and create opportunities for discussion on what has been done in recent years with an eye to the future”.
Saturday 28th June guided tasting paired with the wines of the Barbera d'Asti Consortium and Monferrato wines and a gastronomic journey in street food mode
The first intense “taste” of the Carrettesca will be on Saturday 28 June, from 19 pm, with a guided tasting of Roccaverano DOP paired with the wines of the Barbera d'Asti Consortium and wines of Monferrato and with a gastronomic journey in street food mode based on local specialties proposed by the Pro Loco of the area. The music of DJ Abba will accompany the entire evening.
You can taste traditional dishes such as Friciò, Friciule, FocRoc, ravioli in white butter and sage or with wine, fried ravioli al plin, Gnocchi al Roccaverano DOP
The highlight, as per tradition, will be Sunday 29 June. Starting at 10 am, until the end of the event, there will be an exhibition-market, with the producers of the Roccaverano DOP Consortium present with their products for tasting and sale. Around 12 pm, you can taste traditional dishes cooked by the Pro-Loco of the area who will offer their gastronomic specialties: the Proloco of Cessole with Friciò, the Proloco of San Giorgio with Friciule, the Proloco of Ovrano with FocRoc with Roccaverano DOP, the Proloco of Denice with ravioli in white butter and sage or with wine, the Proloco of Spigno Monferrato with fried ravioli al plin, the Proloco of Montechiaro with anchovy sandwiches and the Proloco of Roccaverano with Gnocchi with Roccaverano DOP and grilled polenta with sausage.
Throughout the day, numerous initiatives are planned in which the purely gastronomic aspect is combined with the cultural and in-depth one. Like the masterclass led by the Onaf Master Tasters of the Asti delegation, an essential appointment for those who want to delve into the organoleptic characteristics of Roccaverano DOP in detail and learn, through a guided tasting, the differences in flavor but also in aroma and color depending on the various maturations.
Among the most anticipated moments, the awards ceremony of the competitions “The Best Roccaverano DOP on the Table” selected by the ONAF Jury of the Asti delegation, and “The Best Roccaverano DOP at the Fair” voted directly by the public participating in the event, who will be able to indicate their preference following a “blind” tasting. The two competitions go beyond the competition and want to reiterate the attention to detail and the continuous search for product quality by the Consortium and each individual producer, as is recognized by Onaf which year after year certifies the overall high quality.
A major new feature of the 2025 edition will be the award ceremony for the competition “Discovering the seasons in the journey of goats and cheese”, launched in recent months by the Consortium with the involvement of around 60 children from the nursery schools of the Istituto Comprensivo delle Quattro Valli, in the municipalities of Bubbio, Vesime, Monastero Bormida and Castel Boglione.
A project born to approach the new generations and accompany the young students on a journey to discover the Roccaverano DOP as a living symbol of a peasant culture, which has its roots in the rhythm of the seasons and in the respect for nature. The first part of the project included a playful-educational path in the classroom to introduce, through play, fantasy and drawing, the secrets of goats and their cheese, a gastronomic and tourist symbol, but also an important economic lever of the territory between Asti and Alessandria.
