The journalist and writer Mario Soldati once said: “The wine it is like poetry, which is best enjoyed, and truly understood, only when one studies the life, the other works, the character of the poet, when one becomes familiar with the environment where he was born, with his education, with his world."
Here then Alba, a city of emotions and flavors, which is transformed every year into an open-air wine bar to welcome Vinum, the largest wine event of Italy that celebrates its 46th edition. A journey through the wine excellences of the area, with over 700 labels for tasting curated by the Italian Sommelier Association.
From the 25 April to the 5 May, Alba becomes the stage of a party where the best of wine joins Street Food ëd Langa, presenting the traditional recipes of the Alba villages under the umbrella of the Giostra delle Cento Torri.
In the enchantment of the hills of Langhe, Roero e Monferrato, among sinuous vineyards and festive atmospheres, you will meet wine connoisseurs, refined gourmets and lovers of the art and culture of lower Piedmont. A unique experience where art and culture blend harmoniously, in a place that in 2014 was recognized by UNESCO as World Heritage.
The program of the new edition of Vinum
The 46th edition is renewed, focusing on sustainability with the ISO 20121 standard and presenting innovations such as the presence of wines from the Aosta Valley in the tasting booklet, and a space dedicated to the combination of wine and music: "Wine Notes” which will offer musical aperitifs in the evocative Roddi Castle, a combination of tastings and live music to stimulate sensorial listening.
The venues for the event range from historic buildings to the heart of the city, such as Palazzo Mostre e Congressi “G. Morra” in Piazza Medford, which will host “I grandi red wines from the Langhe” in collaboration with the Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe and Dogliani protection consortium.
Piazza Bubbio, in front of the former court, will be the kingdom of white wines from the Langhe, while in Piazza Rossetti you can taste the delights of Villages of Smoke, of St. Rosalia and St. Barbara, next to the wines of Roero and Vermouth of Turin.
The Cortile della Maddalena will host the wines of Barbera d'Asti, from the Gavi, from the Brachetto d'Acqui and many other excellences, with a rich tasting table that includes grappas and culinary specialties from local villages.
Finally, Piazza San Paolo will welcome the effervescence ofAsti Spumante Docg and Moscato d'Asti Docg, Together with Dolcetto in its varieties, accompanied by the street food of the local villages.
Vinum Lab will offer the opportunity to deepen your knowledge of wine through thematic workshops on tasting and pairing with cheeses, while Vinum at the table at Castello di Roddi it will be a gastronomic journey with great chefs and a selection of Piedmontese DOC and DOCG wines.
Vinum in the cellar will allow you to visit the most prestigious wineries in the region, with a tour that ends with an aperitif paired with the host company's wine.
For cooking enthusiasts, theoretical-practical courses will be held in Castello di Roddi by internationally renowned chefs, offering an engaging and tasty culinary experience.
Vinum Outdoor will complete the experience with "Gourmet walks" at the Castello di Roddi and the Tour of the crus "The great Barolo vineyards", together with sporting and cultural events that enliven the city during the event.
And for the little ones, there will be "Vinum Children“, a play space (from 11am to 19pm), dedicated to families to discover the wine-growing landscapes of Langhe, Roero and Monferrato (Unesco World Heritage).
Comments
“Now in its 46th edition, last year the national fair recorded 160 thousand tastings, chosen by an increasingly international and increasingly younger audience of wine lovers – declare the mayor of the city of Alba, Charles Bo, and the Alba councilor for Tourism and Events, Emanuele Bolla –. Our thoughts go to our patriarchs of the sector who, with hard work in the vineyard and in the cellar, but also with far-sighted ideas and the suitcase always in hand, have made our wines an excellence known throughout the world".
“We have expanded the experiential offers and moments of in-depth knowledge of wine alongside the traditional tasting and Street Food ëd Langa stalls curated by the Alba villages, which animate the historic city center – added the president of the Alba Fair Authority, Liliana Allento -. In the program of the event, in the suggestive context of the Roddi Castle, cooking courses and dinners with great chefs will be held in which it will be possible to taste wines from all over Piedmont with an innovative food and wine pairing formula, being able to choose from a list of wines and vermouth by the glass with over 100 different labels. New this year, an unprecedented pairing of wine and music because Vinum is culture, food and wine experience, entertainment, always with an eye on sustainability".
The president of the region Alberto Cirio and the Agriculture councillors Marcus Protopapa and Tourism Vittoria Poggio talking about the numbers: “They tell us that we are experiencing the best tourist season ever for Langhe, Roero and Monferrato with +12% in arrivals, plus 11% in presences compared to 2022, which had already been the year records, and +18% compared to 2019. One of the most interesting data is the 50% growth in overnight stays by American tourists. Numbers that give the measure of the great tourist attraction capacity of this area also thanks to that unparalleled mix of quality, landscape beauty, agriculture, food and wine and traditions. This event effectively opens the tourist season for this area which has started to grow again as a national and international destination".
“Vinum is an event of great value for the promotion and valorisation of the rich oenological heritage of Piedmont. The participation of our entire wine promotion system gives the event a leading role in the panorama of events dedicated to wine enthusiasts coming not only from different parts of Italy, but also from abroad", concludes the president of Piemonte Land of Wine, Francesco Monchiero.