Everything is set for Vini delle Coste (link). A wide range of winemakers from Italian coastal regions will be present to personally meet the public. Co-stars will be the chefs and guests of Condimenti, a format created by Cristiano Tomei to read the world through food and wine.
An opportunity to meet 80 wineries, engage in insightful discussions with the Condimenti dialogues, crafted by chef Cristiano Tomei, and visit the beautiful city of Lucca. Vini delle Coste will be all this and more: the event will also offer a 50% discount on the ticket price (15€ instead of 30€) for holders of a Trenitalia travel ticket, in collaboration with Trenitalia.
The Artisan Winemakers starring in the Event
Vini delle Coste was born to highlight those who, every day, dedicate themselves to wine, overseeing its journey from the vineyard to commercialization. At Real Collegio di Lucca (link), visitors will be able to meet winemakers from the Lucca Hills, Montecarlo, Garfagnana, the Pisan Hills, Candia, and Lunigiana, representing the provinces of Lucca, Pisa, and Massa. There will also be wineries from the provinces of Livorno and Grosseto, including a significant representation from the Tuscan Archipelago. And, representing the coasts of Italy, there will be Terroir Marche with biodynamic winemakers, Abruzzo, and Liguria. In total, over 300 wines will be available for tasting.
Every day, each winemaker faces the uncertainties of weather and nature, as wine is a living product—unique every year, challenging every year. This is even truer for those operating in extreme territories, such as Maestà della Formica, which cultivates its grapes in the Apuan Alps, in the municipality of Careggine, at an altitude of 1050 meters, Terenzuola, the winery of Ivan Giuliani, in the Colli di Luni region, between Liguria and Tuscany, and Irene Carfagna of Altura Vigneto, on the Isola del Giglio, where viticulture has both a landscape and social value. So-called heroic and frontier viticulture represents a concrete and authentic perspective for the future, as does social viticulture, represented at Vini delle Coste by the Calafata social cooperative in the heart of the Lucca Hills, which involves young and disadvantaged people to bring abandoned land and forgotten vineyards back into production. The Azienda Agricola Pieve Santo Stefano is also active in the social field, and through the „Progetto Scipione“ Association, aims to create a stable and sustainable life path for adults with autism who have completed their school education, through agricultural, sports, and educational activities.
„Vini delle Coste – says the event creator Alessandra Guidi – represents a new appointment that brings to Real Collegio wines born along the coasts of Italy. Many companies in their terroir benefit from the influence of the sea: the main focus will be on the Tuscan coast, but we will also have the Adriatic coast, Marche, Emilia-Romagna, and Liguria.”
Food for the Mind
The idea behind Condimenti, dialogues on food open to visitors, comes from the combination of „condi“ and „menti“, meaning the idea of “seasoning the mind” through a table where chefs, producers, and enthusiasts can sit and discuss what is happening in the world of food and wine, and how these impact society. “Wine is conviviality.” – explains Tomei. “At the Condimenti table, there won’t be a show-cooking, but we will gather to talk about wine, food, and, therefore, culture. Through cooking, we rediscover a deeply shared cultural root that we may have forgotten. It will be an experience of real sharing and mutual growth: at our table, we will have the people who come to visit, along with my friends, chefs, gelato makers, pastry chefs, and many others.”
On Sunday, guests will include Marco Stabile, chef of “Ora d’Aria” restaurant in Florence; Enrico Dandolo, director of Gualtiero Marchesi Foundation; Gian Francesco Cutelli and Cinzia Otri, award-winning gelato makers; Giuseppe Carrus, professor of Social Psychology at Roma Tre University and a tasting for Gambero Rosso; Antonio Galatà, nutritionist; Massimo Giacon, cartoonist; and Fratelli Cinquini, scenographers and top-tier float designers for the Viareggio Carnival.
On Monday, joining Cristiano Tomei at the table will be Cristian Torsiello, chef of Osteria Arbustico in Paestum (1 Michelin Star); Chiara Gambacorti and Elisabetta Gemignani from Ristorante La Torre in Montecarlo; Piero Pompili, director of Ristorante Il Cambio in Bologna; Edoardo Tilli, chef at Agriturismo Podere Belvedere in Pontassieve; and Andrea Sacchetti from Pasticceria Nuovo Mondo in Prato.
Vini delle Coste will tell many unique stories in an informal yet intimate setting, as demonstrated by the event’s poster designed by Massimo Giacon, a cartoonist with collaborations in famous magazines such as Linus, Elle, and Glamour, illustrator of campaigns for brands such as Absolut Vodka, Memphis, Swatch, designer of objects for Alessi, and author of the book Amami for Mondadori, among many other projects.
This choice is connected to Lucca Comics & Games, the international event dedicated to comics, with which there is a strong synergy. This collaboration extends to the food and wine world through the Foodmetti – Artisti delle tavole project, a „festival within the festival“ dedicated to the excellences of the comic and food industries, directed by chef Cristiano Tomei.
Entry to the tasting hall is free for industry professionals, with tickets available (link) for wine lovers and special discounts for sommeliers and students.
