Every two years in Turin, Slow Food hosts the Salone del Gusto. This is the mother of all food events and draws over 150,000 visitors. The program for the 2010 event (October 21-25) was recently released (only in Italian) so I wanted to use my blog to highlight this excellent food event.

This event is special as the stars of this food expo are the small-scale food producers from all over the world that showcase their products.  Moreover, it is about the people just as much as it is about the excellent food as the event enables like-minded producers and buyers to connect in the search for quality food.

Visitors can discover and taste Slow Food Presidia products and cuisines from all over the world, attend some of the hundreds of Taste Workshops, participate in conferences and learn from chefs in the Theatre of Taste program.

The program for the event is 50 pages so if there was a specific food/wine etc that you were interested in seeing if there is a workshop on, I suggest you click here to review the program. Also, it is important to highlight that some of the events are not in Turin but in the surrounding Langhe valley.

Definitely worth highlighting is the Sala Slow Wine which is held every day of the event, from 11am to 10pm, with the last entrance at 8.30pm. This consists of an enoteca dedicated to wine lovers who will have the opportunity to choose from 300 well known labels for tastings. Every day international wine makers will host presentations and famous chef Davide Scabin, from Combal.Zero restaurant in Rivoli, will introduce his creations. The €50 ticket gains you access and allows you 15 tastings.

Also, I have highlighted a few workshops that sound yummy but also focus on products around TorreBarolo but as I said, this is only my view and the selection is vast.

L’eredità del Barolo – October 21 at 7pm €45

The next generation of 4 of the main Barolo producers present this tasting event, comparing previous vintages, and introducing some new ones: Augusto Cappellano – Barolo Rupestris 2004 and 1998; Roberto Conterno – Barolo Cascina Francia 2006 and 1996; Maria Teresa Mascarello – Barolo 2005 and 1995 (magnum bottle), Pietro Ratti – Barolo Rocche 2007 (preview, though not commercially available until 2011) and 1997.

Barbaresco d’ autore – October 21 at 4pm €30

A retrospective view on the work of Alberto di Gresy, in charge of La Martinega winery in Barbaresco since 1973. The workshop will focus on how he transformed a relatively small family run winery into one of the main Barbaresco labels. Tastings of: Langhe Rosso Virtus 1998, Barbaresco Gajun 1999 e Barbaresco Camp Gros 1990, all in magnum bottle.

Salami d’Italia – October 22 at 4pm €20

Every region in Italy has its own salame. This workshop provides an introduction and overview of the best regional products: salame delle valli tortonesi, salame di Fabriano (Presìdi Slow Food), ventricina del Vastese, fiorettino reggiano, sopressa di Fagagna, finocchiona di San Miniato, soppressata calabra.

I magnifici Novanta di Sandrone – October 22 at 7pm €45

A tasting and tribute to Luciano Sandrone, one of the most celebrated and well-known Barolo wine producers. This event will be extra special as Luciano will personally guide you through some of his best Barolo Le Vigne vintages from the 90s’: 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999.

 Parmigiano Reggiano e Porto – October 23 at 7pm €25

Two symbols of the best European gastronomy will meet and you will be shown how time changes and affects these products. Four releases of Parmersan (15 months, 22 months, 28 months and the well aged 36 months) will be put together with the best Port, different vintages and types, presented by the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto.

If you are interested in participating in any of the workshops etc, I strongly recommend you book way in advance as these events gets sold out well ahead of the opening.

Salone del Gusto is held simultaneously with the Terra Madre world meeting of food communities.

A shortlist of some the most important Italian wines events for the coming months, recommended by TorreBarolo:

As already mentioned in a previous post back in October last year,  tomorrow SlowFood will introduce its own eagerly awaited Italian Wine Guide 2010, that will have less focus on awarding stars and a greater focus on informing consumers of the land, the people, the history and the climate that contribute to the vintage.

On January 30^th and 31^st in Verona the Consorzio Tutela Vini Valpolicella will present the Amarone della Valpolicella Millesimo 2006.

From February 14 to 18 Nobile di Montepulciano Millesimo 2007 gets its turn at an event in Montepulciano dedicated to the public and sector professionals organized by the Consorzio del Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.

The tradition will continue in Florence, which will host the annual “Chianti Classico Collection” on February 16 and 17. Tastings will be offered of Gallo Nero vintages 2009, 2008 and 2007 reserve organized by Chianti Classico Collection.

On February 19 and 20 Montalcino will host “Benvenuto Brunello”, which will present the 2005 reserve organized by Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino.

From March 4 to 7, Sciacca will be hosting “Sicilia en Primeur”, during which the rating for Sicily’s 2009 vintage will be announced.

From 20 July 2010 to 15 May 2011 the international exhibition Vinum Nostrum, in Florence at the Museo degli Argenti – Palazzo Pitti. Original artefacts, sculptures, frescoes, and mosaics as well as videos and other multimedia devices will tell the story of wine and the vineyards it comes from. There will even be a reconstruction of a wine cellar from ancient Pompeii, created following literary descriptions. From Mesopotamia to modern-day Italy, from the rituals of communion to the celebration of plain drunkenness, wine and the vineyards. Info at Firenze 2010 – Un Anno d’Arte.

One of the best regarded wine Italian guides, Gambero Rosso’s Vini d’Italia, was realised yesterday. It is a survey of 2,520 winemakers, divided by region. The best winemakers are awarded stars, between 1 and 3, depending on the quality of their production and its continuity year after year.

In this year’s guide there were 366 producers awarded stars, of which 14 of them have been awarded 3 stars. Of the 14, three of them are from Piemonte: Bruno Giacosa, Gaja and Giacomo Conterno.

As for particular denominations and vintages below is the list of reds from Piemonte:

1. Barolo Monprivato Cà d’Morissio Riserva 2001, Giuseppe Mascarello e Figlio
2. Barbaresco Asili di Barbaresco 2005, Bruno Giacosa
3. Barolo 2005, Bartolo Mascarello
4. Barolo Acclivi 2005, Burlotto G.B.
5. Barolo Brunate – Le Coste 2005, Giuseppe Rinaldi
6. Barolo Rocche Rivera 2004, Oddero Luigi & Figli
7. Barolo Vigna Elena 2004, Elvio Cogno

Below are also Gambero Rosso’s special awards by category:

Winery of the year: Bruno Giacosa of Piemonte

Red wine of the year: Antoniolo, Osso San Grato 2005 Gattinara

White wine of the year: Clelia Romano, Colli di Lapio 2008 Fiano di Avellino

Sparkling wine of the year: Cavit, Altemasi Graal Brut Riserva 2002 Trento

Producer of the year: Gianfranco Fino of Puglia

Sweet wine of the year: Barattieri, Albarola Val di Nure Vin Santo1999 Colli Piacentini

The Vini d’Italia 2010 guide is for the first time solely produced by Gambero Rosso, after its recent split from SlowFood. In the spring of next year, SlowFood will introduce its own eagerly awaited wine guide, that will have less focus on awarding stars and a greater focus on informing consumers of the land, the people, the history and the climate that contribute to the vintage.

Other distinguished Italian wine guides include: L’Espresso’s I Vini d’Italia, Duemilavini of AIS (the Italian Sommelier Association) and I Vini di Veronelli.