Pairings

Trentino-Alto-Adige: Merano Wine Festival & Gourmet
«Gastronom» №10 (93) October 2009

Italian gastronomic festivals

The festival in the northern Italian city of Merano is a mega-summit of fine wines and food. It is hard to say what is more important there — tastings of some of the world’s best wines or dinners prepared by leading chefs.

Firstly, a few words about the wine programme. Before allowing a producer to participate in the festival, his wine must undergo a series of professional tastings where it should get a high score. The wine’s origin and reputation are also taken into account. Thanks to strict selection, Merano tastings offer top quality wines from famous Piemontese and Tuscan estates, great Bordeaux chateaux, legendary Burgundy vineyards and other prestigious wineries.

The event takes place in Kurhaus, one of the largest and most beautiful buildings of the art nouveau style. Guests can talk to famous winemakers who stand behind tables and serve wine. Additional programmes include tastings from biodynamic estates and spirits producers.

The culinary part is an event in itself, with talented European chefs and haut cuisine lovers participating. Demonstrations of cooking techniques, culinary sessions with stars, a gastronomic exhibition of artisanal products and delicacies, refined dinners are all included in the Chef & Food programme. Merano festival also offers special Gourmet Hotel events for professionals.

A spectacular annual celebration of wine and food takes place in the second weekend of November. This year the culinary part will start earlier, on 31 October, and main events are planned for 7-9 November. If you can’t make it to the coming festival, you can participate in the Moscow session of Merano WineFestival & Gourmet in June.

The festival’s official website — www.meranowinefestival.com

Trentino-Alto-Adige, or Sud Tyrol, combines Alpine cuisine with Italian flair.

– Sud Tyrolean speck, or cured and cold smoked pork leg, is among the most popular specialties. This meat delicacy is known since the 12th century and now protected by origin. Finely sliced speck is served as a starter. It is also used in a traditional recipe of speck knodel — bread and speck dumplings.

– Dumplings are an integral part of the alpine cuisine. They are called canederli in Trentino and knodel – in Alto Adige. Alpine dumplings can be big and small, savoury and sweet. Along with speck or pancetta, cheese can be used for kaser knodel. Savoury dumplings are served with the broth in which they were cooked, and add butter. Sweet canederli look like boiled doughnuts. They are stuffed with fruit, hazelnuts; cinnamon and cloves may be added.

– Alto Adige has a special flatbread recipe. It is called schuttelbrot and made with rye and wheat flour, thyme, coriander and fennel. The name is translated as shaken bread. For baking, the dough is beaten and shaped as a circle. Schuttelbrot is served with cold meat and cheese starters.

– Apples should be mentioned among important Trentino-Alto-Adige products. Millions of kilogrammes of Golden and Rennet varieties are picked in Trentino annually.

– The region is also known as a prominent winemaking area. White and red, still and sparkling wines from local and international varieties, grappa and liqueurs give a diverse offering from this Alpine region.