The Real Italian Wine & Food Exhibition (4th edition) took place at Church House in Westminster on 4th June 2015.
It was promoted by the Italian Trade Agency, the government organisation following the guidelines from the Ministry for Economic Development that aims to raise the international profile of Italian companies and provide advice to foreign companies wanting to invest or trade in Italy. The event was targeted mostly at for medium-to-large producers and traders.
It attracted a varied audience made of:
agents
distributors
buyers for restaurants, wine merchants, delicatessens, and online retailers
sommeliers of top-class restaurants
magazine journalists and critics
chefs (including celebrity chef Francesco Mazzei from L’Anima restaurant)
Showcasing the major producers of food and wine from all over Italy, the trade event was a great opportunity to bring together merchants and producers.
Picture credits Paola Bassanese
I spent some time in the Apulian corner, where Salentina was at the Casa Primis stand representing Apulian wine and supplying homemade tarallini as a snack between wine tastings. Next door to it was Masseria Duca D’Ascoli, with an interesting selection of organic wines. In particular, Bianco del Duca was a cut above the rest: using only red grapes, this Blanc de Noir is a white wine with a refreshing zing but also depth which goes well with both meat and fish. A great summer wine to accompany alfresco meals.
From Casa Primis, to note, was the extraordinary Crusta red wine, very oaky and perfumed from a 15 month ageing in French oak casks. It’s rich in tannins and has a complex layering of flavours.
On a final note: because London is such a small place (!) I bumped into an old friend, chef Claudio Bincoletto, who runs foraging guided walks (including wild food walks with light supper at Petersham Nurseries). A perfect coincidence, as we started enthusing about our passion for foraging and our shared love for sow thistle. He even gave me his recipe for acacia fritters.
Casa Primis website
Masseria Duca D’Ascoli website
La Salentina website
Italian Trade Agency website
Petersham Nurseries website