Today for my Wine Marketing class, our teacher Enrico took
us to the presentation of the new Chianti Classico Collection. It was a type of
wine expo held in Florence in the Stazione Leopolda (an old converted train
station, Dad you would have loved it!) where all of the vineyards in the region
of Chianti Classico present their new vintages. All of the Chianti Classico
wines are labeled DOCG (Denominazione di origine controlatta e garantita),
which is the highest production standard for Italian wine. Today’s event was
reserved for trade professionals and not open to the public, but Enrico was
able to score us a meeting with the few English-speaking marketers. For a five-euro
deposit we received wine glasses stamped with a black rooster, the traditional
symbol of Chianti Classico and goofy little wine glass totes to wear around our
necks. If I wasn’t a starving college kid I might have kept the wine glass and
tote as a souvenir. We tasted four different varieties of 2009 Chianti Classico
from the regions of San Casciano Val di Pesa, Radda and Gaiole. Most of the
wines are made using the Tuscan sangiovese grape. I’m not sure if it’s because
it’s all I drink these days but I think I’m becoming partial to it.
Aside from the wine, what struck me about the event was the
juxtaposition of the tradition of wine making presented in an old Florentine
train station with the hip décor that looked more like it belonged in New York
City. At the end of the lines of busy tables packed with vintners and marketers
were brightly colored, plush chairs arranged in little clusters with colorful
lighting. Various signs displayed logos of the event comprised of colorful wine
bottles arranged in different shapes. I’m not quite sure if I’m cool enough to
work in this industry, but I have to say I wouldn’t mind attending many more
events like this in the future.
No comments:
Post a Comment