Fine cuisine at Vinitaly
We had an absolutely wild day yesterday -- a solid schedule of meetings and negotiations from 9 AM to 6:30 PM. We have a few today and some tomorrow as we segue out of Verona. We signed contracts and began price negotiations, tasted and retasted, etc.
As in my brand-new post on Muddy Boots, I'm too rushed and tired to spend a lot of time writing. The contemplation of this week's events will have to wait till I return to New York.
A few stray comments and amusing little stories...
* The professional part of the fair seemed less crowded this year than last. Was it my imagination or was there much less American English spoken in the pavilions?
* The domestic wine market in Italy is shriveling, at least as far as good wine goes. The economic crisis is driving people more and more to supermarket wine. Bad for producers, occasionally very good for importers.
* Yesterday Angelo Gaja held forth for an hour and a half at a retrospective of his wines. Amazingly enough, he had brought Jancis Robinson in to share the dais and to explicate the historical significance of his contribution, etc. She sat there and was given no time to utter a peep.
* Speaking of Jancis, of whom I am a gushing fan, Jeff spotted her in the press room this morning, about to have a sit-down with some Italian journalists. I got up from my laptop and rushed over, gushed, "I am a fan," and she actually knew who I was! She thanked me for some information I'd given to her Julia Harding regarding Luigi Reale's Tintore wine ("Borgo di Gete"), at which I blushed and said something inane. I quickly recovered, as I'm never nonplussed for long. "I heard you had an easy day of it yesterday..." She laughed and made a face.
Ah la predica lunga!
By the way, I'll never wash my right hand again. Jancis...
Photo: Verona's Roman main street (decumanus)
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