Giravino, La Prima Guida Ufficiale del Movimento Turismo del Vino
From
Cosa Bolle in Pentola:
If you travel
the wine routes or visit Italian wineries, you may well have come across the
Movimento Turismo del Vino's symbol, a goblet circled by an arrow. The
organization, which was founded a number of years ago by Donatella Cinelli
Colombini, has been one of the driving forces behind the development of Italian
wine tourism, working to convince wineries to open their doors and welcome
guests at specific times, for example Cantine Aperte (the last Sunday in May),
when wineries throughout the country open their doors to visitors (and many
organize special things as well), and on a more general day-to-day basis. There
was of course resistance at first, but with time the wineries realized that
visitors become loyal customers, and now we take the possibility of driving out
into the country and being able to stop where we please (after a call ahead)
for granted.
Thanks in large part to the Movimento Turismo del Vino, and it's fitting that they have put together a guide, which is broken down by region, with brief introductions to the regions that mention both wines and other specialties and attractions, followed by maps showing where the appellations are, as well as the wineries that belong to the MTV, and then there are pages and pages dedicated to the wineries, saying where they are, something about them, and what they have to offer; i.e. wines made, languages spoken, opening hours, how many people they can accommodate in the tasting room, if they also offer meals or lodging, who the enologist is and how many hectares they have under vine, how to get there, and so on. It's in Italian but clear enough that you won't have any problems figuring things out with the aid of an Italian-English dictionary if you don't speak Italian.
You won't find everyone because not all wineries belong to the MTV, but don't let this keep you from purchasing the book; you'll find good wineries from just about every appellation, and if you like to simply take a car and drive out into the country when you travel in Italy, this book has the potential of greatly enriching your trip. My copy's going into my car.
- Practical things:
- Giravino, La Prima Guida Ufficiale del Movimento Turismo del Vino
- Published by the Movimento Turismo del Vino
- About 680 pages; most with descriptions of 2 wineries per page, in addition to maps and introductory material.
- ISBN 88-87819-12-2
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