Gambero Rosso Tre Bicchieri Tasting USA Preview
San Francisco, New York, Chicago
16-2-2011, 18-2-2011, 22-2-2011
The Gambero Rosso is one of the biggest agencies for food and wine in Italy. They have a long standing history and have a reputation for their consistent reviews of all things. While VinItaly is by far the biggest event of the year for Italian wines, events like SensofWine by Luca Maroni and the Tre Bicchieri tastings by Gambero Rosso are a close second.
Each year the Gambero Rosso releases its book rating many of the wineries in Italy. Their ratings I have found are always fair and appropriate, and their consistency is something that is always, as a wine professional, is respected around the world. The rating scale is done in glasses, thus the Tre Bicchieri (3 Glasses) is the highest award given each year. On average let’s say about 400 or so wines achieve this level. In November the book is released and the wines earning the highest praise are showcased for those invited within the industry in Italy.
In the early spring the Gambero Rosso takes it show on the road, and brings the event to the United States. Last year, 2010, I was fortunate to be invited and attended the event for the first time. To sum it up in short, it is the highest concentration of top class Italian wines showcased in the United States each year. Not every estate that achieves this acclaim does attend, and the houses represented do vary a bit from location to location as I do understand. For instance In San Francisco I know the likes of Biondi-Santi of Montalcino and Tenuta dell’Ornellaia are not attending although both have Tre Bicchieri wines this issue.
For this year the event in SF is being held Wednesday February 16th at the Fort Mason center in the Marina. Sorry but it is not a public event and you must be invited by the Gambero Rosso or as a guest of someone who is invited. The event then travels to New York City on the 18th of February, and finishes in Chicago on the 22nd.
My plan for an event of this nature is simple, be prepared upon arrival. All of the wines are of a high quality, and it is impossible to taste all of them in the 6 hours of the event. I will divide the wineries into regions and wine styles (white, red, sparkling, sweet) and then decide which wines are the most important and seek those out. For instance last year I was able to taste Antinori’s Tignanello, and then turn around and taste Tenuta San Guido’s Sassicaia. I will of course review my notes from last year to revisit estates that are in attendance to confirm initial impressions. Also of top priority is to experience wines that I have not had before, like the Antinori Solaia, which is a ‘Supertuscan’ wine based on Cabernet Sauvignon.
Even if you do not have the opportunity to attend it is recommended to look into the Gambero Rosso Tre Bicchieri guide to discover the best Italian wines on the market every year. I find it to be one of the best resources available for finding Italian wines each year. I look forward to writing my post event article and sharing with you my findings.
For information regarding the wines of the Maremma and/or Tuscany including high class luxury wine and golf tours and holidays in the Tuscany region visit the website of the premier tour company, www.maremmaevents.com to begin planning your next vacation. Salute!
No comments:
Post a Comment