It took place at the “Triennale di Milano” - from January 21 to February 24, 2015 - an exhibition dedicated to the greatest of Italian journalists and wine writers, the one who started the revaluation in Italy of wine and olive oil: Luigi Veronelli. Moreover, he also had the undeniable merit of having started, in his personal, unattainable and inimitable style, the accounting of wine and food in Italy. The exhibition, with the significant title ”camminare la terra” (walking the land), has been realized thanks to the important contribution of Comitato Decennale Luigi Veronelli, founded to commemorate and celebrate the great “Gino” on the anniversary of the tenth year from his death. The committee also aims to spread the thought and work of Luigi Veronelli, with events started the last 2 February 2014. A certainly significant date, as the same day of 1926 the great “Gino” was born in Milan in the famous “Isola” district, among the most characteristic ones of the capital of Lombardy.

The two pictures at the entrance of “Camminare la Terra” exhibition dedicated to Luigi Veronelli

 I have already written in DiWineTaste about my admiration for Luigi Veronelli: his books certainly are among the best ones I have in my personal library about food and wine, books I keep on reading all the time, always giving me the very same joy and pleasure. My age lets me remember - and with affection - about his TV shows in particular the renowned “a tavola alle sette”, broadcasted by Italian television and hosted with the great actress Ave Ninchi. With his kindness and good manners, something absolutely missing in today's television, Luigi Veronelli talked, with his personal style, about food and wine of Italy, with the simplicity of his huge smile, emphasized by his black framed glasses. At those times I was a boy, however that TV show, besides the subjects covered in each episode, was pretty funny also because of the provocative contrast - and evidently friendly - between Luigi Veronelli and Ave Ninchi. A lovely TV show, polite and joyous - with the reassuring Ave Ninchi's smile entering every house - of which I keep a dear and affectionate memory.

 A dream coming true about these memories was when I personally met Luigi Veronelli - it happened just once in my life - and I admit I was very excited for seeing him in front of me. He was at the booth of his publishing house in a very popular Italian wine exhibition, I was simply a passionate visitor: it was 1999 and DiWineTaste would have seen his birth few years later. My very first “conscious” meeting with wine certainly was because of Luigi Veronelli and his participation to TV shows, at least until they let him doing so. Impossible to forget, the TV show “Viaggio sentimentale nell'Italia dei vini” (sentimental journey to the Italy of wines) broadcast in 1979 by Italian Rai 3 channel, in which was given voice to that wine unknown to many. I therefore started collecting his books and writings about wine: my very first interesting and educational readings on this subject were all signed by the great “Gino”. I warmly welcomed the news about the exhibition “camminare la terra” and dedicated to Luigi Veronelli: an event for no reason at all I would have not failed to visit.

 A well set up room and in which was even reconstructed a very small part of Luigi Veronelli's personal cellar, following a path in which were displayed the most significant “battles” of the great Gino and his works. Pictures, reports of magazines and newspapers, books, letters, projects and even the showing of parts of the TV show “a tavola alle sette”, the exhibition has been nice to see and well made. Everything was, of course, about Luigi Veronelli's thought and work, with simple and significant items, in order to let visitors understand the soul and thought of the journalist, writer, defender of peasant culture and land. Battles he paid at a very high price: in two specific cases he was even sentenced to jail, including the silly penalty of the burning of one of his books, the very last penalty of this kind sentenced in Italy.

 Of particular interest, the reconstruction, at the center of the room, of a small part of Luigi Veronelli's personal cellar: the original one is so big that it needs a map in order to walk through the over 70.000 bottles. In the exhibition was displayed a very modest number of wines, however significant, with bottles ideally touching many Italian regions, including extraordinary French wines as well as from other parts of the world. At the entrance, there was a plate in which was written how that cellar was the primary job and study place for Luigi Veronelli, where he was continuously evaluating wines and the same bottles - year after year - in order to understand their evolution. I am sure the great Gino, in his personal winery, had not the problem of getting bored. Not because of the fact he could enjoy all those wines, but also for the pleasure of watching the bottles, ordered and well placed, just like the paintings of a cathedral.

 A wonderful experience in which I spend about five hours, enjoying books, reports, pictures and bottles, a time passed by with pleasure and no regrets. Surrounded by many memories, including the pleasure of admiring so many Luigi Veronelli's books while being pleased of the fact - with much pride and satisfaction - I too own a copy of those books. The exhibition “camminare la terra” will be moved from Milan to Bergamo, where it can be visited during the entire period of the forthcoming Expo 2015. The exhibition will in fact be set up in the monastery of Astino from 1 May to 31 October 2015, where - they say - it will also be reconstructed a miniature replica of the huge Luigi Veronelli's cellar. As far as I am concerned, I will certainly visit the exhibition in Bergamo too. An absolutely important event I suggest everyone visiting, a respectful tribute to the greatest Italian wine and food writer. There is no doubt without him and the path he traced for everyone, the world of wine, olive oil and food in Italy would not certainly be the same. Thank you Gino.

 Two glorious grapes, expression of two distant territories in every sense, both capable of expressing white wines of indisputable magnificence. The first one of the two - Fiano - despite it is cultivated in some territories of South Italy only, has its best expression in Campania, in particular, in the territory of Avellino. The second one - Riesling - originates from Germany and it is the indisputable glory of Mosel wines, capable of giving masterpieces of remarkable class, elegance and finesse. The spreading of Riesling is such that, today, it is considered an international variety, even cultivated in territories not perfectly suited to this variety, its fame catches the attention and dreams of many producers. The spreading of Fiano is certainly more limited - it can be hardly found outside South Italy - however this is not an obstacle to its fame and greatness, undeniably one of the most important varieties of Italy.

 Before talking about Riesling, we should clear a confusion concerning another pretty common variety in Italy - in particular in the northern-eastern areas of Italy and Oltrepo Pavese - known as Riesling Italico. For the sake of clearness, it should be said the variety we will cover in this report is Rhine Riesling, having no connection with the “Italian” one, also known as Welschriesling. Not only the two varieties have nothing in common, even the wines they give are completely different and, in particular, quite different aging potentials over time. The confusion is however common and sometimes the two varieties are wrongly believed to be the same. For this reason, certain producers expressly write “Rhine Riesling” (Riesling Renano in Italian) in their labels in order to distinguish it from Welschriesling. It however must be said that, in general terms, the simple mention of “Riesling” refers to “Rhine Riesling”.

 Fiano is one of the many varieties existing since remote times in the Italian territory and introduced by ancient Greeks. The grape was successful since the very beginning of its introduction, catching the interest not just of men who made wine from it. Even insects, bees in particular (ape in Italian), were attracted by the sweetness of the juice of this variety and, for this reason, the grape was called vitis apicia. This name was later changed into Fiano, passing through apina, therefore apiana, then afiana and finally Fiano. To this variety was even dedicated the very first place in which vineyards of Fiano were historically planted in: Lapio, in province of Avellino, was in fact named after this ancient variety. Even today, Lapio has not lost its very ancient tradition and the cultivation of Fiano plays a fundamental role, as well as wine production, among the most significant lands of Fiano di Avellino.

 Found all over the territory of Campania, Fiano is also cultivated in Basilicata, Apulia, Molise and it is also found - although marginally - in other regions of Italy. The most important land of Fiano is however Campania, in particular the area of Avellino, the territory which has certainly received the highest success and attention. It should however be noticed, because of the huge diversity of the vast territory of Campania, from sandy soils of coastlines to volcanic soils, Fiano expresses wines with quite different characters, different one from each other, all however being of remarkable interest. The composition of soil, the availability of water and micro climate conditions of soil give in fact very different interpretations of Fiano. For example, we could consider the finesse and minerality of Fiano di Avellino compared to the more full and robust interpretations of Cilento, in province of Salerno.

	The intense color, almost golden yellow, of Fiano

 Germany is the indisputable homeland of Riesling, besides being the land in which this variety originates from. Moreover, a good expression is also obtained in Alsace, despite the fact we should notice this variety is considered “international”, therefore found in many wine countries of the world. Riesling is also one of the few white varieties capable of making wines suited for a long aging in bottle. It is in fact not rare, given the proper wine making and keeping conditions, a wine produced with Riesling can give its best even after more than ten years from vintage, a quality not easy to have with most of white wines. On this regard, we can certainly say most of Riesling bottles are uncorked while in their youth, without giving them the chance to a magnificent evolution. For the sake of truth, it should be said not all the Riesling is made with this goal in mind.

 One of the most known characteristics of aged Riesling is the typical smell of petrol and kerosene. This particular quality of Riesling is very appreciated by many wine lovers, whereas it can also be considered unpleasing by many occasional drinkers. Grape of remarkable versatility, Riesling gives extraordinary dry table wines, as well as “late harvest” and sweet wines by using dried grapes. Riesling is also appreciated in the production of the so called eiswein, wines of extraordinary balance thanks to its characteristic acidity, nevertheless, having an elegant olfactory and gustatory profile. Wines of strong crispness, even in their youth are however capable of giving pleasing emotions, mainly of fruits and flowers, according to the territory and, in any case, of strong personality.

 Fiano and Riesling are capable of making wines with remarkable potentials of aging, while giving back, after some years, nectars of extraordinary greatness, although keeping their respective personalities. In our tasting we will compare two wines produced with Fiano and Riesling in their “young” condition, in order to emphasize differences. The study of mature wines produced with these two varieties certainly is amazing, however not suited for the goal of our tasting, as we are mainly interested in focusing on differences of the two grapes in their young condition and not altered by time. On this regard, we will therefore pick two wines of the same vintage and young, that is having no more than two years of aging in bottle. It would be better to get a Riesling from German Mosel, however produced in a cool climate area. As for Fiano, we will pick a bottle produced in the territory of Avellino.

Riesling, as opposed to Fiano, shows a paler color with an evident greenish yellow hue

 Let's start the tasting of the two wines from appearance analysis, a phase universally accepted by the many sensorial evaluation methods as the primary analysis in a wine. Differences will be evident by a simple observation of the two glasses, something which will emphasize the diversities in color nuances. Both wines have a high transparency - a typical characteristic in most of the whites - and this is the only common quality in the two wines. The color of Fiano shows, in general terms, a darker hue than Riesling. The famous Italian grape can in fact show a straw yellow color, even very intense, with nuances of greenish yellow, whereas Riesling is characterized by a greenish yellow color. In the German grape will be in fact observed a paler color with evident greenish nuances, hues which can be observed even in Fiano, although with a lesser impact.

 The olfactory profiles of Fiano and Riesling are very interesting and, despite both varieties benefit from the evolution of time, even in their young wines is possible to perceive pleasing and complex aromas. Different olfactory profiles, they however represent excellent wines and suited for the study of sensorial tasting. The differences of the two varieties are evident, in particular, during the evaluation of the opening - that is the aromas perceived at the first smell and without swirling the glass - however offering common qualities. The olfactory realm of Fiano and Riesling is mainly represented by aromas belonging to the family of fruit, nevertheless, it will also be found aromas of flowers. Finally, it should be noticed the vinification of these two varieties is mainly made in inert containers, a technique allowing the best aromatic expression of Fiano and Riesling.

 By holding the glass in vertical position and without swirling, let's proceed with the comparison of olfactory profiles of the two wines, starting from Fiano. The opening of the great white grape of Campania, gives to the nose pleasing and intense aromas of apple, pear, peach and plum, as well as perceptions of hazelnut, this one very typical in wines produced with Fiano grape. To complete the profile will follow flower aromas of hawthorn and broom. The opening of Riesling, evaluated by holding the glass still and without swirling, is characterized by an olfactory profile quite different from Fiano. From the glass will be mainly perceived aromas recalling citrus fruits, in particular lemon and cedar, to which are added pleasing aromas of apricot, peach and apple. Aromas recalling flowers will mainly express broom and jasmine. Finally, a characteristic pretty common in Riesling is an elegant mineral “touch”, a quality which can also be found in Fiano.

 Let's proceed with the evaluation of the differences of the two wines by means of gustatory analysis. At the taste, the attack of Fiano - that is the first sensation perceived at the very first sip of the wine - is characterized by a pleasing crispness. It will also be perceived the role of alcohol, that in wines produced with this variety reaches an appreciable quantity: its burning effect will tend to balance the pleasing acidity. Fiano has a good body that, it should be noticed, gets even fuller in case the grape is cultivated in clay soils. The attack of Riesling too allows the appreciation of an evident crispness - more accentuated than Fiano - also caused by the fact in these wines, in particular those made in Germany, the quantity of alcohol is lower. This characteristic therefore favors the exaltation of acidity. The structure of Riesling generally is weaker than Fiano, in particular in those wines produced in cool climate areas, such as Germany.

 The final phase of our contrast tasting will try to focus on the differences of the two wines after having swallowed them. Fiano, a white grape of well known quality, generally makes wines with a persistent finish and in which can be mainly perceived flavors of apple, plum and peach, most of the times can also be perceived its typical sensation of hazelnut. The finish of Riesling, also in this case, a variety of indisputable quality, is persistent as well and in the mouth are generally perceived flavors recalling citrus fruits, in particular, lemon. In this wine can also be perceived flavors of peach, apricot and tropical fruits, as well as a pleasing sensation of acidity. Two great grapes, expression of distant lands, capable of making extraordinary wines, with a remarkable elegance and class, qualities requiring, in any case, the talent of man and his land.

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