January 27, 2016; (LOS ANGELES)—The wait for Tre Bicchieri Week is almost over. Gambero Rosso, the world’s foremost authority on Italian wine, food and travel, launches its highly anticipated annual U.S. Tour next Tuesday, February 2 in Miami, and continuing through five states with a final stop in Seattle on February 16.
Gambero Rosso U.S. Tour Schedule
- Miami, Feb. 2 – Falanghina del Sannio evening event; CIBO Wine Bar
- Chicago, Feb. 4 – Tre Bicchieri Tasting; Bridgeport Art Center; Skyline Loft
- New York City, Feb. 9 – Tre Bicchieri Tasting; Metropolitan Pavilion
- San Francisco, Feb. 11 – Tre Bicchieri Tasting; Fort Mason Center
- Seattle, Feb. 16 – Top Italian Wines Tasting; Seattle Center
Wine trade and press are invited to see event and registration details at GamberoRosso.us; the events are for industry professionals only. Winery participants are viewable for each event, with nearly 200 Italian wineries joining the New York City event.
In addition to the walk-around tastings, each event will feature special seminars.
- In Miami, guests are invited to a special panel tasting featuring representatives from the Sannio consortium.
- Tre Bicchieri Tour – In Chicago, New York and San Francisco, Marco Sabellico—Italy’s #1 Taster—will spotlight this year’s Special Award winning wines, revealing the top rated wine in each of eight categories, such as Red Wine of the Year, Best Up-and-Coming Winery, and Winery of the Year. The Special Awards seminar we be preceded by a special focus on the Custoza region.
- In Seattle, guests are invited to Marco Sabellico’s intensive Masterclass workshop, featuring top wines from each of Italy’s major wine-producing region.
Seminar seats may be requested by emailing Chelsea Kurnick at gr@mccuemc.com.
Gambero Rosso 30th Anniversary
This year’s tour celebrates Gambero Rosso’s 30th Anniversary. In 1986 when Gambero Rosso took its first steps as a weekly supplement in the daily newspaper Il Manifesto. The year after, the first Gambero Rosso wine guide was printed. In 1999, the company founded the first thematic television channel in Europe, followed by the Città del Gusto, the schools, the master program, and recently, the public stock offering in November 2015. In the meantime, fascination with Italy and its authentic products swept the world, with wine events around the globe the natural consequence. Tre Bicchieri Week includes the most anxiously awaited Italian wine events in the States, and more than 5,000 wine professionals take part.
The first event in the United States was in 1993; today more than ever, this yearly wine tasting moves the marketplace, starts the buzz, upends orders and established rankings. In terms of value, the American wine market is Italy’s most important, amounting to 21.7 percent; 1.1 billion euros out of a total of 5.1 billion.
The starting point for the events is the enormous work behind the Guida Vini d’Italia: 45,000 wines are tasted for every edition and twenty thousand are reviewed. Vini d’Italia 2016 bestows over 400 Tre Bicchieri awards. The latest edition saw a few classic terroirs come to the fore, such as Montalcino, with great 2010 vintages, or Chianti Classico with its excellent Gran Selezione wines. Barolo is still King of the Langhe with over 30 wines earning an award. The northeast of the country submitted some fine 2014 whites, Veneto reds are in great form, Marche and Campania whites are rising in quality, while general improvement among southern wines and the ever more dynamic Lambrusco means there is always plenty to write about, from both large- and small-scale denominations.
Here are the special awards from Vini d’Italia 2016:
Red Wine of the Year
Etna Rosso V. Barbagalli 2012 – Pietradolce
White Wine of the Year
Collio Friulano 2014 – Schiopetto
Sparkling Wine of the Year
Franciacorta Dosage Zéro Noir Vintage Collection Riserva 2006 – Ca’ del Bosco
Sweet Wine of the Year
Valle d’Aosta Chambave Moscato Passito Prieuré 2013 – La Crotta di Vegneron
Winery of the Year
Allegrini
Best Buy
Falanghina del Sannio Svelato 2014 – Terre Stregate
Grape-grower of the year
Giulio Grasso – Ca’ del Baio
Up-and-Coming Winery
Guado al Melo
Award for sustainable viticulture
Manincor
About Gambero Rosso
Gambero Rosso® is Italy’s publishing and training leader in the field of wine and food. It is the only multimedia company in the sector that offers magazines, books, guides, a website, smart phone applications, and a television channel – Sky 412. Since 1987, Gambero Rosso has represented Italian-made food and wine, testing and certifying the quality of products, telling the stories behind the flavors and traditions of the Bel Paese. In Italy, Gambero Rosso offers Città del Gusto® training courses in five cities. Gambero Rosso has developed a rich, worldwide network of partnerships with prestigious culinary institutes to promote authentic Italian culinary traditions and products.
About Vini d’Italia 2016
“Vini d’Italia” is the worldwide best-selling guide to Italian wine. In its 29th edition, “Vini d’Italia” presents the top Italian wines available now. “Vini d’Italia” has always followed the same method: rigorous blind tastings, evaluations made by a panel, and the classic rating by bicchieri (glasses), from one to three.
