November 12, 2025 (Asti – Piedmont, Italy) — Piazza Alfieri, the vibrant heart of Asti, welcomed an extraordinary crowd over the weekend for the Barbera d’Asti Wine Festival. Thousands of visitors — including wine enthusiasts, industry professionals, and locals — took part in three days of tastings, meetings, and discussions, marking the event as a resounding success.
“We are very pleased with this weekend’s turnout,” said Vitaliano Maccario, President of the Consorzio Barbera d’Asti e Vini del Monferrato. “The enthusiasm and strong participation of the public confirm how Barbera d’Asti DOCG and our denominations have the power to tell the story of our land. The Festival is an important opportunity to highlight not only the quality of our wines, but also the values that sustain them: the work of our winegrowers, the protection of the landscape, and the ongoing pursuit of balance and sustainability. We believe this Festival is an act of love for our territory and for those who live it every day — an event that unites and strengthens our community while projecting Monferrato onto an increasingly international stage”.
The undisputed stars of the event were the denominations protected by the Consorzio, showcased through bustling tasting counters and technical masterclasses led by international experts such as Aldo Fiordelli, Veronika Crecelius, and Pietro Russo. These sessions highlighted the diverse expressions of two iconic wines of the region — Barbera d’Asti DOCG and Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato DOCG. The guided tasting journeys explored the many facets of these denominations, from the freshest and most fragrant versions to the more structured and long-lived ones, offering participants the opportunity to engage directly with producers, oenologists, and fellow wine lovers.
Great attention was given to sustainability — a central theme that inspired many of the Festival’s events, including the sold-out show cooking by Chef Gianluca Renzi, resident chef of the Michelin-starred restaurant Le Cattedrali in Asti. The demonstration, highly appreciated by the audience, was a journey into flavor and circular cuisine, where every ingredient finds new life through creativity and technique.
During the session, the chef presented a dish that will also appear on his autumn and winter menu — a creation built around seasonality and the full use of raw materials: a cardoncello mushroom slow-cooked and infused with garden herbs, served with trombette dei morti mushrooms, toasted black sesame, and seasoned with teriyaki sauce, espelettepepper, codium seaweed, toasted shallot, hazelnut, black garlic cream from Voghiera, porcini hollandaise sauce, and mushroom powder made from previous processing leftovers.
The dish perfectly embodies Chef Renzi’s philosophy: “In my autumn and winter menu, I chose to include this dish to respect product seasonality and to make full use of every ingredient available to us. Every element — even what might seem like waste — becomes a resource, adding flavor, structure, and meaning to the creation.”
From transforming shallot skins into aromatic powder, to reinterpreting the noble residues of Bra sausage oil with imperfect hazelnuts, and repurposing leftover egg yolks from meringues for the hollandaise sauce — every detail of the dish reflects a tangible commitment to sustainability in the kitchen, perfectly in tune with the Festival’s values.
There was also great participation in the talk held on November 7, featuring Filippo Mobrici, Vice President of the Consorzio Barbera d’Asti e Vini del Monferrato; Stevie Kim, founder of Italian Wine Podcast and a leading voice in Italian wine communication worldwide; and three-Michelin-starred chef Antonino Cannavacciuolo. In an open and passionate discussion — moderated by La Stampa deputy editor Federico Monga and co-moderator Rocco Moliterni, a distinguished journalist from the same newspaper — the guests engaged with producers and the public on the theme “Sustainability, Tradition and Innovation: The Future of Italian Wine and Cuisine.”
The exchange of ideas and experiences highlighted the key role of new generations in ensuring the continuity of family-run wineries and underscored the importance of a supply chain that is increasingly responsible and aware. Cannavacciuolo shared his vision of ethical cuisine, built on respect for raw ingredients and the reduction of waste, while Stevie Kim emphasized the need to communicate Italian wine through new languages — ones capable of engaging international audiences and enhancing the bond between product and territory.
Over the weekend, the sparkling structure in Piazza Alfieri came alive with young people and locals, who enjoyed two evenings filled with music, flavor, and conviviality. Numerous entertainment events contributed to the lively atmosphere, including a cocktail station that brought a contemporary vibe to the city center and showcased the versatility of Monferrato wines in mixology.
Adding to the experience were the enticing gastronomic offerings by Monferrato On Stage, which framed the weekend’s events with a selection of traditional dishes made using ingredients from eleven local municipalities — offering visitors a true journey through the tastes and flavors of Piedmont.
ABOUT BARBERA D’ASTI AND MONFERRATO WINES CONSORTIUM
Founded in 1946, the Barbera d’Asti and Monferrato Wines Consortium is responsible for protecting and promoting its denominations, ensuring their presence and image in both national and international markets, also through the use of specific distinguishing trademarks. Currently, the Consortium has over 430 member companies and safeguards 13 protected denominations.
