Sagre #4 - Cantine Aperte

This week we’ve got the very finest of festivals for you, celebrating one of Italy’s very finest products: WINE. We thought we’d post this one a bit in advance of the sagra itself, just in case anyone felt the overwhelming urge to hop on a plane and find their way to Italia for Cantine Aperte on May 30^th-31^st.

Cantine Aperte means “open cellars” and this Italian festival of wine really does do what it says on the metaphorical tin. All across the country, some of Italy’s finest wineries open their cellars to the public. It is organised by the Movimento Turismo del Vino or “Wine Tourism Movement” (yes, it is a real thing…) and has been happening every year since 1993.

What happens during Cantine Aperte will vary from region to region, but almost always involves a tour of the vineyards and wineries, a peek at the cellars, with an explanation of how everything works, and the opportunity to taste and buy some of the finest wines in the world. Some places also offer special admissions where you can eat as well and even enjoy al fresco entertainment. It has become a key time for local communities, who organise a variety of cultural, artistic, and folklore-based events along the wine festivities.

One of the joys of Cantine Aperte is that it is just as popular with locals as it is with tourists. According to the Movimento Turismo del Vino’s website, “Cantine Aperte” has evolved over the years to be far more than just a wine festival, it has become a philosophy, denoting a way of travelling and discovering more of Italy and its wine territories. Year on year it attracts more tourists and wine-lovers from all over the globe. Unlike Vinitaly in Verona, this is not an event aimed at sommeliers and wine professionals, but at wine enthusiasts – a chance for winemakers to share their lives’ work with others.

 

Cantine Aperte is generally free and there is no need to reserve so if any of you decide to call in sick on Friday 29^th and get yourself over Tuscany, we won’t judge… 

Sagre #1 - Risotto Festival

Exciting news Oregano fans! This week marks the start of Sagre month! Sagre are Italian food festivals and there are several particularly delicious ones which are happening throughout May. To kick us off this week, we are starting with the Sagra del Risotto. (And I'm sure you can guess what this one celebrates!)

Food festivals in Italy normally coincide with the harvest time of a particular ingredient, though sometimes they are odes to whole dishes, as is the case with the Risotto festival.Held in Sessame in Piedmont on the first Sunday of May every year, this fabulous food festival has been going on since the 13th century! This year it is being held on the 3rd of May, and you can expect market stalls, music and - you guessed it - lots of lovely risotto!

Risotto is one of Northern Italy's finest dishes and is normally eaten on its own as a primo (the course between an appetiser and a main course). For those of you who don't know, risotto is a rice dish which is cooked in a broth until it reaches a creamy texture. Rice first came to Italy with the Arabs in the Middle Ages. Turns out, the humid Meditteranean climate is perfect for cooking short-grain rice, which is exactly what we use nowadays in risotto. Risotto was officially created in Milan. During the 200-odd year reign of the Spanish in Milan, rice dishes became something of a staple (which explains the similarities of risotto and paella).Slow-cooking too was a common cooking technique and so slow cooking+ rice+ regional spices led to Risotto Alla Milanese.

And there you have it! All you could ever want to know about risotto. Bet you understand now why it has a whole festival dedicated to it! Fancy some risotto yourself? Why not pop into see us at Oregano and try our Risotto ai Porcini or Risotto ai Frutti di Mare?