Ancient farms, cellars, oil mills and dairies are the strong points of a region, Puglia, which continues to be among the most popular destinations for holidays dedicated to taste thanks to the charm of its culinary specialties and characteristic itineraries that from the fields lead to the table. Institutions, companies, consortia and associations are creating tourist itineraries for food and wine lovers who want to discover new, small villages, but rich in culture, authentic representatives of local food and wine. A strategy supported by an effective promotional activity that allows you to create important connections with the target audiences not only in the area but also on the occasion of important food and wine events organized in Italy and abroad. Like Vinitaly, the International Wine and Spirits Exhibition which attracts thousands of professionals every year. To best present the food and wine and tourism offerings of Puglia, the Agriculture Department of the Puglia Region has focused on two off-show events in Verona dedicated to buyers, stakeholders and journalists from the most important national and international newspapers.
Welcome to Puglia
In the first event, “Welcome to Puglia”, in the Sala Maffeiana of the Philharmonic Theater of Verona, the extraordinary Apulian biodiversity was told: an event, reserved for the promotion of quality regional agri-food products, especially those from the wine sector, which wrung out the Also keep an eye on the topic of healthy eating and the food and wine tourism proposals in the area. Two moments characterized the event, starting with a food talk dedicated to the relationship between Apulian agri-food and food and wine and TV.
In the second part of the evening, there was space for the tasting which was held in the adjacent Hall of Mirrors: at the center of the scene were wine, oil and quality products which contain important and original expressions of the vast regional agri-food heritage. A journey of taste guided by food tellers and sommeliers of wine and oil who presented the organoleptic peculiarities of the products being tasted, also admired in a dedicated exhibition which told the story of the art that returns in the fruits of the earth and in food and the manual skills necessary to produce them: a space that offered an important key to understanding Mediterranean culture, narrating the identity of the Apulian territory, its history, its traditions.
Puglia Taste Experience
The second off-show, “Puglia Taste Experience”, in the evocative setting of the Officers’ Club of Castelvecchio, was dedicated to fresh fish and the wines of Puglia, the protagonists of a double appointment: the first, at 12pm aimed mainly at a young audience, with an aperitif based on Apulian fish products, served together with Apulian sparkling and still wines, in which the characteristics, history, fishing methodologies and production processes were illustrated, but also the link with the territory, the cooking methods and advice on pairing fish with wine; the second, held at 8pm, which dealt with the health importance of fresh fish, seasonality, traceability of fish production and strategies for enhancing sea products and the agri-food chain Apulian.
An initiative to highlight the peculiarities of fishing, aquaculture and their link with the agri-food and food and wine sector in a region, such as Puglia, where one of the most important fleets in Italy operates. All with a careful eye on sustainability, integration with regional agri-food chains and the sector’s ability to represent a lever for local development, both in terms of tourism and employment. At the end of the meeting, a tasting of typical Apulian recipes which had regional fish products as their common denominator.
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