The event that turned the spotlight on Ciliegiolo was a success. Now in its second edition, the event brought an attentive audience to the Orsini Fortress – journalists, sector operators and enthusiasts – who were able to taste different pure interpretations of this vine. Wanted by the Consortium for the Protection of Wines of the Tuscan Maremma, it is an event born from the synergy between the Consortium itself, Ciliegiolo Academy, Ciliegiolo d’Italia and Fisar Delegation Colline Maremmane, the organizing agency is MExTE Eventi. “We have highlighted a selection of pure Ciliegioli – coming from different areas of Italy – to be able to describe the many facets with which this vine can be presented: ranging from proposals where pleasantness is certainly the distinctive element up to versions longer-lived and complex”, explains Francesco Mazzei, president of the Consortium for the Protection of Wines of the Tuscan Maremma. “For our Denomination – says Mazzei – it is an indigenous variety that is giving us great satisfaction in all its variations; we produce a total of 7 million bottles, of which – based on the latest data – around 400,000 belong to this typology that lends itself well to ever new and different experiments”. Two days of tastings with the best Ciliegiolo labels obviously coming from the Tuscan Maremma but also from other areas of Tuscany and the whole of Italy, such as Umbria, Liguria, Marche and Emilia Romagna. 33 companies were present with their 57 pure Ciliegioli, over half of which with the “Maremma Toscana Doc” label produced by 26 companies in the Maremma area. Guests were also able to participate in “vertical” tastings with old vintages made available by the producers to offer participants an even more in-depth experience; There is also a corner dedicated to pairings with cheeses and local street food with various delicacies from the area. “The public was very enthusiastic about what they found in the glasses, on the markets there are interesting labels from very different areas of Italy – explains Luca Pollini, director of the Consorzio Tutela Vini della Maremma Toscana –. Ciliegiolo certainly has a strong sensitivity to the terroir so it is very important to grow it on suitable soil and the Grosseto Maremma represents one of the most interesting areas for this variety, so much so that more than a quarter of the Ciliegiolo surfaces present in Italy are in the Maremma”.
