Economy and Work
The Italian Sommelier Association, with over 40 thousand registered members, has been pursuing a well-defined mission for almost sixty years: to promote and enhance the dissemination of Italian food and wine culture. The AIS sommeliers are thus, to all intents and purposes, the most authoritative spokesmen of the culture of wine, oil and their respective table pairings from different points of view such as educational, technical, strategic or consultancy. For Sunday 19 May, at the Cloister of San Domenico in Trapani, AIS Sicilia organized “Wines and Oils of Sicily” for the whole day, an event to raise awareness among the public of students, enthusiasts, food and wine lovers in general, to the absolute and cultural value that wine and oil have had and still have in Sicilian history and tradition. “Wines and Oils of Sicily” will be a thematic study that will give participants the opportunity to learn about the origins, production processes and evolutions of two “goods”, wine and oil, of very remote origins, today capital and predominant “emblems” of the Mediterranean area, symbols of excellence, historic expressions of culture and ancient skills handed down in an ancestral way to the present day. «Taking inspiration from what the institution of the National Day of the Culture of Wine and Oil is for AIS – states Francesco Baldacchino, president of AIS Sicilia – it is important for us communicators of food and wine to carry forward the dissemination and valorisation of the excellences of our island. Alongside our already much acclaimed wine excellences, with “Wines and Oils of Sicily” we also want to celebrate the priceless heritage of Sicilian olive growing and its extra virgin olive oils, also combining the latter with a cuisine that will forever be imbued with our rich tradition, but who has the future in his sights in a far-sighted manner on a daily basis.” Trapani will therefore be the Sicilian city protagonist of the event, together with its Cloister of San Domenico, located right in via Salita S.
Domenico, with its breathtaking charm and enchanting architectural beauty, to host the organizational machine of AIS Sicilia. The Italian Sommelier Association of Sicily for its promotional event “Wines and Oils of Sicily” will have, for the occasion, the interesting and participatory involvement of the association “Le Donne del Vino Sicilia” and of the “Strade del Vino e dei Flavors of Sicily”. The “Vini e Oli di Sicilia” program will include a series of events that will include the entire day of Sunday 19 May. Thematic talk shows, tasting of Sicilian extra virgin olive oils, wine and oil tasting tables available to participants, two interesting comparative masterclasses on the Catarratto and Perricone vines with their expressions of the different production areas, a cooking show by a chef in which from appetizer to dessert, extra virgin olive oil will be the absolute protagonist at the table. It will now be possible to purchase individual tickets for the internal events of “Vini e Oli di Sicilia” through the “shop” section of the AIS Sicilia website (www.aissicilia.com). Anyone who purchases at least one ticket between the wine masterclasses and/or the cooking show will have the right to participate free of charge in the tastings of the products of around 50 companies, including olive oil and wine producers, at the tasting tables. The program of “Wines and Oils of Sicily” – 10.30am Opening talk show Topics: 1.
National theme “The Mediterranean, landscapes of the agricultural heritage” with the presence of speakers and authorities and with the involvement of “Strade del Vino e dei Sapori di Sicilia”; 2. “The role of women in the world of modern agriculture from soil to marketing” with the presence of the “Le Donne del Vino” association.
– 12.00 pm Comparative guided tasting of extra virgin olive oil Tasting dedicated to Sicilian extra virgin olive oil and presentation of the project on teaching AIS courses on oil. Tasting guided by an oil expert and an AIS speaker. – 4.00 pm Opening of the tasting tables of the participating companies (wine and oil companies) – 5.00 pm Comparative masterclass on wines made from Catarratto grapes from various areas – 6.30 pm Comparative masterclass on wines made from Perricone grapes from various areas areals
– 8.00 pm Cooking show “Sicilian extra virgin olive oil in Mediterranean cuisine” At the table with 5 different Sicilian extra virgin olive oils, from appetizers to desserts. A chef will prepare 5 tasting proposals live which will be paired with 5 wines for tasting. 9.30pm Closing of the event
