The second edition of Barolo & Friends in Warsaw ended with a definitively positive appraisal. In fact, 2013has recorded an amazing attendance by members of the public. More than 300 professionals of the sector and about 500 wine lovers crowded the halls of the beautiful seat of Vitkac, a modern and at the same time elegant building, placed in the heart of Warsaw. The facility also hosts a top quality commercial centre, with wine bars and the famous restaurant Concept 13.

The professionals had the opportunity to meet the twenty attending producers. Some of the professionals could also take part in the lessons given by Tomasz Prange Barczyński, the most important wine journalist in the country, who led two seminars, the first at 11:30am on the great Piedmontese wines and the second at 2:00pm, with a specific focus on the Barolo Crus. Both the appointments sold out all of the 40 available seats, which were occupied by importers, dealers and journalists.

In the afternoon, from 5pm, Barolo & Friends opened its doors to wine lovers who could meet the producers and taste their wines, also having the possibility to appreciate the food products proposed by J Wine Food and Caseificio Cooperativo Valle Josina. At 4:30pm, those who wanted to discover more about wine took part in the Wine Tasting Experience®, co-hosted by the oenologist Gianluca Viberti together with Tomasz Prange Barczyński and then to the seminar on the matching of wine and food called “Piedmont Wine & Food Moments” guided by Gianluca Viberti for the wines and Api Food, who also offered the food products that the guests tasted.

The session, open to the public, was inaugurated by the Italian Ambassador in Poland Mr Riccardo Guariglia, the Apostolic Nuncio Mons. Celestino Migliore and the Undersecretary of the Polish Presidency of the Republic Jaromir Sokolowski, a great lover of Italian wines, who wanted to meet the producers personally. The ambassador Guariglia personally greeted all the attending producers, reminding them that: “it is really important to carry out specific actions in Poland, because the Poles are extremely interested in the Italian Food and Wine production, and in fact the figures show that Italian wines are the most sold in Poland.” The tasting also saw the presence of the ICE Director, Mr Giuseppe Federico, of the Warsaw seat, and the President of the Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Poland Mr Donato di Gillio.

Thanks to a growing economic development, the Polish market is opening, in these years, to Western Europe. A great role is played by the food and wine sector, considered extremely interesting, and since the Poles love Italy and its production, Italian food and wine products are the most appreciated on the Polish market. In the last few years the consumption of vodka has decreased while that of beer and wine has increased, and Italian wines have taken advantage. In fact, from 2011, Italian wines have scored a record amount of sales in this country, both for the quantity of sold labels and the economical value, doing better than the French wines.

Also the attendance at the two gala dinners, scheduled for the evening of the 23rd April, has been amazing: the restaurant San Lorenzo hosted the Piedmontese dinners for the members of the Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Poland. Here, the producers Bric Cenciurio and Dario Rappellino, presented and offered their wines to all the guests. The restaurant Concept13 at Vitkac hosted the lovers of the great Piedmontese wines who tasted the wines of Malvirà and Monchiero. The wines were perfectly introduced by the journalist Wojciech Bonkowski who presented them together with dishes of the Polish tradition: an experiment which turned out to be absolutely fantastic!

Producers

Produttori di Govone SAC – Govone (CN)
Az. Agr. Magda Pedrini – Gavi (AL)
Franco Mondo – San Marzano Oliveto (AT)
Agricola Ressia – Neive (CN)
Rappellino Dario – Grazzano Badoglio (AT)
Castello di Verduno – Venduno (CN)
Cadia – Roddi (CN)
Langa Style
Azienda Agricola Crivelli – Castagnole Monferrato (AT)
Azienda Agricola Tranchero Osvaldo – Mango (CN)
Monchiero F.lli – Castiglione Falletto (CN)
Sartirano Figli Cantine e Vigneti srl – Novello (CN)
Palladino – Serralunga d’Alba (CN)
Podere Ruggeri Corsini – Monforte d’Alba (CN)
Bric Cenciurio – Barolo (CN)
Produttori del Gavi – Gavi (AL)
Ciabot Berton – La Morra (CN)
Malvirà – Canale (CN)
Casina Bric – Barolo (CN)