“Wine Up”, a fun toast in Marsala

Wineup Expo 2017 was an event in Marsala that succeeded in exalting the wine and food of the area without forgetting its cultural and social aspects. The four-day event included a wine contest, the Venere Callipigia Grand Prix, and a culinary one, Medusa. 

This lovely initiative to highlight the quality products in Marsala was organized there in June by Sicilia Pro Events, the promotional agency of Massimo Picciotto and Vincenzo Maggio, two close friends who are passionate about their land and want to see it receive the recognition they feel it deserves. The event was divided into a number of initiatives aimed at highlighting the city as well as promoting its products and beauty to the press. The evenings were dedicated to culture with concerts and theatrical productions. While the concert by Dire Straits Legacy  was the high point for some, many also enjoyed the cabaret performances by comics like Claudio Batta , who rose to fame on the TV show Zelig where he had a skit based on crossword puzzles, and the closing performance of Ernesto Maria Ponte . There were also some interesting debates on wine and food which saw lively discussions between the journalists, producers and political and institutional figures present. Another highpoint was the rally of vintage cars which allowed people to experience the thrill of racing in a fast car driven by a professional. The smiles they made when it was over was one of the best snapshots of the whole event. Throughout the event wine producers (Alcesti, Anabasis, Arini, Baglio Aimone, Centonze, Colomba Bianca, Intorcia, Galfano, Mandirà, Minnirà Bio, Murana, Solidea, Vallovin and Viteadovest ) had stands where the public could acquire their wines and the initiative was a success. The rest of the day was dedicated to visiting wineries or the many fine museums in Marsala, including the wonderful archeological museum that has a Punic ship, one of the most examples of its kind, as well as artefacts dating back to the Iron Age.

The open schedule drawn up by the organizers (and we thank them for this) allowed us to even have a swim at Capo Lilibeo, which represented another attraction of this area: the incredible sea and the view over the Egadi Islands. The evening saw other visits to wineries (Florio Fina, Mozia and De Bartoli ) and dinners at which young, local chefs presented their creations competing in the Medusa Culinary Contest , which were then judged by a panel of experts. Then came the main event, the Venere Callipigia Grand Prix  wine contest, which included close to 100 wines from all over Sicily. Unfortunately, the rating system of the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV) was used to evaluate the wine. Using their parameters the ratings are always ingeniously high. What’s more, the parameters do not include fundamental aspects like the quality of the tannins, acidic balance and expressive texture. The system, in fact, is focuses on wines without any technical defects, which almost all wine on the market are today.

Overall, it was a really good event that succeeded in exalting the quality of the wine and food of this land without forgetting its cultural and social attractions.

The winners of the Venere Callipigia Grand Prix wine contest 

In the white wine category the winner was ARGARIA 2015 TERRE SICILIANE IGP BAGLIO AIMONE (best organic white wine was ZIBIBBO TERRE SICILIANE IGP MANNIRÁ). For red wine the winner was NERO D’AVOLA KATARSIS ANABASIS (organic winner NERO D’AVOLA 2016 SICILIA DOP COLOMBA BIANCA). In the sparkling wine category the winner was EXTRA DRY GRILLO BREZZA CANTINA PETROSINA.  The winner among the sweet dessert wines was GRILLO 2014 MULSUM V.T. TERRE SICILIANE IGP CANTINE MOTHIA and for the fortified wines MARSALA SUPERIORE ORO VIGNA LA MICCIA DE BARTOLI. The two prizes awarded to “natural” wines went to ROSSO 2015 TERRE SICILIANE IGP VITEADOVEST and VECCHIO SAMPERI DE BARTOLI.

The winners of the Medusa Culinary Contest 

The winners of the four categories were: VELLUTATA NERO DI SEPPIA (pureed squid ink soup) by Chef Gianfranco Conticelli, of the campsite restaurant Biscione (appetizer); CASSATELLE DI RICOTTA E TENERUMI (turnover filled with ricotta cheese and zucchini shoots), by Chef Nino D’Ambrogio, the Vultaggio holiday farm (first course); GAMBERO ROSSO CON MACCO AROMATIZZATO CON AMARO 21 (red shrimp with macco aromatized with Amaro 21) from Chef Vincenzo Parisi, Papillarium restaurant (second course); and CASSATA cake by Chef Ignazio Pace of Millenium (dessert).

Other participating restaurantss: La Vela, Mazara del Vallo; F.lli Pappalardo, Marsala; Juparanà, Marsala; Dolce Tentazione, Mazara del Vallo; Agriturismo Cudia, Marsala; Il Gallo e L’innamorata, Marsala; Il Piccolo Borgo,  Paceco; Le Lumie di Marsala; and Papillarium Marsala. 

Coordinators and Executive Chefs were Giuseppe Costa of Il Bavaglino restaurant in Terrasini, the only chef with a Michelin Star in West Siciliy, and Paolo Austero, oenogastronomic professor at the Antonello di Messina culinary institute and Executive Chef Eurotoques 2017.