Wine Passion

Wine Passion
Added on March 2008

Another “Via” for development

The title of an essay came to me suddenly that would reflect how Italy is publicized in the world. In these pages, one reads about tourism, food and wine culture, art: values that constitute our most established heritage. Italy pours a glass, seemed to me to best express my thoughts. I share it with the readers of Vie del Gusto because together with the editor we have taken on a challenge: to give Italian wine a respected, international voice. This month in newsstands, you will find Wine Passion that was intentionally envisioned and has become an ambitious project. It is not, nor will it ever be just another “paper” dedicated to tasting, to the often drawn out tale of the so called leading characters in the wine scene. Instead, it is intended to be the response to too many commonly accepted distortions in wine advertisement, offering on the other hand accurate information capable of representing Italy in the world. It is the natural evolution of Vie del Gusto. The principal producing country for quantity and medium quality should no longer be dictated, as one says in politics, by the agenda of countries which do not have a wine culture but have imposed their production and consumption models on us. Unfortunately the so called specialized national press has adopted those models instead of proclaiming the true leading quality of Italian wine. But you will find many broad minded considerations on this theme in the first issue of Wine Passion. Here it is necessary to list two other motives. The first is that Italy needs to establish forward motion on tourism and food and wine as a culture, as a territorial marker, as a response to the difficult economic situation our country is facing. The second reason is that the constant erosion of buying power risks putting off consumers of our production, forcing them to forego Italian heritage, bringing our agriculture to its knees. Therefore, today more than ever it is necessary to share the culture of quality and beauty by providing information to consumers. During these years, Vie del Gusto has effectively represented excellencies in food and wine and the territories that produce them. Today, with Wine Passion this mission is renewed. With the conviction that a solid prospective of growth can come from tourism and the food and wine industry, we have set out with and for you readers on a new “Via” for development that has a dual intention: promoting Italy and returning to our pleasurable lifestyle.