On Friday, August 27, the national finals of Vinibuoni d’Italia were held and the prizes of the 2022 edition were awarded. The final labels are 904, selected among the wines with the highest score both in the various regional commissions and among the Classic Method sparkling wines of the Perlage section.
The format of the final event was revisited because of Covid-19, and was held in the Cuneo headquarters of the editorial office, in Vezza d’Alba, instead of in the classic itinerant form, thus giving up the so-called parallel commissions of the project Oggi le Corone le decido Io. This, however, did not affect the arduous and difficult work of the 2 commissions that during the 4 days of tasting awarded 165 wines with the Golden Star and 739 wines with the Crown, the highest recognition of the guide.
These numbers show that the champions have increased considerably, and so the participation of the candidate wineries.
Vinibuoni d’Italia: how voting works
The first step consists in sending the sample request to all the companies in the event database. Afterwards, the regional coordinators organize sample collection and tasting sessions, whose modalities vary from region to region. The only common element is that, as Vinibuoni d’Italia has always done, the wines are tasted both in a covered bottle and in an array.
As for voting, the points awarded at the regional level range from 1 to 4 stars. Among all the wines that have obtained the highest score, the finalists are selected, which are then the subject of tasting by the national commissions, which gather the national coordinators. Also during this second tasting step the wines are tasted both in the covered bottle and in the battery and, by policy, each regional coordinator only tests wines from regions other than his own.
The wines with the highest scores get the Crown, the major recognition of the guide, while the others are awarded the prestigious Golden Star award.
For both stars have been awarded two categories of wines: “Perlage Italia – Spumanti Metodo Classico” category, and native vines, allowing to (re)discover some excellent Italian labels.
Vinibuoni d’Italia 2022: 3 tannic wines to try
The 2022 edition of Vinibuoni d’Italia has given the palate of the commission those flavors that embrace the north, the center and the south of the peninsula and that the whole world envies us.
Piedmont, the land of Barolo, has been awarded with the Crown the Barolo DOCG Bussia 2017, the Poderi Luigi Einaudi agricultural company, belonging to the former president of the Republic. Even when he held his highest political office, Einaudi never missed a harvest, thus giving his territory a precious asset to keep: “his” 100 hectares of company, built almost from scratch, of which twenty cultivated vineyards. Considered an excellent expression of the famous appellation of the Langhe, this wine gives the nose an aroma of plum, black currant, mint, sweet spices, violets, roses and tobacco. In the mouth it is rich in fruit and full, but without being heavy, thanks to the tannins (https://www.crifo.it/blog/se-dici-vino-tannico-dici-nero-di-troia/) and its acidic vitality.
Oltrepò Pavese, the southernmost area of the Lombardy region, also known as “Old Piedmont”, was crowned with the Oltrepò Pavese DOC Barbera Campo del Marrone 2019, owned by Bruno Verdi. This wine has an excellent calling card: with its intense ruby red it smells of violets, red fruit and pot-pourri of roses, with a slight spicy touch of cloves and star anise. With a warm and enveloping taste, but at the same time fresh, thanks to its tannins (https://www.crifo.it/blog/i-migliori-vini-tannici-ditalia/), it is balanced in the sip, with an aromatic finish of roasted coffee.
Moving further south, Apulia has seen the triumph of the most important of the Crifo wines, the Castel del Monte Nero di Troia Riserva DOCG Augustale 2015, produced by the Cantina di Ruvo di Puglia (https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantina_di_Ruvo_di_Puglia). Yet another recognition in addition to the already rich palmarès (https://www.crifo.it/blog/i-nostri-vini-anchora-protagonisti/), which emphasize the more and more growing excellence of the Crifo brand in popularity.
Since 1960, the year in which the agricultural cooperative was founded, it has specialized in the harvest and vinification of the grapes of the Nero di Troia cultivar, from which this deep and impenetrable ruby red wine is born. Its exuberance emanates a scent of red roses and potpourri, fruit in spirit and boero, cloves, cinnamon and cinchona, menthol and aromatic tobacco. On the palate, not least, it gives an intense freshness, thanks to its tannic properties, closing with balsamic and toasty notes.