Washington, D.C., kicked off the US Slow Wine Tour on March 18. As part of the Slow Food Movement, the Slow Wine Tour promotes wines listed in the guidebook published every year and includes a tasting event, seminars, and the opportunity to connect with producers featured in the 2024 guide from Italy and the United States.
Giancarlo Gariglio, editor-in-chief of the Italian Guide, tells Italianfood.net that the importance of the guide is to explain to wine lovers not only the brand but also how the wines are produced. “In our guide, we visit every year, every winery that we review in the guide, and we decided to put a lot of information about the way in which the producer grows their grapes, like the herbicides or chemicals,” says Gariglio. He added, “It’s very important that people know the way in which the producer makes the wines. And we also made a manifesto, in which we decided to put some important rules that, for us, are very important. For example, don’t use herbicides, chemicals, or products.” This year’s Slow Wine Guidebook is in its 16th edition. The guide seeks to go deeper not only into what’s in the glass of wine but also into what’s behind it, like the grapes, process, and passion of the producers.
Americans are very receptive to the Slow Wine Guide because it aligns with American wine lovers. Gariglio explains, “I think the American people are very open to all the new ideas. Also, young people are very interested in wines that are produced closer to the natural producer. I think there’s a very, very good market.”
This is the first time the Slow Wine tour has stopped in Washington, D.C. Gariglio, editor-in-chief of the Italian guide, tells Italianfood.net the reason for adding this city on the tour is, “because we have to also talk about slow wine in other cities, not only the big market, and it’s very important to explore new markets, like Washington or this year in Texas and Colorado.”
After Washington, D.C. the Slow Wine Tour will visit New York, Austin, Denver, and San Francisco.
SLOW WINE TOUR EVENT
The event in Washington, D.C., included seminars from the Consorzio Asolo Prosecco, the Consorzio Tutela Vini Oltrepò Pavese, and the Consorzio di Tutela Sicilia DOC. Attendees also participated in wine tastings and met with producers.
Carlo Veronese, Director of the Consorzio Tutela Vini Oltrepò Pavese, says it is important and a good idea to participate in the Slow Wine Tour to gain more exposure in the United States since it is a big country. “We produce different wines, from the sweet to the dry, from the red to the sparkling. It’s important for us to learn that probably, in some places, it’s better to promote Sangue di Giuda or sparkling. I think Texas is more for the full-body red, and New York is more for the sparkling.”
Learn more about the participants here from the Washington, D.C. Slow Wine Tour.