25 years of the Bolgheri DOC

25 Years of DOC Bolgheri: When a Dinner Turns into the Event of the Year

2019 is a truly important year for the DOC Bolgheri because it marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the recognition of the Denomination, which marked a very significant step forward for this now famous Tuscan wine. The Consortium of producers, which has grown in recent years from seven founding members to more than fifty today, has organized a day of celebrations that saw in the morning some of the families and wineries that have been protagonists of these twenty-five years tell where they come from and how they are working to further increase the fame of this wine.

But the Consortium had the truly brilliant idea with the courage to organize a dinner to present the wines of all the associated companies along the avenue of cypresses celebrated by the poet Giosuè Carducci and which today is perhaps the most representative image of this wine and of the DOC Bolgheri. There is no photo of a vineyard or company that can make you think so immediately of Bolgheri, its wine and Tuscany, as these kilometers of large cypress trees in a double orderly row. You will say: and what is original about an outdoor dinner? In the meantime, the risk of making a terrible impression with the many world-famous journalists present because organizing for so many people in the middle of a road normally open to traffic, is truly an innovative idea.

This was instead a dinner to present the wines of a Denomination that will remain in the annals of Italian wine history: about seven hundred and fifty guests seated on about five hundred meters of tables set with porcelain, crystal and fresh flowers like in a living room at home or in the most elegant restaurant. An impeccable wine service with all, absolutely all the wines of the associated producers. Very expensive and rare wines that have made the Bolgheri Denomination famous like those of our neighbors Ornellaia or Sassicaia, or Paleo and many, many others now famous throughout the world and with which we are proud to share the passion for this wine and this territory. I have been working in the wine sector for thirty-five years and I confess that when they told me we would be more than seven hundred people I resigned myself to a dinner with a very long service and poor food. And instead no, with the coordination of the menu done by the Zazzeri brothers of the La Pineta restaurant, the Guidi catering of Florence worked a real miracle.

We sat down at 8pm sharp and at 10:30pm the dinner was over, truly unbelievable! I don't know how to say how well done they were! We saw waiters and sommeliers running like mad without losing attention to the quality of the service, we ate excellent dishes even served at the right temperature and we concluded with the sweet millefoglie from La Pineta that had nothing to envy to the one the Zazzeris serve in their fantastic restaurant ... except that there were seven hundred and fifty portions! Finally I want to congratulate the Consortium for having created some celebratory magnums using the wines of the members, which were given to the Zazzeri brothers in memory of their recently deceased father who did so much to grow the Bolgheri Denomination and all its producers.

I guess you can't ask for an encore without giving a damn to everyone who contributed to making this beautiful evening happen, but... I'd like to, at least every twenty-five years!

Of Magdalene Mazzeschi