The Barolo Boys are...Offside: Four Great Wines Meet in Monforte d'Alba
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Barolo Boys. Photo from terrauomocielo.files.wordpress.com
After the great success of the past editions, the Barolo Boys soccer team of Monforte d'Alba is organizing the third edition of “The Barolo Boys are.. offside,” sponsored by all the Barolo producers of Monforte. This year, the team would like to celebrate their championship victory with you, too!
The protagonists of the 2014 edition are, other than Barolo, from three of the most well-known wine territories in the world: Borgogna, Franciacorta and Valle d'Aosta. All the producers coming from these great areas will attend the event.
On Thursday, June 5th, there will be a meeting on organic agriculture organized by the Confederazione Italiana Agricoltori.
In the afternoon of Friday, June 6th, Alessandro Masnaghetti will lead a seminar about the geographical crus of Barolo DOCG. In the evening, there will be the traditional dinner with the producers, the true protagonists of the event, in the historical city center of Monforte. During the evening, precious bottles of great vintages will be up for auction; the money raised from this charity auction will help a children's soccer team in Bolivia.
See Alessandro Masnaghetti's map of The Crus of Barolo: Every Angle has a Story to Tell!
Finally, the entire day of Saturday, June 7th, from 11:00 to 6:00, will be dedicated to a wine tasting of different 2010 Barolo wines from Monforte and of the great wines from Borgogna, Franciacorta and Valle D'Aosta. There will be the possibility to taste the fantastic cheeses and delicatessen products of the Langhe! The wine tasting will take place in Palazzo Martinengo and Le Case della Saracca, in the beautiful city center of Monforte.
The program
Thursday, June 5
5:00 pm - Sant'Agostino church, Auditorium Horszowski. | ORGANIC AGRICULTURE: BACK TO THE FUTURE
Meeting organized by the Confederazione Italiana Agricoltori
Friday, June 6
5:00 pm - Sant'Agostino Church, Auditorium Horszowski | WINE TASTING IN MONFORTE, a journey among the Barolo cru (35 €)
Seminar by Alessandro Masnaghetti, one of the most important and international eno-critics, founder of the review ENOGEA and author of a recent map of the Langhe wines.
Cost: 35 euros. Limited places, reservation required at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
8:00 pm - Palazzo Martinengo | DINNER WITH THE CHAMPIONS (70 €)
Dinner will be held in the city center of Monforte d'Alba, in a special location: the beautiful terrace of Palazzo Martinengo. Traditional dishes from Piedmont will be served with the great wines of this event. You will have the possibility to enjoy this great dinner with the real “champions”, that is to say the farmers that produce these wines. It will be the perfect occasion to chat and relax with all the evening guests at the dinner table!
Cost: 70 euros. Limited places, reservation required at:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Saturday, June 7
From 11:00 am to 6:00 pm - Palazzo Martinengo, Le Case della Saracca | WINE TASTING OF BAROLO AND THE WINES PRODUCED IN BORGOGNA, FRANCIACORTA AND VALLE D’AOSTA (40 €)
A unique wine tasting of 40 different Barolo wines, 7 wines from Borgogna, 10 Franciacorta and 8 from the Valle d'Aosta will be hosted by the Palazzo Martinengo and Le Case della Saracca.
Together with these wines you can also taste a selection of local cheeses suggested by Bruno Roddolo, appreciate the local delicatessen products from the Salumificio Chiappella, Carrù, and enjoy many other typical products.
Cost: 40 euros
About the locations
Palazzo Martinengo is a medieval building with unique wall fortifications in the heart of Monforte d'Alba. Mr Ferruccio Ribezzo bought the building together with some friends of the Martinengo family and renewed it, reusing almost all the original materials, and respecting the external architecture of the place. Mr Ribezzo transformed the interior rooms into high tech environments that suggest different sensations. The building is now called Moda Venue for it is meant to be a place dedicated to fashion, or moda. It is a versatile and modern space but at the same time it is as welcoming as any other typical house in the Langhe. Palazzo Martinengo was inaugurated in summer 2012, during the first edition of “The Barolo Boys are...offside”.
Le Case della Saracca is located in the higher and oldest part of Monforte d'Alba. The restoration of the building maintained the medieval atmosphere and look of the original structure, but innovative and technological solutions were created to offer all the comfort for a high-level hospitality.
This natural amphitheater was possible thanks to the geography of the territory. The famous pianist Mieczyslaw Horszowski inaugurated the amphitheater in 1986. Since then the Auditorium has been hosting great artists such as Paolo Conte, Vinicio Capossela, Stefano Bollani, Aloe Blacc and in July it will host Monfortinjazz (www.monfortinjazz.it).
Barolo Boys, Soccer for Friendship
The Barolo Boys soccer team was formed in Monforte d'Alba in the 1990s. They initially had 14 players, and won their first amateur championship during the 1992-93 season. And they didn't stop winning. In 1998, they entered the next level in the Third Category; and in 2001 rose to the Second. During the 2004-2005 season, with the possibility of entering in the First Category, they remained where they were. 2013-2014 has been a different story, however: the Barolo Boys were promoted to the First Category.
“Our team began with one idea," says president Livio Genesio, "and that was to have fun, uniting our passion for soccer with our passion for Barolo through friendship." The collegiate spirit that energizes the team has affected its surrounding towns, so much so that all of the wine producers of Monforte d'Aba sponsor the team. The team's fans spread throughout the world, from Hong Kong to New York, and from Canada to Holland.
