Taste of Italy

Category: Taste of Italy

  • Simply Italian Great Wines – Prosecco seminar (Sold out) with Federdoc and Italian wine educator Jeremy Parzen at Taste of Italy, Feb. 26.

    Simply Italian Great Wines – Prosecco seminar (Sold out) with Federdoc and Italian wine educator Jeremy Parzen at Taste of Italy, Feb. 26.

    Please join us on Monday, February 26, as Houston-based wine educator Jeremy Parzen leads through a guided tasting of wines from Prosecco.

    “Prosecco DOC: Passion in the bubbles, with an introduction by Federdoc presenting Traceability and regulation of Italian DOC wines” will be held on the occasion of the 10th-annual Taste of Italy trade fair, from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at the Hilton Post Oak Hotel in Houston.

    This exclusive class arrives to Houston thanks to the exciting collaboration with Simply Italian Great Wines Americas tour 2024.

    Click here to reserve.

    Click here to see all available events at this year’s gathering, including the Texas BBQ and Italian Wine seminar, the grand tasting, and much more.

    Not only is Jeremy a major fan of Prosecco and its wines. But he lived in the land of Prosecco when he first traveled to Italy as a student. Later, his first feature story for the magazine of La Cucina Italiana was devoted to Prosecco.

    As he and attendees taste through the wines together, he’ll lead a conversation on history, traditions, and new trends in the appellation.

    About Jeremy:

    Jeremy Parzen is a widely published wine writer and educator, a professor of wine and food communications at the Slow Food University in Italy, and author of the popular blog on Italian wine, DoBianchi.com. Jeremy also has a Ph.D. in Italian literature.

  • Italian Wine and Texas BBQ seminar (Sold Out)

    Italian Wine and Texas BBQ seminar (Sold Out)

    When one of the IACC team members traveled to Lombardy, Italy, last year, he was surprised to learn that young chefs there are regularly serving their guests barbecue. But not just any smoked meats, no: Across Italy, classic dry rub “Texas BBQ” is the word of the day. You won’t find any mention of “Kansas City BBQ” or “Memphis BBQ.” For the Italians it seems, only Texas BBQ will do!

    (See this article on Texas BBQ in Italy by longtime Houston Chronicle columnist Chris Reid, a frequent IACC partner and founder of the Houston Barbecue Festival.)

    On Monday, February 26, on the occasion of the 10th annual Taste of Italy trade fair and festival, the IACC will once again be presenting the “Italian Wine and Texas BBQ” seminar with leading Houston pit master Ara Malekian (in the picture above), owner of Harlem Rd. Texas BBQ, and Italian wine writer and educator Jeremy Parzen, author of DoBianchi.com.

    The event begins at 2 p.m. and will be held at the Hilton Post Oak.
    To pair with smoked wagyu brisket marinated in red Italian wine, smoked Pork belly, both items served with creamy polenta – prepared by Chef Ara – we selected the following 6 wines, featured in the Seminar:

    Langhe Nebbiolo, Cerrino, Piemonte  (available at Spec’s)
    Aglianico del Sannio, La Guardiense, Campania (available at Spec’s) Ferzo Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Citra, Abruzzo (available at Spec’s)
    Cabernet-Merlot, Carlo Scala, Puglia     New to the marketChianti Riserva DOCG, Castelsina, Toscana New to the Market
    Chianti Governo, Il Risveglio, Valvirgino, Toscana (available at Spec’s)

    Please note that this event will sell out quickly! Please reserve at your earliest convenience to ensure availability.

    And for those who register before January 31, there is an early bird discount.

    We look forward to seeing you at one of the most popular Italian wine events of the year!

  • Taste of Italy Houston (February 26) buyers registration now open!

    Taste of Italy Houston (February 26) buyers registration now open!

    Taste of Italy Houston returns on Monday, February 26 — now in its 10th year!

     

    Taste of Italy Houston is the largest trade fair in the U.S. devoted exclusively to Italian food and wine. After a decade as the leading trade resource for Italian products in Texas, the gathering is one of the best attended culinary events of the year, with over 40 exhibitors, more than 300 products, and between 400-500 attendees, including trade and media. Guests attend from as far away as El Paso, Dallas, and New Orleans.

    This year’s fair is the first where the organizers will be partnering with the Simply Italian Great Wines Americas Tour. And one of this year’s seminars (at 11.30 am) will be devoted to the wines of event sponsor FederDoc – Prosecco DOC, one of the exhibitors who is part of the tour.

    The event will be held at the Hotel Hilton Post Oak by the Galleria (2001 Post Oak Blvd, Houston, TX 77056) on Monday, February 26.

    Program

    11 a.m. – 4.30 pm – General admission at the Walk-around tasting – Click here to register to the Grand Tasting. The registration to either seminar will automatically allow the access to the Walk-around tasting.

    11.30 a.m. -12.30 p.m. Masterclass – “Prosecco DOC: Passion in the bubbles, with an introduction by Federdoc presenting Traceability and regulation of Italian DOC wines” (SOLD OUT).

    2-3 p.m. Our Signature Seminar on pairing Italian wines with Texas barbecue. Click here to attend this Seminar.

    The Houston Italian Wine Ambassador Competition also returns to Taste of Italy Houston this year, with new leadership and a new format, realized with the support of the Consorzio del Pinot Grigio delle Venezie. Click here to learn more. Registration is closed for this event.

  • Thank you for a great Taste of Italy Dallas 2023!

    Thank you for a great Taste of Italy Dallas 2023!

    Thank you to all our exhibitors and participants for making Taste of Italy Dallas such a wonderful experience for all involved!

    The second annual Taste of Italy Dallas (Nov. 9-10, 2023) included:

    – 40 exhibitors from Italy and the U.S.
    – 150 buyers in attendance from across the state of Texas.
    – A sold-out master class on the wines of Rome.

    The next day, our exhibitors took part in a public-facing event hosted by Eataly, “All You Can Eataly,” where food and wine lovers had the opportunity to experience:

    – 25+ tasting stations.
    – 50+ Italian wines.
    – 25+ Italian and local craft beers.
    – Light bites from local restaurants.
    – Italian cocktails.
    – In-person chef demos.
    – Line dancing and live music.

    The organizers would also like to thank sponsor Haynes Boone who hosted our exhibitors and the mayor of Reggio Emilia, Luca Vecchi, for a welcome reception and expert panel. The law firm’s New York-based partner Giorgio Bovenzi and Dallas associate Joanna Pearce delivered excellent talks on new U.S. rules for the importation of food and wine. Warm thanks also to associate Colin Cox and partner Larry Pascal for putting such a great event together for the visiting Italians.

    To see more images of the events and exhibitors by Dallas-based photographer Claire Giroux, please click here.

  • Houston Italian Wine Ambassador Competition to be held Monday, February 26, 2024.

    Houston Italian Wine Ambassador Competition to be held Monday, February 26, 2024.

    IACC welcomes new competition director Sergio Valladares!

    Formerly known as the Houston Sommelier Competition, this year’s sommelier faceoff has shifted gears and changed names:

    The Italy-America Chamber of Commerce Texas is thrilled to announce that the “Houston Italian Wine Ambassador Competition” will be held on the occasion of the 10th annual Taste of Italy Houston trade fair and festival (Sunday-Monday, February 25-26, 2024).

    This year’s exams will take place on the second day of the gathering (Monday) and all sessions will be administered on the same day (so as to allow more wine professionals to compete).

    Sergio Valladares, the incoming director, has made the theme “100 percent Italian” this year. Both the theory and blind tasting exams will focus on Italian viticulture and wines. The service exam has been eliminated (this was also done in the spirit of making the competition more accessible; in previous years, the examination process covered two days, not one).

    The candidate with the highest combined scores will become the IACC’s official “Houston Italian Wine Ambassador” for the period of 12 months. Beside the title, the candidate will be invited to travel to Italy on a government-sponsored wine education trip. They will also receive a scholarship to be used for their wine studies. Scholarships for lesser amounts will be awarded to the candidates with the top and runner-up scores in each exam category.

    The winners will be announced at the trade fair’s Monday afternoon seminar.

    The competition is open to any and all wine professionals from anywhere in the city, state, country, or world. Houston-based sommeliers are encouraged to compete.

    Sergio Valladares is longtime veteran of the Houston wine scene, a top sommelier and wine educator, one of the most beloved wine professionals working in the Houston community today. He has worked in every aspect of the industry and has “worked the floor” at some of Houston’s leading fine wine destinations. But his number-one passion remains wine education. Beyond his work as a sommelier and consultant, he is also a leading member of one of the city’s most active study groups. Sergio is excited to build on the work of his colleague Jaime De Leon, co-founder and director of the Houston Sommelier Competition.

    Now a national manager for Kroger, Jaime works today out of the supermarket chain’s Chicago area office. The IACC cannot thank him enough for his precious contribution to the Taste of Italy trade fair over the years. We are pleased to keep the competition and its legacy alive.

    Click here to reserve a spot to compete. To learn more about the competition, please send an email to Sergio by clicking here.

    Taste of Italy is the largest trade fair in the U.S. devoted exclusively to Italian food and wine. Now in its 10th year, the event has now also been held multiple years in Dallas (at Eataly) and for the first time in El Paso earlier this year.

  • Taste of Italy Dallas seminar Nov. 9: “Wines fit for a Pope” with wine writer Jeremy Parzen.

    Taste of Italy Dallas seminar Nov. 9: “Wines fit for a Pope” with wine writer Jeremy Parzen.

    The IACC Texas is pleased to announce the title for this year’s Taste of Italy Dallas at Eataly’s featured seminar: “Fit for a Pope: The wines of Rome’s volcanic hills.”

    Wines grown in the volcanic soils in the farmland and hills that surround the capital have been favorites of Popes for centuries.

    But they have garnered scarce attention in the U.S. where wine professionals are just beginning to appreciate their depth, nuance, and longevity.

    For our Taste of Italy Dallas at Eataly wine event this year, we’ll feature products by Roman wineries Parvusager and Principe Pallavicini, two leading producers:

    Parvus Ager, Roma DOC Bianco – Eterna, 2022
    Principe Pallavicini, Frascati, 2022
    Principe Pallavicini, Malvasia Puntinata, 2022
    Parvus Ager, Roma DOC Rosso – Eterna, 2022
    Principe Pallavicini, Syrah, 2021
    Principe Pallavicini, Cesanese, 2022

    We hope you can join us for what is sure to be an extraordinary tasting. Wine writer and wine educator, Jeremy Parzen, will be on hand to guide us through the wines.

    Wines Fit for a Pope!
    Thursday, November 9
    12:30-1:30 p.m.
    Eataly Dallas
    Google map

    Click here to register and to purchase your ticket ($15, light bites will be offered), seats are very limited; the registration to the Seminar will automatically give you access to the walk-around tasting, taking place right outside the main entrance of Eataly Dallas..

    Image via the Principe Pallavicini Facebook.

  • Thank you to Taste of Italy El Paso attendees and exhibitors!

    Thank you to Taste of Italy El Paso attendees and exhibitors!

    Thank you to everyone who participated in the first-ever Taste of Italy El Paso!

    20+ Italian wineries, 200+ products, and 80+ trade members in attendance!

    The Italy-America Chamber of Commerce Texas couldn’t have been more pleased with the first-ever Taste of Italy El Paso on Thursday, October 12 at the Park Tavern in downtown.

    IACC director Alessia Paolicchi was thrilled to welcome a number of El Paso business leaders and dignitaries, including the General Consul of Mexico Mauricio Ibarra Ponce De Leon, and legacy restaurateurs and Texas Restaurant Association El Paso Chapter past and current president Leo and Vanessa Duran, his daughter, owners of L&J Café, one of the city’s culinary icons and institutions.

    Also in attendance were Chris Lane and Tresa Rockwell, founders of the El Paso Wine Fest.

    Given the fantastic results obtained with this first-ever El Paso incarnation of the now traveling Taste of Italy, the largest trade fair in the U.S. devoted exclusively to Italian food and wine, the organizers are looking forward to expanding the event and partnering with leading businesses and trade groups in the city.

    Stay tuned for next year’s dates and partners! And thank you to the wonderful city of El Paso for the warm reception! Special thanks also to host venue Park Tavern for the superb support and food!

  • Wines fit for a Pope! An exclusive tasting of Roman (Latium) wines October 10 at Vinology.

    Wines fit for a Pope! An exclusive tasting of Roman (Latium) wines October 10 at Vinology.

    The IACC Texas is pleased to welcome three wineries from Rome on Tuesday, October 10 at Vinology in Houston.

    The wines grown in the volcanic soils in the farmland and hills that surround the capital have been favorites of Popes for centuries.

    But they have garnered scarce attention in the U.S. where wine professionals are just beginning to appreciate their depth, nuance, and longevity.

    We’ll feature products by Latium wineries Parvusager, Principe Pallavicini, and Cantine Silvestri.

    We hope you can join us for what is sure to be an extraordinary tasting. Our resident wine educator, Jeremy Parzen, will be on hand to guide us through the wines.

    Wines Fit for a Pope!
    Tuesday, October 10
    2:30-5:30 p.m.
    Vinology
    Google map

    Click here to register.

    Image via the Principe Pallavicini Facebook.

  • Taste of Italy’s first event in El Paso, October 12!

    Taste of Italy’s first event in El Paso, October 12!

    We are pleased to share registration links for the Taste of Italy El Paso wine seminar and Grand Tasting, Thursday, October 12 in El Paso:

    Click here to register for the event’s wine tasting and seminar led by Italian wine educator Jeremy Parzen, author of Do Bianchi, featuring Marcos Pena (Wine Manager at Spec’s) and Angelo Ferrari (owner of Beviamo International), 12 pm at Park Tavern (204 E Mills Ave).

    Click here to register for the Grand Tasting, 1-4 pm at Park Tavern (204 E Mills Ave).

    Not only is El Paso one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S. today. It’s also home to a vibrant food and wine community that is getting the attention of food and wine professionals from across the country.

    On the heels of the success of Taste of Italy Houston and Taste of Italy Dallas, we are thrilled to be launching this new stop on the Taste of Italy Tour!

    The list of wineries that will be at Taste of Italy El Paso keeps growing. Currently, the following wineries have confirmed their participation:

    Citra (Abruzzo)
    Tenute Villanova (Friuli)
    Parvus Ager (Lazio)
    Principe Pallavicini (Lazio)
    La Montina (Lombardy)
    Cantina di Casteggio (Lombardy)
    Cascina Baràc (Piedmont)
    Scrimaglio (Piedmont)
    Vini Bosco (Puglia)
    Jerzu Antichi Poderi (Sardinia)
    Vini Tola (Sicily)
    Tenuta Cantagallo (Tuscany)
    Le Farnete (Tuscany)
    Valvirginio (Tuscany)
    Fattoria Svetoni (Tuscany)
    Duca della Crogna – Trasimeno (Umbria)
    Villa Bucher (Umbria)
    Domini Veneti (Veneto)

    Check back soon for more participating wineries.

    And please click the links above to sign up for the wine seminar and tasting.

    We look forward to seeing this fall in El Paso!

    Image via the Visit El Paso Facebook.

  • Standing room only for Texas BBQ and Italian wine, a new Houston tradition.

    Standing room only for Texas BBQ and Italian wine, a new Houston tradition.

    Above, from left: Celebrity pit master Ara Malekian, owner of Harlem Rd. Texas BBQ; Dale Robertson, wine writer for the Houston Chronicle; Tom Dobson, Italian buyer for Spec’s; and presenter Jeremy Parzen.

    One of the greatest things about Taste of Italy, the largest trade fair and festival in the U.S. devoted exclusively to Italian food and wine, is the gathering’s “Texas BBQ and Italian Wine” seminar.

    Each year we ask a top Houston pit master to join some of the city’s leading experts on Italian wine to talk about the art of pairing Italian wines with classic and creatively smoked meats.

    Celebrity pit master and owner of the popular Harlem Rd. Texas BBQ smoke house, Ara Malekian returned this year. He was joined by Dale Robertson, the long-time wine writer for the Houston Chronicle and an italophile wine lover, and Tom Dobson, who selects Italian wine for one of the largest wine retailers in the country, Spec’s. Food and wine historian Jeremy Parzen moderated the panel. Tom selected the wines.

    The most surprising wine in the lineup was the St. Michael-Eppan Pinot Grigio from South Tyrol (Alto Adige) in German-speaking Italy. Tasting the Barbaresco-marinade brisket (yes, marinated in Barbaresco!) and pork ribs paired with the white wine drew a number of ooos and aaas from the crowd.

    The Vite Colte Barbaresco was another show-stopper while the Cerrino Barbera d’Asti seemed to be one of everyone’s favorite wines in the flight for pairing with Texas smoked meats. See Dale’s write-up here.

    Now in its fourth year, the Texas BBQ and Italian Wine seminar has really become an institution to itself. There’s no doubt that it’s a great way to discover the incredible range of Italian wines, their food-friendliness, and their approachability.

    Special thanks to Chef Ara whose food always takes this tasting over the top!