Taste of Italy

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  • Sold-out Calabria seminar wows attendees with a wide spectrum of flavors.

    Sold-out Calabria seminar wows attendees with a wide spectrum of flavors.

    Above, from left: Caciocavallo Silano producer Antonio Arnone, Il Calabrese executive chef Luciano Salvadore, Mercato delle Eccellenze Calabresi Giovanni Guido, and presenter Jeremy Parzen.

    Taste of Italy 2023 opened with a seminar dedicated to the foods of Calabria. It was led by Mercato delle Eccellenze Calabresi (MEC) founder and director Giovanni Guido. And attendees had the opportunity to taste aged and fresh Caciocavallo (Calabria’s famous stretched-curd cheese) paired with a wide variety of flavors including bergamot-, Clementine orange-, and sardine-chili pastes.

    Chef Luciano Salvadore (Il Calabrese, Dallas) and Caciocavallo Silano producer Antonio Arnone (Vallefiore) prepared the small bites as Guido spoke about Calabria’s culinary treasures and his ambitious plans to bring Calabrian-focused retail outlets to the U.S.

    Arnone and Guido also spoke about the unique macroclimate of Calabria’s “valley in the sky,” as Parzen put it, the Sila plateau, a region renowned for the high quality of its cheeses and other food products.

    The savory finger foods were paired with Nerone di Calabria by winery Criserà, a wine made from Nerello Calabrese grapes.

    The sold-out crowd also had the opportunity to taste a range of Calabrian pastries paired with Calabrian-grown coffee.

  • Congratulations to the winners of the Houston Sommelier Competition 2023!

    Congratulations to the winners of the Houston Sommelier Competition 2023!

    Above, from left: Presenter Jeremy Parzen, sommelier Dario Najera, sommelier Jason Barnett, wine educator Walden Pemantle, Italian Consul General for Houston Mauro Lorenzini, and Kroger regional wine manager Jaime De Leon, founder of the Houston Sommelier Competition.

    Now in its third year, the Houston Sommelier Competition was created by Kroger regional wine buyer and sommelier Jaime De Leon to help promote wine education in the Houston wine professional community. Since its inception, it has expanded eligibility to include candidates from anywhere in the world who wish to compete.

    This year’s first prize went to Walden Pemantle with Jason Barnett and Dario Najera winning second and third place, respectively.

    Pemantle, who works as a sales manager for a Houston-based distributor and educator at the Texas Wine School, will be taking part in an all-expenses-paid trip to Abruzzo wine country later this year.

    Barnett (sommelier, Pappas Bros. Steakhouse) and Najera (sommelier, MAD Houston) received scholarship awards of $600 and $400, respectively.

    Congratulations to the winners and everyone who competed! And special thanks to Jaime De Leon, the founder and organizer, and Master Sommelier Nathan Prater, who oversaw the testing and service exam.

  • Thank you to everyone who made Taste of Italy 2023 such a memorable event!

    Thank you to everyone who made Taste of Italy 2023 such a memorable event!

    Taste of Italy 2023: Nearly 400 attendees, more than 70 brands, more than 250 wines and food products presented, 2 sold-out seminars… THANK YOU to everyone who made Taste of Italy 2023 our best event to date! And special thanks to the honorable Mariangela Zappia, Italy’s ambassador to the U.S., and Italy’s Houston Consul General Mauro Lorenzini for joining us on such a memorable occasion!

    That’s madame ambassador Zappia, below, with IACC director Alessia Paolicchi (center) and IACC deputy director Maurizio Gamberucci (left).

    Congratulations also to the winners of the Houston Sommelier Competition!

    Click here to see the Taste of Italy 2023 Facebook album.

  • Ambassador Zappia, Consul General Lorenzini to attend Taste of Italy networking reception.

    Ambassador Zappia, Consul General Lorenzini to attend Taste of Italy networking reception.

    The Italy-America Chamber of Commerce Texas is pleased to announce that the Honorable Mariangela Zappia, Italian Ambassador to the United States of America, and Mauro Lorenzini, Italian Consul General in Houston, Texas, will be attending the Sunday evening networking reception on the occasion of the 2023 Taste of Italy trade fair and festival.

    Madame Ambassador Zappia, above, and the Consul General will make brief remarks before the panel discussion held in the afternoon at the Omni hotel.

    “We couldn’t be more honored to receive such a high-level delegation at our event,” said IACC director Alessia Paolicchi. “With more than 60 Italian companies whose representatives have traveled to Houston especially for the event, we were already expecting it to be one of the best gatherings to date. Their address to our exhibitors will make it all the memorable.”

    Now in its ninth year, the Taste of Italy trade fair and festival is the largest event in the U.S. devoted exclusively to Italian food and wine.

    Image via the Embassy of Italy in Washington DC YouTube.

  • Taste of Italy remembers Francesco Tiralongo, leading manager for top Italian wineries and inspiration for Taste of Italy.

    Taste of Italy remembers Francesco Tiralongo, leading manager for top Italian wineries and inspiration for Taste of Italy.

    The world of Italian wine mourns the loss of one of its brightest stars this week.

    Francesco Tiralongo (above, left), veteran manager for some of Italy’s most iconic wineries, passed away yesterday, March 2, 2023. He was 55 years old.

    His passing was reported by scores of Italian mastheads, including the Giornale di Sicilia, the island’s leading daily newspaper.

    In 2020, Francesco became the CEO of Baglio di Pianetto, a top winery in western Sicily, owned by the Marzotto family (the same group that created Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio).

    Before that time, he had worked as a manager for some of the biggest names in Italian wine, including Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi, Mionetto, Donnafugata, and Cantine Settesoli.

    His loss is acutely felt here in Houston, where he had had an outsized role in shaping the Italian wine community.

    Not only was he a close friend of Italy-America Chamber of Commerce Maurizio Gamberucci (pictured, right, with Francesco, above). But he was also one of the inspirations for the first Taste of Italy Houston, held nearly a decade ago.

    “He always had bold business ideas,” said Maurizio in an email. “When I moved to Texas, we came up with the concept of an Italian wine trade show that would later become ‘Taste of Italy.’”

    Francesco is survived by his wife Chiara and their two children, Nicolò and Eugenia.

    He will be sorely missed and dearly remembered.

  • When’s the last time you tasted wines from Uruguay? Taste of Italy hosts international winemakers for the first time.

    When’s the last time you tasted wines from Uruguay? Taste of Italy hosts international winemakers for the first time.

    Click here to register for the grand tasting
    and seminars on Monday, March 6.

    Now in its ninth year, the Taste of Italy trade fair and festival is widening its horizons.

    The event remains the largest of its kind in the U.S. devoted exclusively to Italian food and wine products.

    But this year, for the first time since the first gathering nearly a decade ago, the fair is also hosting international producers from beyond Italy’s borders.

    Here’s the list of producers from countries other than Italy:

    Domaines Aimé Arnoux (France)
    Pizzorno Winery (Uruguay)
    Antica Bodega Stagnari (Uruguay)
    Eccocivi (Spain)
    Bodegas y Viñedos Lleiroso (Spain)
    Vinum Vini (Undiscovered European Regions and beyond)

    Click here for the complete list of exhibitors, including more than 50 companies.

    When’s the last time you tasted a wine from Uruguay? That’s the Pizzorno Family Estates team from in a recent photo. They’re just one of the Uruguayan wineries that will be pouring their wines on Monday, March 6 at Taste of Italy.

    Click here to register for the grand tasting and much more.

    Image via the Pizzorno Family Estates Facebook.

  • Taste of Italy Houston, the largest trade fair devoted exclusively to Italian food and wine, March 6, complete schedule.

    Taste of Italy Houston, the largest trade fair devoted exclusively to Italian food and wine, March 6, complete schedule.

    TASTE OF ITALY HOUSTON™️ 2023
    COMPLETE SCHEDULE

    MONDAY, MARCH 6 at 11:30 am @ THE OMNI HOTEL HOUSTON RIVERWAY
    Presented by
    Italy-America Chamber of Commerce Texas

    11 – 5 pm Walk-Around Tasting (see the list of exhibitors here)
    CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

    11:30 am Seminar: Calabria, Land of the Mediterranean Diet
    FEATURING: Giovanni Guido, general manager, Mercato delle Eccellenze di Calabria, and Luciano Salvadore, executive chef, Il Calabrese (Southlake, Texas), moderated by Jeremy Parzen.

    Attendees will taste the following undiscovered authentic Calabrian products:

    Cacio cavallo cheese
    EVOO
    Espresso Coffee
    Pastries and cookies
    Red Wine
    Sodas
    Seasonings

    OPEN TO TRADE AND PUBLIC
    CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
    $15 PER PERSON

    2:30 pm Seminar: Italian Wines and Texas BBQ presented by Spec’s
    PANELISTS: Pit Master Ara Malekian, Spec’s Italian Wine Buyer Tom Dobson, Dale Robertson, wine columnist for the Houston Chronicle, moderated by Jeremy Parzen

    Featured wines:

    St.Michael Eppan – Pinot Grigio FallWind
    Tiberio Cerasuolo
    Vite Colte Barbaresco
    Cerrino Barbera
    Beconcini Tempranillo
    Tre Secoli Passione

    OPEN TO TRADE AND PUBLIC
    CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
    $25 PER PERSON

    Click here for Taste of Italy Houston Success Stories.

  • Calabria, Land of the Mediterranean Diet, seminar and tasting, Monday 3/6.

    Calabria, Land of the Mediterranean Diet, seminar and tasting, Monday 3/6.

    Calabria: Land of the Mediterranean Diet
    with Giovanni Guido, general manager, Mercato delle Eccellenze di Calabria
    and Luciano Salvadore, executive chef, Il Calabrese (Southlake, Texas)
    moderated by food and wine historian Jeremy Parzen

    Monday, March 6, 2023
    Omni Hotel Houston
    11:30 a.m.

    Click HERE to register.

    Since the 1950s, doctors and nutritionists have been fascinated by the “Mediterranean Diet.” In the years immediately following the Second World War, scientists had begun to recognize that residents in certain geographic areas suffered fewer heart attacks than their peers in other places. They quickly realized that local diets were a main factor in this trend. Not only did residents in certain areas experience fewer cases of heart disease. An unusually high number of them lived to advanced old age — including many centenarians.

    Calabria was one of those unusual geographic areas where people were living longer and suffering from fewer long-term illnesses.

    In the second half of the 1950s, scientists like the legendary researcher Ancel Keys began to visit Calabria in their efforts to better understand the health benefits of the Mediterranean Diet.

    In more recent years, Calabria has become a popular destination for food and wine celebrities like Lidia Bastianich, the celebrated television personality and cookbook author, and her son Joe, the pioneering restaurateur and wine expert turned pop culture icon.

    That’s Lidia, above, with Giovanni Guido general manager of the Mercato delle Eccellenze di Calabria (Excellence of Calabria Market) during her visit last year with Joe.

    On Monday, March 6, on the occasion of the Taste of Italy trade fair and festival, Giovanni will be joined by Luciano Salvadore (executive chef, Il Calabrese, Southlake, Texas) in a discussion of Calabrian gastronomy and the Mediterranean Diet. Food and wine historian Jeremy Parzen will moderate the panel.

    Attendees will have the opportunity to taste a wide variety of Calabrian food products, including extra-virgin olive oils, cheeses, wine, and pastries.

     

  • Italian Wine-Texas BBQ SEMINAR

    Italian Wine-Texas BBQ SEMINAR

    Ever since the first Italian Wine-Texas BBQ seminar and tasting in 2018, the event has become one of Taste of Italy’s most popular each year.

    This year, celebrity pit master Ara Malekian (Chopped, Top Chef), owner of Harlem Rd. Texas BBQ, returns to Taste of Italy on Monday, March 6, 2023, to present a flight of his smoked meats paired with a flight of Italian wines selected especially by Italian wine expert and Spec’s Italian wine buyer Tom Dobson.

    As in years past, Italian-focused wine writer and educator Jeremy Parzen will moderate the panel discussion.

    CLICK HERE to register. The seminar will be held at the Omni Houston Hotel (Google map). Click here for Taste of Italy Grand Tasting registration.

    The Seminar will feature top Italian wines available at Spec’s, including the following:

    • St.Michael Eppan – Pinot Grigio FallWind
    • Tiberio – Cerasuolo
    • Vite Colte – Barbaresco
    • Cerrino – Barbera
    • Beconcini – Tempranillo
    • Cantina Tre Secoli – Passione

    This event WILL sell out! Please do not hesitate to reserve your spot now.

    Image via the Harlem Rd. Texas BBQ Facebook.

  • Exhibitors 2023 (March 6).

    Exhibitors 2023 (March 6).

    The following producers and food and wine groups showcased their products at this year’s Taste of Italy Houston, March 5-6. The Grand Tasting took place at the Omni Houston Hotel (Google map).

    Cerulli Spinozzi (Abruzzo)
    Citra (Abruzzo)
    Caffè Gambilongo (Calabria)
    Medi Mais – Clemì (Calabria)
    Dulcis in fiore (Calabria)
    Vallefiore (Calabria)
    Dolciaria Alessandria (Calabria)
    Pasta Forte (Calabria)
    Agricola San Teodoro (Campania)
    La Guardiense (Campania)
    Arte & Pasta (Campania)
    Consorzio Prosciutto di Parma (Emilia Romagna)
    Cantine Campana (Emilia Romagna)
    Coste di Borgo (Emilia Romagna)
    Acetaia Paltrinieri (Emilia Romagna)
    Tenuta Sant’Aquilina (Emilia Romagna)
    Paradiis (Friuli Venezia Giulia)
    Cantine Silvestri (Lazio)
    Parvus Ager (Lazio)
    Cantine San Marco (Lazio)
    Casale 5 Scudi (Lazio)
    Casteggio (Lombardy)
    Spirito Cocktails (Lombardy)
    Cantina Lodali (Piedmont)
    Cerrino Azienda Agricola (Piedmont)
    Poderi Roset (Piemonte)
    Prediomagno (Piemonte)
    Vite Colte (Piedmont)
    Cascina Principe – Vacca (Piedmont)
    Cantina Gentile Puglia
    Donna Viola (Puglia)
    Ferreli (Sardinia)
    Cantina Oliena (Sardinia)
    Cantina della Vernaccia (Sardinia)
    Caseificio De Marcus (Sardinia)
    Cao Formaggi (Sardinia)
    LAIT Latteria Ittiri (Sardinia)
    Isula (Sicily)
    Baglio di Pianetto (Sicily)
    Cantine Madaudo (Sicily)
    Cantagallo-Le Farnete (Tuscany)
    Val Virginio (Tuscany)
    San Polino (Tuscany)
    Tenuta Le Potazzine (Tuscany)
    Querceto di Castellina (Tuscany)
    Il Ciliegio (Tuscany)
    Il pastificio toscano (Tuscany)
    Villa Santo Stefano (Tuscany)
    Cacciagrande (Tuscany)
    Grati (Tuscany)
    Azienda Le Vigne  (Tuscany)
    Nenni Spada Toscana (Tuscany)
    Casale Bio (Tuscany)
    Sensi Vini (Tuscany)
    Cantina Benedetti & Grigi  (Umbria)
    Villa Bucher (Umbria)
    Montelvini (Veneto)
    Ornella Bellia (Veneto)
    Vinicola Cordiali (Veneto)
    Vero Italian Traditional Food (Italy)
    Gruppo I Vinai (Italy)
    Botter (Italy)
    TerraMar Imports (Italy)
    Nardini Liquori (Italy)
    The Wine Hunter (Italy)

    INTERNATIONAL PRODUCERS

    Domaines Aimé Arnoux (France)
    Pizzorno Winery (Uruguay)
    Antica Bodega Stagnari (Uruguay)
    Eccocivi (Spain)
    Bodegas y Viñedos Lleiroso (Spain)
    Vinum Vini (Undiscovered European Regions, and beyond)