Mezzacorona Wine

Mezzacorona in the Windy City

It’s Spring at last: The perfect time for new beginnings and tasting new wines.  For the first time, Vinitaly will bring its fantastic event to the US in the Spring in order to better accommodate the US wine trade.  Vinitaly, as many know, is the largest wine event in the world.  The Vinitaly World Tour was created in 1998 to develop an international platform for the promotion of companies in the Italian wine and food sectors.  Today, the event travels to many of the most important wine markets in the world, including China, Japan, South Korea, India, Singapore, Russia, and of course, the United States.

This year, in Chicago, the event will take place at the River East Art Center on April 30th.  This prestigious venue is located steps from Navy Pier, Magnificent Mile and faces the Chicago River.  A few days later, Vinitaly travels to New York, where it will take place at the rooftop venue Three Sixty in Tribeca.  Both of these events have the best wines Italy has to offer with 100 wineries participating and hundreds of new wines to taste!  Mezzacorona is proud to be participating in both events this year.  Come and have a taste of Italy with our Mezzacorona Pinot Grigio!

This week’s “Picture of the Week” goes to our new friend, Lisa Mays!  Lisa recently engaged with us through Twitter, and we were so thrilled to be able to direct her to the location nearest her that offered Mezzacorona.  That location just happened to be Brick’s Cafe in Franklin, Tennessee —just a couple short miles from her front door!  Brick’s owner, (Jimbo Elmerick, be sure to say “Hi!” to him if you get a chance to visit) was even kind enough to prepare a delicious Margherita pizza to pair with our bottle.  

If you’d like to congratulate Lisa for securing this week’s best picture, why not tweet to her at @WineWithLisa?  Do you have a picture of yourself enjoying a glass (or bottle!) of Mezzacorona during a night out with friends or during a relaxing weekend afternoon at home?  Take a page out of Lisa’s book, and post it to either our Facebook wall or tweet it to us! Who knows… next week’s “Picture of the Week” may feature your favorite person of all —YOU!

Salute!

Next week is the last full week of April, which can only mean one thing: Administrative Professionals Day. Also known as Secretaries Day, it is chance to celebrate the unheralded worker bees of the office without whom many of the higher ups would be lost. How will you celebrate? If your secretary pessimistically uses the phrase, “there’s no such thing as a free lunch” you can prove that person wrong by going on a fun lunch outing to a nice restaurant. If you are considering going the gift route, it is wise to give a gift that shows you have gotten to know your secretary during your time in the office. As a random example, say your secretary constantly talks about how she can’t wait to go home, put on some Jason Mraz, and enjoy a nice glass of Pinot Grigio after a long work week. In this case, giving her a bottle of Mezzacorona Pinot Grigio will show her that you find her work crisp and consistent, and her presence in the office always refreshing. Put the finishing touches on your gift by including a card or a handwritten letter telling her how much you appreciate her hard work. So this Wednesday, go the extra mile for your secretary. After all, a little bit of gratitude goes a long way.

These days, everyday is a holiday. (Who in the weberverse celebrated National Frozen Foods Day?!)  But for all the nonsensical holidays that may exist, there is one that is fast approaching that causes us to take a moment to not only appreciate the Earth’s natural environment, but contemplate what we can do to maintain it for generations to come.  Of course, we could only be talking about Earth Day, which falls on April 22nd.

Many associate wine with an “in-the-moment” experience.  In the moment of celebration, of contemplation, of conversation.  But you’d be surprised how much thought wineries such as ours put into ensuring your moment with our wine is not only a memorable one, but one that was created with great thought given to how the production of that wine may impact our local environment.  

Green management has been an effort that Mezzacorona has been at the forefront of for decades.  In the 1980s, we issued the “Protocol for a High-Quality Wine Production in Trentino,” a proposal that aimed to regulate cultivation, new vineyards, and green care in order to promote sustainable agriculture.  

And we didn’t stop at simply drafting a plan.  We work to ensure that the process which goes into producing our own wine is one that is executed with the local environment, and it’s people, in mind.  We have collaborated with the farmers who cultivate our land (who we respect as the “guardians of the land”) to adopt a comprehensive approach to preserving the regional environment.  A quick glance at what our 360° approach encompasses:

• Reduction of chemical treatments: the correct use of copper and sulphur (permitted in organic cultivation). Our objective is to have no residual in the wine. All of our vineyards are treated following the concept of “sexual confusion”, a modern biological system used to fight harmful insects, by limiting their reproduction through pheromone over-stimulation, avoiding extra treatments.
• Water management: Mezzacorona has adopted innovative irrigation systems, which maximizes the use of water resources (for example drip irrigation system). Waste water is collected and treated with biological purifier (based on active mud technology) before going back to the rivers.
• Energy management: Mezzacorona is actively engaged in increasing the production of green energy with the final objective of becoming energy independent. 70% of the wineries are underground, which helps reduce the use of air conditioning to keep the cellars cool.

These are just a few of the ways we are doing our part to not only maintain, but improve the environment surrounding us in the Trentino region.  We pride ourselves in producing a wine that exemplifies Italian Pinot Grigio —and where does that Pinot Grigio grape begin its life? A life which may lead it into a glass that is toasted during celebration or sipped during serene contemplation? You guessed it —it begins beneath the soils of our Earth. An Earth that Mezzacorona must appreciate in order to produce the wines that you’ll appreciate.

Tell us —what will you be doing to celebrate Earth Day? What activities will you be participating in and how will you be educating yourself and others to protect our environment? We look forward to hearing your goals in our comment section below!

     It’s tax season once again, but what could taxes possibly have in common with wine? Excluding  how much people wine about their taxes, the answer is “almost nothing.” In fact, could anything be more diametrically opposed to wine than taxes? Wine has long been a symbol of leisure and enjoyment, something to be remembered fondly alongside treasured moments with friends and loved ones. Taxes, while perhaps as much a long-lasting symbol of human civilization as wine, brings about personal feelings of stress and panic. Ernest Hemingway asserted that “wine is the most civilized thing in the world.” Benjamin Franklin once said, “Wine makes daily living easier, less hurried, with fewer tensions, and more tolerance.” While wine has inspired many other quotes about living happily and contently, we’ve been told repeatedly that “the only certainty in life is death and taxes.” This must have been said by a weary account in the wee hours of the morning. What are we to glean from all this? Perhaps that for every necessary pain like taxes, that is why there exists a necessary pleasure like wine. What’s even better, tax season is almost over, wine season is year around. Cheers.

    Legend has it that a farmer was wandering through the Dolomite Mountains when he discovered an enchanted castle. Exploring further, he found that within the castle there lied a wine cellar replete with barrels of the most delicious wine he’d ever tasted. As he went to collect the wine in his pouch, three ghosts appeared. They told the startled farmer that he could take all the wine his heart desired as long as promised to never reveal the location of the cellar. A few nights later, the farmer, having had too much to drink at the local tavern, told others about his fortuitous discovery. He brought his fellow drinkers to the location, and as they approached, the castle disappeared into thin air. It is said that the castle still exists within the Dolomites, but no one who knows of its location will tell you, for fear of suffering the same punishment as the loose-lipped farmer.
    Mezzacorona, nestled at the foothills of the Dolomites, has continued the rich tradition of wine growing within the region. Today, Mezzacorona has evolved into a state-of-the art winery while still maintaining hands-on attention to detail and reputation of excellence.  While Mezzacorona and the enchanted castle both make delicious wine, the Mezzacorona winery remains infinitely more accessible. Will you think of the Dolomites next time you enjoy a glass of Mezzacorona? Will you envision the elusive castle? If you’ve ever been to the Dolomites please feel free to share any pictures or stories you have from your adventures, and if you’ve found the location of the mysterious castle, it’s okay if you keep it to yourself.

“Science has never drummed up quite as effective a tranquilizing agent as a sunny spring day.” ~W. Earl Hall

Winemakers have certainly made up for science’s lack of creativity.  We wonder, did W. Earl Hall ever have the chance to experience a spring day accompanied by a glass of refreshing wine?

As folks across America begin to open their blinds and let the sun’s warmth creep in, the dust that has gathered on their belongings from a winter of closed windows suddenly becomes noticeable, and before you can say “Punxsutawney Phil” you’re handed a rag and a bottle of Windex.  Yes, Spring Cleaning has begun.

Spring Cleaning is far from regulated to just the furniture and household appliances.  All you have to do is open your food cabinet to cans filled with hearty chili, soup, and beans to realize that your foodstuffs could use a makeover themselves. And those big, oaky Syrahs and Cabernets that paired so well with those warm winter foods just aren’t cutting it with the leafy greens, fruit plates, and fish dishes you’re itching to serve your guests –and yourself.  

And after a long morning of spraying, wiping, rubbing, and mopping, there is hardly a more tranquil thing to do than to plop down on the recently uncovered patio furniture and pour yourself the ultimate adult thirst-quencher: A cool, liberating glass of Pinot Grigio.

What are some dishes you like to throw together after a day of cleaning that are the ultimate triple threat? Easy in production, savory on the tastebuds, and pairs perfectly with a glass of Pinot Grigio? Leave us your ideas in the comment section below and pick up a few new ones to impress your friends and family with.

Cheers!

Photo credit: http://allthingsshabbychic.blogspot.com/