Faenza: a nice little town with a lot of trendy fashion shops, a wonderful theater, many very good restaurants and the only and unique International Museum of Pottery.

Yes, this is really a “must see” not only of this town, but of Emilia Romagna. Born in 1908, is the oldest museum gathering an amazing pottery collection, dating back to XIst century A.C.

The pottery tradition in Faenza started exactly from that time: the area was rich of clay, the natural material to produce dishes and the local artisans developed with time a couple of technical processes for the coating of the artefacts: the enamel (white/glass ) and ingobbiatura (white /earthy).

The Museum is hosted in an old palace and outside you can always see some of the temporary exhibitions of young artists, reinterpreting pottery in a new way. In Faenza is a point of reference, all the main events are taking place here, even the ones that are not directly connected with the pottery.

And the winner is….

And this is the case of the Sangiovese Master edition, which was not only a chance to meet wines of the area and their producers but also to meet some of the most important young sommelier in the region trying to catch their first award, be the Master of Sangiovese.

The competition takes place every year and awards the sommelier who can better understand the national and international Sangiovese and can do the best combination of food and Sangiovese, between 12 candidates. The awards is organised with the Consorzio dei Vini di Romagna, that gathers over 100 cellars in Romagna.

The atmosphere is quite contrasting: from one side you walk among ancient and stunning pieces of pottery, like Madonnas, weird animals, pieces found in the ancient Etruscan and Roman villages of the area, even in the graves. And on the other hand, you feel the anxiety of young sommelier, trying to get the prize who will launch their career.

I had quite a nice interview with the winner of 2013 edition, Annalisa Linguerri, a young and lovely girl coming from Cotignola (a little village in the surroundings).Annalisa wanted to win, she tried three times before getting the award but, she says, this is the most important for me. Drinking a good wine is not only a way of staying healthy, is also a matter of understanding a land and its traditions, that is why Annalisa has a very important wine chart, with the best matches with the dishes she is preparing in her restaurant, La Corte degli Sforza.

“When I started at the restaurant I realized my clients were well prepared and sometime it was hard for me to give the right advise. So I decided to learn, to study and it was really an exciting but also a very hard way to go. My passion is still driving me along the way, when I choose a wine I always remember that I live in Italy, and 70% of the wines in my chart are Italian. Tradition is a way to respect the history of a place but also the food you are eating, and drinking a good wine is always a way to get in touch with all that”.

Tasting new wines.

You may have noticed that I spent last year in tasting wines, actually I have not yet written about everything, but this surely the right time to do it.

Monticino Rosso cellar

Sangiovese superiore 100%: you jump back in the Romagna old times. This wine has exactly that taste. It’s not a matter of being a good wine, it’s a matter of reminding some of the typical flavors of this land when winemakers just harvested the grapes, pressed them with a rudimental machine and then put them into the vat and waited till they ferment and finally gave the wine to rest in the wooden barrels. Quite an interesting philosophy of this cellar, defining the artisans of wine, born in 1965 and covering 20 hectares with grapes (Sangiovese and Albana, mainly) in the hills of Imola. The wine, matured in wooden barrique, is very tasty with a very persistent fruits flavors, resting in the mouth and in the nose, with a strong tannin equilibrium.

http://www.fattoriamonticinorosso.it

Ferrucci cellar

Domus Caia, Sangiovese Superiore 100%. Ferrucci is one of the oldest cellars of the area, born in 1932. Fiftteen hectares of grapes, Sangiovese and albana, and a very high standard producing philosophy: wines are made by self-cultivated grapes only, the grapes are kept at a low production in order to obtain the best quality. The Domus Caia is made by the best grapes withered naturally and then left in barrels to mature with marcs, then 12 months in barrique and then other more time in bottles before it is ready to be tasted. The result? A taste of plums, cherries and rose for a velvet wine that caress your mouth.

http://www.stefanoferrucci.it

Some tips for your visit

Mic is a private museum. The ticket cost 8 euros, or you can have a reduce one at special conditions (check their website before you go, www.micfaenza.org).

You can visit the museum from Tuesday till Friday, from October 21^st to March 31^st, starting from 10 am to 13,30 pm. Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 17,30 pm.

In summer the museum is opened from Tuesday till Sunday, from 10 am to 7 pm

If you need a guided visit, write at bookshop@micfaenza.org and book one. For single visitors and groups up to 15 people, it’s 40 Euro plus the ticket, prices are for the entire group.

For groups from 15 people or more, it’s 8 euros every person.

Tours are in Italian and English

If you want to visit the cellars, just go to their websites and get in touch with them, they will be glad to guide you to know their wines.