Aptly named Italia in Campagna, or Italy in the Countryside, the event will host sixteen Italian food stalls, five top Italian restaurants and local and international producers of Italian wines. Organised in collaboration with the Italian Consulate, La Dante Italian School and the Friuli Society, the event is developed to support the Italian community and last year hosted over 550 guests. This year will see the celebration expanded to a two-day event, as its gates are opened to the public for the first time. The venue, which will become the site of the new Idiom Wines tasting area late in 2012, provides a wonderful mountain and vineyard setting, offering guests a spectacular views of the Cape Peninsula and Helderberg basin.

This year several Italian restaurants have been invited to Da Capo Vineyards to cater for the guests expected to visit the Italia in Campagna festival on the 25^th and 26^th February.

The intention is to celebrate the Bottega family’s Italian provenance and the Italian wines that fall pat of the Idiom and Vinotria wine portfolio’s. Tastings of finely sliced Prosciutto di San Daniele, Tortellini with prosciutto, Italian Salsiccia and Lamb Chops Scottaditto are just some of the mouthwatering dishes that will be served by the restaurants. Headlining the festival will be the renowned restaurants Mastrantonio, Limoncello, Il Cappero and the Wijnhuis group.

The hugely popular Italian fresh produce market will operate both days from early morning until the middle of the afternoon. Here, a wide selection of locally made and imported salumi, formaggi (cheeses), olive oils, coffees, biscotti and other delicacies can be sampled and purchased to be washed down with a choice of prosecco, vino and grappa.

Since the festival is taking place in summer, a special mention has to be made of the delicious selection of real gelato ice creams that will be on offer for those who have returned from their excursion into the vineyards.

A selection of five Italian wine producers will also fly out for the event, in order to add extra authenticity to the event. The producers will be not only be exhibiting their wines at the show but will also be giving a series of informative and interactive lectures within the dedicated wine tent, as well as hosting a food and wine paired dinner on Saturday the 25^th. Seating is limited to the event and booking is essential.

For more information, call 021-852 3590 or purchase your tickets online at www.webtickets.co.za

An array of fine Italian wines will be on show at the Bottega family’s Italia in Campagna harvest festival at the end of February. The festival, which runs on the 25^th and 26^th February, celebrates the owners Italian provenance, with a highlight this year being the vast selection of the Italian varietal wines being on display and available for exploration and consumption.

The Bottega family will have their award winning and limited edition Idiom single Italian varietal wines available for tasting or purchase by the glass or bottle. Vinotria, the import component of Bottega Family Wines, will also have a selection of their authentic Italian wines available from a host of renowned Italian producers, including Vietti, Braida, Zenato, Badia a Coltibuono, Fattoria dei Barbi and Donnafugata. This newly available range of wines from Vinotria include many of the Italian wineries most famous wines as well as their best value products, to ensure that there is a selection of wines available for all pockets.

On the 25th and 26th of February, Da Capo Vineyards, situated in the southern hills of Somerset West, will host one of the largest assemblies of the Italian community in the Western Cape, as Idiom Wines, celebrate their annual harvest festival, Italia in Campagna, in collaboration with the Italian Consulate, the La Dante Italian School and the Friuli Society.

In 2011, 550 guests, largely members of the Cape Italian community, along with mostly Italian producers and brands gathered at Da Capo Vineyards to celebrate and partake in Italian fare, vino and coffee. 2012 will again be a celebration of Italian foods, wines and lifestyle.

The festival will encompass activities for the whole family including wine picking & stomping, bocce, 5-a-side colcetto, an Italian food market, Italian wine workshops and a host of gastronomic temptations for all to sample. A highlight will be the regional food and wine pairing dinner on Saturday 25th February from 6pm, with visiting Italian wine producers from Sicily, Sardinia, Tuscany, the Veneto and Piedmont, sharing their philosophies about their wines and terroir. Seating is limited so book early.

The event will be open to the public for the first time in 2012. For more information, call 021-852 3590 or to purchase tickets online, go to www.webtickets.co.za.

Italia in Campagna, the Bottega family’s annual wine festival, is set to be a fun day out in the countryside for the whole family. Hosted at the Bottega family’s Da Capo Vineyards in the hills of Somerset West on the 25^th and 26^th February, the festival will see a range of activities for both adults and children alike, being planned over both days, to ensure that fun is had by multiple generations.

For the young-at-heart, activities will include grape picking & stomping, 5-a-side calcetto (soccer), a bocce tournament , pony & tractor rides, a petting zoo, scarecrow making and waterslides, whilst the earnest can visit the many Italian stalls and indulge in a variety of gastronomic temptations and wine workshops. For the more energetic, guided mountain walks to take in the fynbos and the spectacular views will be possible.

This event is set to truly be a memorable day out for the family as all are welcome.

A limited number of tickets are available and can be purchased, in advance, telephonically on 021-852 3590 or online, through www.webtickets.co.za

Following the successful hosting of the ‘La Vendemmia‘ Harvest Festival in early March 2011, which was attended by 550 people, including a large number of families from the Cape Italian community, the Bottega family, producers of Idiom wines, have once again teamed up with the Italian Consulate in Cape Town, La Dante (Italian Cultural Society/Italian School) and the Fogolar Furlan (the Friuli Society) to arrange two days of Italian-themed festivities at their Da Capo Vineyards property located in the Helderberg basin near Somerset West, about 40 minutes drive from central Cape Town.

ITALIA IN CAMPAGNA…A TASTE OF ITALY IN THE CAPE WINELANDS

La Vendemmia 2012 will form part of a bigger festival called ‘Italia in Campagna ‘(Italy in the Countryside) and will be a two-day celebration of Italian food, wine and lifestyle. The date for the festival is the last weekend of February (Sat 25th/Sun26 Feb 2012) and a range of activities for adults and children is planned for both days. Grape picking and stomping, live music featuring jazz and Italian music, 5-a-side calcetto, bocce, climbing the cuccagna grease pole, tractor and pony rides, farm animals, scarecrow making and water slides are just some of the activities and entertainment provided on both days, while the more serious can visit the many Italian stalls and indulge in the variety of gastronomic temptations and wine workshops that will be on offer. For the more energetic, guided mountain walks to take in the fynbos and the spectacular views are also possible. A full timetable of events will be released on www.idiom.co.za closer to the event.

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC FOR THE FIRST TIME

This year, the event will be open to the public for the first time and a limited number of tickets for the two-day festival will be sold on www.webtickets.co.za. Paid up members of the Fogolar Furlan and La Dante will still be able to get guaranteed tickets directly at preferential prices from their respective societies but these bookings will close one week in advance (Fri 17th Feb 2012). Club Idiom members will also be able to book directly with the farm on 021-852 3590 until this date. Thereafter all ticket sales will be handled online through the Webtickets platform.

INSPIRED BY ITALIA IN PIAZZA AT MONTECASINO

The festival has drawn some of its inspiration from the Italia in Piazza festival held at the outdoor piazza at Montecasino in June 2011. Organised by the Italian Consulate in Johannesburg, the event was themed Italia 150, a celebration of 150 years of Italian unification. Many of the same ingredients have been incorporated to make this a true celebration of all things Italian, including elements from the typical medieval village and mountain festivals that take place in Italy such as long tables out in the vineyards.

EXHIBITORS OF MADE IN ITALY PRODUCTS

The event will also provide producers and distributors of goods ‘Made in Italy’ to showcase these items to a receptive target market. Top brands of Italian motor vehicles, bikes, scooters, bicycles, toys, outdoor furniture, appliances, mineral water, foodstuffs, coffee machines, clothing, shoes and sporting apparel amongst others will be on display in the marquee village on the newly-prepared outdoor campo. The tents will be laid out in a u-shape to create a piazza feel. Exhibitors who would like to participate can contact Roberto Bottega on wine@idiom.co.za or 083 678 2094 by Tuesday 31st January 2011. More information is available on a separate exhibitor document.

ITALIAN COUNTRY FOOD AND FRESH PRODUCE MARKET

This year several Italian restaurants have been invited to Da Capo to cater for the 1000 people a day or more expected to visit the festival. The intention is to keep as much of the food as authentically Italian as possible. Tastings of finely sliced Prosciutto di San Daniele, Tortellini with prosciutto, Italian Salsiccia and Lamb Chops Scottaditto are just some of the mouthwatering dishes that will be served. The venue, which will become the site of the new Idiom Wines tasting area later in 2012 or early 2013, provides a wonderful mountain and vineyard setting offering spectacular views of the Cape Peninsula across nearby False Bay. The hugely popular Italian fresh produce market introduced at the 2011 La Vendemmia festival will now operate both days from early morning until the middle of the afternoon. Here a wide selection of locally made and imported salumi, formaggi (cheeses), olive oils, coffees, biscotti and other delicacies can be sampled and purchased to be washed down with a choice of prosecco, vino and grappa. Of course the festival is taking place in summer, so a special mention has to be made of the delicious selection of real gelato ice creams that will be on offer for those who have returned from the excursion into the vineyards.

ITALIAN VARIETAL WINES - TRY THE CAPE IDIOM…

The Bottega Family will have their award winning and limited edition Idiom Italian varietal wines (made from Sangiovese, Barbera, Nebbiolo and Primitivo grapes) as well as their new Rosso and Super Rosso di Stellenbosch wines available for tasting, and purchasing by the glass or by the bottle. All these Italian grapes are grown on Da Capo Vineyards where the first plantings took place in 1999. Visitors will also get a chance to visit the vineyards and help out with the harvest. As usual, repeat visitors will be able to purchase a case of La Vendemmia wine made from the grapes they picked and stomped the previous year. This year, other local producers of Italian wines have also been invited to the festival to add variety to the event.

…OR THE DOC ITALIAN VERSIONS IMPORTED BY VINOTRIA

Without a doubt, the highlight of the 2012 event will be the presence of visiting top Italian wine producers who will be on hand to guide visitors to explain what makes Italian wines so special and unique. Their presence is due to the fact that Bottega Family Wines (producer of Idiom) have started a new project called VINOTRIA, which is a collaboration with fellow their Italian importer and fellow Italian producer Belbon Hills. Currently Vinotria imports and distributes a selection of top wines from leading producers in Italy. Many form part of the prestigious Wine Spectator Top 100 list. Producers in the portfolio include Donnafugata (Sicily), Feudi di San Gregorio (Campania), Masciarelli (Abruzzo), Chianti Classico producer Badia a Coltibuono and Brunello producer Fattoria dei Barbi (Tuscany), Sardus Pater (Sardinia), Bellenda (prosecco), Ripassa and Amarone producer Zenato (Veneto) , Castello di Cigognola (Lombardy), top Barbera producers ‘Braida’ di Giacomo Bologna and Coppo, Barolo producer Vietti and top grappa producer Berta (all from Piedmont). After this year’s edition of Vinitaly, new producers will be added from Friuli and other regions. This newly available range of wines from Vinotria include many of the Italian wineries’ most famous wines as well as their best value products to ensure that there is a selection of wines available for all pockets.

SPECIAL EVENING EVENT: SAT 25th FEB 18h00 - REGIONAL FOOD AND WINE JOURNEY THROUGH ITALY

A special Italian food and wine pairing evening featuring a serving of typical regional dishes accompanied by a talk and tasting of wines hosted by the visiting Italian producers from that region, is being offered for lovers of Italian fare on Saturday evening 25th Feb from 18h00, when it will be a bit cooler and the ambience will be perfect to gain some insight into the world of Italian wines. A separate booking will be required for this event which will cover the cost of the meal and wines served at the event. The special wine tasting ticket will also act as a weekend pass for those who want to arrive early to enjoy the festivities during the day on Saturday or who want to return on Sunday. The menu will be published closer to the event and the cost for the dinner will be R350 per person.

BOOKLETS OF ‘OLD LIRE’ FOOD AND WINE COUPONS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE

In order to enjoy samplings of the different offerings at the festival, visitors will be required to purchase R50 or R100 booklets containing food and wine tickets denominated in Old Lire (Vecchie Lire). The tickets can be redeemed for tasting portions at the various food and wine stands making up the restaurant area and the country food market. The currency for the festival, which has not necessarily been reintroduced as a result of the current crisis facing the Euro, but rather to facilitate transactions on the day, will be available for purchase either from ticket vendors at the festival or alternatively can be bought prior to the event through the Webtickets.co.za portal at a discount of 5%. Left over vouchers, which are only valid for the two days of the festival cannot be redeemed for cash, however they can be used to purchase bottles of wine to take away.

Visitors are encouraged to purchase the combination day entry and lire ticket online which will allow them admission and a booklet of lire to use at the festival which be given to them at the door.

ENQUIRIES
Bottega Family Wines 021 852 3590

TICKET PRICES

PLEASE BOOK WELL IN ADVANCE AS NUMBERS ARE LIMITED AND THE EVENT IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC FOR THE FIRST TIME! UNFORTUNATELY IT WILL NOT BE POSSIBLE TO RESERVE A PARTICULAR TABLE OR AREA DUE TO THE NUMBERS.

ONLY A LIMITED NUMBER OF ENTRY TICKETS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THE GATE IF TICKETS ARE NOT SOLD OUT. PLEASE CHECK WEB www.idiom.co.za or www.webtickets.co.za for UPDATES

ONLINE PREBOOKING www.webtickets.co.za

(Discount applies on pre-booking for combination entry/lire vouchers until Wed 22 Feb 2012 - therafter full admission price applies)

ADMISSION ONLY

Sat 25th : Adults R100; Children 4-12 R50; Kids under 4 Free

Sun 26h : Adults R100; Children 4-12 R50; Kids under 4 Free

COMBINATION ADMISSION + LIRE FOOD/WINE VOUCHERS

Sat 25th: Adults R175 (includes R100 lire); Children 4-12 R75 (includes R50 lire); Kids under 4 free

Sun 26th: Adults R175 (includes R100 lire); Children 4-12 R75 (includes R50 lire); Kids under 4 free

DINNER EVENT (LIMITED NUMBERS OF TICKETS)

Sat 25th: from 18h00 including sundowner – Special Evening Event.

Regional Tasting Dinner hosted by visiting producers from Italy – R350 per person including Food and Wine

This ticket for the dinner also allows entry to the festival on Sunday.

MAKE A WEEKEND OF IT!

The organisers recommend making a weekend of the festival by attending the dinner on Saturday evening and then staying over in one of the many guesthouses, bed and breakfasts or country hotels in nearby Somerset West or Stellenbosch for the Saturday night. A shuttle service (available at extra cost) will also be on hand to take guests to their guesthouses on Saturday night after the dinner allowing them to leave their cars at the festival parking should they not want to drive.

SEE YOU ALL AT DA CAPO VINEYARDS – HOME OF IDIOM WINES - ON THE 25th AND 26th FEBRUARY 2012!

On the 27^th of January, Idiom Wines, in union with City Grill Steakhouse, will be hosting an Idiom Steak & Blends evening at the City Grill Steakhouse at the V&A Waterfront.

Guests will delight in a selection of five fine meat cuts, paired with three top Idiom blends, resulting in fifteen different taste sensations.

Seating is limited and there for booking is essential.

Please RSVP to: info@citygrill.co.za

For further details, please contact either the City Grill at 021 421 9820 or Idiom Wines at 021 852 3590

On the 23rd and 22nd of December 2011, the Bottega Family Wine launched the release of their new Whalehaven label at The Marine in Hermanus.

The evenings were hosted within the casual surroundings of The Marine’s Sun Lounge as guests were treated to a sensory journey, with a selection of Whalehaven wines being masterfully paired, by head-chef Loran Livesey, with a variety of delicious canapé. Notable sensations were the twice baked cheese soufflé’s, paired with the lightly wooded Chardonnay and the beef slice with Yorkshire pudding and horse-radish sauce, which complimented the elegant Pinot Noir excellently.

All were in high spirits as they shared in celebrating the unveiling of the vibrant and fresh Whalehaven label.

Idiom was proud to be included in the impressive local and international selection of grand reserves and fine champagnes. The Idiom magnums are 1.5litre collector’s items. Named Idiom Sommelier Series, the rare magnum bottles showcase the expressions of various sensory specialists including perfumers, chocolatiers and wine sommeliers. The exclusive range was launched to connoisseurs and collectors alike at The Big Bottle Festival for the first time.

Silvana Bottega, who represents the Bottega Family Wine Portfolio that Idiom falls part of, noted “Bottling wine in large formats should be a rarity and generally done to showcase an outstanding vintage or mark a winery’s anniversary. As such, sixty bottles of each of our master blends have been bottled, bringing the total to one hundred and eighty magnum sized formats containing the 2007 vintage. 9 has always been a special number for our family and as such we have tended to keep some division of that number.”

Whilst the Idiom magnums were on show during the Walk Around tasting, the festival also included an extraordinary Blanc de Blanc Champagne tasting, aimed at devoted lovers of bubbly. The tasting gave the love-stricken admirers of the large format an opportunity to taste ten rare Blanc de Blanc Champagnes including Salon Le Mesnil, Larmandier Bernier and Ruinart, naming but a few. In keeping with the theme of the festival, the staggering collection of MC’s were served from bottles ranging from Magnum to Jéroboam’s, the latter being widely regarded as the paramount sized Champagne bottle.
Executive Chef, Peter Templehoff hosted a unique Fine Wine Tasting at his Greenhouse Restaurant, where his menu was aimed at complimenting esteemed wines from influential areas the world over. From Burgundy to Bordeaux and the Swartland to Barossa, wines were served from an assortment of large bottle formats.

Ending the festival on the highest note, the Gourmet Champagne Breakfast, yet again, allowed Chef Peter Templehoff to tantalize guest’s taste buds. A supply of scarce Champagnes, including Pol Roger, Drappier and Billecart-Salmon, renowned names from small houses that are rarely found in South Africa, were paired with Templehoff’s gourmet breakfast.

The wine is described as: ” A stylish wine with a tantalising nose and complex mouth-feel. Rich red and sour cherry aromas are enhanced by savoury notes and spicy flavours of tobacco and tar. A great balance between tannin and fruit make this a grand Sangiovese for the connoisseur.”

The results for the category highlighted two of the rare and distinctive Sangiovese’s made in the Cape: -

BEST SANGIOVESE
78 B Idiom Sangiovese 2007
72 B Anthonij Rupert Terra Del Capo Sangiovese 2008

Sangiovese is and has always been the dominant grape of red wines in Central Italy and it is most famous as the main component of the blend Chianti, Carmignano, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and Morellino di Scansano. It is also used to make prestigious varietal wines such as Brunello di Montalcino, Rosso di Montalcino or Sangiovese di Romagna, as well as modern ‘Super Tuscan’ wines like Tignanello. A key characteristic of Sangiovese within the vineyard is that it can vary quite considerably, very much like Pinot Noir, in that it is very sensitive to where it is planted and that it ripens fairly late.
Idiom’s Sangiovese has a good concentration of colour and flavour and it is the flavour of Sangiovese that often proves to be quite elusive but we feel we have harnessed a good balance between savoury notes of cinnamon and tobacco and more fruity components of mulberries and blackcurrant.
Very few producers in South Africa make a single varietal wine from Sangiovese but with the strong Italian heritage in the Bottega family we nurture the idea that Sangiovese is to Chianti was Cabernet Sauvignon is to Bordeaux – a grape with its own stylistic personality of elegance and complexity.

For the full results, visit: http://www.winemag.co.za/article/old-mutual-trophy-wine-show-2011-the-results-2011-05-27