Europe has chosen Calabria to celebrate the world of wine, gathering in the region international producers and wineries, on the occasion of the 29th edition of the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, the most important itinerant competition in the wine sector. A well-motivated choice: “We are convinced that Calabria will not fail to surprise all the players involved – declares Baudouin Havaux, president of the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles – indeed constitutes an added value to the prestige of the competition, which is added to the growth in adhesions by of international producers and to the image and market satisfaction that the participating companies obtain thanks to mentions and medals ».
In competition labels from all over the world
In competition 8000 wines, including whites and reds, produced all over the world: in the sports hall of Rende, they will be evaluated by an international jury composed of 350 specialists in the sector, including buyers and sellers, engineers and oenologists, journalists, writers, critics and researchers. About 150 Calabrian wineries, with different DOP and IGP.
A journey to the origins of wine
A great chance for Calabria which will have the opportunity to show the link between wines, vines, communities and territories: tours and excursions in the province of Cosenza, in that of Vibo and Lamezia, in the areas of Cirò, Melissa, Reggio Calabria and Bivongi , will accompany experts and visitors to discover the origins of wine. «It is in Calabria, in fact – recalls the regional councilor for agriculture Gianluca Gallo – that 2500 years ago the vine arrived from the East, where it then acclimatized and spread throughout Western Europe. We will present to the world the peculiarities of our region, one of the most organic lands in Europe. It will be one of the many stages in the redemption of Calabrian enology ».
The numbers of the Calabrian wine sector
The numbers speak of a vital sector with over 12 thousand hectares of vineyard area, 20 million bottles produced of which 25% for exports and a turnover that exceeds 130 million euros. And which also revives food and wine tourism, with 500 thousand visitors a year and a turnover of 42 million euros. “The wine sector is making great strides – declares the president of the Region Roberto Occhiuto – It is a world in which they operate thousands of people and more and more young people, bearers of an idea of sustainable development and able to offer, also entrepreneurially, new impetus to the wine sector and, more generally, to the entire production circuit ».
Cosenza Wine District among the collateral events
Among the many collateral events, scheduled until 22 May, the Cosenza Wine District, set in the municipal villa of the old city, a Calabrian wine festival with the participation of the most representative wineries of the regional territory. And tasting stands, performances and conferences: at Unical, on young people and wine consumption, in the headquarters of the Province of Cosenza, on native vines, for “a timeless journey”.