The Abruzzo and its wines have played the role of protagonists for a whole weekend. Some of the most important international wine journalists, TV reporters and Italian magazines, visited the Abruzzo Region to sample the regional DOC wines and to write articles about these wines on European magazines

The aim of the media tour, that has been organized and promoted by the Consortium, was to raise the visibility of the Abruzzo Region: a Region that is hospitable and welcoming, where you can enjoy good living, good food and good wine. From Thursday 14 to Sunday 17 March, several events and wine tastings organized for the Italian and the European wine experts, which visited some wine cellars of the entire regional territory. The International guests, could also taste the good typical food and local gastronomy of the Abruzzo Region, at the most well-known restaurants.

Kay Rush, the journalist, radio anchorwoman and sommelier, was the guest star of the event. She was in the past the unforgettable testimonial of one of the advertising campaigns on the Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. As for the National Media, there were present the RAI correspondents and reporters of the TV Programme “Unomattina” (RAI 1) and also the correspondents and reporters from RAI 3. Also important journalists of Fox TV, Gambero Rosso and Slow Food were present.

The International journalists present at the Tour were: Ursula Geiger for Vinum, that is the leading German magazine. She is a member of the “Bund Deutscher Önologen“ and of the “Union des Oenologues Suisses. She has been one of the International Judges of the Argentina Wine Awards 2013; Fred Nijhuis, a well-known Dutch wine writer, who partecipated in the most important European events, promoted by Wine&Food Association. He works for the Wine&Food Association and he writes for Proefschrift, for the Yearguide Wine and for other magazines.

There were present also Kris Van de Sompel, wine educator and independent wine writer. He is Maitre Sommelier des Vins de France. He wrote in 2009 the book “The vineyards of the Belgium. He writes also for Wine Magazine; Faye Cardwell, who is a well-known journalist and a guest blogger for Wine Taste. She is responsible for the Vinitaly in the world for the Asiatic Markets and she is a promoter of the Italian wine; Johanna Alfrida Schippers, who is the Sub-Editor & Columnist at Perswijn, that is one of the leading Dutch wine magazines; she is a Freelance translator at Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET); Reiner Cornerlis van Heusden, who is a well-known writer of the Perswijn Magazine, he is a wine expert; Nico Bastiaan Dingemans, who was a former international hotelier and he's current healthy gastronomy writer of the Health Cuisine book. He will include the Abruzzo Region in the “Wines of the World” chapter of his book.

From UK, there were present Qin Xie, a journalist from London specialising in Food & Wine. Her articles have been published on international publications including Yahoo, FT Weekend, Food and Travel and The Times, and Fiona Maclean, who is the wine writer whose blog London-Unattached has recently been listed as one of the UK’s top 100 food blogs in Woman and Home, in the category of Travel and Writing. The blog currently averages around 50,000 unique visitors a month. She works for the most Italian, Spanish and English important wine and food magazines.

Not only wines: the international guests could enjoy also the places, the landscapes and the regional gastronomy. The partners of this event have been some of the most well-known regional Restaurants such as “The Reale Reasturant” of the star-chef Niko Romito; “Locanda Manthonè”, whose owner is Luca Panunzio, the National Councillor for the Italian Sommelier Association, the Michelin-starred Restaurant “Villa Majella”; the historic and prestigious restaurant “Beccaceci”, managed by the President of the Restaurateurs Association "Abruzzo Qualità", and the restaurant “Al Metrò” of the Michelin star-chef Nicola Fossaceca.

This tour promoted the Abruzzo Region as a Region to experience, to live and whose wine is its flagship. The journalists will write about this in their articles in order to disseminate this experience throughout Europe.

This is a new important step for the wines of Abruzzo within the International framework.