« Wedding Moods

Countryside flowers decorate the simple civil room in the town hall. The light from the tall French doors shines in from the lake front putting the couple in the limelight. After the vows, the newly married couple open the French doors and lean over the balcony and look down on the guests below. The bride turns to throw her bouquet over her shoulder to the women guests waiting below, their partners watching on nervously.

In their car making their way along the meandering country roads to the winery, vines and fruit trees line the road in military formation, a salute to the happy couple. The branches of the trees and vines bend under the heavy weight of the yield, waiting their turn to be harvested. Upon arrival to the winery, local delicacies are arranged creating movement through the courtyard, the drying rooms and the ‘bottaia’ (the barrique cellar), where lines of Amarone and Valpolicella stored in wooden barrels await to be bottled. Artistic gastronomical creations, accompanied by elegant full-bodied reds. Each wine specifically chosen to complement the aromas and sensations of the delicate cuisine.  Passing through the cypress trees, which stand tall on this special occasion, the couple lead the way to a platform with Roman ruins. There, surrounded by countryside, the couple cut the cake to the applause and cheers of friends and family.

Later in the afternoon, in a change of casual clothes, the wedding party move on to another winery for a tour and degustazione (wine tasting) of the locally produced wines. As part of the fun and celebration, the winery has prepared a grape pressing session for the wedding party. The bride and groom first into the large wooden containers, followed by their guests, squash the fruit with their bare feet as everybody laughs out loud with approval.

After washing their feet and a little dancing, the couple are driven back to their accommodation, an agriturismo set in the hills overlooking the countryside. As the couple look out into the night, laughing about the day’s events, the street lights in the distance flicker, a mirror image of the night sky.

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The influence of Italian wine

Italians are proud and protective of their treasured tipple. They have the highest export and production of wine in the world, and over 1 million vineyards under cultivation nationally, commanding a lot of respect internationally. Wine itself has been celebrated and criticised in various ways through the millennia via music, literature, proverbs and even celebrities. A selection of thirteenth century songs and poems from the ‘Carmina Burana’ that included wine themes, were transformed 700 years later into a unique musical composition by Carl Orff.

For an example in literature:

“Fill ev'ry glass, for wine inspires us,
And fires us
With courage, love and joy.
Women and wine should life employ.
Is there ought else on earth desirous?”
John Gay.   

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Valpolicella and Bardolino for your dream wedding in Italy

Wine-growing areas vary in landscape and culture, and in turn produce wines reflecting this diversity. The terroir influences colour, palate, nose, body and development. Millions of years of geographical development influence the palate and bouquet of wines. The picturesque landscape of Lake Garda, formed by glaciers at the end of the last ice age, left quite an impression on the soil quality of the region. The powdery grey/white soil perfect for white and rosé wines and light bodied reds.  Minerals, deposited by volcanoes from an age gone by, enrich the red-brown soil in the Valpolicella region. The strength of the fertile rich soil is transported into the grape, bouquet and palate, producing full-bodied, ruby red wines. In fact the quality of soil, work and care put into every aspect of the production of wine in Veneto means that it is home to four of the thirty-six DOCG wines (Denominazione Origine Controllata e Garantita, the highest classification that a wine can be given). The first which was Bardolino Classico Superiore in 2002, Soave in 2008, Amarone and Recioto della Valpolicella in 2009. 

In many wine cellars dotted throughout Italy there are tours explaining the production process from soil to bottle, concluding the visit with a taste of the final product. Degustazioni di vini (wine tasting), the sensory examination and evaluation of wine, is increasing in popularity for foreigners who are keen to be educated on the qualities, methods and techniques of fine wines. Guests are invited to use their senses, one by one, to understand the wine and to identify it. First the appearance, is it a light straw yellow? Bright ruby red? Rose? In the glass -  is the bouquet intense and fruity? Delicate? Sweet and fresh? On the palate, is it velvety? Harmonic and elegant? Dry? For the finish, is the aftertaste slightly bitter? Creamy? The winery’s guests are tutored on the sensory methods required to appreciate the mixing and combination of flavours. Colours, flavours and aromas which flirt with the senses and are influenced by so many variable factors. One begins to genuinely appreciate the art of winemaking and its complexity. 

During the grape harvest some visitors take pleasure in the possibility of wine pressing. Modern-day methods use machines, but there is the odd winery that will allow visitors to get involved with grape-pressing using the traditional methods. In short trousers guests climb into large wooden containers, so wide that  four adults can comfortably fit inside. During the pressing, the cool grapes burst beneath the feet. The skin and pomace is trapped under the sole as the grape juice rises through the gaps in the toes, a bizarre and unusual sensation. 

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You can't have an Italian wedding without pasta

Cooking classes share centuries-old traditions and methods of the basic staple of any Italian diet ‘una buona pasta’ (a good pasta). Students can experiment with recipes of fresh pasta and fillings such as the Mantovan ‘ravioli di zucca’ (tortellini filled with pumpkin) and gnocchi di ricotta (ricotta dumplings). After, the groups sit down to lunch to sample and savour the morning’s labours, accompanied, of course, by a glass of wine which compliment the delicate aromas and flavours of the ‘primo piatto’ (first course).

Many farms offer accommodation. Bed and breakfast style lodging, in Italian known as agriturismo, give the traveller the opportunity to get close to their food.  The food on offer at these locations is fresh from the land. Cattle, sheep and goats, reared on the farm, produce fresh meat and milk. Fruit and vegetables which are influenced by the seasons are picked the same day they arrive on the lunchtime plate. Simple, fresh flavours and the use of traditional recipes and cooking methods, create an emotion of staying with ‘nonna’ (grandmother). The family hospitality evokes a feeling of being home from home, which makes the inevitable departure from your second family very difficult.

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