13 Schools in 6 Italian regions and others abroad, from California to Australia.

Simonit&Sirch Academy is a complex training platform dedicated to vine growing based on a virtual learning environment.

( www.simonitesirchacademy.com ) and on Vine Pruning Schools in the Field . Unique in its kind at an international level , it offers on the platform 4 continuous on-demand courses and 8 webinars recorded in the vineyards on different topics (pruning, tree surgery, leaf wall), and numerous Pruning Schools in presence in various Italian and foreign regions.

The next Level 1 Pruning Schools will start in November.
The package includes 2 online courses , Vine Pruner and Vine Pruner Advanced, and 3 days of practical exercises , which will take place full time from 8.00 to 17.00 between November 2024 and January 2025 for winter pruning and in spring 2025 for shoot selection.

Simonit&Sirch tutors will teach pruning and plant management techniques to safeguard their health and longevity, promote resilience to climate stress, and improve the sustainability of vineyards. The four fundamental principles of Simonit&Sirch Pruning will be explored: respect the lymphatic flow, promote branching and chronological growth of the wood, make small cuts and preserve living wood.

A total of 13 pruning schools will be held in various Italian regions (Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Tuscany, Campania) : those who attend all the lessons and pass a practical exam will be issued a certificate of completion of the course .

Additionally, other pruning schools will be held abroad (a blend of online and in-person training and even in-person only) in California, Oregon, Germany, Spain, Portugal and Australia .

Detailed dates and programs can be found on the website www.simonitesirchacademy.com , where you can already register. The cost is €640. Those who have already attended a School, or already purchased the Vine Pruner and Vine Pruner Advanced courses online, can register for one or more practical sessions at the location of their choice (cost €480).
ITALY
Piedmont – Guyot
November 18-19, 2024
HEADQUARTERS: Braida di Giacomo Bologna – Via Roma 94 – Rocchetta Tanaro (AT)

Veneto – Guyot
November 20-21, 2024
HEADQUARTERS: Allegrini – Calarena – Fumane (VR)

Veneto – Guyot
November 22-23, 2024
HEADQUARTERS: Cecchetto Agricultural Company – Via Largoni 27 – Motta di Livenza (TV)

Tuscany – Guyot
November 26-27, 2024
HEADQUARTERS: Agricola San Felice – Locality San Felice – Castelnuovo Berardenga (SI)

Tuscany – Spurred cordon
November 28-29, 2024
HEADQUARTERS: Agricola San Felice – Locality San Felice – Castelnuovo Berardenga (SI)

Lombardy – Guyot (English)
02-03 December 2024
HEADQUARTERS: Bellavista Company – Via Bellavista 5 – Erbusco (BS)

Lombardy – Spurred cordon (English)
04-05 December 2024
HEADQUARTERS: Bellavista Company – Via Bellavista 5 – Erbusco (BS)

Campania – Guyot
December 16-17, 2024
HEADQUARTERS: Feudi di San Gregorio Agricultural Company – Cerza Grossa Locality – Sorbo Serpico (AV)

Campania – Spurred cordon
December 18-19, 2024
HEADQUARTERS: Feudi di San Gregorio Agricultural Company – Cerza Grossa Locality – Sorbo Serpico (AV)

Lombardy – Guyot
December 16-17, 2024
HEADQUARTERS: Bellavista Company – Via Bellavista 5 – Erbusco (BS)

Lombardy – Spurred cordon
December 18-19, 2024
HEADQUARTERS: Bellavista Company – Via Bellavista 5 – Erbusco (BS)

Friuli Venezia Giulia – Guyot
07-08 January 2025
LOCATION: Vine Lodge Academy – Simonit&Sirch Campus – Via degli Alpini 2 – Capriva del Friuli (GO)

Friuli Venezia Giulia – Spurred cordon
09-10 January 2025
LOCATION: Vine Lodge Academy – Simonit&Sirch Campus Via degli Alpini 2 – Capriva del Friuli (GO)

For registration and information: SIMONIT&SIRCH ACADEMY

www.simonitesirchacademy.com – info@simonitesirchacademy.com

A Caravan of Bagna Cauda from Liguria to Piedmont The Olympic “fujot” lights up in Asti on November 23.

The largest collective bagna cauda in the world is scheduled for the last two weekends of November and from January 29 to February 2, 2025 with the Bagna della Merla. The slogan of Bagna Cauda Day 2024 is: «Esageruma nen: the world belongs to everyone»

Bagna Cauda Day 2024 is enriched with a new event: a caravan of vintage cars that, starting from Liguria and going up the Col di Nava, will arrive in Piedmont to bring – like the three wise men – the “foreign” ingredients of bagna cauda: the new oil of freshly pressed Taggiasca olives and anchovies from the Ligurian Sea. There will also be garlic from Vessalico.

On Saturday 23 November, on the trail of one of the ancient salt routes, a group of vintage cars from the Camea club of Asti , with the support of Asti Energy , will set off from Badalucco, one of the towns in the Argentina Valley, one of the capitals of Ligurian oil, famous for its medieval bridges. From Piazza Marconi to Badalucco, the town of the historic Roi oil mill , the caravan, greeted by the Ligurians after the symbolic delivery of oil, anchovies and garlic, will climb the hairpin bends of Col di Nava, then descend into Piedmont along the Tanaro Valley. Before arriving in Asti, it will pass through Nizza Monferrato to stock up on cardoons, the queen vegetables of every bagna cauda, and Barbera ( Cantina del Nizza ).

The arrival is expected at 5.30 pm in Piazza Libertà in Asti where a large fujot (the typical stove for bagna cauda) has been set up which will be lit like a brazier by Olympic athlete Alice Sotero, the pentathlete who represented Italy twice at the Tokyo and Paris games.

Bagna Cauda Day 2024: from Piedmont to China, from New York to Japan

Bagna Cauda Day is the largest collective and contemporary bagna cauda in the world. It will be celebrated in more than 170 venues including restaurants, historic cellars, and agritourism, with over 48,000 seats available at the table. The initiative is promoted for the twelfth year by the Astigiani Cultural Association, which allocates its profits to concrete solidarity actions. This year with a new feature: no longer two, but three weekends: November 22, 23, 24 and November 29-30 and December 1, to which the Bagna della Merla is added January 29-30-31 and February 1-2, 2025.

The event, which is widespread throughout Piedmont, Valle d’Aosta and Liguria, also has significant presences abroad. In China, the Piedmontese who work in Shanghai and Wuhan will celebrate Bagna Cauda Day, and Bagna Cauda Day will also be celebrated in Japan , New York , London and other European capitals: Madrid, Budapest and Bratislava .

The bagna cauda

It is a traditional and convivial dish spread throughout the world wherever there are Piedmontese. A hot sauce of oil, anchovies and garlic that welcomes all types of vegetables from the garden, “dipped” in fujot and accompanied by bread and wine. There are cardoons, but also cabbages, turnips, red biarava, boiled potatoes and onions, leeks and Jerusalem artichokes etc. Bagna Cauda has accompanied the winters of dozens of generations of farmers. It is an ancient ritual that has become current again with the addition of an ingredient: irony.

Which venues are participating and why you need to follow the traffic lights

To find out which venues are participating in the original formula, simply go to the website: www.bagnacaudaday.it and scroll through the lists, divided by geographical area: Asti, Monferrato, Langhe, Torinese, Alto Piemonte and more. For each venue, a card is published with the number of places available, telephone and email to book.

You have to follow the traffic lights that indicate the type of bagna cauda offered: red for the classic version “as God commands”, yellow for the “heretical” one with diluted garlic and green for the “atheist” bagna without garlic. There is also the possibility of having the bagna cauda at home, ready with all the right vegetables from the places that offer the “Sporta a ca’” version.

Bagnacaudisti will be able to express their appreciation for the welcome and conviviality received.

How much does it cost to participate?

The reference price of Bagna Cauda in all establishments will be 30 euros, without the addition of a cover charge. Some establishments will also include appetizers and other delicacies in this price. Also planned are the Bagna sovrana version and the Finale in gloria with truffle. The wine is offered at the price of 15 euros per bottle. The Bagna Cauda Day sees the alliance of four important wineries from Asti, leaders of Barbera: Bava di Cocconato, Braida di Rocchetta Tanaro, Cascina Castlèt di Costigliole d’Asti and Coppo di Canelli.

Masi, a company listed on Euronext Growth Milan and leader in the production of Amarone della Valpolicella, on the launch of the 1999 vintage of Vajo dei Masi, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOC.

Masi , leader in the production of Amarone della Valpolicella, is proud to present Vajo dei Masi, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOC, 1999 vintage , one of the best in recent decades. Vajo dei Masi, a prized cru that has its roots in the history and excellence of Valpolicella Classica, is the legendary land planted with vineyards by the Boscaini family in 1772; it has given its name to a historic farm, an internationally renowned brand and the current Masi Agricola company. In 1997, 2,500 magnums were produced from its grapes, destined to celebrate the family’s 250th harvest in 2022.

After the success of the 1997 vintage, the 1999 is now being offered, also the result of an original production method designed to preserve its freshness over the years . Carefully selected Corvina, Rondinella, Corvinone and Molinara are dried on bamboo racks until the beginning of the following February. Then comes the pressing and fermentation in steel. Then, maturation in new 600-litre French oak barrels, from 6 June 2000 to 15 October 2003. But the real secret of this Amarone lies in the conservation technique that has “stopped time” : after ageing in wood, in fact, the wine is kept in steel containers saturated with nitrogen until bottling in January 2024. Today the wine guarantees a unique and surprising vitality to the taste after a quarter of a century.

Sandro Boscaini, President of Masi and known as “Mister Amarone” states: “My intention and that of our Technical Group in creating Vajo dei Masi is to propose a further new authentic Amarone, a rare and extremely valuable pearl in addition to the range of crus and great reserves for which Masi is recognized throughout the world. A wine that embodies the spirit of Valpolicella Classica, celebrating the harmonious union between tradition, passion and innovation. With this wine, Masi continues to write the history of Amarone and confirms its constant commitment to creating bottles of the highest quality”.

The 1999 is produced in numbered bottles: 1600 of 750ml and 200 magnums.

In the guide edited by Luciano Ferraro with James Suckling for Corriere della Sera, among “The best 100 wines and winemakers in Italy” and for “FOOD&WINE” among the 50 top wineries in Italy.

Gradis’ciutta, a symbolic winery of the Collio owned by Robert Princic, is proud to announce its inclusion in the prestigious guide “The best 100 wines and winemakers of Italy” of the Corriere della Sera , now in its eleventh edition and presented in Milan on Friday 25 October. ” Being included in this guide is a great honor for us ,” explains Robert Princic . ” It represents a confirmation of our commitment to respectful viticulture, where nature and man find a balance in the name of maximum quality. We cultivate our vineyards with extreme care and respect, certain that every glass must tell the most authentic and sincere face of the Collio .” The 2025 edition is signed by Luciano Ferraro , deputy director of the newspaper, and by James Suckling , internationally renowned wine critic and founder of the site that bears his name. This recognition celebrates the commitment of Robert Princic and his family in producing wines that embody respect for the Collio territory, where organic viticulture is more than a choice: it is a commitment that transforms each vineyard into an ecosystem of life and harmony. This dedication to the environment and quality has also led Gradis’ciutta to be included among the 50 best Italian wineries selected by the FOOD&WINE magazine. This prestigious selection celebrates Italian companies that stand out for innovation, sustainability and the ability to enhance the wine tourism experience and exports. An award that consolidates Gradis’ciutta as an ambassador of the Collio and Italian excellence. Located in a privileged area for its microclimate and “ ponca ” soils, Gradis’ciutta has its roots in the village from which it takes its name, the historical legacy of a family of winemakers who in 1997 saw the entry into the company of their son Robert. He has been able to combine tradition and modernity with bold choices : in 2005 he built a new cellar and, with careful conversion work, made the company completely organic in 2018. For Robert Princic, the vineyard is life, and his attention has led to meticulous and scientific viticulture, capable of addressing climate change and preserving biodiversity. In fact, for a few years now, Gradis’ciutta has begun collaborating with Vite Nova for the Diversity Ark certification and for a real paradigm shift in the vineyard. Starting in 2020, Gradis’ciutta has undertaken the certification process that today represents a real revolution in the agricultural sector. Diversity Ark, in fact, approaches agriculture with a new philosophy of thought, proposing a holistic vision that aims to protect the biodiversity present in the field at 360°.