Barbera d'Asti Wine Festival was the festival of the territory

Sustainability and the local area were the focus of the Barbera D'Asti Wine Festival, held with the support of the Born Sustainable project and attended by over a thousand visitors.

Beginning Friday the 7th, several meetings were held, including a talk titled "Sorsi di futuro: sostenibilità, giovani e territorio di vino" (Sips of the Future: Sustainability, Young People, and the Wine Territory), moderated by two prestigious figures from La Stampa: Deputy Editor Federico Monga and journalist Rocco Moliterni. The panel also included Filippo Mobrici, Vice President of the Consortium, Michelin-starred chef Antonino Cannavacciuolo, and Stevie Kim, Founder of the Italian Wine Podcast . This dialogue explored the theme of sustainability adapted to new consumption styles, to outline a vision for the future of Italian wine and gastronomy. The meeting offered an opportunity to discuss how the value of sustainability—environmental, economic, and social—is influencing the choices of younger consumers, guiding producers' strategies, and redefining the relationship between quality, ethics, and the pleasure of food and wine.

The festival allowed the public and industry professionals to discover the winemaking soul of the Asti region. In Piazza Alfieri and throughout Asti's historic center, wine was the focus of the event. Here, international visitors, including those from the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States, were able to explore the region's wineries at tasting tables hosted by 34 producers, offering tastings of Barbera and the 13 DOC appellations.

During the same days, experts and enthusiasts were able to delve deeper into the nuances of the denominations protected by the Consortium through four internationally renowned masterclasses . These were led by experts such as Aldo Fiordelli , Veronika Crecelius, Pietro Russo, and Costantino Gabardi , who highlighted the different expressions of two iconic wines of the area: Barbera d'Asti DOCG and Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato DOCG. A highlight of the culinary scene was the cooking demonstration by Chef Renzi of the Michelin-starred restaurant "Le Cattedrali." He wanted to offer a revisited version of Asti cuisine, preparing a slow-cooked cardoncello mushroom flavored with garden herbs, served with horn of plenty mushrooms, toasted black sesame seeds, and seasoned with teriyaki sauce, espelette mushrooms, codium seaweed, toasted shallots, hazelnuts, Voghiera black garlic cream, porcini mushroom hollandaise sauce, and mushroom powder obtained from reusing previous processing.

The focus on young people was also evident in the evening entertainment, during which a cocktail station brought a contemporary and convivial atmosphere to the city center, showcasing the versatility of Monferrato wines, even in mixology.

Over the four days, the Festival offered opportunities for meeting, gastronomic tours, and initiatives spread across the city's iconic locations, during a weekend that transformed Asti into the capital of Barbera d'Asti and Monferrato wines .

" We are very pleased with the turnout this weekend ," emphasizes Vitaliano Maccario, president of the Barbera d'Asti and Vini del Monferrato Consortium . " The enthusiasm and high level of participation from the public confirm how Barbera d'Asti DOCG and our denominations are capable of expressing the region. The Festival represents an important opportunity to showcase not only the quality of our wines, but also the values that underpin them: the work of the winemakers, the protection of the landscape, and the constant pursuit of balance and sustainability. We are convinced that this Festival represents an act of love for the region and those who live there every day, uniting and strengthening our community, projecting Monferrato onto an increasingly international stage."

The event is part of the European campaign "Born Sustainable - Authenticity and Sustainability. Discover the Flavors of Europe's Protected Territories." This campaign unites the Barbera d'Asti and Vini del Monferrato consortia, the Roccaverano DOP cheese consortium, and the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG consortium in a three-year communications project. The goal is to promote and communicate the partners' sustainable practices, highlighting that sustainability isn't just a response to a modern demand for environmental protection, but a characteristic inherent in the very nature of these products.