Matteo Finezzo from Verona is the best vine pruner in Italy . He is the winner of the 2nd Italian Pruner Festival , the contest conceived and organized by Simonit&Sirch Vine Master Pruners which saw around a hundred competitors competing in the vineyards of Agricola San Felice di Castelnuovo Berardenga in the Chianti Classico. The best team was the Largoni Boys, namely Marco Cecchetto, Nikolas Marson, Marco Gregoris of Az. Giorgio Cecchetto from Motta di Livenza. In the single race, Matteo Vecchia from Bologna came in second place and Umberto Capraro from Valdobbiadene came in third. In the team rankings, Giacomo Frizzera, Federico Huez and Radoslav Radosevic from Cantine Ferrari in Trento came in second place and Emanuele Guolo, Michele Martinazzo and Giovanni Perin from Tenuta Castaldo in Cornuda (TV) came in third. Yes, an exciting race was held and played on a razor's edge, in which the competitors challenged themselves with skill and passion. Judging them was the jury composed of Marco Simonit, Pierpaolo Sirch, the S&S Vine Master Pruners technicians and the international judges Rodrigo Soto (Az. Quintessa in California), Anna Jorgensen (Az. Cortes de Cima in Portugal), Matt Strugnell (
The day was an occasion of great celebration , which brought not only pruners and workers to the rows of Agricola San Felice and its ancient village, but also people who love nature and are interested in "know-how" in the countryside, greenery enthusiasts, families. Giving rhythm and voice to the event were Francesco Quarna , DJ and winemaker, voice of Radio DEEJAY, passionate about viticulture and food and wine, and Andrea Amadei , Sommelier and Gastronomer, radio and television author, voice for Decanter Rai Radio2 and face of “E' semper Mezzogiorno” Rai 1. To give everyone a deep emotion, the voice and guitar of the singer-songwriter Omar Pedrini who closed the Festival with some of his intense songs.
If the highlight of the Festival was the hard-fought and exciting competition between vine pruners, the public was then entertained by various highly appreciated performers, such as Da Move with an adrenaline-filled display of freestyle and acrodunking basketball, the Lumberjack Athletes with their spectacular cutting demonstrations with axe, saw and chainsaw, Lorenzo Guslandi , multiple world champion in inline skating. The Scissors Atelier held by Felco (technical partner of the event together with AVG Verdicchio Group ) and the stand of the Main Sponsor FINE RARE of London, which since 1994 has been a leader in the purchase, sale and management of cellars, aroused great interest. private , allowing the global public of collectors to have access to the most valuable products. Among the various moments that marked the day, the tasting of Chianti Classico ; the short tours to admire the Chianti hills from above on the helicopter of record mountaineer Simone Moro ; the activities for the children, who planted cuttings, marking them with their names and thus creating a symbolic vineyard of good omen for the future; the Walk between History, wine and nature with the hiking associations Camminando a Quercegrossa and Gruppo Escursionisti Berardenga in which over 120 people took part.
The Festival, which has had the patronage of the Chianti Classico Consortium, the Municipality of Castelnuovo Berardenga and the ASA Italian Agri-food Press Association, is scheduled for its third edition, which will be held in 2025 in the renowned Ribera del Duero wine-growing region in Spain, with a European connotation .
