The journalist Dirk Rodriguez, news editor of the prestigious Vinomagazine, led a seminar on Piedmontese wine, together with the oenologist Mauro Daniele, during the Barolo & Friends Event in Brussels the last 13th november.

At the end of the meeting Dirk answered a few questions, telling us about his relationship with Italian and Piedmontese wines.

The Barolo & Friends Event held in Brussels on 13th November had – among the “local” protagonists – the journalist Dirk Rodriguez, news editor of the prestigious Vinomagazine, the most read wine magazine in Belgium.

During the Barolo & Friends Event in Brussels, Dirk was the host of the seminar on Piedmontese wine led together with the oenologist from Langhe Mauro Daniele where, in front of 75 participants, they described the DOCG sparkling wines Alta Langa Metodo Classico, Gavi, Dogliani and Barolo. After the seminar, Dirk answered a few questions, telling us about his relationship with Italian wines.

“For me, they are some of the most interesting wines: you can feel the strong connection with the local gastronomy and for us, in Belgium, the association between wine and food is becoming more and more important. This is because here, the consumption of wine is always related to the meal: at home or at the restaurant but always on the table not during happy hours or for other occasions. So, Piedmont, for us, represents a set of traditional tastes and flavours, like, for instance, the truffle one…”.

Are there differences in the preferences and consumption, between one area or another in Belgium?

“Let’s say that in the northern part, the local cuisine is more fish oriented, so white wines are more popular than in the southern part of the country. We also have to admit that the best restaurants are in the Flemish area: two out of three restaurants that were awarded Michelin stars are in Bruges and one is even more east, near the North Sea.

Which wine producing countries are more prominent in Belgium?

“Italy is always in the top 3: the wines of France, Italy and Spain are the most requested. To those we have to add the Chilean wines, which meet the taste of the Belgian people. But the wines of your countries have an advantage because, as we said, the attention for matching wine/food is growing, and the Italian cuisine…”.

And for what concerns Piedmontese wines?

“Year after year, I see that the quality continues to grow. This is also related to the new DOC labels: it is possible to notice the difference deriving from minimal production or the thinning out of the bunches of grapes. Furthermore, I’d say that the climate changes we have been experiencing in recent years favour specifically the characteristics of Piedmontese wines”.