Verona Wine Top 2014

 picture: Verona Wine Top

A Spring Monday evening in Amsterdam. The temperatures on the rise.  Through the luscious green streets of the Amsterdam South quarter I pedaled my way to the emblematic Hilton hotel. To visit the Verona Wine Top 2014. http://www.veronawinetop.it
The Amsterdam edition of this DOC and DOCG wine event was organized by the Chamber of Commerce of Verona and the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Amsterdam.
The Italian ambassador opened the evening with a short word. He was glad that Verona Wine Top 2014 finally  had come to Amsterdam to conquer The Netherlands.
The showcase of 13 selected winegrowers from the province of Verona had brought their beautiful wines. Whites, rose’s, reds and sparkling ones. Wines to be tasted and enjoyed after a presentation held by a spokesman of the Chamber of Commerce of Verona. Wine is growing and taking the third place in the export figures of this region. After clothing and shoes, wine is a new asset  for export. The Verona area is the biggest wine exporting province of Italy. And the Netherlands stands on the 10th place as an importer. Who would have thought of that fact?
After the presentation a wonderful buffet was served, with polenta an local cheeses as antipasto, a primo consisting of risotto with red Amarone and a classic pastissada stew. All paired with wonderful wines like a white Lugana, rosato from Bardolino and red like Ripasso made of the corvina veronese grape varietal. A red wine that reminded me of my first wine tasting lessons.
As a former wine importer and current culinary and wine writer I would like to know the produce of these winegrowers. My intention is to incorporate their wines this summer in my series Gereons Keuken al fresco on this blog. One of my readers, she lives in Verona actually, suggested grilled polenta on my outside bbq. I already have a white wine in mind. Will it be the Lugana?