“I Vini del Centenario” - the project created by the Verona Arena Foundation, the Sartori Wine Company and the four Veronese Wine Producers’ Consortia of Bardolino, Custoza, Soave and Valpolicella to contribute towards spreading appreciation of Italian opera around the world - have crossed the borders of Italy and come to Hong Kong. The initiative was officially launched on 1st June on the occasion of “Arena di Verona 2013 – the show is about to begin”, the opening event of the celebrations for the Arena’s Centenary. Now the “I Vini del Centenario” has arrived in Hong Kong, thanks to the efforts of the Sartori Wine Company, the Domani Restaurant and the Verona Arena Foundation. The event took place on 18th October at the Domani Restaurant in Hong Kong: pride of place will be given to the large-size bottles signed by some important artists and well-known celebrities in the worlds of opera, sport, culture, food and wine and other sectors. The proceeds of the evening have being donated to Emergency.
This event has therefore given an international debut to the three wines that are made from the grapes of the 4,900 vine growers of the four Veronese denominations (Bardolino, Custoza, Soave and Valpolicella). From these – with the purpose of supporting Italian opera – lots have been selected and blended to create two special bottlings, the white Garganega Verona IGT (Typical Geographical Indication) and the red Corvina Verona IGT, accompanied by the Amarone Classico della Valpolicella 2009 from Sartori. The man who created the blends and put his name to the wines is internationally famous oenologist Franco Bernabei, one of the best-known winemakers in Italy. The bottles thus produced have been rendered unique by their three labels, inspired by the most famous posters of the last century, starting off with that of 1913, when the Arena hosted an opera for the first time with the première of Aida. These are real collectors’ pieces, therefore, the revenue from which will be donated in part to the Arena Foundation for the promotion and dissemination of music and opera around the world.
