Some reviews from outside Italy

Serge the Concierge
Stories of Heretics in Italy of Warehouses, Langhe Doc Film by Paolo Casalis
A portrait of the changing Italian food (and wine) landscape, documentary Langhe Doc by Paolo Casalis makes its case through the voices of traditionalists and misfits.
In traditionalists corner, Maria Teresa Mascarello (and her father Bartolo Mascarello who died in 2005) who continues to produce wine in the Cellar of Barolo, "As my father did, and my grandfather"...
The misfits: Mauro Musso whoworked in a big supermarket, until he unexpectedly dismissed.
"First as a joke and for a few friends, then always more seriously, Mauro has begun to make homemade "tajarin", the traditional pasta of Langhe. Today his "House of Tajarin" of which he is the owner and sole employee, produces several types of pasta, containing ingredients of the highest possible quality."












Wijn Blog
SNee, ik heb niet de Franse streek Languedoc verkeerd geschreven. Dit keer gaat het over de wijnstreek Langhe, een gebied in het noorden van Piemonte, in bella Italia.
Paolo Casalis heeft een documentaire gemaakt over drie voedselproducenten die van hun streek houden en hem proberen te behouden. Over Maria Teresa, dochter van de beroemde Barolo wijnmaker Bartolo Mascarello wordt verteld dat zij vroeger nog geen druppel wijn wilde proeven, inmiddels voert ze de leiding over het erfgoed van haar vader.
Mooie beelden en mooie verhalen, maar oordeel zelf…
Klik hier voor de trailer die komt van de website van https://www.produzionifuorifuoco.it/langhedoc/

Kinookus Festival - Split - Croatia
Three stories from Langhe, a magical and unique region, one of the most beautiful in Italy, which is set to join the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites. Three characters - three food manufacturers - who think and work a little differently.

Urbanization, saturated construction and accelerated development threaten to change the whole character of the region and turn it into a land of warehouses. The three protagonists refuse to accept this decree of change and, each in their own way, set out to save the Langhe that they so dearly love.

Langhe doc – Prièe o hereticima u Italiji skladišta
Italija, 2011., dokumentarni, 52', col.
Režija: Paolo Casalis
Tri prièe iz Langa, èarobne i jedinstvene regije, jedne od najljepših u Italiji koja æe uskoro biti na UNESCO-voj listi
Svjetske kulturne baštine. Tri lika – tri proizvoðaèa hrane – koji razmišljaju i rade na nešto drukèijii naèin.

On tradition, knowledge & quality – ewbc 2011
Yesterday I watched the film langhe doc – an interesting documentary on the wine and food industry in Italy by Paolo Casalis, he was one of the keynote speakers at the European wine bloggers confreence this year. Though the theme of the film is wine and food it really deals more with issues on transitions, on how the world is ever changing and that that change is not always good or beneficial to all. It deals with the value of tradition, culture and the world we live in, and on the world we want to live in and leave to our children. It's really a documentary about choices of lifestyles. In the film three people that think outside the box, perhaps looking to the past but also towards the future, get to tell their stories - stories of a possible future they don't care for, and future they don't want and how they try to change that. The story is a story of defiance towards the way the world currently evolves. Are they right? Although I may not agree with all that the people in the film are saying there is much I agree with and the film is thought provoking and puts a finger on several problems.
The film took me back to Italy, to Franciacorta and Chianti Classico. At both locations there are wineries that are more industrial or commercial in their approach as well as wineries with more personality and uniqueness. The film in combination with the impressions I got in Italy made me think about how I want my wine, what am I looking for when I buy wine, what makes me tick and write about a wine or a winery? What wines are available now and what wines are available in the future?The film begins with the words of Giorio Bocca … no one is worried about saving the earth… we should learn to do things in miniature…I think this is a central point to many of us who loves good wine, what makes a wine interesting, what is quality, what makes a wine pop. For me winemaking is something of an art, it's a combination of craftsmanship, skills and personality. The wine reflects the producer as well as the area the vines have been growing in; it mirrors the love, devotion and effort put into it. I believe quality is easier to find in a wine made at a family winery or a smaller winery, based on history, tradition and skill rather than in a big cooperation winery (though on occasion I find them good as well). I get the feeling that the retail industry somehow is going astray from this – big buyers such as the Swedish monopoly Systembolaget wants wines that they know will be available for a long time, up to 12 months and in as many stores as possible. My guess is that it's the same more or less the same all over – big chains wants cheap wine and products that have an instant recognition – e.g. a type of Coca Cola wine; easy to recognize, easy to drink, easy to sell. In the end this is a threat to the wine industry as an entity. This is true regarding food as well. All this is contrary to my wants. In the end the big chain thinking might be the death of the family based/small wineries as that is not in demand at retailers – for the big names this not a problem, there is always a place for a 50+ Euro wine with a name. And in that case small numbers isn't a problem it's somewhat of a prerequisite to be exclusive and therefore expensive. This will in the end create a wine market that is less vital and therefore less interesting, where you on one hand have lots of cheap industrial wines, for example a lot the BiB wines like in Sweden – where there are many wines to choose from but all seem to taste the same, and on the other hand a few very expensive and exclusive wines for those who can afford them. The ones in the middle might be lost or marginalized, the wines from small producers, from original producers that can't meet the demand of quantity – for Sweden internet retailers offers a solution and in many other countries independent wine shops do the same.
On my horizon there are several positive spots, an interest for organic wines, for sustainability, for local production, for quality food, for good animal care etc. I hope for a market where small wine producer has his or her place. Where they are the norm and people looks for originality, terroir, quality and traditional craftsmanship rather than cheap prices and the most amount of alcohol per Krona/Euro or Dollar. Where quality is the main focus rather than cheap thrills, where the story behind a wine wins over an advert campaign. Here I believe bloggers, journalist and writers has a big roll to fill, to present wine in a way that the ordinary customer gets curious rather than lazy and where we put quality before price. With this said – I'm not anti-development, lots of modern-style wines are fantastic, and there are several big wineries that produce high quality wine with personality and unique qualities. New methods and new thinking must be a part of the wine making process just as all other business but preferably based in traditions and craftsmanship with an aim of improving the product rather than as a means to cut costs and win big contracts.
While visiting Chianti Classico on the ewbc post trip we visited different types of winemakers, for example Barone Ricasoli of Castello di Brolio, a big producer with modern facilities and big vineyards. The wines are in many ways fantastic – stringent, elegant and big – lots of flavour and terrior but when compared with wines with a more personal touch I feel that they diminish somewhat. The difference is in individuality and personality, not quality or taste, and in this case certainly not history – Castello di Brolio is where the Chianti Classico recipe was made.
The person behind a wine can in many ways be as important as the soils, the hills, the technique and so forth. The philosophy of the winemaker shines through, it's not necessarily a better wine but in the end a more interesting one.The last visit of the post trip was at the Caparsa estate. The estate is run by fellow wine blogger Paolo Cianferoni, a man with a philosophy regarding his wines and the way he produces it, a love for his winery, for nature and for the tradition of which he is part of. This in itself does not create a good wine but it give a good base for a creating a great wine.


Doc Aviv (Tel Aviv Documentary Festival)
Three stories from Langhe, a magical and unique region, one of the most beautiful in Italy, which is set to join the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites. Three characters - three food manufacturers - who think and work a little differently. Urbanization, saturated construction and accelerated development threaten to change the whole character of the region and turn it into a land of warehouses. The three protagonists refuse to accept this decree of change and, each in their own way, set out to save the Langhe they so dearly love.

לאנגה – הכופרים מארץ המחסנים

איטליה 2011, 52 דקות, איטלקית ואנגלית, תרגום לאנגלית ולעברית

שלושה סיפורים מלאנגה - חבל ארץ קסום וייחודי, בין היפים באיטליה, שמועמד להצטרף לרשימת אתרי
המורשת של אונסקו. שלוש דמויות, שלושה יצרני מזון שפועלים וחושבים בדרך קצת אחרת. אורבניזציה,
בנייה רוויה ופיתוח מואץ מאיימים לשנות את אופי החבל ולהפוך אותו לאזור של מחסנים. שלושת גיבורי הסרט
מסרבים לקבל את גזירת השינוי ופועלים כל אחד בדרכו, בכדי להציל את לאנגה שהם כה אוהבים.

מה אנחנו אוכלים?
תנועת Slow Food בשיתוף עם סינמטק תל אביב פוצחת בסדרת אירועים שכותרתם "מה אנחנו אוכלים?".
במהלך ארבעה אירועים שיעסקו בגבינות, דגים, בשר ועופות, פירות וירקות, בהשתתפות מיטב המומחים,
ריסוס והנדסה גנטית וכן שאלות על יבוא בשר וגידול מקומי.
האירוע הראשון מתוך ארבעה יעסוק במוצרי חלב וגבינות. מהי כמות החלב המיוצרת בישראל, האמרת המחירים של הגבינות בשנים האחרונות וההתעוררות החברתית וכן שאלות בנוגע למכסות החלב והסוגיות הבריאותיות שעלו לסדר היום בזמן האחרון.
בפאנל ישתתפו ויענו על שאלות מהקהל:
שייקה דרורי, מנכ"ל מועצת החלב
שי זלצר, ותיק הגבנים בארץ, הר איתן (סטף)
צבי מאיר, מנכ"ל גבינות בית יצחק (יוגורמה)
דני ברזילי, מחלבת הנוקד
רן בוק, מומחה לגבינות, כותב הספר "גבינות"
כל אירוע יתחיל בפאנל שלאחריו יוקרן סרט.
בפתיחת כל אירוע יתקיימו טעימות ממיטב התוצרת של המשתתפים בפאנל.
ינחה ויאצור את האירועים רפרם חדד, מתאם תנועת Slow Food בישראל
יוקרן הסרט:
לאנגה – הכופרים מארץ המחסנים
בימוי: פאולו קסליס
Dir: Paolo Casalis
שלושה סיפורים מלאנגה - חבל ארץ קסום וייחודי, בין היפים באיטליה, שמועמד להצטרף לרשימת אתרי המורשת של אונסקו. שלוש דמויות, שלושה יצרני מזון שפועלים וחושבים בדרך קצת אחרת. אורבניזציה, בנייה רוויה ופיתוח מואץ מאיימים לשנות את אופי החבל ולהפוך אותו לאזור של מחסנים. שלושת גיבורי הסרט
מסרבים לקבל את גזירת השינוי ופועלים כל אחד בדרכו, בכדי להציל את לאנגה שהם כה אוהבים.






Langhe Doc
Una produzione Stuffilm Creativeye / A Stuffilm Creativeye production
Distribuito da Produzioni Fuorifuoco
www.produzionifuorifuoco.it - info@produzionifuorifuoco.it