Radici Virtuose year II, falling in love with Salento

Radici Virtuose (Virtuous Roots), funded by Mipaaf (Italian Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry), is aimed at the regeneration of territories affected by "Xylella fastidiosa." It is a multi-year programme where Gambero Rosso supports four Consortia for the promotion of the splendid Puglia and Salento lands. Among the many activities planned by the project, both in Italy and abroad, an increasingly important event is emerging, where the world of Salento wine meets the international press.

Last year, eight journalists from around the world spent several days exploring Manduria, Brindisi, and Salice. This year, the group of invitees expanded to nine, including journalists from South Korea, Mexico, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, Kenya, China, Japan, and finally the United States of America.

Radici Virtuose

Radici Virtuose is a programme started by the Jonico Salentino Agri-Food District (Dajs) and funded by the Ministry of Agriculture in support of the Consortia for the protection of Primitivo di Manduria DOP wines, Salice Salentino DOP, Brindisi DOP, and Puglia IGP Olive Oil.

The Puglia landscape has been changing in recent years. The green sea of ancient olive groves, the pride of Salento along with its great wines, is suffering due to an untamed bacterium, Xylella fastidiosa, carried by an insect, the meadow spittlebug. Within a few years, hundreds of thousands of plants have withered, and while science explores remedies for the Rapid Olive Decline Complex, the plague advances. However, Puglia agriculture has found the strength to react.

Hundreds of companies between Lecce, Brindisi, and Taranto are betting on innovation and diversification from the olive groves affected by Xylella. Investments in the sectors of horticulture, viticulture, animal husbandry, and grain farming are changing the face, but not the essence, of this land. Simultaneously, an international promotion plan has started, with Gambero Rosso at the forefront, telling its readers worldwide about the uniqueness and excellence of Salento. Meanwhile, new olive groves resistant to Xylella are reappearing, though it will take years to leave all this behind, a new era has already begun.

Falling in love with Salento

Take nine journalists from around the world (who are passionate about wine) and bring them to Salento for a 5-day tour among wineries, typical restaurants, and artistic beauties. You will have created nine ambassadors of a magical land that they will always hold dear in their hearts and share with the world.

That's what happened with Jay, Pilar, Gail, Petra, Roland, Victoria, Johnny, Goto, and Ellen, who gathered in Puglia from the four corners of the globe with Gambero Rosso for the second edition of Virtuous Roots. They visited the territories of Primitivo di Manduria, Brindisi, and Salice Salentino.

"During the welcome dinner on October 8th, a special atmosphere was created – stated Victoria Mulu-Munywoki, the most well-known Kenyan wine expert – we were all wine professionals, but after the first glass, a sense of camaraderie emerged, which accompanied us throughout our stay in Salento and beyond... We became nine friends who lived an unforgettable experience, filled with meetings, tastings, memorable lunches, and dinners. A beautiful country that we will continue to tell the world about when we return home!"

The schedule was demanding, but the desire to meet people, see, and taste the beauties of this land was strong. During those days, hundreds of videos were posted describing "the magic of Salento," and we, the Gambero Rosso team, were extremely pleased to have organised such a challenging event that ultimately translated into a unique experience for the participants. And the ripple effect of this tour has not yet subsided... Every week, articles, posts, and videos continue to be released on various social media platforms. With Puglia in our hearts...

In light of the success of the previous edition, Radici Virtuose has become an important event for Salento oenology and international press. For five days, from October 8th to 13th, the guests could visit a series of important wine-producing entities of the three Consortia, explore the territory, delve into its history, appreciate its artistic and landscape heritage, meet the protagonists, and, last but not least, savour the specialties of the regional cuisine. The program was quite demanding but truly fascinating.

Terroirs and grape varieties of the three denominations were illustrated through a series of visits to companies, vineyards, and guided tastings. In essence, Gambero Rosso takes the lead in telling its readers worldwide about the uniqueness and excellences of Salento, the "peninsula within the peninsula." There were continuous meetings, lunches, and dinners with the protagonists of the Puglia food and wine scene, from small gem-like wineries to the most modern cooperative structures, from typical restaurants to cellar dinners, without forgetting the "fine dining." And all this through the tasting of the best Brindisi, Salice Salentino, and Primitivo di Manduria wines and the sampling of creative recipes and traditions based on the typical products of this magical territory.

"It was my first time in Puglia," commented Jae "Jay" Hyoung Lee from Seoul, a wine expert, journalist, and successful YouTuber in South Korea, Japan (where he collaborates with Goto Shigenobu, a journalist and blogger from Tokyo, also part of the tour), and the USA. Also, an extraordinary polyglot who was, in a way, the glue of the group. "The territory is beautiful, but above all, I discovered a series of great wines and visited prestigious wineries with their protagonists. An inspiration for a thousand stories... And then, the Salento cuisine, a real discovery..."

"Puglia is a fantastic wine region, and its reputation on the international scene is rapidly growing," says Gail Nugent, a journalist from Vancouver, the author of the Vitis website and a columnist for numerous magazines, as well as an oenological consultant and buyer for the catering industry. "More and more wineries produce high-profile wines from high-quality grapes from their vineyards. It was fascinating to visit these three Salento denominations, where autochthonous grape varieties like Primitivo, Negroamaro, and Susumaniello, to name just three, are bringing Southern Puglia into the international spotlight."

"It was an engaging tour," adds Petra Hammerstein from Munich, owner of a renowned enogastronomic bookstore, an artist, author of enogastronomy books, and a widely followed blogger. "I believe the most interesting thing, with a glass in hand, was witnessing the growth of these territories. We visited state-of-the-art cooperative wineries, highly profiled traditional and traditionalist producers, young and ambitious realities with absolutely top-notch productions, a fascinating mix that reflects the territory and these extraordinary denominations. Great wines that wonderfully complement the flavours of Salento cuisine, another great discovery. Thank you, Gambero Rosso. Physically demanding tour, but unforgettable scents, scenarios, and flavours..."

"Many great reds, rosés, and even fascinating whites," adds Pilar Meré, a chef, sommelier, and highly followed wine and lifestyle communicator from Mexico City. "Excellent wines to accompany holiday menus, from Primitivo di Manduria (from which Zinfandel, very popular in Mexico, derives) to Susumaniello from the Brindisi Doc (a real discovery) to the classic and full-bodied Salice Salentino. An unforgettable journey filled with encounters with high-profile producers... And then, Salento. A magical place for a dream vacation, with baroque art, archaeological sites, splendid farmhouses, the sea, the vineyards... What can I say? I will return for a vacation!"

Many other initiatives, both domestically and internationally, will follow in the coming months on Gambero Rosso media and during international events organised by Gambero Rosso worldwide.

"I want to thank Gambero Rosso on behalf of our three Consortia. Once again this year, it brought our wines and our territory into the international spotlight," concludes Damiano Reale, president of the Consorzio del Salice Salentino. "Our wines and the Salento territory are appreciated worldwide, but initiatives like these, which bring wine, travel, and lifestyle communicators to “experience firsthand” and savour our beauties, are fundamental. Those who come to Salento become our ambassadors forever!”