Highlights: the gala dinner on the balcony of the Medici Villa on July 13th and the new Cerreto Street Wine on July 14th, with wine tasting and quality street food
The countdown has begun for the long-awaited appointment with the excellent wine from Cerreto Guidi and – starting this year – from the Municipalities of Empoli Valdelsa. The 46th edition of the Medicea Wine Festival will take place from July 12th to the 21st, 2019, doubling the number of events and attractions that will take place over two weekends.
The series of events, organized by the Municipality and the Associazione Turistica Pro Loco di Cerreto, aims at promoting and enhancing the wine production of the surrounding territory by building unique tasting moments and experiences around Bacchus’ nectar.
The highlights of this series of events will be those of Saturday 13 July, with the Gala Dinner “Rubini in Villa”, which will take place in the evocative setting of the garden in front of the Medici Villa, and on Sunday 14 July, with the first edition of “Cerreto Street Wine” Festival, which will take place in the Vittorio Emanuele Square below, at the bottom of the magnificent Buontalenti’s stairs.
The Gala Dinner will take place in a wonderful location, which will be the setting for a unique and unforgettable experience. Once up the ancient Buontalenti’s staircase, people will be able to immerse themselves in a magical atmosphere, to which the ancient Villa, built by Cosimo I of the Medici family, will act as background. At the banquet, wine and good food will reign supreme; all this will be accompanied by live music, the starry sky and a breathtaking view.
During this evening, the winning wines of the “Rubino Mediceo” Competition will be tasted and rewarded. This year will be the Sixth Edition, with the participation of 22 wine producers for a total of 79 wines in the competition. The Empoli Delegation FISAR (Italian Sommelier Federation) will be the special partner of the Competition and of the evening. For each category of the Competition (Whites, Rose’, Reds, Chianti, Dessert Wines) it will be possible to taste the “winning wines”; the ones according to the evaluation of the technical jury and the ones according to the votes expressed by the popular jury, for a total of 10 labels.
Sunday, July 14th the wine will invade the heart of the Medici village with the first edition of Cerreto Street Wine. A small itinerary will be set up for the town center to enhance the wine production of our territory. The 20 wineries that will participate will be at a specific station, in order to make themselves known and to have all the enthusiasts taste their labels; the glasses for the tastings will be made available with shoulder bags and tokens to be presented at the tasting stations. To allow an all-round “tour of flavor”, this edition has chosen to combine wine with a selection of quality street food. Everything will be accompanied by pleasant live music.
Other events and side events revolve around the central moments of the exhibition dedicated to wine. Friday 12 July will take place a classical music concert dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci, brought by the Chiavi di Vino Association, organized by Galileo Comunicazione per la Fondazione Leonardo 500. On Saturday July 20th, the traditional Chinese music concert will be staged, brought by the Parish of San Leonardo. Both shows will start at 21.00 and will take place in the Vittorio Emanuele II Square, with the Villa Medicea as backdrop.
Saturday July 20th and Sunday July 21st will return the traditional appointment with the exhibition of vintage tractors, now on its 23rd edition, organized by GACEB. This year the Bianchina Club will accompany the tractors. On Sunday July 21st, Sapori d’Estate‘s art and talent market will be held in the downtown streets.
The grand finale of this series will be Sunday July 21st, with the fifth edition of the “Mestolo d’Oro”, an exciting challenge between the four Districts of the Palio del Cerro that, on this occasion, will not face the tug of war or the crossbow, but they will compete with pots and ladles. The most exquisite dish will be voted by a technical jury composed of 2 sous-chefs and a popular jury made up of the participants of this original itinerant gastronomic journey. Tasting glasses, stands with local wines and live music will enhance the evening. At the end of the meal the participants will decide the winner of the Gold ladle.
For info and reservations: info@prolococerretoguidi.it Ufficio Turistico 0571.55671 (Tuesday-Sunday 9,00-12,00 and 16,00-19,00) – 340.5102616 – 335.7426475