 This book brings together the history or better the tales of
a group of prominent wine producers from the Piedmont Region who
are united by a common charity project called Insieme (Together). They
are all well known names among wine connoisseurs who appreciate
the quality their production has reached and by me personally, who
followed, supported and in some cases shared their national and
international acclaim. I can remember the start-up of some of the
protagonists of this book very well: I especially remember my first
meeting with Elio Altare in the mid 1980s.
They were difficult times in the Alba hills region. The mood varied
between a sense of defeat and on the other hand the will to fight
back. The methanol affair raised alarming issues about the future
of that narrow self-contained microcosm and the memory of dire poverty
was still very vivid. Elio and I discussed the matter at length and
came to the conclusion that it was high time for change and that the
system had to be re-founded on new, modern lines based on the potential
of this proud and generous land. This re-birth is still with us now:
in the book these days have different faces and different dates but
they are all based on the same spirit of dedication and sacrifice,
a dynamic and smart spirit, a gamble and loads of courage. Each protagonist
played his part, our paths - initially as Arcigola later
as Slow Food - came together close by those vineyards which
now ring with new life and new conviction. From the Annunziata village
near La Morra, where most of the Insieme wine producers live,
to the hills of Monforte and Dogliani and as far as Castiglione Tinella:
the eight protagonists of this exciting and selfless production project
are today a symbol of a new approach to farming: they are striving
to meet the needs of a new global market on the one hand but on the
other they are working to consolidate cultural values and solidarity
with others. The Langa region, its hills and its wine mean this above
all else particularly if we want to give the world, our children and
ourselves a positive message for the future.
Carlin Petrini
Presidente Slow Foo
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