DISCOVERING TRENTINO’S FLAVOURS AND LOCAL INGREDIENTS

Trentino sits at the junction between two climates and several culinary traditions, and its cuisine is a melting pot of ingredients and methods. Ingredients might include olive oil from the shores of Lake Garda, cheese from a mountain dairy, pasta, local venison, and maybe some apple strudel made from an old Hapsburg recipe.

DISCOVERING TRENTINO’S FLAVOURS AND LOCAL INGREDIENTS #1
DISCOVERING TRENTINO’S FLAVOURS AND LOCAL INGREDIENTS #1
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Parts of the province also offer superb conditions for wine-making. Sparkling Trentodoc Spumante, elegant Marzemino, sweet Vino Santo: for every course there is something delicious and distinctive to drink to compliment the flavours. Visitors need simply to pick a venue – whether it’s a mountain refuge, a Michelin-starred restaurant, or a buzzing local pizzeria – and prepare to indulge their tastebuds!
Spring also sees a number of exciting food and drink events arrive in Trentino. Authentic flavours of local wine, chocolate and fresh meats are showcased at each event which brings together both locals and visitors alike.

TRENTINO’S SPRING FOOD & DRINK EVENTS

1st – 30th April: DiVinNosiola

The DiVinNosiola festival showcases the Nosiola and Vino Santo, Trentino’s traditional wines, to discover their cultural heritage, natural flavours and traditional production methods. Staged in different locations in the Valle dei Laghi and in the city of Trento, this festival provides guests with a true flavour of Trentino’s vineyards and wineries.

www.visittrentino.info/en/guide/events/divinnosiola

7th – 28th April: Asparagus, from the field to the table

Zambana white asparagus is one of Trentino’s top gastronomic products and therefore the focus of its very own festival, ‘Asparagus, from the field to the table’ which takes place in Zambana. Each session allows guests to harvest their own asparagus with the help of a local asparagus farmer, who will demonstrate how to grow, cultivate and clean Zambana white asparagus ready for cooking.

www.visittrentino.info/en/guide/events/asparagus-from-the-field-to-the-table

19th – 22nd April: CHOCOMUSIC

The Cesare Battisti square in Riva del Garda is transformed into a social hotspot during the CHOCOMUSIC festival, which boasts cooking shows, tasting sessions, chocolate lessons, workshops for kids and an exhibition market with chocolate delicacies from all over the world, all set to the upbeat rhythms of the Riva del Garda brass band.

www.visittrentino.info/en/guide/events/chocomusic

24th – 26th May: Cerevisia

Cerevisia festival is dedicated to craft beers and the art of craft brewing in Trentino. The best brewers in Trentino gather in the town of Fondo in the upper Val di Non to greet visitors with their high quality beers and to unveil some of the secrets behind the fascinating world of brewing.

www.cerevisiafestival.com

TRENTINO’S LOCAL DELICACIES

Trentino is one of Europe’s natural frontiers, and its rich mix of traditions, terrain and microclimates creates a diverse food culture. Organic fruit and vegetables, fine wines, craft beer, olive oil, pasta, fresh fish, venison, beef, and several unique kinds of cheese are all harvested and made in Trentino, giving every dish a local flavour that is unique to the region. Highlights include the light, fruity olive oils from Garda Trentino; speck from local artisan butchers; and trout and char from the many lakes and rivers. Many local cheeses are made only with hay-milk, produced by cows fed exclusively on grass or hay. Puzzone di Moena, Vezzena and Trentingrana DOP are three names to look for.

THREE NATIVE GRAPE VARIETIES AND AN AWARD-WINNING SPARKLING WINE

In Trentino, centuries of wine-making tradition are reflected by the region’s three indigenous grape varieties, helping to secure Trentino’s wines as some of the best in the world. In 1993 Trentino’s Trentodoc Spumante was the first traditional method sparkling wine outside Champagne to win D.O.C status, and the wine now boasts a number of international awards. In 2015, Trentodoc wine-maker Ferrari was named Sparkling Wine Producer of the Year, ahead of two Champagne houses.
Nosiola, Marzemino and Teroldego are the three native grapes, but other grapes grow exceptionally well in Trentino too. Müller-Thurgau, for example, is producing spectacular results on the steep-sided hills of the Val di Cembra, thanks to the region’s warm days, cool nights and well-drained soils. The valley even has its own festival dedicated to the grape.Wine aficionados will want to visit the cellars themselves, but for the quickest introduction to Trentino’s 500 D.O.C. wines, a tour of the Palazzo Roccabruna in Trento is a must. Here, the sommeliers of the Enoteca Provinciale run regular tasting nights, which will guide visitors to the very best wine-makers and vintages.

TRENTINO’S SIX MICHELIN-STARRED RESTAURANTS

Six of Trentino’s restaurants now have Michelin stars, with the region’s most talented and ambitious chefs making the most of Trentino’s rich mix of ingredients and culinary

traditions.
One of the Michelin starred chefs is Alfio Ghezzi at Locanda Margon, just south of Trento, who was the first chef in Trentino to be awarded a second Michelin star in November 2016. In each of these highly acclaimed restaurants, visitors can expect a warm welcome as well as a gastronomic adventure. Among the many standout dishes in the region is Stefano Ghetta’s Uovo Soffice di Tamion at ‘L Chimpl in Val di Fassa. A soft-egg confection of rich, deep flavours, it incorporates wild spinach from the elds next to the restaurant, local Cuor di Fassa cheese and black truffles from Monte Baldo above Lake Garda.

For more information visit www.visittrentino.info/en/Food-Wine_pd_1995769