In hindsight, I must say that the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2022 truly left its mark.
Beyond wine — my first passion — my second passion is marketing. In this case, speaking about territorial marketing, I feel confident in saying that the combination of Concours + territory, in this case Calabria, worked extremely well.
Since the internet loves posts like “5 reasons why…”, I’ll give in to my strong instinct to share five points — or rather five aspects — that, in my opinion, deserve to be highlighted.
The territory
For many of us from central and northern Italy, the word Calabria tends to evoke beautiful seas but also some less pleasant stories. In this case, however, I must applaud the territory, its organization and the way it presented itself. I was expecting avalanches of ’nduja and chili peppers, but instead I discovered a land capable of shaking off stereotypes and showcasing the very best of itself.
It was a 360-degree presentation: starting from the organization, moving through the entire agri-food culture, its unmistakable rural soul, its character and pride, and even the unexpected beauty of the towns we visited.
The people
The Concours was also an opportunity to meet other Calabrians — or rather, to discover the other side of a coin that until now I had only seen from the wrong perspective. Yes, proud and sometimes stubborn, but also open, willing to exchange ideas, eager to tell the story of their land and their traditions. For me, this was one of the aspects of the experience that surprised me the most.
Food, Wine & Spirits
From wild baby artichokes to peperone crusco, from anchovies to sardella, passing through licorice presented in every possible form — from solid to almost woody, even as gelato. Then there were endless cured meats (yes, including ’nduja…), and every possible alcoholic blend served as amaro or cocktail.
And of course wine: from Gaglioppo to Greco Bianco, always accompanied by olive oil — lots of olive oil.
For someone like me, who is endlessly curious, it was a real Disneyland.
Ah, I almost forgot… I would also like to add “piretto” to the list.
About twenty people will understand what I mean.
Perhaps the managers of the Concours’ artificial intelligence system might have raised an eyebrow at that word… but I rather enjoy leaving you with the mystery. 🙂
The mood
I didn’t know anyone before — now I feel like I know everyone. Whether we speak English, French or Spanish doesn’t really matter. The AI system that measures your performance is professionally important, but it becomes humanly secondary once you begin to breathe the collaborative and sharing spirit that characterizes the before, during and after of every moment.
Different tastes, different skills, completely different backgrounds: a truly stimulating melting pot.
The “Concours”
I know, the fifth point might sound like pure flattery. But I still want to say a few words that go beyond the now well-established ability to organize an event around which hundreds of people — organizers and tasters — revolve, and where the “flow” of several thousand wines must be managed.
This time, however, my reflection focuses on the ability to work in parallel with a territory, sometimes playing the role of protagonist while still maintaining the sensitivity to step into the background and give space to the host territory.
A wine competition? Yes, certainly.
But I would say that the promotion of a territory is also a component of enormous value.
