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Created on Saturday, 28 January 2012 09:15

La giornata più attesa dell'anno per gli italiani del Capo sarà nell'ultimo fine settimana di febbraio. Anzi, quest'anno sarà l'intero fine settimana, da sabato 25 a domenica 26. E non sarà più soltanto la vendemmia bensì una manifestazione ben più articolata e denominata "Italia in Campagna", sul modello dell'Italia in Piazza che negli ultimi anni ha avuto tanto successo a Johannesburg. Nell'organizzazione è coinvolta prima di tutto la Famiglia Bottega, dato che tutto avverrà nelle loro vigne sulle colline di Somerset West, in collaborazione con il Consolato d'Italia a Città del Capo, la Dante Alighieri e il Fogolar Furlan. Un'alleanza che ha prodotto in passato il successo de "La Vendemmia", che quest'anno è incorporata nel programma del fine settimana.

A differenza degli anni scorsi, Italia in Campagna non è più soltanto offerta alla comunità italiana, ma diventa un evento aperto a tutti e con la partecipazione strettamente disciplinata dalle prenotazioni e naturalmente dall'acquisto del biglietto d'ingresso. Sono tuttavia previste agevolazioni per i soci della Dante Alighieri e del Fogolar Furlan.

Sarà, nell'intenzione degli organizzatori, una celebrazione dello stile di vita italiano, con il cibo e il vino in primo piano. In programma, per restare in tema con la vendemmia, la raccolta e la pressatura dell'uva nei tini a piedi nudi, musica jazz e italiana dal vivo, un torneo di calcetto e uno di bocce, il mitico albero della cuccagna con il palo ricoperto di grasso, gite in trattore e sui pony, la fattoria degli animali, una gara a chi fa il migliore spaventapasseri, e scivoli con l'acqua come si addice a questa calda estate.

Ci saranno poi le bancarelle che offriranno tentazioni della gastronomia tradizionale italiana e assaggi di vini, mentre i più in forma potranno scegliere di partecipare a escursioni guidate sulle montagna circostanti. Il programma completo sarà diffuso dagli organizzatori a tempo debito.

La moneta corrente durante il fine settimana saranno le vecchie lire, che gli organizzatori metteranno a disposizione in blocchetti del valore di 50  e 100 rand, ma sicuramente sarà possibile pagare anche in valuta corrente di qualsiasi denominazione.

I biglietti di partecipazione dovranno essere acquistati in anticipo, dato che all'ingresso saranno disponibili soltanto quelli invenduti, ma con il rischio di non poter entrare nel caso che la pre-vendita esaurisca tutti i posti disponibili. Qui di seguito tutte le informazioni utili per prenotare:

TICKET PRICES
PLEASE BOOK WELL IN ADVANCE AS NUMBERS ARE LIMITED AND THE EVENT IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC FOR THE FIRST TIME! UNFORTUNATELY IT WILL NOT BE POSSIBLE TO RESERVE A PARTICULAR TABLE OR AREA DUE TO THE NUMBERS.
ONLY A LIMITED NUMBER OF ENTRY TICKETS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THE GATE IF TICKETS ARE NOT SOLD OUT. PLEASE CHECK WEB www.idiom.co.za or www.webtickets.co.za for UPDATES

ONLINE PREBOOKING  www.webtickets.co.za
(Discount applies on pre-booking for combination entry/lire vouchers  until Wed 22 Feb 2012 - therafter full admission price applies)
ADMISSION ONLY
Sat 25th : Adults R100; Children 4-12 R50; Kids under 4 Free
Sun 26h : Adults R100; Children 4-12 R50; Kids under 4 Free
COMBINATION ADMISSION + LIRE FOOD/WINE VOUCHERS
Sat 25th: Adults R175 (includes R100 lire); Children 4-12 R75 (includes R50 lire); Kids under 4 free
Sun 26th: Adults R175 (includes R100 lire); Children 4-12 R75 (includes R50 lire); Kids under 4 free

DINNER EVENT (LIMITED NUMBERS OF TICKETS)
Sat 25th: from 18h00 including sundowner – Special Evening Event.
Regional Tasting Dinner hosted by visiting producers from Italy – R350 per person including Food and Wine
This ticket for the dinner also allows entry to the festival on Sunday
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MAKE A WEEKEND OF IT!
The organisers recommend making a weekend of the festival by attending the dinner on Saturday evening and then staying over in one of the many guesthouses, bed and breakfasts or country hotels in nearby Somerset West or Stellenbosch for the Saturday night. A shuttle service (available at extra cost) will also be on hand to take guests to their guesthouses on Saturday night after the dinner allowing them to leave their cars at the festival parking should they not want to drive.
SEE YOU ALL AT DA CAPO VINEYARDS – HOME OF IDIOM WINES - ON THE 25th AND 26th FEBRUARY 2012!

ITALIA IN CAMPAGNA – A Taste of Italy in the Cape Winelands                                                                                                    2 days - 25/26 FEB 2012 - DA CAPO VINEYARDS (IDIOM WINES) -Somerset West

Following the successful hosting of the ‘La Vendemmia‘ Harvest Festival in early March 2011 which was attended by 550 people, including a large number of families from the Cape Italian community, the Bottega family, producers of Idiom wines, have once again teamed up with the Italian Consulate in Cape Town, La Dante (Italian Cultural Society/Italian School) and the Fogolar Furlan (the Friuli Society) to arrange two days of Italian-themed festivities at their Da Capo Vineyards property located in the Helderberg basin near Somerset West, about 40 minutes drive from central Cape Town.

ITALIA IN CAMPAGNA…A TASTE OF ITALY IN THE CAPE WINELANDS
La Vendemmia 2012 will form part of a bigger festival called ‘Italia in Campagna ‘(Italy in the Countryside) and will be a two-day celebration of Italian food, wine and lifestyle. The date for the festival is the last weekend of February (Sat 25th/Sun26 Feb 2012) and a range of activities for adults and children is planned for both days. Grape picking and stomping, live music featuring jazz and Italian music, 5-a-side calcetto, bocce, climbing the cuccagna grease pole, tractor and pony rides, farm animals, scarecrow making and water slides are just some of the activities and entertainment provided on both days, while the more serious can visit the many Italian stalls and indulge in the variety of gastronomic temptations and wine workshops that will be on offer. For the more energetic, guided mountain walks to take in the fynbos and the spectacular views are also possible. A full timetable of events will be released on the www.idiom.co.za closer to the event.

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC FOR THE FIRST TIME
This year, the event will be open to the public for the first time and a limited number of tickets for the two-day festival will be sold on www.webtickets.co.za.  Paid up members of the Fogolar Furlan and La Dante will still be able to get guaranteed tickets directly at preferential prices from their respective societies but these bookings will close one week in advance (Fri 17th Feb 2012). Club Idiom members will also be able to book directly with the farm on 021-852 3590 until this date. Thereafter all ticket sales will be handled online through the Webtickets platform.   

INSPIRED BY ITALIA IN PIAZZA AT MONTECASINO
The festival has drawn some of its inspiration from the Italia in Piazza festival held at the outdoor piazza at Montecasino in June 2011.  Organised by the Italian Consulate in Johannesburg, the event was themed Italia 150, a celebration of 150 years of Italian unification. Many of the same ingredients have been incorporated to make this a true celebration of all things Italian, including elements from the typical medieval village and mountain festivals that take place in Italy such as long tables out in the vineyards.

EXHIBITORS OF MADE IN ITALY PRODUCTS
The event will also provide producers and distributors of goods ‘Made in Italy’ to showcase these items to a receptive target market.  Top brands of Italian motor vehicles, bikes, scooters, bicycles, toys, outdoor furniture, appliances, mineral water, foodstuffs, coffee machines, clothing, shoes and sporting apparel amongst others will be on display in the marquee village on the newly-prepared outdoor campo. The tents will be laid out in a u-shape to create a piazza feel. Exhibitors who would like to participate can contact Roberto Bottega on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 083 678 2094 by Tuesday 31st January 2011. More information is available on a separate exhibitor document.

ITALIAN COUNTRY FOOD AND FRESH PRODUCE MARKET
This year several Italian restaurants have been invited to Da Capo to cater for the 1000 people a day or more expected to visit the festival. The intention is to keep as much of the food as authentically Italian as possible.   Tastings of finely sliced Prosciutto di San Daniele, Tortellini with prosciutto, Italian Salsiccia and Lamb Chops Scottaditto are just some of the mouthwatering dishes that will be served.  The venue, which will become the site of the new Idiom Wines tasting area later in 2012 or early 2013, provides a wonderful mountain and vineyard setting offering spectacular views of the Cape Peninsula across nearby False Bay.  The hugely popular Italian fresh produce market introduced at the 2011 La Vendemmia festival will now operate both days from early morning until the middle of the afternoon. Here a wide selection of locally made and imported salumi, formaggi (cheeses), olive oils, coffees, biscotti and other delicacies can be sampled and purchased to be washed down with a choice of prosecco, vino and grappa. Of course the festival is taking place in summer, so a special mention has to be made of the delicious selection of real gelato ice creams that will be on offer for those who have returned from the excursion into the vineyards.

ITALIAN VARIETAL WINES - TRY THE CAPE IDIOM…
The Bottega Family will have their award winning and limited edition Idiom Italian varietal wines (made from Sangiovese, Barbera, Nebbiolo and Primitivo grapes) as well as their new Rosso and Super Rosso di Stellenbosch wines available for tasting, and purchasing by the glass or by the bottle. All these Italian grapes are grown on Da Capo Vineyards where the first plantings took place in 1999. Visitors will also get a chance to visit the vineyards and help out with the harvest. As usual, repeat visitors will be able to purchase a case of La Vendemmia wine made from the grapes they picked and stomped the previous year. This year, other local producers of Italian wines have also been invited to the festival to add variety to the event.
 
…OR THE DOC ITALIAN VERSIONS IMPORTED BY VINOTRIA
Without a doubt, the highlight of the 2012 event will be the presence of visiting top Italian wine producers who will be on hand to guide visitors to explain what makes Italian wines so special and unique. Their presence is due to the fact that Bottega Family Wines (producer of Idiom) have started a new project called VINOTRIA, which is a collaboration with fellow their Italian importer and fellow Italian producer Belbon Hills. Currently Vinotria imports and distributes a selection of top wines from leading producers in Italy.  Many form part of the prestigious Wine Spectator Top 100 list. Producers in the portfolio include Donnafugata (Sicily), Feudi di San Gregorio (Campania), Masciarelli (Abruzzo), Chianti Classico producer Badia a Coltibuono and Brunello producer Fattoria dei Barbi (Tuscany), Sardus Pater (Sardinia),  Bellenda (prosecco), Ripassa and Amarone producer Zenato (Veneto) , Castello di Cigognola (Lombardy), top Barbera producers ‘Braida’ di Giacomo Bologna and Coppo, Barolo producer Vietti and top grappa producer Berta (all from Piedmont). After this year’s edition of Vinitaly, new producers will be added from Friuli and other regions. This newly available range of wines from Vinotria include many of the Italian wineries’ most famous wines as well as their best value products to ensure that there is a selection of wines available for all pockets.

SPECIAL EVENING EVENT: SAT 25th FEB 18h00 - REGIONAL FOOD AND WINE JOURNEY THROUGH ITALY
A special Italian food and wine pairing evening featuring a serving of typical regional dishes accompanied by a talk and tasting of wines hosted by the visiting Italian producers from that region, is being offered for lovers of Italian fare on Saturday evening 25th Feb from 18h00, when it will be a bit cooler and the ambience will be perfect to gain some insight into the world of Italian wines. A separate booking will be required for this event which will cover the cost of the meal and wines served at the event. The special wine tasting ticket will also act as a weekend pass for those who want to arrive early to enjoy the festivities during the day on Saturday or who want to return on Sunday.  The menu will be published closer to the event and the cost for the dinner will be R350 per person.

BOOKLETS OF ‘OLD LIRE’ FOOD AND WINE COUPONS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE
In order to enjoy samplings of the different offerings at the festival, visitors will be required to purchase R50 or R100 booklets containing food and wine tickets denominated in Old Lire (Vecchie Lire). The tickets can be redeemed for tasting portions at the various food and wine stands making up the restaurant area and the country food market. The currency for the festival, which has not necessarily been reintroduced as a result of the current crisis facing the Euro, but rather to facilitate transactions on the day, will be available for purchase either from ticket vendors at the festival or alternatively can be bought prior to the event through the Webtickets.co.za portal at a discount of 5%. Left over vouchers, which are only valid for the two days of the festival cannot be redeemed for cash, however they can be used to purchase bottles of wine to take away.
Visitors are encouraged to purchase the combination day entry and lire ticket online which will allow them admission and a booklet of lire to use at the festival which be given to them at the door.

ENQUIRIES
Bottega Family Wines 021 852 3590