The first edition of the exclusive wine event was conceived by Camping Management srl and organized in the garden of the restaurant Al Notturno in the village of Lio Piccolo. The dinner was introduced by the experienced food and wine journalist Massimo Zanichelli. The contributions of the sommelier Giorgio Cecchin and the musician Igor Cognolato who entertained guests with his piano repertoire were greatly appreciated.
Damijan Podversic from Gorizia is the protagonist of the first edition of “A cena col Produttore”. In fact, the famous Giulian winery which is very popular with starred restaurants, producing white wines such as Ribolla Gialla, but also the prestigious Nekaj, Kaplija, and Malvasia, made with top quality grapes from the vineyards located on the south side of Monte Calvario in the province of Gorizia, was the first guest of honor at the prestigious boutique event for tasting award-winning wines from Italy and abroad, accompanied by the cuisine of the Venetian coastline and music. The entrepreneur Mattia Ferro, the owner of Camping Management srl which manages Luxury Camp at Union Lido, devised and organized the combination of wine tasting and culinary and artistic emotions. The location for the evening was the evocative setting overlooking Venice’s lagoon at the restaurant “Al Notturno” in Cavallino-Treporti, in the historical village of Lio Piccolo, set up for the occasion on the outdoor terrace with an entrance fit for the most exclusive Hollywood parties. There were about thirty guests including TV and film stars, professionals, writers but also local tourist operators.
“As an open air tourist entrepreneur, always on the lookout for original opportunities and innovative products for clientele focusing more and more on the quality of the service” said Mattia Ferro “in 2018 I created Luxury Camp: a sort of 2.0 campsite with all the comforts and extras of a luxury hotel service, but maintaining the free spirit of the camping formula. I’m now introducing ‘A cena col Produttore’, a project in which good wine is presented by its makers, who not only reveal the secrets of its creation, but also tell us about who they are, their ideas, dreams and a bit about their lives. This formula unites the pleasure of sensory stimuli, interest in listening to a story and the sensations that stem from a unique location, all amplified by the power of wonderful music. The project was originally designed for Luxury Camp guests but then, as an entrepreneur of my homeland Cavallino-Treporti, I decided to open it up to my fellow local residents and to all lovers of good wine and beauty in general. Because beauty is harmony and harmony makes us better people. I would like to thank the maestro Igor Cognolato in advance for his musical accompaniment.
The sommelier of Assomelier, Giorgio Checchin, introduced the event by explaining the differences between the technical definitions of organic, biodynamic and natural wines. “The first is the only one recognized by legislation and comes from organic farming”, specified Checchin, “the second family comes from biodyamic farming, which therefore respects the natural cycles and lunar phases, and the last type means that no additives or adjuvants have been added”. “This initiative, in its first edition” enthused the experienced wine journalist, Massimo Zanichelli introducing the guest of honor for the evening “has enabled us to experiment and explore the various food and wine languages, establishing a connection between the authentic cuisine of the restaurant Al Notturno and the intense emotions of the white wines of the prestigious Podversic winery. Both of them expressed themselves in terms of what the purity of the raw materials can provide. The former gave us the integrity of the flavors from the land of Lio Piccolo and the saltiness of Venice’s lagoon and the latter the frankness and fullness of their maker, an interpreter of a faithful tradition with the edgy and sincere nature of the land of Gorizia. It’s unusual to find any conflict when purity is involved and I am a sincere witness to this harmony”.
“In our countryside on the border with Slovenia it doesn’t make sense to do industrial production, just wine interpreted as poetry over 365 days a year of constant commitment: from the preparation of the land to the harvest” Damijan Podversic began, “wine making is a technique that has been developed over 8000 years, with attempts to attenuate the acidity on the palate using sulfur dioxide. Therefore, even if it’s fashionable nowadays, there aren’t really any totally natural wines as the production process is artificial. Wine nourishes the body, but also the soul, as it contains alcohol which is a drug that inebriates. We are living in an era which accentuates the subjectivity of people’s appreciation of wine, but in my opinion it’s an objective drink, which responds to specific evaluation parameters”. His comparison of wines to the character of women was very interesting. “Tocai is a beautiful and flashy girl that you notice from a distance” joked Podversic “whereas Ribolla gialla is like a girl who is beautiful inside, you don’t notice her straight away but if you sit down at the table with her you never want to get up again”.
Podversic thanked the organizer Mattia Ferro for the choice of wines: all from the 2018 vintage and of excellent quality, except for the Ribolla Gialla Riserva 2010, and then mentioned the passing of the torch that reigns in his family business, also oriented towards innovation in the wine making world. “I am lucky as my childhood dreams came true. I dreamed of making a great wine when I was 12” Podversic said proudly “I now owe a lot to my wife Elena who gave me three children and assisted me in everything I’ve achieved. Ours is a family history of being able to cultivate our passion: wine. It was the passion of my father who for over 20 years wished to go back to farming from being an innkeeper, and mine as I picked up knowledge from various wine makers from an early age, but also the passion of my daughter Tamara who will take over production in 2026. When I handed over a vat to her she challenged me to make an innovative wine which will also use the vines. I advised her to do tests for 15 years before being satisfied, and then to pass them on to the future generations”.
