Celebrating Wine, Truffles and Chocolate in Italy

Dear Arthur and Pauline,

When I spoke to you last Sunday on the radio, for which I greatly appreciate the opportunity, I thought Pauline mentioned a Harvest Festival in or around Cortona, in Tuscany, in October. If I heard  correctly, please confirm so that I can obtain more details on it. It sounds like something we should not miss.

Thank you both again for your helpful advice. My wife and I listen faithfully on Sunday afternoons.

Stephen Altman

Dear Stephen,

There are a number of festivals in Italy throughout the autumn, that celebrate both the wine harvest and the truffle hunting season. And yes, you'll do a lot of sampling at all of them. These fests are a wonderful way to try the wines of a number of different wineries. At the truffle festivals, you'll try more products than you'd ever have imagined possible that have somehow been infused with the earthy, gourmet flavor of truffle. While I don't know of one in Cortona, there are some others I can recommend near to that town.

Please note that the dates change yearly, so you'll need to google these festivals to find out when in September or October they're happening this year. All of the festivals below take place in the region of Tuscany, with the exception of the Perugia :

• The Chianti Grape Harvest Festival held in Impruneta
• The Famed Truffle Auction and Festival, held yearly in Alba
• The Vino al Vino Wine Festival in Panzano
• The Grape Pressing Festival in which local women pres the grapes the old-fashioned way: with their bare feet. This happens in Poggibonsi
• For a change of pace: The EuroChocolate Festival in Perugia

Have a wonderful trip!

All the best,

Pauline Frommer