Although Eric is the supplier of ingredients to the International Association of Gastronomy Studies, due to a cooperative relationship between the two parties, the Tuscan farmstead is not affiliated with the International Association for Gastronomy Research, so Eric is not obliged to entertain pastry chefs who come to the International Association for Gastronomy Research to be qualified as professional pastry chefs

Eric made the Tuscan farmhouse a place to qualify because he wanted to recruit talented young chefs, or to be inspired by them to capture ideas that would enhance the Medici family's financial resources.

Since the other pastry chefs who came to the assessment at the same time have not yet arrived, Sikong Yao has nothing to do for the time being, of course, as a visitor, her behavior is unrestricted, she can visit some of the scenery here that is not taboo at will, of course, the Tuscan farm will also be responsible for the food and residence of the pastry chefs.

Sikong Yao became an aimless squirrel, and she couldn't find the pine cones she wanted in the Tuscan farmstead, where the mountains were full of grapes, purple and black, very attractive.

Fortunately, Sikong Yao met a pastry chef of a similar age, his name is Jean, and he also came to assess the qualification of a professional pastry chef, an American, with dark skin and a hip-hop style different from that given by black people, but it looks a little classical and elegant, a bit like a blackcurrant bathed in the sun.

Because the two have a common hobby and are of the same age, when they have nothing to do, the two quickly become friends to talk to, Sikong Yao found that Jean is also quite knowledgeable and has a very deep understanding of wine culture.

The two of them first discussed desserts. The topic inadvertently also led to the grapes of the Tuscan farmstead, and Jean and Sikong Yao spread some knowledge about wine.

Jean stroked a smooth purple grape and said to Sikong Yao, "Do you know? As early as the beginning of 1716, the Grand Duke of Tuscany proposed the division of the grape region into Chianti, Pomino, Carmignano and Valdarnodi Sopra. Clearly, Italy has been producing quality wines for hundreds of years, and a wide variety of wines and grape varieties are emerging. ”

Sikong Yao was silent for a moment, she also knew something about wine culture, but she was puzzled by the DOCG wine that the previous reviewer said. There happened to be a sommelier here. So he asked, "Jean, do you know anything about DOCG wines?" ”

Jean nodded: "The appellation of origin is for all Italian wines, including thousands of wines. DOCG is a wine grade, one of the very highest. ”

Sikong Yao smiled: "Yes." I thought that wine was only divided into white grapes and red wines. In some places there will be yellow wine. It was then subdivided into table wines and limited-vintage wines. ”

Jean nodded, he didn't expect a girl to know so much about wine culture, and quickly explained: "This is the normal situation. In Italy, however, there is more of a hierarchy of wines. ”

The first is the "Everyday Table Wine", which is named after Vinoda Tavola, which consists of wines that are not bottled, many of which are mixed with cheap bulk wines, and some of these wines are also distilled into industrial alcohol. Prior to the implementation of the Goliath Act, some of Italy's finest wines were also bottled in the Vinoda Tavola grade, as many of the country's artisanal wine producers wanted to make world-class wines that did not conform to the traditional provisions of the original DOC regulations passed in 1963. Since the harvest in 1996, these fine wines can no longer be called Vinoda Tavola. The modern DOC regulations continue the original intent of the "table wine" nomenclature.

Sikong Yao nodded and said: "Therefore, if the wine is bottled, the trademark can only be marked with color, and the type of grape, known geographical name and year cannot be listed on the wine label, this is the daily table wine." ”

Jean nodded, "Yes, and there is also a regional table wine in the category of table wines, and each IGT wine must be made with grapes from a specific large region and made locally. IGT wines must be made in the official DOC or DOCG appellation, but the IGT appellation cannot be the same as the appellation of the appellation. ”

Before 1992, these wines could only be named as typical wines. Curiously, despite the fact that the VinoTipico grade has been part of Italian wine regulations since 1963, no Italian wine has ever been named as such; By 1996, it seemed that the IGT naming faced the same fate. Unconventional wines, such as those blended with Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon in the Chionte region, or Chardonnay from Piedmont, were named Vinoda Tavola, both to avoid many bureaucratic troubles and to show their dissatisfaction with the regulations of the time. However, in 1996, after much discussion, the decision was made to allow any IGT appellation region to apply for a higher level of DOC for five consecutive years, and applications for IGT naming began to flood the Ministry of Agriculture. Italy now produces hundreds or thousands of IGT wines, and that number is rising. Although somewhat idealistic, Goliath's hope is that eventually 40% of Italian wine will be classified as IGT, which would account for 10% of world wine production.

Sikong Yao nodded and responded, "IGT contains a large number of very good wines, they are good wines promoted from the past Vinoda Tavola grade, and they are made by reputable producers, which is an absolute guarantee of quality. Some wines can be included in the ranks of the most expensive wines in Italy, and at least the most controversial under the Italian wine regulations. Because they best express the winemaker's art, the IGT nomenclature has developed into a statute to boast about, especially as many of these grades have achieved amazing commercial results in the export market. ”

Jean didn't expect that in addition to desserts, Sikong Yao could also deal with wine culture so freely. I have a good impression of this Chinese girl, "It seems that you don't know much about wine, so I'll tell you about the DOC grade, the full name of DOC is Denominazionedi Origine Controllata, that is, the legal appellation level wine, which is made with the legal grape varieties in the legal geographical area, which details the geographical area of the wine, grape types, production and so on. There are about 310 DOC production areas, some of which are comparable in size to the entire region. Some are only as large as a commune or part of a village. Secondary region. For example, the classic appellation may be divided, and some of the most famous secondary areas are Classic Chiondi, Classic Vipoli, and Classic Orvieto. As well as Soave and so on. ”

Sikong Yao nodded. Tirelessly listen to every detail. Jean continued: "In addition to the broad provisions of the DOC regulations, the local grower and producer federations will further define the criteria for a given DOC, and the regional grower federations will agree to set the yield per acre for each vineyard within the limits of the national DOC standards. Newly nominated DOC appellations are presented to the regional DOC representatives by the Unions and the Local Chamber of Commerce. It is then handed over to the federal DOC agency under the Ministry of Agriculture. "Each DOC controls the wines produced within the range in the following areas, namely the approved varieties and proportions, the control of some wines, the minimum and maximum altitudes for cultivation, the yield per acre and the pruning methods used in the vineyards, the maximum yield of wine produced per hectare of vineyards, the methods of winemaking, the methods of ageing and the minimum ageing time for some treasures, etc.

Since the 2007 vintage, the Governing Body has also been labelling some DOC wines, which are elongated and similar to DOCG seals. In addition to the above, the practice of adding sugar to increase the alcohol content during the winemaking process is not allowed in any Italian wine.

Sikong Yao nodded to understand that the wines that can be crowned with DOC certification are all top-notch wines.

Jean added: "As for the DOCG, it's Denominazionedi OrigineControllataEGarantita, which guarantees the official regional wine, the highest grade in the DOC regulations. DOCG wines must be sold in bottles, with a bottle capacity of less than 5 litres, and the officially coded label must be placed on the oak stopper of the bottle. Once the producers of the DOCG appellation were publicly vetoed by the tasting committee, the wines had to be downgraded to Vinoda Tavola. To apply for DOCG status, the DOC appellation must have been recognized as a nomenclature for at least 5 years. For IGT wines, this process takes at least 10 years; It must take at least 5 years to apply for DOCG status as part of the IGT designation and then another 5 years as part of the DOC appellation as a whole. According to the Italian wine regulations, the application to become a DOCG appellation must fully demonstrate itself and the Italian wine industry, creating a reputation and commercial influence in both the domestic and international markets, so the requirements of DOCG are very high, and the whole of Italy can obtain this honor, this Tuscany is one of the smallest. ”

At this time, Sikong Yao was about to thank Jean for his patient explanation, when a gentle middle-aged male voice added: "Yes, there are four core conditions for awarding the DOCG title to the DOC appellation, first, this possible DOCG appellation has produced historically important wines. Secondly, the quality of the wines produced in this region is already internationally recognized and sustainable. Thirdly, the quality of the wine has improved dramatically and is gaining attention. Fourth, the wines produced in the region have already contributed greatly to the health of the Italian economy. And these are precisely these things that only Tuscany can meet, and the DOCG wines of other regions are far inferior to the wines produced on my farm. ”

This man was the Medici Eric of the Tuscan farm, who had a deep affection for the wines produced on his farm, and was delighted to hear Jean's praise as he passed by. (To be continued......)