Wine & Wedding: Marry with the blessing of Bacchus
- Written by Gabriele Pieroni
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Giovanna Dello Iacono, CEO of Wine&Wedding, reveals the characteristics of a perfect wedding among the vineyards: elegant taste, local wines, complete respect for nature, and an ethereal beauty that radiates from everything.
A bottle of wine contains more than just a beverage. Wine is work, culture, territory, men, women, memories, and … weddings. If that last one sounds a little odd, don’t forget a verse from a certain book that tells of a wedding held in Cana, “When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” We all know what happens next.
A “wine wedding” requires more than the right labels, impeccable service, and proper pairings – all of which are fundamental elements, to be sure. But today, a desire to get every element spot-on and still capture a certain, special atmosphere has wine lovers from Italy and abroad choosing the Italian vineyard scene as the ideal location to tie the knot to their love story.
Choosing Italy for one of life’s most important moments is a trend whose numbers speak for themselves: an estimated 1 million people, mostly non-Italian, married or attended weddings in Italy for a revenue of 315 million Euros with over 7 thousand ceremonies in 2013. The wine wedding is not just a beautiful option to consider, but it promises to pair spectacular scenery with singular characteristics.
“Anyone interested in a wine wedding should know that it’s never a simple affair. We’re not just talking vineyards and panoramic views of the countryside,” says Giovanna Dello Iacono, CEO of Wine&Wedding Italy, a company that specializes in organizing weddings and honeymoons at the most prestigious wineries of Italy. “On the contrary, getting married under the sign of Bacchus has its philosophy and style, its own world and way of doing things.”
“Wine,” continues Dello Iacono, “is the ambassador of the nuptial event, which is composed of many factors. And every factor deserves the perfect management and direction, but nothing too invasive. Choosing a winery for a wedding means knowing how to utilize a place that is not to be altered in any way, but respected.”
What kind of experience is the wine wedding?
“A wedding ‘among the vineyards’ is, first of all, an experience that nature gives us, whose spectacular scenery leaves nothing to be improved upon. A wine wedding is unique event, almost irreproducible, that leaves its imprint on the memories of those who attend in an indelible, personal way. It’s not like choosing a classic matrimonial setting, but a moment connected with life and with the rhythms of nature. It is certainly not a task that you’ll complete in a few hours or even one day. Generally, those who choose this kind of wedding will spend at least three nights on location, but 50% of couples and their guests stop for more than five days.”
What are the characteristics you consider when choosing a high quality winery as the setting?
“First of all, our brand limits itself to a very strict selection. From over 200 wine resorts, we have selected just 12 in all of Italy. Some of the requisites we look for are the architectural beauty, full respect for the surrounding countryside and territorial uniqueness, high hospitality profile and, obviously, that it is a wine-making structure. We pay particular attention to the culinary selection and whether or not it expresses food from the territory, is seasonal, and undergoes healthy preparations, other than being excellent in itself.”
A surprising factor of nuptial tourism, if we can call it that, is the high level of involvement on the part of the groom in organizing the event.
“That’s true. It is the bride-to-be who traditionally takes care of everything while the groom contributes a few yawns, but wine stimulates the attention of the groom and pulls him in.”
What is the general profile of the people who choose a wine wedding?
“In large part, they are foreigners with a medium-high spending capacity coming from Anglo-Saxon countries or Russia, China, Japan, and the United States. The latter represents a significant slice of the market, if you think about it. Out of 2 million weddings a year in the USA, 500 thousand are held abroad, of which at least 10% are in Italy.”
Speaking of spending capacity, does a wine wedding cost an arm and a leg?
“You spend less than you’d expect. Consider that the wedding party is usually a small group of friends and relatives; that the packet we offer is customizable; that by working through a professional organization, you avoid the anxieties and rip-offs that comes with organizing a wedding abroad; and a personal wedding planner for this sort of ceremony could cost around 200 thousand dollars. Considering all this, you actually save.”
Let’s finish with Piemonte. Is it true that this region is more and more popular?
“Tourists love Piemonte and, in general, northern Italy – overall for the climate, which seems to truly be an obsession for foreigners: not too cold in the springtime, not too hot in the summer. Piemonte is also an immediately recognizable “brand” beyond its connection to Barolo. It carries the idea of luxury and Made in Italy, of good food and drink. Even the name of the Langhe is becoming ever more connected to these positive values. And finally, once tourists arrive in Piemonte, they’re astounded. They are usually thinking of Tuscany, but they find a countryside that is even more beautiful. Very few regions of the world have such harmony and beauty like Piemonte’s vineyards that disappear over the horizon and ancient villages that stand on every hill. When you’re in Piemonte, you feel as though you’re immersed in a magical place.”
THE BEST PLACES TO GET MARRIED IN PIEMONTE
Discover where the most beautiful, unforgettable locations in each wine zone of Piemonte are for a spectacular wine wedding: The most charming places to get married in Piemonte.
Translated by Diana Zahuranec
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