"Tasting experience" u Riminiju

Još uvijek se nalazim pod dojmom "Sapore" sajma u Riminiju, kojem sam kao gost prisustvovao prošlog vikenda. "Sapore" je jedini sajam u Italiji koji je specijaliziran za HoReCa kupce i profesionalce. Sajam predstavlja izložbu pića i prehrane, što uključuje široki raspon svježe i zamrznute hrane, plodova mora Mediterana, maslinovih ulja, bezalkoholnih i energetskih pića, vina, pjenušaca i šampanjaca, raznih destilata, piva te pripadajuće opreme za svaku kategoriju.

Kao zaljubljenik u kvalitetna specijalna piva, većinu dvodnevnog vremena sam proveo u "pivskim" paviljonima. Pritom sam najviše ostao fasciniran brojem talijanskih mikropivovara koje su predstavljale svoja piva, te kvalitetom njihovih piva. Pivovare poput "Amarcord"-a ili "Birra del Borgo" su kvalitativno zaista uz bok najkvalitetnijim proizvođačima piva iz Belgije ili pak Velike Britanije. Talijanski ale-ovi i stout-i ne zaostaju za najkvalitetnijima iz spomenutih zemalja.

Italija je u svijetu posebno poznata kao proizvođač vrhunskih vina, no u posljednjih 5-10 godina raste i broj talijanskih mikropivovara (danas ih je već 300-tinjak) koje sve više ostavljanju traga i na svjetskoj sceni. Također, u istom razdoblju je rastao i uvoz "premium" i "superpremium" specijalnih piva u Italiji, uglavnom iz Belgije i Njemačke. Zaključak je da prosječni Talijan sve više konzumira kvalitetna specijalna piva a to svakako ide na uštrb njihovog tradicionalnog pijenja vina, prosecca i drugih talijanskih pića poput aperol spritz-a i sl. Pojedine studije navode da u zemljama koje su tradicionalno "vinske" zemlje (dakle Italija, Francuska,...) pada potrošnja vina a raste potrošnja specijalnih piva, dok u zemljama koje su tradicionalno "pivske" zemlje (pr. Njemačka), pada potrošnja piva a raste potrošnja bijelih destilata i vina. Svakako, na navedeno utječu trendovi i promjene u potrebama potrošača na pojedinim tržištima, ali isto tako i potreba potrošača da se okreću visokokvalitetnim proizvodima na uštrb komercijalnih "mainstream" proizvoda.

Zanimljivo je napomenuti da na "Sapore" sajmu nije izlagala niti jedna od velikih pivarskih multinacionalnih kompanija (AB Inbev, Heineken, Carlsberg, SAB Miller), pa čak niti neke velike pivovare s recimo "premium" proizvodima (Erdinger, Paulaner). "Sapore" je mjesto za visokokvalitetne proizvode u pojedinim kategorijama, pa su tako među izlagačima piva našle marke Amarcord, Birra del Borgo, Chimay, Augustiner, Schneider Weisse, Corsendonk, itd. Vidljivo je da se ovaj sajam razvija u smjeru - visokokvalitetno, prirodno, biološko, kontrolirano,...

Vjerujem da smo u Hrvatskoj već "zagazili" u slično razmišljanje, te da se kultura kvalitetnog pijenja razvija sve više. Dakako, na tome treba raditi i dalje te ljudima objasniti koje su razlike između kvalitetnih i komercijalnih "mainstream" proizvoda. Svatko voli sljubljivati kvalitetnu hranu s kvalitetnim pićem, no da bi tako i bilo, kvalitetno piće nam mora biti dostupno i ponuđeno. Kada ga jednom odaberemo i isprobamo, teško se vraćamo na staro...zar ne? I ne samo zato što ujutro nema glavobolje...


English version
Tasting experience in Rimini

I'm still under the impression of „Sapore“ fair in Rimini, which I attended as a guest last weekend. „Sapore“ is the only fair in Italy specialized for the HoReCa customers and professionals. The fair is an exhibition of beverages and food, which includes a wide range of fresh and frozen food, seafood from Mediterranean, olive oil, non-alchocolic and energy drinks, wines, sparkling wines and champagnes, various distillates, beers and related equipment for every category.

As a lover of high quality special beers, I spent two days mostly in a „beer“ pavillions. There I was especially fascinated with the presence of high number of Italian microbreweries and the quality of their beers. Breweries like „Amarcord“ or „Birra del Borgo“ are indeed  qualitatively alongside the finest beer producers from Belgium or Great Britain. Italian's ales and stouts are not far behind to the best beers in the mentioned countries.

Italy is especially famous in the world as a producer of premium wines, but in the last 5-10 years there are growing a number of microbreweries (today in Italy are more than 300 microbreweries or brew-pubs), which are increasingly leaving their mark on the world market. Also, in the same period, grew the import of „premium“ and „superpremium“ special beers in Italy, mainly from Belgium and Germany. The conclusion is that the average Italian consumes more and more high-quality special beers and this certainly goes to the decreasing of their traditional drinking of wine, Prosecco and other drinks like Aperol spritz, etc. Some case studies state that in countries that are traditionally „wine“ countries (i.e. Italy, France,...), wine consumption is falling and the rising is consumption of special beers, while in countries that are traditionally „beer“ countries (e.g. Germany), beer consumption is falling and the rising is consumption of wine and white distillates. Certainly, that is affected by the trends and change of the needs of consumers in particular markets, but also by the switching of consumer needs to a high-quality products instead of commercial „mainstream“ products.

It is interesting to note that on the „Sapore“ fair were not exhibited any beers by the big multinational brewery companies (AB Inbev, Heineken, Carlsberg, SAB Miller), and even some large breweries of, let's say, „premium“ products (Erdinger, Paulaner). „Sapore“ is the place for a high-quality products in each category, so among the exhibitors you could find the brands like Amarcord, Birra del Borgo, Chimay, Augustiner, Schneider Weisse, Corsendonk, etc. It is evident that this fair is developing itself only in the direction – high quality, natural, biological, controlled,...

I believe that in Croatia we have already „stepped“ in a similar mindset, and that the culture of quality drinking is developing more and more. Of course, it should be work on this topic and to further explain to the people the great differences between quality products and commercial „mainstream“ products. Everyone loves to combine a good food with a good drink, but to have this possibility, quality drink must be available and offered. When you choose one and when you try it, it is very difficult to go back to the old routine...right? And this is not just because there is no headache in the morning...