MG Country Meeting - PicNic - 28 June 2008
Every event, every story, is connected to a few moments of life previously experienced. My moment was the one I experienced at the Club meeting in Modena: it was on that occasion that, speaking with Fabio and Paolo, I felt a strong urge to ensure that an area so rich in members, regular members of our Club and undisputed and tenacious lovers of vintage English cars, with their minimalist lines to say the least, is not overlooked.
Proud members, eager for initiatives and migratory by nature: Lombardy and its Lombards…
Here, then, is the underlying theme of our desire to resurface. Wanting to pay homage to this chaotic region, I decided to convene a group of Lombardy members for a convivial evening. After a delicious dinner and plenty of "veritas" wine, we got down to business, and like good, down-to-earth, hard-working Lombards, we divided the tasks and set off...
Ironically, this could be the summary of what happened and what few would have believed…
Once we had decided on a date as far away as possible from other MG meetings, we decided that, taking advantage of some of my good contacts, we could find an easily accessible area with interesting historical, food and wine, and landscape features, the Oltrepò Pavese. And so it turned out!
We prepared an itinerary, visited the area (twice...), contacted the management of well-known local companies, compiled a road book, wrote and sent out letters and participation forms to Lombardy members, and then we waited. The next day, reservations began arriving, along with carefully completed forms. Thank you for this! Please know that filling out the participation forms correctly saves the organizers a lot of work...
Excitement began to grow, and the prospect emerged that all this hard work would not go to waste. And so it was! After ten days, we already had 24 cars registered.
We were expecting seven or ten cars for the first meeting, and considering we'd decided to accept only Lombardy members, we didn't think we'd exceed that estimate. Amazed by the huge turnout, I called Fabio and explained what was happening. He, too, was incredulous and said, "You may have had some last-minute cancellations, but I assure you, I'm incredulous, too, at this huge turnout. I'm so happy! This is an awakening!"
The meeting took place in Santa Maria della Versa, at the renowned winery "La Versa SpA." This large, century-old company initially hosted us in its cellars, where the general manager, Dr. Cervetti, and a renowned oenologist led us through two underground floors, at a temperature of 10°C, immersed among millions of bottles carefully arranged on the shelves.
After a perfect and professional description of the production methods and the preparation, according to the classic method, of their renowned vintage cru “Testarossa,” the director ordered the disgorging and subsequent tasting of two three-liter bottles of this nectar… Astonished by our enthusiasm, Dr. Cervetti honored us with an extraordinary initiative: he ordered the opening of a third bottle of Testarossa, also three-liter, but—obviously—25 years old!
This is a treatment that the winery reserves for major events, state visits, and the most important commemorations…
The success and the atmosphere that had been created were palpable for each of us…
From there, we moved to Wine Point La Versa, the winery's sales outlet located in Montescano. Here, we enjoyed an aperitivo, also offered by the winery, with tastings of all kinds of local cured meats and cheeses, and, of course, endless wines, wines, and more wines.
On that occasion, given the situation, I quietly asked the director, Dr. Cervetti, to kindly call the local Carabinieri headquarters to let them know that a convoy of cars would soon be moving 59 kilometers away and that the participants had tasted their wines… in abundance… He understood what I wanted to ask…
So we didn't have any unpleasant encounters…
Once we set off, we traveled about 60 kilometers through wonderful vineyards, farmhouses, wineries, farms, and agritourisms immersed in truly pristine nature. When we reached the Rossarola farmhouse, we were welcomed by the owners and refreshed with plenty of iced water. Settled in a beautiful English lawn of at least one hectare, under charming gazebos scattered among the trees, we prepared for our picnic.
The day before, I had delivered to the farmhouse some wicker picnic baskets, with leather handles and lined with large red and green checked English cloth. See photo…
The baskets were filled with all sorts of delicacies, and one was given to each member in each car. Each member collected their basket and headed to the gazebos, forming lively and boisterous groups...
I must say that, before this convivial moment, I chaired a "homemade" meeting, during which I had the opportunity to explain the system and the new working logic that, from that moment on, would govern the Lombardy Regional Center. The term "team" dominated and engaged the discussion, and the idea that all members could express themselves and make decisions, naturally after the meeting's approval, thrilled everyone.
I must also point out that, despite my hunger and the joy of the wine tasting, the meeting allowed me to speak uninterrupted for 25 minutes, without a sound or a buzz, and without ever losing my attention. I would call them true and great members: attentive, altruistic, and capable, when necessary, of even becoming diligent soldiers!
Around 4:30 PM, we displayed the cakes baked by the members. In the invitation letter, I'd asked the wives and classmates to bake a cake at home, announcing that there would be a real competition. See photos...
We moved on to the tasting, while a panel of judges examined and tasted the cakes to make their judgments. At 5:00 PM, the jury made its decision, and with three entries tied, I decided, not wanting to discriminate against any of the entries, to award prizes to all the ladies who attended.
They were given a tasty jar of porcini mushroom pâté, accompanied by a recipe book, kindly donated by a well-known Milanese company.
We said goodbye with endless kisses and hugs…
I'd like to let everyone reading this know that I was supported, first and foremost, by Arturo Frattini, who accompanied me on the exploratory journey despite his convalescence, and by those who were the first to join us at our first meeting in Milan. I thank them all!
Angelo Bernardi