“Imbeciles and corrupt people” thundered Luigi Veronelli in 1986 in the aftermath of the deaths from the methanol scandal. From here begins the story of the life of this great food and wine expert, unraveled through archive images, interviews with collaborators and those who knew him, always calling him by his nickname: Gino. Wine was Veronelli's primary interest and so, in the filmic metaphor, his life becomes a great red wine, to be planted, harvested and then drunk. From his first steps as a publisher fighting against censorship, up to the trials, the battles in defense of small producers and the complaint against Coca Cola, his anarchist and oenological ideas matured, becoming a precious nectar drunk by many young people in the last phase of his life. Investigating Veronelli's thought, understanding the legacy of one of our most interesting rebellious personalities, is therefore a way to question ourselves on a hot topic like that of food, with all the conflicts that it still brings with it today.
The narrative of our present is immersed daily in the theme of food. Between television and social media we are overwhelmed by food and wine, in a visual roller coaster that often leaves no trace of itself. It's like all that food has no flavor. In Veronelli, in his thoughts and in his struggles, one almost seems to feel the taste. Taste that comes from tradition, from the land, from quality, from libertarian thought, from struggles, from the passion of an entire life dedicated to the attempt to make Italian agri-food great. Telling his story, exploring his thoughts, savoring his legacy is like spreading that taste, in a way that embodies the very meaning of our being documentarians. In the exploration of such an important human and professional event in Italian history, we encounter a fundamental dialogue with our present, within a topic that appears to be more necessary than ever.
Gaia Russo Frattasi (Ricerche d'archivio, Location manager)
Bruno Ceretto