The Mandrarossa Prize unites the world of wine enthusiasts and readers

It is the president Giuseppe Bursi, of the excellent Mandrarossa winery, active since 1999 and flagship of Settesoli, leader in the sector since the 1950s, who has chosen to give the Award its respective name. “Combining wine excellence with a Literary Award – declared Bursi to Adnkronos – means merging the material heritage of the territory with the immaterial one of the word. For Mandrarossa, giving the name to this project was a profound strategic and cultural choice: it demonstrates that our wine production is, to all intents and purposes, a cultural act. In fact, this link not only roots the brand as a custodian of culture, but elevates its positioning by associating it with the great narrative and intercepting an attentive and aware public, transversal to that of wine lovers”. A public that has welcomed this new editorial reality, a young award but already recognizable in the panorama of Italian literary awards.

“I have a clear albeit ambitious vision – explains President Bursi -. The Mandrarossa Prize aims to become a cultural observatory on a national scale. The objective is twofold: to enhance independent bookshops and demonstrate the indissoluble link between wine and culture as engines of economic development. The prize also supports local development: the final evening in the suggestive setting of the Archaeological Park of Selinunte was created precisely to attract not only enthusiasts and the curious but also conscious tourism, capable of reviving the area. The particularity is also given by the choice to dedicate each section of the Award to a label. “Dedicating each category of the award to a specific wine – he clarifies – was born from an intuition of the curator Claudia Origoni: «We realized that the stories were already in the wines». Each label evokes atmospheres and territories that blend perfectly with the literary genre they are paired with.

Sicily is an island rich in cultural events. The Award takes a step forward compared to this: it has a national and international value thanks to the involvement of independent bookstores on a national scale and abroad. “By going beyond the Sicilian borders to embrace a national and international dimension, the Mandrarossa literary prize – claims President Bursi – demonstrates that it is not a simple sponsorship or commercial operation, but a cultural and wine bond that aims to redefine and make the brand known outside the island, in order to position the wine as an absolute excellence, ambassador and identity mirror of the territory of origin. Our greatest challenge is to demonstrate that the connection between writing and Mandrarossa wine is strong from an authentic communion of intent: a union that puts culture, the protection of the landscape, the enhancement of territorial identity and freedom of expression at the centre”.

Wine lovers are often also readers. A winning and promising combination. “Those who choose quality wine are looking for an experience, those who love to read are looking for a story that excites them and intrigues them: the final evening of the Mandrarossa Prize merges these two worlds, that of wine enthusiasts and readers, in a unique and unforgettable event. An event of this type becomes an economic driver: it attracts travelers ready to experience the area in its entirety and thus transform an event into a unique and unforgettable experience”.

Afterwards, once the overall winner has been named, the evening of 25 July will continue with “Mother. A conversation, no guilt, one hundred thousand women” with Concita De Gregorio and Melania Petriello (Produced by ottantunocento): true stories, vital impulses, anecdotes, field research; emotional confrontation, place of sisterhood, public meeting of private feelings.