As the Adriatic warms, new arrivals are reaching the table. Issue 34 of Mangiavino follows the blue crab and its many kin, species from distant seas now reshaping menus along the coast of Friuli. It then turns to Homer, asking whether a winemaker should be someone or no one in the noisy theatre of social media. It reads the labels of Petrussa, La Viarte and Ruj, where a leaf, a door or a bunch of grapes carries a whole family history. It closes among the vines of Ronco Severo, where Stefano Novello lets time and grape skins do the talking.<br><br>This is a selection of stories in English from the bimonthly magazine on wine and food culture, published in collaboration with AIS Friuli Venezia Giulia.

In Focus

THE ALIEN THAT ENTERS THE FISH PLATE

Future and Innovation

TO BE SOMEONE OR TO BE NO ONE

All Round

DRESSING UP WINE BETWEEN SYMBOLS AND IDENTITY

RONCO SEVERO IN PRAISE OF SLOWNESS

considerable damage to the associated industries, whilst at the same time finding increasingly frequent use in the dishes served in local kitchens. The veined rapa whelk makes its way into the kitchen A gastropod mollusc of Asian origin, the veined rapa whelk (Rapana venosa), has long since found its way into chefs  kitchens. In the Adriatic, it devours large quantities of mussels and oysters. Its considerable size   15 20 centimetres   and its firm, meaty flesh make it suitable for stews, soups and creamy dishes similar to those made with traditional shellfish. However, there are also some species which, if handled incorrectly, can pose a danger to humans. For example, before filleting a scorpion fish, it is essential to very carefully remove its poisonous dorsal and anal spines. In various Italian regions,  Gal Pesca  (Local Fisheries Action Groups) have been established. These are Rapana Venosa Photo Saul Ciriaco public-private partnerships that manage European funds (such as the EMFF) for sustainable development, environmental protection and the economic development of coastal communities, small-scale fisheries and aquaculture. Revitalisation projects In particular, along the Adriatic coast, the Abruzzo Fisheries LAG, in collaboration with the University of Camerino, has presented the  Aromi in blu  project, which aims to strengthen and economically revitalise the fishing industry by improving its ability to adapt to various kinds of change, with a particular focus on non-native species of culinary interest. The GALPA FVG (Local Action Group for Fisheries and Aquaculture in Friuli Venezia Giulia) is also active in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region and is tackling, amongst other issues, the problem of the invasion by alien fish species. 4 Freshwater ecosystems The problem does not only concern marine waters, but also freshwater ecosystems. Consider the presence in rivers of catfish (Silurus glanis) and Louisiana crayfish (Procambarus clarkii), which have long since made their way onto the menus of many restaurants. Bringing these alien species   also defined as invasive when they cause serious economic damage   into the kitchen is proving to be an effective sustainability strategy promoted by restaurateurs and environmental protection organisations to reduce pressure on marine and river ecosystems.  

Future and Innovation TO BE SOMEONE OR TO BE NO ONE Matteo Bellotto The odyssey of communication in the world of wine, caught between the obsessive pursuit of identity, social media and corporate values. But there are those who ultimately choose to go it alone, because, after all, no entertainer can ever be better than those who actually make the wine L ike Odysseus, wine too embarks on a long journey to return home. The changing of the seasons weaves the tapestry of the grape harvest, starting afresh each time. The many suitors who wait for the tapestry to be completed find themselves driven back by their own greed, and when Odysseus returns home, transformed by his journey, no longer recognizes himself. You see, even I am now beginning to lose myself in words, in a synaesthesia that holds together only on paper and vanishes with the first glass of wine. We are chasing stories rather than History, in a present that vanishes in 24 hours on a screen. 5 

Alien species on the plate, wine on social media, the labels of Petrussa, La Viarte and Ruj, and Ronco Severo. August 2026.