1996 – Second Golden Melon of Viadana
Viadana Typical Melon Festival
“1996” is not a new Sky series on the rise of Berlusconi. It is the year in which we won the Golden Melon of Viadana (Mantua) for the second consecutive time.
It was the fourth edition of the contest, and our melon — the “Dalton” variety — was awarded as the best among 31 participating farms. The jury consisted of technicians from the Experimental Institute for Horticulture in MIRA, representatives from the Emilia-Romagna Region, and fruit and vegetable market experts. People who know their stuff. And who were evaluating for real: taste, sugar content, firmness. Our melon won them over, again.
Romano and Cesare Sanguanini had already won in 1995. But 1996 confirmed it wasn’t just a stroke of luck. It was method, attention, work done well. And back then, there were no sensors, apps, or drones. Everything was done by eye, by nose, and with experience.
Today we cultivate with different tools, but the logic remains the same: every melon we harvest must deserve a place on that table.
Terra Mantovana (July 22, 1996)
Golden Melon
5th competition in Viadana. First place for the “Dalton” by our members Sanguanini
The melon from the Viadana area has a “golden” future, as the 5th “Golden Melon” competition says, held on June 30 in Viadana, which saw the award for the producer of the best melon in this zone. The Viadana area is indeed a typical production zone for melons which, besides a production history several centuries old, boasts recognition across all fruit and vegetable markets.
The traditionally most cultivated varieties are Harper and Supermarket, which are grafted to resist fusarium. The award followed the judgment of a commission that performs a complex evaluation of both the aesthetic parameters of the fruits and the characteristics of the pulp, as well as sugar content and organoleptic properties. This year’s commission included Albino Marchioro from the Padua fruit and vegetable market, Luciano Trentini from the Emilia-Romagna Region, and Agostino Falavigna from the Experimental Institute for Horticulture of the Miraaf.
First place, for the second consecutive year, went to the Dalton variety melon presented by Romano and Cesare Sanguanini; second place with the Solaris variety went to the fruits presented by the Bellaguarda Associated Farmers cooperative presided over by Francesco Zeli; third place to Ennio and Mauro Rosa with Mambo, all our associates.
The victory of a new and non-typical variety for this production area underlines its suitability for melon cultivation, and not just for traditional varieties. A clear sign that producers can successfully venture into new types of this appreciated cucurbit, and thus occupy new market spaces.
La Voce di Mantova (July 2, 1996)
Here is the “Golden Melon”
Yet another success for the traditional competition among agricultural producers. Romano and Cesare Sanguanini win the ‘96 edition.
This year it took place over three days, the fourth edition of the traditional and coveted “Golden Melon” prize which saw thirty-one producing farms from the Viadana area compete for this important recognition.
Last Friday, the tasting area set up by the guys from the Pro Loco in the gardens in front of the former elementary schools was inaugurated. On Saturday, the people of Viadana could enjoy ham, melon, and drink Lambrusco comfortably seated at the dozens of tables set up for the purpose, while all the bars and numerous restaurants for the occasion included recipes based on this very sweet cucurbit, rich in vitamins and low in calories, in their menus. Last Sunday at 3 PM, the jury, composed of Dr. Luciano Trentini of the Emilia-Romagna Region, and experts Agostino Falavigna from Lodi, Albino Marchioro from Padua, and Francesco Zerbinati from Verona, began the evaluations, which culminated the same evening, at 10 PM, with the awards ceremony.
And here are the winners: first place Romano and Cesare Sanguanini, who won with the “Dalton” quality; a significant victory for the Sanguanini family because they doubled down on last year’s success. Second place to the “Associated Farmers of Bellaguarda”, which brings together over a hundred small producers, who brought the “Proteo” quality. Third in the rankings was the company Ennio and Mauro Rosa (with the Mambo variety) which also received the special “Quality and Production Consistency” award, because there has been no edition in which they did not rank among the top places. Fourth was the company of Bruno and Luigi Mortini, with the “Supermarket” quality.