“Vampires Italians” is the association of garlic tasters that was missing
Long loved and hated, despite being a staple of Italian cuisine, garlic is perhaps the most divisive of all, sparking extreme passions and long-held outbursts.
Who are the “Italian Vampires”?
The idea to fill this cultural void was born from the mind of Luca Scainelli, a food and wine journalist with thirty-five years of experience, founder of Errante del Gusto, and Grand Master of the Order of the Margherita. With a solid sensory background gained from evaluating cured meats and cheeses, Scainelli observed that our country regularly organizes courses and guided tastings to showcase wine, olive oil, and dairy products. However, a truly structured association dedicated to the most ancient, defining, and yet feared ingredient in our culinary tradition was lacking. Thus, a project was born, designed to "evaluate garlic with sensory rigor, respect for Italian biodiversity, and a healthy dose of irony toward those who still fear it."
The philosophy of Vampiri Italiani rests solidly on three distinct yet interconnected pillars: the sensory methodology, a rigorous approach based on structured 100-point evaluation forms and comparative panels modeled on professional Italian tasting techniques; a focus on the peninsula's extraordinary biodiversity, with the goal of protecting and promoting the numerous varieties certified DOP, IGP, or protected by Slow Food Presidia. Finally, underpinning it all is a humorous and impactful brand identity: while legends say that creatures of the night fear this bulb, the group's tasters have chosen to overturn this myth by approaching it without prejudice.
To understand just how diverse this world is, simply browse the collection of fourteen Italian varieties listed by the North-South Association. They range from the delicate Aglio di Voghiera, whose sweet aromas captivated the court of the Dukes of Ferrara as early as the fifteenth century, to the majestic Aglione della Chiana, nicknamed "lovers' garlic" due to its high digestibility and ability to produce heads weighing up to eight hundred grams. Then there's the Aglio Bianco Piacentino, known as the king of garlic due to its size and ability to occupy ten percent of the national cultivated area, and the Aglio Rosso di Nubia, renowned for its bright red inner skins, high allicin content, and packaging in bundles of one hundred bulbs. We're just scratching the surface of a world of products and traditions.
To spread this culture nationwide, without being confined to a desk, the association has created a widespread network based on provincial Covi (Garlic Coves). Each Covo is entrusted to a Guardian, tasked with mapping local producers and promoting the field tasting method. Furthermore, for those wishing to embark on this unusual training path, the association offers an introductory course divided into four graded levels. The journey begins at the first level, Initiated, with the Il Morso Gentile (Gentle Morse) test, which focuses on tasting black garlic and comparing its nuances through Maillard and processing.
The second level, Aspiring Vampire, explores the four forms of enjoyment: raw, cooked, smoked, and dehydrated. The third level of Vampire takes members to the heart of the transformation involving brines, umami, and acidity, where alliinase doesn't survive the processing and the pungency disappears. Finally, the supreme level of Grand Vampire is reached with the "Without Fear of the Raw" module, reserved for those who compete in the panel of raw bulbs, evaluated on a scorecard out of 100 points. There is also a special, off-the-scale module reserved for professionals such as chefs, sommeliers, and affineurs.
The hands-on events will begin in early autumn at Covo di Songavazzo, in the province of Bergamo. A masterclass will be held on Saturday, October 3, 2026, offering a comparative tasting of three types of commercially available garlic preserved in oil. The actual public debut, however, is scheduled for the evening of Saturday, October 31, 2026, with an event titled "La Prima Notte" (The First Night). The evening will feature three guided tastings paired with wine and beer: from black garlic to bruschetta with oil and garlic powder, to a bold dark chocolate bonbon with a black garlic cream center. After all, as Scainelli and his associates like to say with a hint of provocation and a lot of humor: "Garlic doesn't bite. We do."