Indulge yourself in a feast of Italian culture at Winedays

If Mobility Week is all about experimenting with sustainable forms of transportation, Winedays is a delicious reason to hit the streets and imbibe. The inaugural edition of this new food, drink and culture concept features 10 participating restaurants and wine bars across Brussels.

It’s just as well that the event coincides with the capital’s car-free Sunday, too, because Winedays is a food-and-wine flight of Bacchic proportions. At its heart, this is a showcase of Italian cuisine, Piedmont wine and the Brussels businesses that serve them.

Entry includes a branded wine glass with a neck strap for easy access. Your task is to perambulate from one participating establishment to the next, tasting away all the while. If you’ve done it right, you’ll be unfit to operate a motor vehicle.

Each venue showcases a different wine. All hail from the lush hills of northern Italy’s Piedmont region – home of the fruity red Barbera d’Asti – and all are presented by the producers themselves. The food comes from across Italy (and beyond). Each establishment has prepared two special tapas-style dishes.

The European quarter’s cosy Italian bookstore/cafe Piola Libri pairs its Piedmont with an assortment of appetisers from the self-same region, while Elsene’s Kitchen 151 promises a Mediterranean fusion dish with hummus. All offerings operate on a token system. Visitors can purchase tokens as they go or they can pre-order a discounted package online.

In addition to food and drink, visitors will enjoy varied cultural offerings. Participating venues were given carte blanche to book their own entertainment for the event. Piola Libri has gone all out and hosts a loaded weekend programme for all ages, featuring a jazz piano concert by Tuscan composer Piergiorgio Pirro, a ping pong tournament, an old-school vinyl DJ set and a family arts workshop with Italian-born painters Andrea Clanetti Santarossa and Bruno Pilar.

Winedays is an initiative of the Italian government in collaboration with Piedmont wine producers, the Banca Monte Paschi Belgio and local concert promoter BEIT, which specialises in bringing Italian acts to Belgium. Future Winedays events are already in the works for Antwerp and Ghent.

17-18 September, across Brussels. Photo courtesy Winedays