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Bellivière's "Vignes en Foule" Experiment

Bellivière's "Vignes en Foule" Experiment

The vignes en foule (“crowded vines”) were planted in 2001 at a density of 40,000 vines of <glossary term="Chenin Blanc" title="281">Chenin</glossary> per <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectare</glossary>. It was an experiment on a small area. At this density, with 50 cm x 50 cm between each plant, everything is done by hand and we cannot <glossary term="Mechanization" title="645">mechanize</glossary>. The term “en foule” means without <glossary term="Training System" title="1039">vine training</glossary>. <a href="https://louisdressner.com/producers/ferme%20de%20la%20sansonni%C3%A8re">Mark Angeli</a> had had an experiment like this and he ended up tearing the plants out to be able to <glossary term="Mechanization" title="645">mechanize</glossary>. Since planting, we have never really been able to <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvest</glossary> because we couldn't manage it properly. Since Clément joined us, we have undertaken a lot of work on it, in particular the <glossary term="Training System" title="1039">training</glossary> of the <glossary term="Parcel" title="760">parcel</glossary> into a <glossary term="Pergola" title="774">pergola</glossary>. We have also  covered the ground with mulch to minimize grass regrowth. So this year (2020), for the first time, we were able to <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvest</glossary> it properly. The pickers were delighted because they had the impression of entering a "forest" of vines and the picking was within reach without having to bend down. The aim of this experiment is to see the impact of competition from the vines on the rooting and therefore the result on the wine. The <glossary term="Barrel" title="142">barrel</glossary> is in <glossary term="Elevage" title="418">élevage</glossary>, to be continued... <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//879/e9/6a/e96a8bbddef6fb5171f5155a3ef440df.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//879/d3/de/d3de250105610e252e0c8b6d8a2c5097.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//879/a4/5e/a45e1e7a0ca4f5a8a359927e7c978533.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//879/ea/5e/ea5e394ee7553f4441ab4eac94c15008.jpg" />

A 2019 Visit to Matassa's New House and Vines

This visit with Tom Lubbe took place in June, 2019

Towards the end of our summer 2018 lunch with Tom Lubbe, he mentioned going to the bank later that afternoon to "see if I'll be going through with a life changing decision." He was vague at the time, but hinted it meant purchasing a soon to be defunct <glossary term="Estate" title="427">estate</glossary>'s property and vines.  Fast forward a year later, with Tom texting me to "put Jolly-Ferriol in the GPS. You'll find it."  <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//880/59/63/59635174ecddb03ab750117327f3e998.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//880/22/e6/22e647ad91345f9fc6363d46a2bf8af5.jpg" /> If you're unfamiliar with Jolly-Ferriol, it was founded in 2006 by Isabelle Jolly and Jean-Luc Chossart, two Parisians who quit successful careers in dance and video games to pursue their dreams of <glossary term="Vigneron/Vignaiolo" title="1089">vigneron</glossary> life. The property is very isolated: from a roundabout meant to slow you down on an easy to speed on freeway, a lone dirt trail brings you to the Mas Ferriol, a sprawling <glossary term="Estate" title="427">estate</glossary> with no neighbors in site. When Jolly and Chossart took it over, it hadn't been inhabited in over 50 years. They were instantly enamored by a place that seemed frozen in time: untouched furniture and made beds, trees growing through some of the structures and forgotten bottles of old <glossary term="Rancio" title="1440">Rancio</glossary> strewn about a rudimentary <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary>.  <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//880/0f/31/0f31e9cdd41d2b93dd352ce0f2168020.jpg" /> Though they'd found their diamond in the rough, Jolly and Chossart had never polished it. Tom and his family had moved in a few months prior and were in the midst of a massive renovation/restoration of the various building structures. When we arrived, a construction team was in full work mode. <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//880/36/e9/36e9576886ec1812c7b039cb1f8df600.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//880/cd/6a/cd6a4dec6b5a50452687608906cfde65.jpg" /> Progress was VERY behind schedule, a fact Tom lamented throughout our visit. Still, there were signs that new owners were slowly settling in. <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//880/7f/ef/7fefb09d41198344288c110428910869.jpg" /> After a few minutes of Tom dealing with a construction worker, we agreed to set out to the new vines. Much to my surprise, he explained that he'd ripped out all but one of the eight <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary> surrounding the Mas Ferriol property. While he has plantation rights for the next few years, Tom does not plan to dedicate it fully to <glossary term="Viticulture" title="1103">viticulture</glossary>. "We might replant a <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectare</glossary> or two. But this land is destined for something else."  The plan is to run a <glossary term="Polyculture" title="815">polycultural</glossary> farm with this land: animals, fruit trees and crops.  Unbeknownst to Tom, on his first visit scoping out Mas Ferriol as a potential place to live and build his dream <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary> (this will be the third since Matassa' inception in 2003),  he noticed the eight <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary> planted directly above the property. They were being worked <glossary term="Conventional Farming" title="331">conventionally</glossary> but had a lot going for them. The vines were between 25 and 70 years old and planted on on a slope. The grapes were an interesting mix of <glossary term="Mourvèdre" title="692">Mourvèdre</glossary>, <glossary term="Carignan" title="237">Carignan</glossary>, <glossary term="Muscat d'Alexandrie" title="687">Muscat d'Alexandrie</glossary>, <glossary term="Muscat Petits Grains" title="699">Muscat à Petit Grain</glossary>, <glossary term="Grenache" title="508">Grenache</glossary> and <glossary term="Grenache Gris" title="1158">Grenache Gris</glossary>. Even more fascinating, everything was planted on a very rare geological formation of black <glossary term="Schist" title="933">schist</glossary> Tom says he's rarely if ever encountered anywhere else. <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//880/00/44/0044325d0086b996c491dc8219015b0c.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//880/b2/27/b2272acb0b6a178c3b6431492367a574.jpg" /> Already plenty busy with his 12  <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary>, adding another eight to the mix was not in the books. But this unique <glossary term="Terroir" title="1026">terroir</glossary> and extreme proximity to the house was too good to pass up.  In the end, that "life changing decision" of 2018 was not only to buy the Mas Ferriol but also its neighboring vines.  <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//880/0e/9f/0e9f72822d1799fa8ea05b7651b95140.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//880/61/7d/617df39be9419a1f1dbf0153087c05b9.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//880/29/1a/291a8700c75613f809c706f3bd2dbfbe.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//880/e3/a2/e3a27b873ea54fccd53a34c4ca369b4b.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//880/3c/4c/3c4cad553f810d3c8a11f1b5f9f6b59b.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//880/a9/11/a911b7ad02d3d356491ec3f2faa2631c.jpg" /> I must say, I've never quite seen soils like this. Though the <glossary term="Volcanic" title="1117">volcanic</glossary> influence was obvious and reminiscent of <glossary term="Etna" title="429">Etna</glossary>, the <glossary term="Canary Islands" title="231">Canary Islands</glossary> or <glossary term="Auvergne" title="128">Auvergne</glossary>, it was clear we were standing in a geological anomaly, especially for the <glossary term="Roussillon" title="880">Roussillon</glossary>.  The breakdowns of grapes is roughly 20% <glossary term="Carignan" title="237">Carignan</glossary>, 20% <glossary term="Mourvèdre" title="692">Mourvèdre</glossary>, 20% <glossary term="Muscat d'Alexandrie" title="687">Muscat d'Alexandrie</glossary>, 15% <glossary term="Muscat Petits Grains" title="699">Muscat à Petit Grains</glossary> and 10% <glossary term="Grenache" title="508">Grenache</glossary> and <glossary term="Grenache Gris" title="1158">Grenache Gris</glossary> (yes that's not 100% and Tom admitted free-styling those numbers).  At the time of the visit, Tom was already planning to release one or two wines specifically from this <glossary term="Terroir" title="1026">terroir</glossary>. These ended up being "Aces of Spades Les Myrs" and "Mambo Sun". From the vines, we walked back down to the Mas Ferriol to scope the construction of the new <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary> and storage facilities. It was still in an early phase and has since been completed just in time for the 2020 <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvest</glossary>.  Before tasting, I got a quick fluff in with Palkia (RIP).  <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//880/56/b1/56b182828ccef429294a62b63a8e0030.jpg" /> We then set to the dining room to taste most of the 2018's, which by then had already been released for many months. <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//880/b5/3f/b53f8afab580f9b6a7fe5d3f770944b7.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//880/52/07/52070ad483a6bb3a93bd4cf0c2064ad2.jpg" /> It's at this point that I deeply regret having lost my notebook, as we dove into a multitude of subjects including Tom's work with <glossary term="Cover Crop" title="1255">cover crops</glossary>, his dedication to harvesting early since the beginning of Matassa, the shift to <glossary term="Bottling" title="185">bottling</glossary> much earlier and a particularly entertaining conversation about the commodification of the "Brutal" designation.  <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//880/d5/74/d574406c92d0582be46e761c2015b60e.jpg" /> "I really don't think Laureano (Serres) and Joan-Ramon (Escoda) ever thought it would become "a thing". There is a lot of speculation of what a Brutal wine is or means, but really it was just a way to connect to those guys and the bar in <glossary term="Barcelona" title="140">Barcelona</glossary>. In the early days, you'd ask them if you could do it. And they'd always say yes because why not?  Now it's obviously become a marketing gimmick for people who have zero connection to them."  After tasting, the late afternoon became <glossary term="Aperitif" title="112">apéro</glossary>, <glossary term="Aperitif" title="112">apéro</glossary> became dinner and a good night was had by all.  <img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//880/0e/12/0e124f4e9fcaacd0f9451203ad67794d.jpg" />

Video: A Day in the Life of Nadia Verrua

Video: A Day in the Life of Nadia Verrua

A Video Tour of L'Acino

A Video Tour of L'Acino's Vineyards

Humus Interview

An interview with Rodrigo Filipe from 2020

This interview with Rodrigo Filipe took place over Skype in October, 2020. Tell me about the history of the farm and your involvement.  My grandfather bought the farm in the 1960’s. He was making wine but used to sell it off. At the time, there was someone who would go to small villages and buy the wine from the farmers to sell to big houses in <glossary term="Porto" title="744">Porto</glossary> and <glossary term="Lisbon" title="1262">Lisbon</glossary>. Back then, there wasn’t a tradition of <glossary term="Bottling" title="185">bottling</glossary> wine, only a handful of large houses were doing it.  My father started <glossary term="Bottling" title="185">bottling</glossary> his own wine for the first time in 1988 from some old vineyards in the village and planted the oldest vines I have in 1991. But it was a hobby for him, and when the vines started producing higher quantities, he asked me to come help out. I was studying at university and had no intention to make this my career. But I came in 1999 to <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvest</glossary> and really enjoyed it. I never stopped. What did your father do? He was working as an agronomic engineer.  And he planted all the vines?  He planted the oldest vines I have, around three <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary> of vines. He planted <glossary term="Castelão" title="1228">Castelão</glossary>, <glossary term="Fernão Pires" title="1235">Fernão Pires</glossary> and <glossary term="Arinto" title="1233">Arinto</glossary> in 1991.  How many hectares are there now and what did you plant? I have nine <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary> now, so I planted six. In 2002, I planted <glossary term="Touriga Nacional" title="1229">Touriga Nacional</glossary>, <glossary term="Syrah" title="1001">Syrah</glossary> and <glossary term="Tinta Barroca" title="1403">Tinto Barroca</glossary>. At the time I was planning on making more full-bodied reds; everyone was planting <glossary term="Touriga Nacional" title="1229">Touriga Nacional</glossary> saying it was wonderful, so I decided to try. For the <glossary term="Syrah" title="1001">Syrah</glossary>, some people in the region were having really good results with it, so that motivated me. For <glossary term="Tinta Barroca" title="1403">Tinta Barroca</glossary>, there was only one guy doing it and it was something new to the area, so I wanted to experiment. I may plant other varieties at some point, but right now I’m happy with the work I’m doing with the grapes I have. For example I really like the <glossary term="Touriga Nacional" title="1229">Touriga</glossary> for the <glossary term="Rosé/Rosato" title="871">rosé</glossary> and the <glossary term="Pétillant Naturel" title="778">pétillant naturel</glossary>. <glossary term="Syrah" title="1001">Syrah</glossary> is very consistent, always there for you when you have a problem with the others.  What’s the breakdown of the land? I have about two <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary> of <glossary term="Touriga Nacional" title="1229">Touriga Nacional</glossary>, two <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary> of <glossary term="Syrah" title="1001">Syrah</glossary>, one of <glossary term="Castelão" title="1228">Castelão</glossary>, one of <glossary term="Tinta Barroca" title="1403">Tinta Barroca</glossary>, one <glossary term="Co-plantation" title="309">co-planted</glossary> in <glossary term="Fernão Pires" title="1235">Fernão Pires</glossary> and <glossary term="Arinto" title="1233">Arinto</glossary>, one <glossary term="Co-plantation" title="309">co-planted</glossary> in <glossary term="Arinto" title="1233">Arinto</glossary> and <glossary term="Sauvignon Blanc" title="927">Sauvignon Blanc</glossary>.  What was your first independent vintage and how were you working at that point?  When I started, I didn’t know much about winemaking. All I had were the memories from when my father made wine in the 80’s and 90’s. In 1999, I assisted him in the winemaking. After that <glossary term="Vinification" title="1104">vinification</glossary>, I decided I needed to educate myself. So I started reading a lot and doing local workshops. Everyone was teaching me <glossary term="Conventional Farming" title="331">conventional</glossary> methods, so I was using all these techniques at the beginning.  But in the end I was not happy with the results. I started working <glossary term="Organic" title="746">organically</glossary> in 2006, and progressively I stopped using <glossary term="Commercial Yeast" title="321">commercial yeasts</glossary>. Starting in 2010, I’ve made the wines without any <glossary term="Additive" title="1192">additives</glossary>.  What was the first vintage you commercialized? When I started I was using the name of the farm: Encosta da Quinta. In 2007, I was looking for a new name for a small lot of wines. My wife came up the Humus name. I really liked it: a short word with a nice meaning. For about three or four years I sold the wines under both names, but realized Humus was easier to identify and remember, so I shifted everything over to Humus. The farm is quite isolated. What was your inspiration to work organically and in a non-interventionist fashion? As you said, I’m quite alone out here. The only outside information I had was a contact with some friends in Spain. I saw that people where doing it in France and Spain and I loved the idea and wanted to see how it worked. I was on vacation in Spain in 2008 and visited a winery working this way. I came home with a lot of bottles and really loved the results. So that year I tried to make some wine with no <glossary term="Sulfites" title="993">S02</glossary>; it tasted great and eventually I got the confidence to make my entire production this way.  How would you define your work philosophy at this point?  I’ve always tried to get the best from each grape but then I also tried making wines I like to drink. I started making <glossary term="Rosé/Rosato" title="871">rosé</glossary> with the <glossary term="Touriga Nacional" title="1229">Touriga Nacional</glossary>, <glossary term="Maceration" title="610">macerating</glossary> the white skins on the <glossary term="Rosé/Rosato" title="871">rosé</glossary>, always trying to adapt my work… What’s your feelings on Portugal? Do you feel things are changing? Or are you really still alone in your work? It’s moving very slowly. The people who work in wine in Portugal are very conservative. They come from families that have been making wine for a long time, but got involved with with <glossary term="Industrial Agriculture" title="539">industrial practices</glossary> along the way. It’s hard for them to see things differently. Even moving to <glossary term="Organic" title="746">organic</glossary> <glossary term="Agriculture" title="78">agriculture</glossary>, people really don’t accept it.  With  <glossary term="Natural WIne" title="708">natural wines</glossary>, it’s even slower. I think it took off in France and Spain because people were coming from all over with open minds, but also a lot of them are first generation winemakers. In Portugal there tends to be family lineage. Everybody follows the same curriculums and applies it to their work.  It’s happening, but slowly.

De Fermo Interview

An Interview with Stefano Papetti Ceroni from 2020

This interview with Stefano Papetti Ceroni took place over Skype in October, 2020. Tell us about the history of the estate.  I will try to summarize the history, because it’s quite long.We should start with my relationship with wine, which is quite strange. I’m from <glossary term="Bologna" title="172">Bologna</glossary> and my family has no link to farming. But I started being curious about wine at a very young age, around 11 or 12 years old. It came from reading my mother’s cooking magazines in the late 1980’s. I used to see the wine descriptions and <glossary term="Wine Label" title="573">labels</glossary>. With my childhood friend <a href="http://louisdressner.com/producers/federico%20orsi%7Cvigneto%20san%20vito">Federico Orsi</a>, we began buying bottles in our early teens. We actually didn’t drink the wine, we would just smell it. My mother is very open minded: I had an older brother who smoked and she felt spending money on wine was better than tobacco! All through high school, a group of friends including Federico began tasting and studying wine. When we were old enough to take a <glossary term="Sommelier" title="969">sommelier</glossary> course at 18, we all took it. We also started to travel north to <glossary term="Piemonte" title="793">Piemonte</glossary>, <glossary term="Friuli" title="470">Friuli</glossary> and <glossary term="Tuscany" title="1055">Tuscany</glossary> to visit wineries. But I never travelled to <glossary term="Abruzzo" title="1426">Abruzzo</glossary> in my youth. I studied law at university. My passion was history but my father told me I needed to study something that get me a serious job (laughs). It felt like I was forced into it, but some good came out of my studies because it's where I met my wife. She’s originally from <glossary term="Abruzzo" title="1426">Abruzzo</glossary> but came to <glossary term="Bologna" title="172">Bologna</glossary> to study. We were 23 at the time, and after a few months she invited me to visit <glossary term="Abruzzo" title="1426">Abruzzo</glossary> with her. We were together four years before getting married in 2005, and it actually took another two years to visit the De Fermo farm for the first time. We used to go visit other farms over the weekend, and finally she proposed we see her family land. It took so long because she was not linked to this land at all; her family had ceased being directly involved after World War 2. After the war, the farm was managed by people hired by her family. They ran the farm and sold the grapes, olives and wheat. To be honest, I was not expecting to see such a beautiful place when we first visited. Her family never talked about it, so I suppose I was expecting something more normal, simpler. But from the very first visit, it was magical: I always say it was my second "love at first sight" after my wife. The place was incredible, is incredible. So starting in winter 2007, I started going there every weekend. I was 32 at the time and while I was very unhappy with my job, it did not feel possible to just quit. Neither of our families would understand or accept this decision: we had two new borns, good jobs…  So I started going every weekend and learning from the <glossary term="Contadino" title="329">contadini</glossary> that had been taking care of the farm. They had already been working <glossary term="Organic" title="746">organically</glossary> since the early 2000’s. Eventually I asked my father-in-law if I could have one <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectare</glossary> of vineyards to manage. For two years, I practiced <glossary term="Viticulture" title="1103">viticulture</glossary> there. I had zero experience, so I needed the practice to build a new relationship with the place and the plants. Obviously my dream was to start a wine project, but it really felt like just a dream: I wanted to build a traditional, underground winery, etc… But at the time I didn’t have the courage to ask money from my family and had none of my own to personally invest. But in 2009, I made an interesting discovery. After a disagreement I had one day with the old man managing the farm, I asked him to give me the key to the farmhouse to see what was inside. He gave me the huge key ring and after opening up the house, I discovered there was an underground winery in the basement. This was shocking to me; for two years I had been spending every day with this man on the weekends, telling him about my dream to start a winery. He never once told me that this <glossary term="-Select term-" title="">cantina</glossary> existed! It’s a simple and traditional place, but perfect for winemaking. So your principal concern with starting your own winery was the financial burden of building a cellar? Exactly. But when I discovered the <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary>, the first thing I did was call my wife to ask if she knew it existed. She had no idea! You have to understand that this house was abandoned since World War 2; the last people to live there were German soldiers for a few months. So she’d actually never been inside the house. It sounds strange but it's pretty common in central Italy actually. I started calculating the humidity and the temperature of the <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary>, because I was adamant about not <glossary term="Temperature Control" title="1018">controlling temperatures</glossary>. Fortunately our ancestors knew how to build <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellars</glossary> without technology, and this one was from the 18th century. So I did a very small renovation in 2010: cleaning the <glossary term="Palmento" title="758">palmento</glossary>, getting rid of all the 50 year old <glossary term="Barrel" title="142">barrels</glossary> but most importantly restoring the <glossary term="Concrete" title="325">concrete</glossary> <glossary term="Vat/Tank" title="1140">tanks</glossary> that existed well before World War 2. 2010 was my first <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvest</glossary> and was experimental. We made two 16<glossary term="Hectoliter" title="524">hl</glossary> <glossary term="Barrel" title="142">barrels</glossary>, around 4000 bottles. It was great because there was no pressure; we were free to experiment and make mistakes. It was also fairly cheap: the restoration, two <glossary term="Barrel" title="142">barrels</glossary> and a pump. I’ve never studied winemaking and my experience was limited to spending time with Federico around <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvest</glossary>, visiting a lot of wineries and reading some books. But here I had a <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectare</glossary> of grapes to try whatever I wanted: no <glossary term="Commercial Yeast" title="321">yeasts</glossary>, <glossary term="Enzymes" title="423">enzymes</glossary> or <glossary term="Temperature Control" title="1018">temperature control</glossary>. After a year or so, I began showing the wines to people I felt would understand my work and give me good advice.  A close neighbor of mine is Francesco Paolo Valentini. He knows the area very well, knows the quality of the <glossary term="Terroir" title="1026">terroir</glossary> and in fact told me his father believed the best vineyards in our sector were the De Fermo ones. To hear one of Italy and certainly <glossary term="Abruzzo" title="1426">Abruzzo</glossary>’s most famous producer tell me this was very encouraging. So in 2012 we made our first white wine and started with the <glossary term="Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo" title="1432">Cerasuolo</glossary>, the region’s traditional <glossary term="Rosé/Rosato" title="871">rosato</glossary>. Year by year we increased production, and by 2013 we were managing all 16 <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary> of vines. We eventually started managing the whole farm. Wine is like the engine for the rest of the project, but it’s only 10% of the total land. Now we are very focused on growing olives, wheat, legumes, vegetables, animals, etc…  Who were the people living and managing the farm before you took over? Consider that in my wife’s family, everyone had jobs in town. The last person in her family to manage the farm was her great uncle. That ended after World War 2. He was also a politician and a lawyer. So after the war the family hired someone to manage the land. For decades, my father-in-law (and his father and grandfather before him) would visit maybe twice a month to check if the money was well managed. At the end of the year, they never lost money, made a little bit of income and that was good enough for them. The amazing thing, and we still don’t really know why, is how well the <glossary term="Contadino" title="329">contadini</glossary> maintained and renovated the vineyards over the years. In almost all of <glossary term="Abruzzo" title="1426">Abruzzo</glossary>, the <glossary term="Training System" title="1039">vineyard training</glossary> is <glossary term="Pergola" title="774">pergola</glossary>. They say it’s a tradition, but I always question what they mean by that. If you mean that anything after 1945 is tradition then yes, it’s traditional. But prior to the war, all of <glossary term="Abruzzo" title="1426">Abruzzo</glossary>’s <glossary term="Viticulture" title="1103">viticulture</glossary> was done in <glossary term="Gobelet" title="497">alberello</glossary> and <glossary term="Cordon" title="335">Cordon de Royat</glossary>. I have pre-war photos of the vineyards and they look like a tomato field: full of plants and little <glossary term="Gobelet" title="497">alberellos</glossary>.  So they maintained and replanted everything in alberello? And this is very rare in the region? Very rare. We are one of the very few farms in <glossary term="Abruzzo" title="1426">Abruzzo</glossary> to have no <glossary term="Pergola" title="774">pergolas</glossary>, mostly <glossary term="Cordon" title="335">Cordon de Royat</glossary> and a few of the very old vines in <glossary term="Gobelet" title="497">alberello</glossary>. Obviously, a <glossary term="Pergola" title="774">pergola</glossary> can produce 15 to 18 tons per <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectare</glossary>. We produce less than 50% of that on average. Anyhow, I don’t know if it’s destiny but the vines were incredibly maintained.  So the house is unlivable at the moment?  It was, but we restored a bit of it. It’s been 10 years of me doing this full time, and last year we finished restoring the first floor of the house. It was a lot of work and a big investment, and we had prioritized restoring other structures, for example where the wheat is stored, a <glossary term="Bottling" title="185">bottling</glossary> room, a storage room… I’ve gotten great satisfaction over the years bringing life back to this place. Before World War 2, 150 people worked here; it was a huge community. There are houses inside the farm where entire families used to live, some fully equipped with ancient ovens.  Now we are eight people working there full time. During the grape and olive <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvests</glossary>, we get to around 15 or 16. I’m 45 and I’m the oldest; most of the guys are in their 20’s and early 30’s. Everyone is very passionate.  You still live in Bologna right? No. I live on the farm and go to <glossary term="Bologna" title="172">Bologna</glossary> on the weekends. It’s a three hour drive, it’s not so bad. I usually get back Friday night or Saturday morning to see my children; we’ve decided to keep them in school in <glossary term="Bologna" title="172">Bologna</glossary>. The quality of education, culture and life is quite high there. Right now my kids are 14 and 12. I plan to keep it this way until they are old enough to graduate.  And your wife stays in Bologna throughout the week? Exactly. She stays in my family home there and I stay in her family home here! It’s the opposite of what you used to do! Exactly!  But I like this way of life. The three hours I have to myself in the car are mine alone: I don’t talk to anyone and can plan what I need to do for the week. I think it’s also great for my children: they spend their entire summers here and spent the last six months of the lockdown in <glossary term="Abruzzo" title="1426">Abruzzo</glossary> with me. It’s also a chance for them to experience two places, two cultures, a chance to learn.  Can we talk about biodynamics? It seems very important to you and De Fermo is one of the most respected in this newer wave of biodynamic farmers.  I came to <glossary term="Biodynamic" title="160">biodynamics</glossary> through <glossary term="Anthroposophy" title="1433">anthroposophy</glossary>, the philosophical side. My mother is a woman of great culture and started studying philosophy when she was very young. She’s been very liberal with us, and that included applying many of <glossary term="Rudolph Steiner" title="882">Rudolf Steiner</glossary>’s teachings while raising her children.  With this approach to farming, it started with my friend <a href="http://louisdressner.com/producers/federico%20orsi%7Cvigneto%20san%20vito">Federico Orsi</a> who had created his own winery in 2005. He had hired a <glossary term="Biodynamic" title="160">biodynamic</glossary> consultant from <glossary term="Tuscany" title="1055">Tuscany</glossary> and suggested I do the same. So I started studying <glossary term="Biodynamic" title="160">biodynamics</glossary> in 2007.  But I think life is about the people you meet along the way: whether professional or personal, I think there is always a reason for the people we meet in every period of our lives. Federico is one of those people: he’s one of my best and oldest friends but he’s also the person who started talking to me about taking an <glossary term="Anthroposophy" title="1433">anthroposophical</glossary> approach to farming.  From there, I started intentionally seeking out <glossary term="Biodynamic" title="160">biodynamic</glossary> farmers, tasting their wines and talking to them at various fairs. Stefano Bellotti in particular but many others began to open my mind. In the end, this helped broaden my vision of life. It was not part of my original plan for making wine.  But frankly, I don’t like talking about <glossary term="Biodynamic" title="160">biodynamic</glossary> wine. If <glossary term="Biodynamic" title="160">biodynamics</glossary> are <glossary term="Anthroposophy" title="1433">anthroposophy</glossary> applied to farming, wine has never been mentioned in any of <glossary term="Rudolph Steiner" title="882">Rudolf Steiner</glossary>’s writings. Wine contains alcohol and <glossary term="Rudolph Steiner" title="882">Steiner</glossary> considered alcohol a poison. So the true <glossary term="Anthroposophy" title="1433">anthroposopher</glossary> does not drink wine.  <glossary term="Biodynamic" title="160">Biodynamic</glossary> farming is a great thing for the soil, for the place you live and for the people working there. It’s a great way to approach the world. But I don’t like it being used as a marketing tool, and feel for the most part that the most vocal cheerleaders of <glossary term="Biodynamic" title="160">biodynamics</glossary> are not doing the real work. <glossary term="Biodynamic" title="160">Biodynamism</glossary> is searching the depths of energy in the natural. So I love taking about it with people who work the same way, but honestly it’s usually in a more holistic, general vision of our work.  You mentioned earlier that you have progressively increased production each year. Where are you at now? In 2020, I didn’t sell any white grapes and maybe 15% of the red grapes. It’s been more or less the case for the last three years. But I’ve always worked all 16 <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary> of vines exactly the same. When we were making a lot less wine it was a big investment, but it also permitted me to choose the best grapes for the De Fermo production, to learn about the <glossary term="Terroir" title="1026">terroir</glossary>. I learned that the best grapes are not always from the same vineyard. It was also a lack of space at first and not having enough of a market to sell the wines.  Can you explain the “Concrete” line of wines?  This project started in 2014. The American restauranteur Joe Campanale came to visit after tasting and liking my wines very much. At that period, the only red wine we produced was the “Prologo”, a very rich, powerful and traditional <glossary term="Montepulciano Grape" title="1275">Montepulciano</glossary>. During the visit, he wondered if it would be possible to make a different style of <glossary term="Montepulciano Grape" title="1275">Montepulciano</glossary>, a fresher style with short <glossary term="Maceration" title="610">maceration</glossary>. He was launching his own label at the time and we agreed to experiment. It was a good opportunity to attempt something new. So it started that way, but I also kept some of the production for myself to better understand this style of red and eventually I started selling it. I became very happy with this wine, because doing a young and fresh <glossary term="Montepulciano Grape" title="1275">Montepulciano</glossary> is not easy. Like most of the red grapes in central/southern Italy, it is full of power and <glossary term="Tannin" title="1010">tannin</glossary>. A wine made here with long <glossary term="Maceration" title="610">maceration</glossary> is a wine you have to wait on. Working on a young wine with good <glossary term="Acidity" title="71">acidity</glossary> that you can drink within the year, you need to manage that power. It’s a challenge for us, but we love it.  And the Concrete Bianco? In 2015, the <glossary term="Pecorino" title="1434">Pecorino</glossary> was so rich, like 15+ alcohol. So in 2016, we decided to pick some grapes very early with low sugars and high <glossary term="Acidity" title="71">acidity</glossary>. That way, if we had an extremely hot summer like 2015, we could cut the full-bodied <glossary term="Pecorino" title="1434">Pecorino</glossary> with this fresher batch. We did it again in 2017, and eventually realized we liked this fresh, low alcohol wine neutrally <glossary term="Fermentation" title="441">fermented</glossary> in <glossary term="Concrete" title="325">concrete</glossary>. So in 2018, we intentionally <glossary term="Vinification" title="1104">vinified</glossary> 20<glossary term="Hectoliter" title="524">hl</glossary> this way. In 2019 we made more, even more in 2020.  For a while we were selling a lot of the white grapes. But Stefano Bellotti, in the last year before he left us, told me I should really be saving them for myself. For me, the "Concrete" wines are the everyday wines, simple wines. When you say semplice in Italian, it’s a positive thing!

De Fermo Producer Profile

De Fermo Producer Profile

The story of De Fermo, a relatively new <glossary term="Estate" title="427">estate</glossary> founded in 2010 by Stefano Papetti Ceroni and his wife Eloisa de Fermo, is fairly unconventional. Originally from <glossary term="Bologna" title="172">Bologna</glossary>, Stefano does not come from an agricultural background but nonetheless took interest in wine at a very young age. He began a tasting group with his friends in high school (including his best friend <a href="http://louisdressner.com/producers/federico%20orsi%7Cvigneto%20san%20vito">Federico Orsi</a>) and started visiting wineries as soon as he was old enough to do so. By Stefano's early 20's, wine had become his passion.  While studying law in Bologna, he met his future wife Eloisa. In their early years together, weekend trips to wineries became the norm. In 2007, seven years after the couple had met, Eloisa proposed they visit her family farm in <glossary term="Abruzzo" title="1426">Abruzzo</glossary>; it that had been in the de Fermo family for generations but she had no real connection to it.  Not expecting much, Stefano was shocked to discover a sprawling, ancient property with a rich history: "The first document stating <glossary term="Viticulture" title="1103">viticulture</glossary> in our farm is the Chronicon Casauriense (IX century), a chronicle of San Clemente abbey in <glossary term="Abruzzo" title="1426">Abruzzo</glossary>. That document states the sale of our land by a Lombard-Frankish family to the abbey. The monks kept the farm alive for centuries. Our family bought the farm in 1785." Stefano fell hard for the De Fermo farm. In the winter of 2007, he began spending every weekend in <glossary term="Abruzzo" title="1426">Abruzzo</glossary>, learning from the <glossary term="Contadino" title="329">contadini</glossary> hired by Eloisa's family to run the property. He eventually asked his father-in-law if he could manage a <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectare</glossary> of vines to teach himself <glossary term="Viticulture" title="1103">viticulture</glossary>, providing a first glimpse of what owning a winery could be like. But with he and Eloisa holding down successful law careers in <glossary term="Bologna" title="172">Bologna</glossary> (not to mention two new-borns), the idea seemed too crazy. And with no money to invest in the <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary> he dreamed of building, it seemed like the weekend visits would have to do.  In 2009, Stefano asked the old man managing the property to see what was in the old farm house that had been abandoned since 1940's. Unbeknownst to Eloisa, he discovered an underground <glossary term="Cantina" title="233">cantina</glossary> in the basement. After testing it for temperature and humidity, a small restoration was done on the old <glossary term="Concrete" title="325">concrete</glossary> <glossary term="Vat/Tank" title="1140">tanks</glossary>, two <glossary term="Barrel" title="142">barrels</glossary> were purchased and 32 <glossary term="Hectoliter" title="524">hectoliters</glossary> of wine were produced in 2010, roughly 4000 bottles. Production increased each year, and by 2013 Stefano was managing all 16 <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary> of vines, keeping the best grapes for the De Fermo <glossary term="Estate" title="427">estate</glossary> and selling off the rest. Today, almost all of the grapes go into the <glossary term="Estate" title="427">estate</glossary>'s independent production. For vines, 11 <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary> of <glossary term="Montepulciano Grape" title="1275">Montepulciano</glossary> are planted along with 2.5 <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary> of <glossary term="Pecorino" title="1434">Pecorino</glossary>, 2.5 <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary> of <glossary term="Chardonnay" title="271">Chardonnay</glossary> and 0.5 hectares of experimental white grapes including <glossary term="Trebbiano/Ugni Blanc" title="1043">Trebbiano</glossary>, <glossary term="Manzoni Bianco" title="628">Manzoni Bianco</glossary>, <glossary term="Verdicchio" title="1320">Verdicchio</glossary> and <glossary term="Grenache Gris" title="1158">Grenache Gris</glossary>.  The <glossary term="Terroir" title="1026">terroirs</glossary> here are widely considered amongst the best in the region. While the vast majority of vines in <glossary term="Abruzzo" title="1426">Abruzzo</glossary> are trained in <glossary term="Pergola" title="774">pergola</glossary>, the <glossary term="Contadino" title="329">contadini</glossary> who managed the farm prior to Stefano (despite the entirety of the grape production being sold off) had meticulously maintained the vineyards' <glossary term="Training System" title="1039">training systems</glossary> of <glossary term="Cordon" title="335">Cordon de Royat</glossary> and <glossary term="Gobelet" title="497">alberello</glossary>. The <glossary term="Pergola" title="774">pergola</glossary> "tradition" is a post-World War 2 phenomenon and also a sure-fire way to get very high <glossary term="Yield" title="1129">yields</glossary>. De Fermo is one of the only <glossary term="Estate" title="427">estates</glossary> in all of <glossary term="Abruzzo" title="1426">Abruzzo</glossary> to not own a single <glossary term="Pergola" title="774">pergola</glossary> vine. As a result, <glossary term="Yield" title="1129">yields</glossary> are often 50% lower than their average neighbor. The <glossary term="Concentration" title="324">concentration</glossary> in the wines is evident and a big part of what sets them apart. Stefano and Eloisa have now fully reclaimed the property and are working the olive trees, wheat fields, vegetable gardens and raising animals in addition to tending the vines. This push for <glossary term="Biodiversity" title="1162">biodiversity</glossary> very much stems from their dedicated, thoughtful approach to <glossary term="Biodynamic" title="160">biodynamic</glossary> farming, a philosophy that resonates in every aspect of their lives.

Marinho Vinhos Producer Profile

Marinho Vinhos Producer Profile

We first met Luís Gil in Vimeiro, a village renowned for its mineral water and most famous as the battlegrounds that ended the first French invasion of Portugal. On that jet-lagged first day, the plan was to taste the wines of <a href="http://louisdressner.com/producers/quinta%20da%20serradinha">Serradinha</a> and <a href="http://louisdressner.com/producers/humus">Humus</a> over lunch. Rodrigo and Antonio were of course there, and the meal had been prepared by none other than Luís, a good friend of theirs. We had no idea he made wine at the time, only that he was a very talented cook and a super sweet guy.  Born in <glossary term="Lisbon" title="1262">Lisbon</glossary>, Luís decided to move to <glossary term="Óbidos" title="1428">Óbidos</glossary> when he was 19. Living in the nearby village of Olho Marinho, the surrounding vines intrigued him. This curiosity quickly become a passion, and through visiting producers he liked, Luís befriended many of them and quickly became a fixture at their <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvests</glossary>. By 2017, wanting to take things to the next level, he started working with Rodrigo Filipe of <a href="http://louisdressner.com/producers/humus">Humus</a> and has been there ever since.  That year, he also decided to rent some vineyards close to <glossary term="Óbidos" title="1428">Óbidos</glossary> and start a solo project. Now totaling 2.5 <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary>, Luís rents several <glossary term="Plot" title="1133">plots</glossary> between 40 and 120 years old. The area's fresh climate makes for longer <glossary term="Maturation" title="639">maturation</glossary> periods (the proximity to the sea makes for very foggy summer mornings) and Luís typically picks in October. The soils are <glossary term="Sand" title="909">sand</glossary> or <glossary term="Sand" title="909">sandy</glossary> <glossary term="Clay" title="301">clay</glossary> over <glossary term="Limestone" title="596">limestone</glossary> and full of fossils (the area was a delta from the late Jurassic period). The vines are 5km from the sea. In 2021, Luís will plant his first vines from his own <glossary term="Selection Massale" title="941">massale selections</glossary>. He does 100% of the <glossary term="Viticulture" title="1103">viticulture</glossary> alone with zero <glossary term="Mechanization" title="645">mechanization</glossary>, working <glossary term="Organic" title="746">organically</glossary> though not <glossary term="Organic Certification" title="260">certified</glossary>.   The manual work extends to the <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary>, the only electric instrument being a <glossary term="Bottling" title="185">bottling</glossary> machine to cork. The wines <glossary term="Maceration" title="610">macerate</glossary> and start their <glossary term="Fermentation" title="441">fermentations</glossary> in 1000L <glossary term="Vat/Tank" title="1140">vats</glossary>, then are <glossary term="Racking/Soutirage" title="843">racked</glossary> to <glossary term="Barrel" title="142">barrel</glossary> to finish <glossary term="Fermentation" title="441">fermenting</glossary> and <glossary term="Elevage" title="418">elevage</glossary>. The wines are not <glossary term="Inoculation" title="542">yeasted</glossary>, <glossary term="Filtration" title="447">filtered</glossary> or <glossary term="Fining" title="449">fined</glossary> and no <glossary term="Sulfites" title="993">S02</glossary> is used at any point of the production. To ensure top quality, only perfectly healthy grapes are <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvested</glossary> at <glossary term="Maturation" title="639">optimal maturity</glossary>.  Three <glossary term="Cuvée" title="363">cuvées</glossary> are produced and all named after surf references (Luís' other big passion). In 2019, the total production was a mere 4000 bottles; we were late to the party and only able to import a minuscule amount. Luís intends to grow slowly each year, so hopefully we can get more for you in the future!

Fattoria Mani di Luna Producer Profile

Fattoria Mani di Luna Producer Profile

Fattoria Mani di Luna was born in 2012 as the joint effort of three long-time friends, Simone, Rocco and Alessandro (Alessandro and Rocco played in a band together for years and Rocco and Simone were classmates in Perugia studying agronomy). Their shared love of nature and <glossary term="Agriculture" title="78">agriculture</glossary>, coupled with a desire to rejuvenate the soil and vines through <glossary term="Organic" title="746">organic</glossary> and <glossary term="Biodynamic" title="160">biodynamic</glossary> practices, is the driving force behind the project. The vines are <glossary term="Organic Certification" title="260">certified</glossary> <glossary term="Organic" title="746">organic</glossary>, but the friends make use of <glossary term="Biodynamic" title="160">biodynamic</glossary> preparations, <glossary term="Compost" title="323">composts</glossary> and adhere to the lunar cycles in <glossary term="Viticulture" title="1103">viticulture</glossary> and production. In their eyes, <glossary term="Biodynamic" title="160">biodynamics</glossary> allows for the vineyard to express itself better. The healthy grapes are imprinted with the natural rhythms of a growing season, which prepares them for “good” <glossary term="Fermentation" title="441">fermentations</glossary>. This allows Simone, Rocco and Alessandro to eschew significant manipulation of the grapes in the winery. The <glossary term="Estate" title="427">estate</glossary> is composed of 35 <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary> (7.5 planted to vine) located in <glossary term="Torgiano" title="1329">Torgiano</glossary>, an area of Italy that can trace its grape growing traditions to the ancient Etruscans. The property that the friends acquired has history in the region. Prior to their revival of the land, it was owned by the famed Lungarotti family. Some of the vines are planted on the flats near the confluence of the Chiascio River with the Tiber. The remainder are on the hills overlooking the winery at an altitude between 200 and 400 meters. The soil is largely composed of <glossary term="Sand" title="909">sand</glossary> with <glossary term="Sandstone" title="910">sandstone</glossary> and <glossary term="Calcareous" title="222">calcareous</glossary> <glossary term="Marl" title="632">marl</glossary>. The <glossary term="Sand" title="909">sandy</glossary> soil is essential for maintaining low <glossary term="PH" title="783">PH</glossary> and high <glossary term="Acidity" title="71">acidity</glossary> even when the grapes reach higher sugar levels. Everything is <glossary term="Hand Harvesting" title="520">harvested by hand</glossary>. Most of the grapes are <glossary term="De-stemming" title="378">destemmed</glossary> by hand to better protect the integrity of the fruit. Keeping with the traditional methods, most of the grapes are <glossary term="Foot-Treading" title="458">foot-tread</glossary> and all the wines see significant <glossary term="Lees" title="590">lees</glossary> contact with regular <glossary term="Battonage" title="147">bâtonnage</glossary>. Everything is done by hand with great care. <glossary term="Sulfites" title="993">Sulfur</glossary> is only added if it is absolutely necessary.

La Gazzetta Producer Profile

La Gazzetta Producer Profile

Trish Nelson is an Australian expat making wine near <glossary term="Lake Bolsena" title="173">Bolsena</glossary> in the northern part of the <glossary term="Lazio" title="585">Lazio</glossary>. A love affair with food and wine drove her to live and travel extensively in Italy and during this period she ended up working at a couple notable wineries, Cantina Giardino and Le Coste. After that, it only felt logical to start her own project. She now lives in a quaint, modest home in Località Gazzetta high in the wooded hills above the village of Bolsena, farming grapes from three different distinct sites. The vines benefit from the special microclimate of this area. <glossary term="Lake Bolsena" title="173">Lake Bolsena</glossary> is one of Europe’s largest <glossary term="Volcanic" title="1117">volcanic</glossary> lakes and the combination of the <glossary term="Volcanic" title="1117">volcanic</glossary> soil and the unique wind patterns caused by the heating and cooling of this large body of water lends itself to the cultivation of grapes. Two of the sites are in view of <glossary term="Lake Bolsena" title="173">Lake Bolsena</glossary> and are planted predominantly with white grapes on <glossary term="Sand" title="909">sandy</glossary>, <glossary term="Volcanic" title="1117">volcanic</glossary> soil. The other site is about 40 minutes away and planted with red grapes in more <glossary term="Limestone" title="596">limestone</glossary> rich soils. She works <glossary term="Organic" title="746">organically</glossary> in the vines including using teas and composts made from indigenous plants. Her use of teas is specifically her attempt to cut back on using <glossary term="Copper" title="333">copper</glossary>-<glossary term="Sulfites" title="993">sulfate</glossary> (based on the very valid concern of heavy metals in the soil) despite the fact that it’s allowed in <glossary term="Organic" title="746">organic</glossary> <glossary term="Viticulture" title="1103">viticulture</glossary>. Her very modest “winery” is a room cut into a hillside with a couple <glossary term="Barrel" title="142">barrels</glossary> and a handful of <glossary term="Vat/Tank" title="1140">tanks</glossary> of varying sizes (when we visited, it was occasionally tricky to have us all in the space at one time). She is particularly fond of using <glossary term="Chestnut Wood" title="1206">chestnut</glossary> <glossary term="Barrel" title="142">barrels</glossary> with her <glossary term="Maceration" title="610">macerated</glossary> white wines. Despite the limitations on space, Trish is making compelling wines full of energy. All the wines <glossary term="Spontaneous Fermentation" title="976">ferment spontaneously</glossary> with nothing added at any point during the winemaking or <glossary term="Bottling" title="185">bottling</glossary>.