The Esoteric, Indigenous Aoste Wines of Vinirari

Vinirari Profile

Quick Facts

Name of Estate	ViniRari
Region	Valle D’Aosta
Country	Italy
Proprietor	Giulio Moriondo
Size	1 hectare
Farming	Organic (Not Certified)
Soils	Clay, gravel and sand
Grapes grown	Petit Rouge, Vien de Nus, Cornalin, Fumin, more...
Fun facts	The wines live up to their name. They are RARE.

The wines live up to their name. They are RARE.

Name of Estate	ViniRari
Region	Valle D’Aosta
Country	Italy
Proprietor	Giulio Moriondo
Size	1 hectare
Farming	Organic (Not Certified)
Soils	Clay, gravel and sand
Grapes grown	Petit Rouge, Vien de Nus, Cornalin, Fumin, more...
Fun facts	The wines live up to their name. They are RARE.

Get to know
ViniRari

producer profile 03.12.2019

Vinirari Producer Profile

producer visit 25.09.2020

This visit to Vinirari took place in Spring 2014

This visit to Vinirari took place in Spring 2014. Words by Jules Dressner, photos by Josefa Concannon, David Norris and Jill Berheimer.  <img alt="" src="http://louisdressner.com/lib/images/IMG_1284.jpg" test="test2" /> That was the view from our hotel. As you know, we here at Louis/Dressner are big fans of underdog regions and the crazy <glossary term="Indigenous" title="1139">indigenous</glossary> grapes grown there. We also are fans of die-hard traditionalists, preservers of history and lovers of the land. After our visit with Giulio Moriondo of Vinirari, I can confirm he exemplifies these qualities to a tee. First off, if you don't know Vinirari, rest assured that 99.3% of wine drinkers are right there with you. Giulio is truly a <glossary term="Garagiste" title="481">garagiste</glossary> (his <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary> in his garage), owns about one <glossary term="-Select term-" title="">hectare</glossary> of vines spread over a gazillion <glossary term="Parcel" title="760">parcels</glossary>, and tends vines/makes wine purely out of passion and love for his region's <glossary term="Viticulture" title="1103">viticultural</glossary> history. He's even written two books about it! And it's not even his full time job! We only visited two micro-<glossary term="Parcel" title="760">parcels</glossary> very close to Giulio's house, but still learned a ton. The first one we visited was planted in <glossary term="Pinot Noir" title="805">Pinot Noir</glossary> for a long time, but Giulio has spent the last years <glossary term="Grafting" title="500">re-grafting</glossary> these with over 20 different <glossary term="Selection Massale" title="941">massale</glossary> <glossary term="Clones" title="304">clones</glossary> of the <glossary term="Indigenous" title="1139">indigenous</glossary> <glossary term="Petit Rouge" title="781">Petit Rouge</glossary>. <img alt="" src="http://louisdressner.com/lib/images/P1000411.JPG" test="test2" /> <img alt="" src="http://louisdressner.com/lib/images/IMG_1286.jpg" test="test2" /> Here you can see the <glossary term="Grafting" title="500">grafted</glossary> vines. <img alt="" src="http://louisdressner.com/lib/images/IMG_1291.jpg" test="test2" /> When asked about getting rid of his <glossary term="Pinot Noir" title="805">Pinot</glossary>, Giulio answered: "This is not <glossary term="Burgundy" title="212">Burgundy</glossary>. I've tried every <glossary term="Vinification" title="1104">vinification</glossary> possible and still have never found a way to express the grape properly in this <glossary term="Terroir" title="1026">terroir</glossary>." If you're wondering how Giulio found 20 <glossary term="Selection Massale" title="941">massale</glossary> <glossary term="Clones" title="304">clones</glossary> of a weird grape you'd never heard of before, it's because he's made it his lifework to discover, analyze, understand and preserve <glossary term="Aosta" title="109">Aosta</glossary>'s <glossary term="Indigenous" title="1139">indigenous</glossary> grapes. Through his own rigorous, self-funded research, which mostly involved talking to old timers but also DNA analysis, he's been able to identify and in some cases re-discover varieties long believed to have disappeared from the area. We were lucky, because the only other <glossary term="Parcel" title="760">parcel</glossary> we'd visit that day (just a short walk from the <glossary term="Petit Rouge" title="781">Petit Rouge</glossary>) is Giulio's training ground for all the <glossary term="Clones" title="304">clones</glossary> he's been able to find and preserve over the years. <img alt="" src="http://louisdressner.com/lib/images/IMG_5583-1.jpg" test="test2" /> <img alt="" src="http://louisdressner.com/lib/images/P1000414.JPG" test="test2" /> <img alt="" src="http://louisdressner.com/lib/images/P1000413.jpg" test="test2" /> One, for example, is called Blanc Commun, a grape from the 18th century. Only eight plants of this exist within the vineyard. <glossary term="Cornalin" title="338">Cornalin</glossary>, another unknown <glossary term="Indigenous" title="1139">indigenous</glossary> variety, was considered to have disappeared in the area. Most confused the remaining plants as a strain of <glossary term="Petit Rouge" title="781">Petit Rouge</glossary>. Giulio, armed with a hunch and DNA analysis, was able to identify the grape and help it regain its identity. But here is the confusing thing: What they call <glossary term="Cornalin" title="338">Cornalin</glossary> in <glossary term="Aosta" title="109">Aosta</glossary> is actually Humagne Rouge in the Valais of Switzerland! Other grapes in the vineyard include Oriou Gris, <glossary term="Fumin" title="473">Fumin</glossary>, <glossary term="Vien de Nus" title="1088">Vien de Nus</glossary> and Giulio's new darling, Nebbiolo Rose. "This is a very different strain then the <glossary term="-Select term-" title="">Nebbiolo</glossary> grown in <glossary term="Piemonte" title="793">Piemonte</glossary>. The traditional wine made with this grape was considered a luxury good. It was called a "Clairet", and made like a <glossary term="Recioto" title="846">recioto</glossary>." <glossary term="Petit Rouge" title="781">Petit Rouge</glossary> and <glossary term="Fumin" title="473">Fumin</glossary> are the grapes with the longest historical standing in the area. <glossary term="Aosta" title="109">Aosta</glossary> used to have a much richer <glossary term="Viticulture" title="1103">viticultural</glossary> history: in the 18th century, 4000 <glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary> of vines were planted on the region's mountains. Today there are barely 400. "70 years ago, this entire mountain had vines as far as the eye can see." As far as <glossary term="Agriculture" title="78">agriculture</glossary>, the soils are very poor so Giulio lets grass grow wild, then selectively <glossary term="Tilling" title="1028">tills</glossary> what he doesn't want. He also needs to have gates surrounding the vineyards because of badgers. "If you don't take preventative measures with them, they can eat up to 70% on the crop." Heading back to Giulio's house, he was excited to show us "the rarest wine in the world", a mutated strain of <glossary term="Petit Rouge" title="781">Petit Rouge</glossary> that produces white grapes. Giulio had dubbed it Petit Rouge Blanc (not a confusing name at all...) and planted three rows in his front yard. <img alt="" src="http://louisdressner.com/lib/images/IMG_1294.jpg" test="test2" /> <img alt="" src="http://louisdressner.com/lib/images/P1000441.JPG" test="test2" /> The vines are three years old and 2013 was the first year they produced fruit. 23 liters of total juice! When it came time to see the <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary>, Giulio warned us to not expect much: "My <glossary term="Cellar" title="254">cellar</glossary> is more of a workshop than anything." <img alt="" src="http://louisdressner.com/lib/images/IMG_5604.jpg" test="test2" /> <img alt="" src="http://louisdressner.com/lib/images/IMG_5612.jpg" test="test2" /> It was indeed tiny and in his garage. The wines are <glossary term="Fermentation" title="441">fermented</glossary> off their <glossary term="Native Yeast" title="538">native yeasts</glossary>. Giulio never <glossary term="Filtration" title="447">filters</glossary> or <glossary term="Fining" title="449">fines</glossary>. The wines are usually <glossary term="Bottling" title="185">bottled</glossary> two winters after they were harvested. Because he does 100% of the vineyard work alone, Giulio has customized this seat with wheels to make things easier on his back. <img alt="" src="http://louisdressner.com/lib/images/IMG_1298.jpg" test="test2" /> I had to make sure it was comfortable enough to be used on a daily basis. <img alt="" src="http://louisdressner.com/lib/images/IMG_5609.jpg" test="test2" /> This customized seat with wheels is Jules Dressner Approved™. We ended the visit by tasting some wine, starting with the Petit Rouge Blanc. It had an <glossary term="Aromatic" title="120">aromatic</glossary>, clean nose. "It reminds me of <glossary term="Sauvignon Blanc" title="927">Sauvignon Blanc</glossary>." It was fresh, with balanced <glossary term="Acidity" title="71">acidity</glossary>, <glossary term="Minerality" title="662">minerality</glossary> and also slightly <glossary term="Aromatic" title="120">aromatic</glossary>. Due to the vines' very young age, there was not much complexity in the body. Someone asked for a spit bucket and Giulio replied: "I'll go get a spit bucket for you, but remember that you are tasting the RAREST WINE IN THE WORLD!" Next we tried the "Saint-Ours" 2011, a <glossary term="Blend" title="168">blend</glossary> of 70% <glossary term="Cornalin" title="338">Cornalin</glossary> and 30% <glossary term="Petit Rouge" title="781">Petit Rouge</glossary> from the <glossary term="Grafting" title="500">re-grafted</glossary> <glossary term="Parcel" title="760">parcel</glossary> we visited. It was very good. This was followed up by a 2009 <glossary term="Pinot Noir" title="805">Pinot Noir</glossary> from the aforementioned <glossary term="Grafting" title="500">re-grafted</glossary> vineyard. This was the last year he made it, and Giulio <glossary term="Blending" title="1146">blended</glossary> it with 15% <glossary term="Cornalin" title="338">Cornalin</glossary>. We all agreed it was "not bad". "My wines really take time to develop. I wish I could age them for four of five years, but I just don't have the room." We ended the tasting with a wine very dear to Giulio's heart, a "Clairet" style wine he made from <glossary term="Petit Rouge" title="781">Petit Rouge</glossary> and <glossary term="Vien de Nus" title="1088">Vien de Nus.</glossary> <img alt="" src="http://louisdressner.com/lib/images/P1000449.jpg" test="test2" /> Lo Vrej translates to "The Real", and is Giulio's homage to the traditional luxury wines of the 18th century. Unfortunately, both bottles were <glossary term="Cork Taint" title="337">corked</glossary>. Bummer.

producer profile 03.12.2019

Vinirari Producer Profile

producer visit 25.09.2020

This visit to Vinirari took place in Spring 2014