The elusive, the mysterious, the fabulous Vittorio Graziano!

Vittorio Graziano Producer Profile

Quick Facts

Name of Estate	Vittorio Graziano
Region	Emilia-Romagna
Country	Italy
Proprietor	Vittorio Graziano
Size	5 hectares
Farming	Organic (Not Certified)
Soils	Clay
Grapes grown	Lambrusco, Malbo Gentile, Trebbiano, mystery grapes
Fun facts	We get a shipment roughly every two or three years, so if you see a bottle, don't miss your chance!

We get a shipment roughly every two or three years, so if you see a bottle, don't miss your chance!

Name of Estate	Vittorio Graziano
Region	Emilia-Romagna
Country	Italy
Proprietor	Vittorio Graziano
Size	5 hectares
Farming	Organic (Not Certified)
Soils	Clay
Grapes grown	Lambrusco, Malbo Gentile, Trebbiano, mystery grapes
Fun facts	We get a shipment roughly every two or three years, so if you see a bottle, don't miss your chance!

Get to know
Vittorio Graziano

producer profile 10.06.2019

Vittorio Graziano Producer Profile

Though Vittorio Graziano's family has always owned farmland and vines in the village of <glossary title="245">Castelvetro di Modena</glossary>, his father made a living building and selling furniture. A "late bloomer" in regards to wine, Vittorio only started drinking at 18 to please a girlfriend who was a fan of the <glossary title="405">dry</glossary>, sparkling reds of the area. Working as an administrative accountant in his early 20's, Vittorio soon found himself miserable behind his desk. After a few years on the job and the daunting realization that it would take an additional 30 years working at the firm to reach his pension, he decided it was time to find an alternative life path. This was the late 1970's, an era that coincided with an ever-increasing amount of <glossary title="420">Emilian</glossary> producers abandoning the local tradition of making <glossary title="653">bottle-fermented</glossary>, <glossary title="405">dry</glossary> reds to instead produce a heavily <glossary title="270">chaptalized</glossary>, sweet style. Instead of following this trend, Vittorio did the exact opposite. With no formal training, the young <glossary title="1089">vignaiolo</glossary> began tending the .5 <glossary title="523">ha</glossary> of vines from his family farm. This quickly proved insufficient to start an <glossary title="427">estate</glossary>, so Vittorio began befriending the village's old <glossary title="329">contadini</glossary>, asking them about their work methods, local varieties and which soils would be best to plant in. Heeding their advice, he started sourcing land and replanting vines, first a <glossary title="523">hectare</glossary> in 1978, then another in 1981, then another in 1990, everything meticulously selected by <glossary title="941">massale</glossary> from <glossary title="740">old vines</glossary>. The acquisition of more farmland around his house in 1992 and subsequent re-plantings brought the <glossary title="427">estate</glossary> up to approximately five <glossary title="523">hectares</glossary>, where it remains today.  Though un- <glossary title="260">certified</glossary>, Vittorio has never used <glossary title="279">chemicals</glossary> in his vineyards. He refuses to use manure, opting for wild herbs and planted legumes to help <glossary title="73">aerate</glossary> and diversify the soils. In the spirit of having as much diversity as possible (which benefits both the <glossary title="1162">biodiversity</glossary> of the land and the complexity of the wine), he grows about a dozen local grape varieties. With the exception of <glossary title="1043">Trebbiano</glossary>, <glossary title="577">Lambrusco Grasparossa</glossary> and <glossary title="621">Malbo Gentile</glossary>, he has no idea what their names are.  Both white and red grapes are <glossary title="378">destemmed</glossary>, then <glossary title="441">fermented</glossary> in <glossary title="445">fiberglass</glossary> containers. For the sparkling wines, Vittorio <glossary title="843">racks</glossary> the wine off the <glossary title="590">lees</glossary> with about 10g of sugar left before <glossary title="185">bottling</glossary> them. A <glossary title="938">refermentation</glossary> in bottle then occurs, usually within two to three months. The still red is <glossary title="74">aged</glossary> in old <glossary title="142">barrels</glossary>. Vittorio used to <glossary title="449">fine</glossary> the wines with egg whites, but gave up this practice a long time ago.  Many consider Vittorio to be the maestro of traditional <glossary title="577">Lambrusco</glossary>, and we are infinitely excited in sharing these with you (when lucky enough to be shipped any).

producer visit 26.08.2019

This visit with Vittorio Graziano took place in April, 2013

This visit with Vittorio Graziano took place in April, 2013. Words by Jules Dressner, photos by Maya Pedersen. Visits like these are humbling reminders that so many of the wines we love are made by totally normal people. This guy right here?  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_26//7f/21/7f2103aea4870a0e5b9609ce3dc191e1.jpg" /> Super chill.  ASIDE: Lisa lost her notepad and was taking notes with her phone, so don't get all judgy and accuse her of checking her emails while Vittorio was breaking it down. The only vines we visited were those on the immediate outskirts of the farm, which range from 10 to 40 years old.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_26//62/6f/626f44b0116c8958c623fefc20c9d6ac.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_26//61/8b/618bc7007d7e74ca6e3f237c95db220f.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_26//ac/e3/ace32dd6654e7c7e5fd3810dda599158.jpg" /> These are planted at 6000 plants per <glossary title="523">hectare</glossary>, side by side and trained in <glossary title="335">cordon</glossary>.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_26//99/07/99078c3514145c90fb82df1aca741cdf.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_26//7c/e1/7ce151bb60d68bf9a26ebe21b42a1f32.jpg" /> One plant more or less produces the fruit for one bottle of wine. Five <glossary title="523">hectares</glossary> x 6000 plants= 30 000 bottles! Pointing to his very grassy vineyards, Vittorio jokingly exclaimed: "We don't use <glossary title="526">herbicides</glossary>!"  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_26//32/a3/32a3c1922fc839bb3854ca2a517ccfec.jpg" /> No manure or <glossary title="442">fertilizers</glossary> are ever used in the vineyards, just herbs and planted legumes. On average, Vittorio only does three <glossary title="333">copper</glossary> <glossary title="328">treatments</glossary> a year. He was <glossary title="260">certified organic</glossary> for nine years, but dropped it because, in his own words: "They wanted money. They bust balls. I was sick of it". For the sake of <glossary title="1162">biodiversity</glossary> and to add complexity to his wines, Vittorio grows many varieties of ancient, <glossary title="1139">indigenous</glossary> grapes; amongst those are <glossary title="577">Lambrusco</glossary> di Grasparossa, <glossary title="621">Malbo Gentile</glossary> and two local <glossary title="1169">strains</glossary> of <glossary title="1043">Trebbiano</glossary>. There are five others, but he has no idea what their names are, only that he was able to source them from old <glossary title="329">contadinos</glossary> when he was starting. Unsurprisingly, this choice goes against the <glossary title="420">Emilia</glossary> <glossary title="">DOC</glossary>'s obsession with mono-<glossary title="1071">varietal</glossary> <glossary term="Bottling" title="185">bottlings</glossary>.  "This was a decision made in an office, not a field." Speaking of administrative brouhaha, Vittorio explained that only 2% of local producers still make <glossary title="653">traditional</glossary>, <glossary term="Secondary Fermentation" title="938">bottle fermented</glossary> <glossary title="577">Lambruscos</glossary>, the rest opting to heavily <glossary title="270">chaptalize</glossary> and/or to <glossary title="272">charmat</glossary> it up.  HISTORY LESSON TIME: Did you know that the tradition of <glossary title="653">bottle fermented</glossary> <glossary title="577">Lambruscos</glossary> originates from <glossary title="815">polyculture</glossary>? Since there was always other stuff to do, the grapes were always <glossary title="521">harvested</glossary> last. In the winter, because there was even MORE other stuff to do, they would <glossary title="185">bottle</glossary> the wine unfinished. A natural, <glossary title="938">secondary fermentation</glossary> would take place, creating bubbles (and therefore <glossary title="310">Co2</glossary>, which acts as a conservative) e basta! Walking over to the <glossary title="254">cellar</glossary>, pretty much the whole group ended up unintentionally being captured in indie rock album covers while checking out Vittorio's beautiful tractor from the 1950's. Here's the cover for my forthcoming album with Alex Miranda from our neo-soul project Watch Tower. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_26//36/9b/369b80a7e55db13dcfe5aa1a0a173acd.jpg" /> And here's the cover for the Mckenna, Dalton and Quinn Experience (MDQE for short)'s groove-heavy A Day in The Life. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_26//3d/f7/3df7fd4a488de9671945534fb4a4c037.jpg" /> Here's a picture of the tractor's solo project Vroom!!! <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_26//91/e9/91e93a8d9f0c4c0699c09a1a255aa870.jpg" /> Just like Vittorio's tractor, much of the <glossary title="254">cellar</glossary> consists of older equipment. Take, for example, this mechanical <glossary title="827">press</glossary> from the 1970's.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_26//2f/a2/2fa2b0cbde0c7a8bdc4991753f44339e.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_26//a6/85/a685725a9c310e1bc3d2a252d84297a8.jpg" /> Or how about this manual <glossary title="393">disgorgement</glossary>/<glossary term="Bottling" title="185">bottling</glossary> system, where every bottle is <glossary title="393">disgorged</glossary>, topped and rebottled ONE BY ONE. <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_26//c7/59/c759aa82de4c6713871479f74df0e458.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_26//3e/f6/3ef640b111d6d003436fde6f76e18db4.jpg" /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_26//be/b6/beb6af586888b78f3ecebecdd064350e.jpg" /> It's a lot of work, but Vittorio feels it's totally justified and worth the effort.  "<glossary title="272">Charmat</glossary> takes away the characteristics of the wine. It is too much of a violent process. You don't end up with wine, you end up with a Schweppes drink." Everything <glossary title="441">ferments</glossary> in big <glossary title="445">fiberglass</glossary> containers, as Vittorio feels that <glossary title="986">stainless steel</glossary> don't give the wine enough air.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_26//12/bc/12bccb0e6a1ba9dfc12fbc561069ef7f.jpg" /> <glossary title="739"></glossary> <glossary title="739">Old oak</glossary> <glossary title="142">barrels</glossary> are used to <glossary title="74">age</glossary> the still wines.  Vittorio proposed we taste the wines with lunch, and everyone agreed. Lo and behold the "kitchen of the single man": <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_26//eb/50/eb503c54082a798560049898d4c73090.jpg" /> Armed with just an old propane burner in a shopping cart and a makeshift grill, Vittorio banged out these delicious dough balls filled with lardo and freshly grated parmesan.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_26//e0/ce/e0ce171803354a7491f133df9866b6ec.jpg" /> We also had a fresh omelette.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_26//74/df/74df0a390322fda5080f0e5d4cf71188.jpg" /> And some ribs.  <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_26//d9/20/d920efe9913d99c8815f3e38d66ec4f8.jpg" /> The wines are insanely delicious, and you better pounce on these when they get here in January. As far as <glossary title="">vinification</glossary> for the sparklings, grapes are <glossary title="378">destemmed</glossary> for whites and reds, and the wine is <glossary title="185">bottled</glossary> with 10g of sugar left. The <glossary title="938">re-fermentation</glossary> usually occurs within two to three months, at which point Vittorio <glossary title="843">racks</glossary> off the <glossary title="590">lees</glossary> and keeps the wine in <glossary title="986">stainless steel</glossary> until <glossary title="185">bottling</glossary>. Temperatures must never go under 0º, because this would kill the remaining <glossary title="1128">yeasts</glossary> that trigger <glossary title="938">refermentation</glossary>. But don't go calling these <glossary title="653">Methode Ancestrale</glossary> around Vittorio! "<glossary title="653">Ancestrale Method</glossary> is a flawed term for me, because man figured this out by accident. This is a natural <glossary title="938">refermentation</glossary>, not something that man came up with to control. It is not a method, it a natural occurrence." Vittorio's first <glossary title="1109">vintage</glossary> was in 1982. He used to work as an administrative accountant. His father had a little farm for the family, but made a living selling furniture, and young Vittorio didn't like wine until he was 18. "I started drinking for a girl. That first time, I was drunk for a week! For love, you make sacrifices."  As far as <glossary title="1103">viticultural</glossary> and winemaking knowledge, Vittorio has no formal training other than spending a lot of time with local <glossary title="329">contadinos</glossary>.  "Farmers will always be way more informed than any professor of <glossary title="1103">viticulture</glossary>."

harvest report 07.12.2021

2021 Harvest Report from Vittorio Graziano

October 31st, 2021. This year was a unique <glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary>, but strange. Everyone is saying it’s bad but I am optimistic. I think that it will be a strong <glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary>, more or less like 2017. It is similar without being the same. We have had very little rain, and the temperature has been variable. At night, mostly cool. The alcohol is high but it also has finesse, in particular for "Fontana dei Boschi". In August we began <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvest</glossary>, but I decided to wait for the reds. You know, I am a little bit of an anti-conformist.  The first week of September, I began with the whites because they were mature. I am very happy with the <glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary>, although I don’t like it for making "Brutsprinstin". Because of this there will be more "Ripa del Sopravento" than usual. The grapes for the "Smilzo" were selected from the coolest parts of the vineyard on via Rossi, where they have higher acid and less color, only by a little. "Sassoscuro" shows promise for its degree and body, but it does not shine with freshness. However it shows good structure and body, with soft <glossary term="Tannin" title="1010">tannins</glossary>. When the sun shines, it drinks the sun. "Tarbianaaz" is small but very powerful. "Fontana dei Boschi" - we have not finished <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvesting</glossary> because the rains came and we stopped, but we did good. The temperature was like the autumns of many years ago, a good thing for <glossary term="Fermentation" title="441">fermentation</glossary>. The plants seem very happy and seem full of life, the grapes look better. We do a short <glossary term="Maceration" title="610">maceration</glossary> to maintain a lot of fruit, and also to have less aggressive <glossary term="Tannin" title="1010">tannins</glossary>. Aniway (sic), we’ll see. You should come and taste next spring and you will be able to understand these things. Today it is too early to define a <glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary>, naturally.  I love you everybody, my friends. Forever welcome. Ciao a tutti, Vittorio

producer profile 10.06.2019

Vittorio Graziano Producer Profile

producer visit 26.08.2019

This visit with Vittorio Graziano took place in April, 2013

harvest report 07.12.2021

2021 Harvest Report from Vittorio Graziano