producers visit

<p><strong><em>This visit with Vittorio Graziano took place in April, 2013.</em></strong></p> <p><strong><em>Words by Jules Dressner, photos by Maya Pedersen.</em></strong></p> <p>Visits like these are humbling reminders that so many of the wines we love are made by totally normal people. This guy right here?&nbsp;</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_26//7f/21/7f2103aea4870a0e5b9609ce3dc191e1.jpg" /></p> <p>Super chill.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> <strong>ASIDE:</strong>&nbsp;Lisa lost her notepad and was taking notes with her phone, so don&#39;t get all judgy and accuse her of checking her emails while Vittorio was breaking it down.<br /> <br /> The only vines we visited were those on the immediate outskirts of the farm, which range from 10 to 40 years old.&nbsp;</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_26//62/6f/626f44b0116c8958c623fefc20c9d6ac.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_26//61/8b/618bc7007d7e74ca6e3f237c95db220f.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_26//ac/e3/ace32dd6654e7c7e5fd3810dda599158.jpg" /><br /> <br /> These are planted at 6000 plants per&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="523">hectare</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> side by side and trained in&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="335">cordon</glossary><span>.</span></span></span>&nbsp;</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_26//99/07/99078c3514145c90fb82df1aca741cdf.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_26//7c/e1/7ce151bb60d68bf9a26ebe21b42a1f32.jpg" /></p> <p>One plant more or less produces the fruit for one bottle of wine. Five&nbsp;<glossary title="523">hectares</glossary> x 6000 plants= 30 000 bottles!<br /> <br /> Pointing to his very grassy vineyards, Vittorio jokingly exclaimed:<br /> <br /> <em>&quot;We don&#39;t use </em><glossary title="526"><em>herbicides</em></glossary><em>!&quot;&nbsp;</em></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_26//32/a3/32a3c1922fc839bb3854ca2a517ccfec.jpg" /></p> <p>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&nbsp;<glossary title="333">copper</glossary> <glossary title="328">treatments</glossary> a year. He was <glossary title="260">certified organic</glossary> for nine&nbsp;years, but dropped it because, in his own words:<br /> <br /> <em>&quot;They wanted money. They bust balls. I was sick of it&quot;.</em><br /> <br /> 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&nbsp;local <glossary title="1169">strains</glossary> of&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1043">Trebbiano</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> There are five&nbsp;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>&#39;s obsession with mono<span class="zalup"><span><span>-</span><glossary title="1071">varietal</glossary> </span></span><span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Bottling" title="185">bottlings</glossary><span>.</span></span></span>&nbsp;<br /> <br /> <em>&quot;This was a decision made in an office, not a field.&quot;</em><br /> <br /> Speaking of administrative brouhaha, Vittorio explained that only 2% of local producers still make&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="653">traditional</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> <glossary term="Secondary Fermentation" title="938">bottle&nbsp;fermented</glossary>&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="577">Lambruscos</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> the rest opting to heavily <glossary title="270">chaptalize</glossary> and/or to&nbsp;<glossary title="272">charmat</glossary>&nbsp;it up.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> <strong>HISTORY LESSON TIME:</strong>&nbsp;Did you know that the tradition of <glossary title="653">bottle&nbsp;fermented</glossary> <glossary title="577">Lambruscos</glossary> originates from&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="815">polyculture</glossary><span>?</span></span></span> 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&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="310">Co2</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> which acts as a conservative) e&nbsp;basta!<br /> <br /> Walking over to the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="254">cellar</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> pretty much the whole group ended up unintentionally being captured in indie rock album covers while checking out Vittorio&#39;s beautiful tractor from the 1950&#39;s. Here&#39;s the cover for my forthcoming album with Alex Miranda from our neo-soul project&nbsp;<em>Watch Tower.</em></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_26//36/9b/369b80a7e55db13dcfe5aa1a0a173acd.jpg" /><br /> <br /> And here&#39;s the cover for the&nbsp;<em>Mckenna, Dalton and Quinn Experience</em>&nbsp;(MDQE for short)&#39;s groove-heavy&nbsp;<em>A Day in The Life.</em></p> <p><br /> <img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_26//3d/f7/3df7fd4a488de9671945534fb4a4c037.jpg" /></p> <p>Here&#39;s a picture of the tractor&#39;s solo project&nbsp;<em>Vroom!!!</em></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_26//91/e9/91e93a8d9f0c4c0699c09a1a255aa870.jpg" /></p> <p>Just like Vittorio&#39;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&#39;s.&nbsp;</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_26//2f/a2/2fa2b0cbde0c7a8bdc4991753f44339e.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_26//a6/85/a685725a9c310e1bc3d2a252d84297a8.jpg" /></p> <p>Or how about this manual <glossary title="393">disgorgement</glossary>/<glossary term="Bottling" title="185">bottling</glossary> system, where every bottle is&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="393">disgorged</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> topped and rebottled ONE BY ONE.</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_26//c7/59/c759aa82de4c6713871479f74df0e458.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_26//3e/f6/3ef640b111d6d003436fde6f76e18db4.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_26//be/b6/beb6af586888b78f3ecebecdd064350e.jpg" /></p> <p>It&#39;s a lot of work, but Vittorio feels it&#39;s totally justified and worth the effort.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> <em>&quot;</em><glossary title="272"><em>Charmat</em></glossary><em> takes away the characteristics of the wine. It is too much of a violent process. You don&#39;t end up with wine, you end up with a Schweppes drink.&quot;</em><br /> <br /> 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&#39;t give the wine enough air.&nbsp;</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_26//12/bc/12bccb0e6a1ba9dfc12fbc561069ef7f.jpg" /><br /> <glossary title="739"></glossary></p> <p><glossary title="739">Old oak</glossary> <glossary title="142">barrels</glossary> are used to <glossary title="74">age</glossary> the still wines.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> Vittorio proposed we taste the wines with lunch, and everyone agreed. Lo and behold the&nbsp;<em>&quot;kitchen of the single man&quot;</em>:</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_26//eb/50/eb503c54082a798560049898d4c73090.jpg" /></p> <p>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.&nbsp;</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_26//e0/ce/e0ce171803354a7491f133df9866b6ec.jpg" /></p> <p>We also had a fresh omelette.&nbsp;</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_26//74/df/74df0a390322fda5080f0e5d4cf71188.jpg" /></p> <p>And some ribs.&nbsp;</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_26//d9/20/d920efe9913d99c8815f3e38d66ec4f8.jpg" /></p> <p>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&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="185">bottling</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> Temperatures must never go under 0&ordm;, because this would kill the remaining <glossary title="1128">yeasts</glossary> that trigger&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="938">refermentation</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> But don&#39;t go calling these <glossary title="653">Methode Ancestrale</glossary>&nbsp;around Vittorio!<br /> <br /> <em>&quot;</em><glossary title="653"><em>Ancestrale Method</em></glossary><em> is a flawed term for me, because man figured this out by accident. This is a natural </em><glossary title="938"><em>refermentation</em></glossary><em>, not something that man came up with to control. It is not a method, it a natural occurrence.&quot;</em><br /> <br /> Vittorio&#39;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&#39;t like wine until he was 18.<br /> <br /> <em>&quot;I started drinking for a girl. That first time, I was drunk for a week! For love, you make sacrifices.&quot;&nbsp;</em><br /> <br /> 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&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="329">contadinos</glossary><span>.</span></span></span>&nbsp;<br /> <br /> <em>&quot;Farmers will always be way more informed than any professor of </em><glossary title="1103"><em>viticulture</em></glossary><em>.&quot;</em></p>

harvest report

<p><strong><em>October 31st, 2021.</em></strong></p> <p>This year was a unique&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> but strange. Everyone is saying it&rsquo;s bad but I am optimistic. I think that it will be a strong&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> 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 &quot;Fontana dei Boschi&quot;. In August we began&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvest</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> but I decided to wait for the reds. You know, I am a little bit of an anti-conformist.&nbsp;</p> <p>The first week of September, I began with the whites because they were mature. I am very happy with the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> although I don&rsquo;t like it for making &quot;Brutsprinstin&quot;. Because of this there will be more &quot;Ripa del Sopravento&quot;&nbsp;than usual. The grapes for the &quot;Smilzo&quot; were selected from the coolest parts of the vineyard on via Rossi, where they have higher acid and less color, only by a little.</p> <p>&quot;Sassoscuro&quot; shows promise for its degree and body, but it does not shine with freshness. However it shows good structure and body, with soft&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Tannin" title="1010">tannins</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> When the sun shines, it drinks the sun. &quot;Tarbianaaz&quot; is small but very powerful.</p> <p>&quot;Fontana dei Boschi&quot; - 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&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Fermentation" title="441">fermentation</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> 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&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Tannin" title="1010">tannins</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> Aniway (sic), we&rsquo;ll see. You should come and taste next spring and you will be able&nbsp;to understand these things. Today it is too early to define a&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> naturally.&nbsp;</p> <p>I love you everybody, my friends. Forever welcome. Ciao a tutti,</p> <p>Vittorio&nbsp;</p>