24 October 2023

A trip to the Langa to discover the new vintages of Drink Wines, Not Labels

In September, we have accompanied a group of content creators and lifestyle journalists to discover the project designed by Alessandro Salvano in Montelupo Albese. DWNL®, acronym for Drink Wines Not Labels, is not only the name of the brand, but also the manifesto chosen by Alessandro for his winemaking journey started in 2019. The focus of the project is clear from the beginning: Alessandro wants to channel his passion for Burgundy, and does so by vinifying Nebbiolo with a whole bunch fermentation, using exclusively indigenous yeasts, without clarification or filtration and with low quantities of sulphites. Four years and five harvests later, DWNL® presented the new vintages of classic products from the Langa and some international contamination: Nebbiolo, Dolcetto, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. An afternoon in the vineyards that give life to these wines born outside the borders, beyond the rules and schemes of Disciplinari. An experience that reached its high point at sunset, with a special tasting among the rows, followed by a dinner paired with Barolo, at Petti’s Bistrot, under the striking walls of the Castle. Here, Chef Gabriele Boffa – from the 1 Michelin star restaurant La Locanda del Sant’Uffizio in Penango – surprised the guests with his creations, paired with a special selection of wines curated by Salvano. A journey where we tried to forget rules and preconceptions and to let ourselves be carried away by pure winemaking passion, not restricted by the label.

12 July 2023

Press trip in high altitude Discovering Grosjean Vins

The departure is from a hot Milan, to throw in Valle d’Aosta Valley to discover the wines of this area. This is the press day organized by Zedcomm for a group of Milanese journalists to reach on of the historic companies in the Aosta Valley: Grosjean Vins. Wine producers in the Aosta Valley since 1600, the Grosjean family has been able to perfectly combine history, tradition, inventiveness and innovation, in the vineyard and in the cellar. However, it is the “human factor”, represented by the deep bond that each of its members has for their work and their land, that has made it one of the vigneron families that have made Aosta Valley enology important. This bond renewed today by the third generation of the “modern era”, with the management of the Grosjean Vins cellar passed to the young Hervé, Didier, Simon and Marco.

5 July 2023

The Spotlight is on Zisola, the Sicilian wine project of the Mazzei family

Filippo Mazzei greeted the press to the Sicilian Estate. He presented important novelties and new vintages to narrate the story of a territory with a strong personality. It is here that the Mazzei family has for years been pursuing a winegrowing project in the name of tradition, innovation and sustainability. In Zisola – in south-eastern Sicily, the land of origin of the Nero d’Avola grape variety, just a stone’s throw from Noto – the journalists were able to visit the vineyards – and the splendid citrus groves – and the winery. Then they tasted the new vintages of Reds and Whites with a focus on the pure Catarratto – Contrada Catarratto Terre Siciliane IGT – launched on the markets in recent months. The current 24 hectares of vineyards, in the traditional ‘alberello’ form that guarantees balance and ‘protection’ to the bunches, have been planted – with a density of 5500 plants per hectare – to Nero d’Avola, and to a lesser extent to Syrah, Petit Verdot, Grillo and Catarratto. The sea breezes, due to the proximity of the coast, mitigate the high summer temperatures and mild winters, conditions that – combined with the particularly calcareous soils and bush-trained cultivation – allow the grapes to ripen perfectly and the wines to be characterised by minerality, freshness, elegance and personality. A dinner was then held in one of the estate’s cellars with some old vintages paired with typical local dishes. The following day, an unmissable appointment at the ‘Assenza’ pastry shop in Noto – Caffè Sicilia – followed by the journalists being accompanied by a tour guide to discover the city famous for its Baroque buildings and Unesco World Heritage Site

4 July 2023

Monteverro, aperitif with the artist via Zoom

The Capalbio winery continues its path of artistic contamination and presented the new graphic design for its two “young” wines – Verruzzo and Vermentino – , inspired by a work of art by Davide Dormino, during a zoom wine tasting with some lifestyle journalists. Monteverro is a jewel of a winery in Capalbio, well-known not only for the quality of its wines, but also for its transversal commitment to art, music and culture. Indeed, the estate has always embraced a philosophy of contamination, collaborating with internationally renowned artists. This year sees the debut of the new edition of artist labels. This is the natural evolution of Monteverro’s collaboration with ‘Arte&Vino’, a kermesse curated by Maria Concetta Monaci and organised by the cultural association Il Frantoio, which enhances the collaborations between wineries and artists, finding a perfect harmony of visions between the winery’s oenological identity and the evocative creations. The remote aperitif was held on 29 July and was an opportunity for journalists to have a talk with Matthieu Taunay, the winery’s oenologist, and Davide Dormino, the artist himself, who explained the meaning of his artwork ‘Apollo Resisti!’ by Davide Dormino, an artist from Viterbo, who teaches at ‘Rufa’, and which will be hosted on the estate during Arte&Vino from May 2021. The original work is a bronze sculpture inspired by the Colossus of Rhodes, of which Dormino reproduces only the lower part, the two legs forming a triangle that represents the earth and, at the same time, divinity. The outstretched legs compensate for the lack of verticality due to the loss of the torso. In its incompleteness it takes on a whole new majesty, the legs metaphorically stand like two columns symbolising Art itself, engaged in a test of strength against the world.  Hence the cry: ‘Apollo Resisti! ‘Like the original Colossus, it thus becomes a gateway to all that the horizon behind it brings,’ explains Dormino. The choice of this work for the labels of  Monteverro‘s ‘young’ wines is no coincidence. ‘Young wines represent the essence of our philosophy, a true and sincere expression of that southern Tuscany that is the authentic Maremma,’ explain Monteverro.