Vineyards Magazine

Baglio di Pianetto’s Charmat reworked with the sensitivity of Graziana Grassini: from Brut to Extra Brut to embody the winery’s new direction.

The winery’s sparkling wines are in line with the philosophy inaugurated by the new president Grégoire Desforges: focus on the territory, contemporaneity, and care for local historical and cultural values.

The revamped Fushà from Baglio di Pianetto, now a Charmat Extra Brut, fits perfectly with the philosophy of the new president, Grégoire Desforges. Firmly convinced that innovation starts with the product, the third generation at the helm of the winery has, since 2023, embarked on a valuable collaboration with Graziana Grassini—one of Italy’s most authoritative winemakers—who has been entrusted with the task of restoring the expressive capacity of the Baglio terroir’s uniqueness and its unusual altitude to the winery’s sparkling wines.

Alongside the winery’s resident winemakers, Francesco Matesi and Giuseppe Lo Iacono, Graziana Grassini has interpreted Baglio di Pianetto’s new identity by transforming the Fushà sparkling wine into a long Extra Brut charmat, whose longer stay on the lees gives the sparkling wine greater complexity and structure, resulting in a more elegant and versatile wine. The search for freshness, elegance, and drinkability is the basis of the winery’s new direction, which combines a strong connection to the territory and local historical and cultural values with a constant commitment to sustainability and continuous technological research, translating the essence of the mountainous amphitheater directly into the bottle.

The floral bouquet, aromatic hints of rosemary, and balsamic accents enhanced by a fine and persistent perlage describe the organoleptic profile of the new Fushà Extra Brut, a winemaking project that is part of the winery’s wine portfolio revolution. The search for balance, structure, and a long, balanced finish has given rise to an intense and complex sparkling wine made from organic grapes, which is both fresh and salty. The references to the Mediterranean scrub and the freshness of mint reflect the altitude of the Baglio di Pianetto vineyards: an identity-based choice, but also a strategic one that allows the winery to counteract climatic complexities, operate in an uncontaminated environment, and achieve a drinkability that appeals to new wine lovers.

The new version of Fushà completes Baglio di Pianetto’s current portfolio, alongside the revamped In Purezza lines—a collection of single-varietal wines that capture the essence of native and international grape varieties, now even more expressive of the territory’s unique characteristics—and Viafrancia—a blend of increasingly native varieties that embodies the winery’s new spirit.

In line with the new direction, the name of the new Extra Brut: Fushà, in the Arberëschë language, means Piana, and is a tribute to Piana degli Albanesi. The Arbëreshë community, with its strong and long-standing tradition, settled there in 1400 following the Ottoman invasion of the Balkans, and is still an active part of the territory that is home to Baglio di Pianetto (many of the company’s employees – in the vineyard and in the winery – have Arbëreshë origins). References to the local community can be found on the label, decorated with an ornamental design that recalls traditional Arbëreshë motifs, engraved tone on tone as an identifying pattern.