Category Archives: Italian wines

Fondo Antico, Sicilian passion

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The story of Fondo Antico and the Polizzotti-Scuderi family is rooted in the pride for their origins, the passion for the tenacious and generous Sicilian land.


We are in Contrada Portelli in the territory of Trapani with the Egadi Islands majestically watching over the 80 hectares of vineyards from the sea. A hundred years’ experience in wine-growing and an obsequious respect for their origins are combined with research, innovation, team spirit and the curiosity to venture towards new horizons, to communicate their wines and make this strip of Sicily known to the world.

From 1960, half of the annual harvest was delivered to local cooperatives, while the remainder continued to be vinified on the estate. Since 1995, all production was brought back to the family winery, under the shrewd guidance of Giuseppe Polizzotti. Thus was born Fondo Antico, whose name is a tribute to the toponym by which the locals, in ancient times, used to call the land in Contrada Portelli, where it all began.

Fondo Antico’s wine production translates into the cultivation of the indigenous grape varieties of Western Sicily such as Grillo, Inzolia, Grecanico, Zibibibbo, Nero d’Avola up to Perricone. Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet and Syrah are the varieties that have been able to reinterpret, in an original and unrepeatable way, the richness and strength of the soils that characterise the Fondo Antico estate.

The soil

The Fondo Antico plots are planted on land of marine origin: the soil is in fact rich in calcareous deposits such as rock salt, gypsum, carbonates and sulphates, all of which contribute to making the winery’s wines more savoury and structured.


Two different altitudes and soil types characterise the Contrada Portelli vineyards: the vineyards at 350 m a.s.l. are planted on calcareous soil, which gives the wines more structure and elegance, without neglecting a good acidity base. While the other varieties are planted at 50 m a.s.l., on a medium-textured clay soil, which helps to make the wines more fresh and vigorous.

The harvest period runs from mid-August until mid-October, and the grapes are picked partly by machine and partly by hand. The company has also decided to adopt the mechanised method, in addition to the traditional one, because in a hot climate like Sicily’s, timeliness is very important. Separate vinification for each grape variety follows, thanks to the double receiving line.

The Wines

The wine production is composed of wines that reflect the personality of Fondo Antico. Thanks to the use of historical winemaking techniques in the Sicilian tradition, we obtain wines that are able to arouse emotions that only Sicily can transmit.


With this line goes in search of something more particular, more articulate, more exclusive, revealing monovarietal wines whose production technique is aimed at enhancing the varietal profile itself (colour, smell and taste).

Aitho Rosso

Etna Rosso DOC

A wine that reflects the great elegance and complexity of the volcano.
Colour: light ruby red.
Nose: red fruit aromas dominate (strawberry, black cherry) with hints of oriental spices and fresh balsamic hints that enrich the fine bouquet
Taste: harmonious and full, with silky tannins and an elegant finish.

Aitho Bianco
Etna Bianco DOC


Wine kissed by the sun and sea breeze.
Colour: straw yellow with green hues.
Nose: elegant bouquet with mineral notes of gunpowder, fresh citrus hints.
Taste: dry, mineral and savoury on the palate with pleasant acidity and persistence.

Bello mio
Zibibbo – IGT Terre Siciliane


A fragrant, captivating and delicate wine made from an indigenous aromatic variety, the Zibibibbo.
Colour: pale straw yellow with greenish reflections.
Nose: typical aromas belonging to the Terpenes family present themselves with notes of bergamot, citron, bitter orange, ending with floral notes of orange blossom, jasmine and dog rose.
Taste: The aromatic profile perceived on the nose is reconfirmed. The sip is full and savoury.

Grillo Parlante
Grillo – Sicily DOC


Brilliant straw yellow colour with greenish reflections. Its bouquet marries the exuberance of exotic fruit with the delicacy of white flowers.
Colour: brilliant, yellow with greenish reflections.
Nose: typical varietal aromas belonging to the thiol family reminiscent of exotic fruits, lychee, yellow peach, passion fruit together with more terpenic aromas reminiscent of white flowers or citrus notes.
Taste: full and fruity, balanced by the savouriness associated with the cultivation soils (carbonates and limestone of marine origin).

Nene’
Nero D’Avola – Sicily DOC


Nenè, to pay homage to the story “Il Mare Colore Del Vino” by Leonardo Sciascia.
A long-lived, fresh, fruity Nero d’Avola with distinct references to cherries and berries.
Colour: ruby red with violet reflections.

Nose: aromas of red fruits and cherries dominate. Dried fruits and spices enrich the fine bouquet.
Taste: harmonious and full flavours of cherry and undergrowth on the palate. The savouriness balances the roundness and makes the sip long and pleasant. It accompanies both meat and pitch dishes, especially when enriched with Mediterranean spices.

Per te
Perricone – IGT Terre Siciliane


‘Per te’ is a wine dedicated to Sicily and the Sicilian viticultural heritage, of which Perricone is an ancient expression. A vine abandoned for a long time but, with joy rediscovered.
Colour: ruby red.
Nose: the wine opens on notes of Mediterranean herbs and red fruits.
Taste: soft and enveloping on the palate, spices and Mediterranean scrub dominate the taste. Not
lacks the savouriness associated with the soils.

Rosso di Montalcino 2020. Youthful, passionate, and profoundly Biondi-Santi.

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Biondi-Santi’s Rosso di Montalcino is a proud, independent-minded wine. It is an impressive combination of Sangiovese’s classic depth and texture with crisp fruit and easy drinkability, as well as the deep knowledge, prestigious growing area, and complex emotions of Tenuta Greppo, renowned for its introduction of the very first Brunello, in 1888, and today a hallowed spot for all serious wine-lovers. 

In the words of Technical Director Federico Radi, “Our Rosso di Montalcino is first of all the embodiment of fine balance, with its components of structure, acidity, and … time, all in ideal equilibrium. Even though it is a “youthful” wine, its undeniable elegance is the fruit of patience and of listening to nature, and thus it perfectly mirrors the Biondi-Santi style.  Our Sangiovese, grown in estate vineyards at elevations ranging between 200 and 550 metres, is transformed here into intriguing crispness and well-balanced tannins. This is a Rosso that is a textbook representative of its vintage.”

A mild winter and cool spring ushered in the 2020 growing season at Il Greppo. Summer rains, particularly in June, built up groundwater reserves invaluable during the hot, dry conditions of July and August, enabling the vines to maintain balanced growth and making possible an excellent suite of aromatic precursors in the grapes.  Harvest for Rosso started on September 9, right after some beneficial late-August rains. It matured 12 months in large Slavonian oak casks. 

Rosso di Montalcino DOC is the “entry key” to the world of Biondi-Santi, yet it is accessible to the wide public of wine consumers and is thus able to seduce even the youngest wine-lovers, delighting their palates with the maturity and fascination so quintessential to Brunello. 

Rosso is made exclusively from estate grown grapes and in a number of bottles that is proving unequal to a constantly-growing demand over the last three years, according to CEO Giampiero Bertolini.  A firm believer in the importance of the denomination, he describes Rosso and Brunello as “playing on the same team, both superb examples of an exceptional growing area, and that is why Bondi-Santi has such faith in Rosso di Montalcino.”

Rosso di Montalcino 2020 Biondi-Santi has been available in the markets for only a few weeks, released at three years following the harvest, about one year more than most of the denomination’s wines. Its bouquet offers a rich cornucopia of wild red berry fruit, sweet violets, and red roses, backgrounded by hints of citrus and appealing nuances of pungent balsam and wild Mediterranean herbs. The finest wine shops will be pleased to provide a couple of bottles, one to enjoy immediately, and the other to forget a few years in your wine cellar.

Masseto. The 2020 vintage, an embodiment of its time, makes a debut.

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While the harvest has just came to a close in the Masseto vineyard, Masseto 2020 emerges from the estate’s cellars carved into the blue clay depths beneath the vines. Now in its 34th vintage, the iconic wine remains a coveted collector’s piece among wine lovers worldwide.

A product of the homonymous vineyard that first loaned its name to the wine and then to the estate, Masseto has since become synonymous of Italian excellence internationally. The vineyard stretches across one of the hills in Bolgheri, opposite the Tyrrhenian Sea. The few hectares are split into micro-parcels that are harvested and vinified separately.

The magic of this wine lies in the distinctive soil composition that vaunts a vein of Pliocenic blue clay once concealed in the sea, which artfully governs the hydration of the vines, absorbing excess water and keeping the roots fresh and moist, even during extended dry spells. Aligned with the Mediterranean sun and constant sea breezes, these traits form the perfect conditions for a perfect ripening of the grapes.

2020 was no exception. Typified by a mild winter, a spring with normal precipitation, and a hot, dry summer, harvest at Masseto took place in mid-September after propitious rainfall with changes in temperature from day to night. “We always picked the grapes early in the morning to preserve their freshness as much as possible and the harvest ended on 16 September,” explains Gaia Cinnirella, Winemaker and Cellar Master of Masseto. The end result once more encapsulates the essential elegance of this unique place in a glass.

Having been harvested and selected with expert care and attention, the grapes were taken to the cellar, which – as well as being an architectural gem instilled with soul-stirring geometry – was designed with the best possible conditions to turn these generous natural fruits into bottles of rare prestige.

Masseto 2020 has cultivated all the characteristics of the vintage, beginning with elegant concentration. The wine is powerful on the palate with exquisite length and balsamic notes. The integrity of the tannins reveals the hallmark ageing potential of Masseto. 

Charity auction for rare bottles of Vendemmia d’Artista Ornellaia 2020 “La Proporzione”

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The online auction organised by Sotheby’s will be held from 7 to 21 September 2023. The proceeds will support the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundationin New York, Venice and Bilbao

Organised by Sotheby’s, the annual charity auction of bottles from the 15th edition of Vendemmia d’Artista will return online from 7 to 21 September.

Double magnums, imperials and the only 9-litre salmanazar will be among the 12 lots. All the bottles are embellished with labels designed by the American artist Joseph Kosuth, who was invited to interpret this edition’s character, namely “La Proporzione” (Proportion).

The auction will provide collectors with the opportunity to secure lots of high artistic and wine significance, while doing a generous gesture. As in previous years since 2019, all profits will go to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation’s “Mind’s Eye” program, which welcomes and enhances access to the arts for visitors who are blind or have low vision. “We are proud to support this initiative,” comments Giovanni Geddes da Filicaja, CEO of Ornellaia. “Like in art, appreciation of fine wines requires total involvement of the senses. Furthermore, for us, partnering with the Guggenheim Foundation is a way of giving back to the community some of the extraordinary goodwill that nature has bestowed upon us.” These unique bottles are precious for three reasons: their contents, their works of art on the labels and, last but not least, their goal of increasing access to the arts for all visitors.

In 2020, nature and humanity combined to craft a perfect ‘proportion’ of elegance, power and complexity. In order to interpret this correspondence, the leading American conceptual artist and theorist Joseph Kosuth created a set of works based on the word “wine” and a quote from Vitruvius’s De Architectura (3.1.3). The 750ml bottle features the English version of the phrase engraved on the paper. For the 100 double magnums, the etymology of the word “wine” is embossed on the bottle, while each of the unique 10 imperials sees the etymology engraved onto the glass. One branch is accentuated in white and the quote from Vitruvius is translated in the highlighted language or one of its modern descendants: Albanian, Serbo-Croatian, Latin, Italian, Hindi, Hebrew, Modern Greek, Irish, German and Armenian. For the salmanazar, the etymology and quote from Vitruvius below are in English and the highlighting applied to the bottle is in platinum.

Joseph Kosuth: “I believe that language is an important part of experiencing everything and that these experiences shape us in a certain way linguistically. The architecture of experience through language was obviously always at work and I believe that Vitruvius was a major resource in understanding a concept like proportion. Proportion is not only visible equilibrium among the elements, but also equilibrium of all the elements that make it a perfect entity of what it represents for the world, thus also shaping it as conception.”

125 Years of Castello di Querceto

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La Corte 2019: Interpreter of the past and present

The origins of Castello di Querceto, with its crenellated tower, date back to the Middle Ages, but the milestone being celebrated by the François family this year is an impressive 125 years as wine producers.

It was in 1897, in fact, in Dudda, in the commune of Greve in Chianti, that Carlo François purchased Castello di Querceto. Even then, estate-grown wine was being made within its venerable cellars from the surrounding vineyards, and Carlo, immediately recognising the innate quality of its Sangiovese, began to make a monovarietal from a small vineyard parcel of particular promise. That was the ancestor of La Corte, and a few bottles, dated 1904, still survive. A few years later, in 1924, Castello di Querceto became a founding producer of the Consorzio Chianti Classico.

The estate’s modern history, however, begins with Alessandro François, and his pioneering concept of the Chianti Classico cru. Since the 1970s, he has been minutely studying every individual plot on the estate, and, confirming the ground-breaking intuitions of his grandfather, he determined that the qualities of that very same parcel merited his first single-vineyard wine. La Corte thus debuted officially in 1978 as an IGT Toscana, produced from that 3.4-hectare vineyard lying at an elevation of 450 metres, planted with a south-southwest-facing exposure in sandy soils.     

Over the following decades, other singular expressions enriched the collection, and Castello di Querceto became a benchmark for the entire denomination, a growing area for which Alessandro and his wife Antonietta have been ambassadors literally across five continents, exporting their wines to over 50 countries. Today, Simone and Lia François work side by side with their father in managing the wine estate, as do their respective spouses Stefania and Marco, sharing responsibility for hospitality, administration, and export. 

Over the years, research at the Castello has proceeded uninterrupted. The introduction of precision viticulture has proved decisive, as well as minimal intervention in the winemaking process; both testify to the philosophy of striving to highlight the distinctive characteristics of each individual vineyard parcel. 

The historic La Corte cru fully embodies this approach. With the 2017 vintage, it became a Chianti Classico Gran Selezione, thus joining the other prestigious cru, Il Picchio, which has been a Gran Selezione since 2011. “Both of these Sangiovese wines have always so impressed us that they deserved to bear the denomination’s highest quality designation,” commented Simone François.

“At 125 years from the founding of Castello di Querceto,” added Alessandro François, “La Corte continues to gift us a vibrant, comprehensive, and eloquent expression of our terroir. It amply demonstrates the incredible qualities of this growing area, as well as of the denomination that we are so proud to be a part of.”

Chianti Classico Gran Selezione La Corte 2019, released just recently on the market, is the fruit of a growing season which proved well-balanced and of impressive quality. Generous rainfall in the spring filled groundwater reserves that helped the vines cope with a dry summer. The heat was not excessive, however, thanks to Castello di Querceto’s elevation and to significant day-night temperature differences. Finally, very favourable weather in September and October allowed the winery to push back the start of harvest. The results were ideally-ripe clusters that yielded a taught, clean-edged, pleasurable Sangiovese.    

“All in all, a perfect vintage for our celebration of such an important anniversary,” concluded Simone François, fourth generation of a family fiercely proud of its traditions, and one whose long history gives it the ability to see far into its future.

*

The winery, along with its agriturism and luxuriant park, lies in Dudda, in a small valley in the hills high above Greve, in north-central Tuscany. Here, the François family grow their wines in some 65 hectares of estate vineyards, subdivided into 26 individual parcels planted in Cretaceous-Eocene polychrome schists. In addition to the Chianti Classico line, led by the two Gran Selezione crus, La Corte and Il Picchio, the portfolio boasts various IGT crus, Il Cignale, Il Querciolaia, Il Sole di Alessandro (Cabernet Sauvignon), and QueRceto Romantic, an elegant blend of Petit Verdot, Merlot, and Syrah.

Citizenship in the contemporary world and responsibility to the local environment and to future generations require a commitment to sustainability, and thus Castello di Querceto has been a certified participant in the Italian government’s ViVa program since 2022.    

Henry Borzi

Vintage 2022 a year of contradicting weather: the winemakers display versatility and resilience to achieve an expression of the finest quality

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The 2022 harvest has ended and now we can review a year of unusual weather contradictions. Axel Heinz, Ornellaia’s Estate Director, describes the vintage as a continual challenge that required the expressive abilities of mankind to adapt to the working processes. “A vintage that was always on the edge, where disaster was constantly on the horizon, but where in the end various weather events balanced out the negative effects, enabling the winemakers to find a nuanced expression of the finest quality through mental nimbleness and resilience.”

A climatic analysis shows how the 2022 vintage began as usual without prognosticating any issues, with winter temperatures within the norm and a cool spring with a slightly delayed budbreak on the vines. The conditions inverted in May, with temperatures exceeding 30°C and a dearth of rain for 75 consecutive days, truly testing the growth, flowering and veraison of the vines.

The harvest started early on 9 August with the first bunches of Sauvignon Blanc, but was immediately interrupted by the arrival of the much-awaited summer storms, which again disrupted the conditions that had distinguished the year thus far. The abundant rainfall instigated a turning point, eliminating the water stress and reactivating the ripening process. A cool and sunny September brought near-perfect conditions to ripen the Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Interpreting the unusual weather contradictions in the vineyard and in the cellar required certain measures to achieve a fine expression, such as night harvesting of the earliest white grapes in order to preserve the freshness and aromas; the use of a refrigerating room to keep the temperature of the grapes low; and the meticulous discarding of dried grapes as well as ones that had remained green after the veraison. Experimentation on the winemaking front also occurred with the addition of the use of amphorae alongside barriques and tonneaux.

“The hallmark of a hot vintage is clear in the wines,” explains Axel Heinz. “The wines are ample and bodied, yet balanced by a beautiful acidity and precise aromas. The Sauvignon Blanc shows its exotic side with tropical fruit aromas, while the Viognier and Vermentino display prolonged floral notes. Less concentrated than usual and struggling to free the skin content, the Merlot required longer static maceration to obtain an enjoyable density, doing away with rustic tannins. On the contrary, the Cabernets demonstrated deep and layered hues, even in the first few days of maceration, developing a traditional aromatic profile with signature notes of cassis for the Cabernet Sauvignon and spiced violet nuances for the Cabernet Franc. The aromatic freshness is surprising, dotted with menthol and balsamic overtones, as well as plush tannins, all of which provide an exceptional basis for long, harmonious ageing.”

Now comes the final challenge of 2022: “The blending, when we will need to find the right balance between the various parts to express the many virtues that 2022 yielded to those who listened to nature with respect and dedication through the struggles,” concludes Axel Heinz.

Michele Zanardi

ORNELLAIA VENDEMMIA D’ARTISTA

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“Il Vigore” 2019

THE ONLINE FINE WINE AUCTION HAS FINISHED.

DESIGNED BY ARTISTS NATHALIE DJURBERG AND HANS BERG, THE FINAL AMOUNT RAISED WAS

$ 302,000

All the profits have been given to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation for the Mind’s Eye program.

The online auction of Vendemmia d’Artista 2019: Il Vigore, hosted by Sotheby’s, finished yesterday. The fine bottles of wine, which were designed this year by Swedish artists Nathalie Djurberg and Hans Berg, were allocated to art and wine collectors, raising a final amount of $ 302,000. The profits from the auction will be given to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation to further the important endeavours of the Mind’s Eye program.

On announcing the results of the auction for this fourteenth edition of Vendemmia d’Artista, the CEO of Ornellaia, Giovanni Geddes da Filicaja, communicated his pleasure of having renewed the partnership with the Guggenheim Museum for another three years. “We are very enthusiastic about continuing to support the development of this special project that we believe in. Since the beginning, we wanted Mind’s Eye to be able to develop and become available to a vast audience from different places around the world. This global vision has now developed even more, ensuring that the program has become a feature of all the Guggenheim museums, in New York, Venice and Bilbao.”

Mind’s Eye is more than a mere experience; it is a set of tools capable of broadening accessibility to art through the use of the senses. As Richard Armstrong, Director of Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and Museum, explains: “With Ornellaia’s continued support, we will expand the Mind’s Eye programs to a global audience with a focus on developing the verbal descriptions in all our museums. Next year, we will produce content for the Peggy Guggenheim Collection with translations in several languages. Furthermore, we will continue the events in New York and the online programs, which will be available internationally. Looking towards 2023, thanks to the auction profits, we will concentrate on creating Mind’s Eye content for the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. These projects will continue in 2024 to expand the program, increasing the resources and the audience.”

Wine, like art, transcends words and, through the senses, the use of an emotional language takes on a universal value. The interpretation of the vintage was entrusted to the creativity of Swedish artists Nathalie Djurberg and Hans Berg. The themes of metamorphosis and the constantly evolving cycles of nature and its driving force form the core of the work, providing the perfect canvas for the artists of the fourteenth edition of Vendemmia d’Artista to interpret the theme of “Vigore” through art. The precious lots provided for the auction included 9 six-litre Imperial and the only nine-litre Salmanazar of Ornellaia Vendemmia d’Artista 2019, whereby the evolution of the concept of the relationship between humans and the earth is expressed through the sculptures.

Nittardi, 40 years of wine and art

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From 10 to 30 November 2022… in homage to Chianti Classico Casanuova di Nittardi Vigna Doghessa, the Nittardi collection will be on display at the Galleria Palazzo Coveri of Florence: over 80 works by the most important contemporary artists.

Casanuova di Nittardi is the historic Chianti Classico of Nittardi winery. Its very first vintage saw the launch of an art project, which has now, with the wine’s 2020 vintage, reached its 40th anniversary. Since 1981, the Canali-Femfert family has been celebrating the character and history of Casanuova di Nittardi by means of a unique artwork series: for each vintage, artists are invited to create two art pieces, one for the bottle label and one for its wrapping paper.

To celebrate this particular milestone, the Canali-Femfert family decided to establish an international art competition – the Premio Nittardi. Its prestigious jury has selected not one, but six artists, since the guiding concept is to offer passionate collectors of Nittardi an unpredecented case of six bottles of Chianti Classico Casanuova di Nittardi Vigna Doghessa 2020, each with a different label and wrapping paper.

This one-of-a-kind eno-artistic treasure, the Collezione Nittardi, from 10 to 30 November 2022, moves to Florence’s Galleria di Palazzo Coveri, at 19 Lungarno Giucciardini, where visitors may admire both the original art works as well as the entire set of bottles with their front labels and wrapping paper.

This journey through 40 vintages of a wine that is itself an artwork offers the rare opportunity to appreciate some of the most influential figures of contemporary international art, and in doing so has created a further artistic dimension… for all the senses.

Over the years, Chianti Classico Casanuova di Nittardi Vigna Doghessa has proudly borne the signatures and artworks of international artists such as Pierre Alechinsky, Corneille, Dario Fo, Karl Otto Götz, Günter Grass, Friedensreich Hundertwasser, Yoko Ono, Mimmo Paladino, Fabrizio Plessi, Mikis Theodorakis and many others. They are joined today by this year’s winners of the Premio Nittardi: Italian artists Chiara Mazzotti and Fausto Maria Franchi, and from abroad, Pengpeng Wang, Ulrike Seyboth, Olle Borg, and Andreas Floudas-Zygouras. In addition, the Femfert family also selected a seventh artist, Roberto Maria Lino, to artistically dress the Magnums.

***

The exhibition _ The public may visit the exhibition in the Galleria Palazzo Coveri, at Lungarno Giucciardini 19, in Florence from 10 to 30 November 2022, Tuesday through Saturday, from 11.00am to 1.00pm and from 3.30pm to 7.00pm. Entry is free.

The Premio Nittardi jury _ The Premio Nittardi jury is composed of Luigi Toninelli (Gallerista of Milan/Monte Carlo), Johannes Heisig (German author and artist of an art piece for the 2019 vintage), Amy Ernst (artist, niece of Max Ernst), Anthony von Mandl (Canadian art collector and wine producer), Young Ho Kim (Korean art collector), Gianna Martini Coveri (CEO, Gruppo Coveri).

Winners of the Premio Nittardi _ Chiara Mazzotti (I) with “Purezza concreta” and “Celebrazione”; Fausto Maria Franchi (I) with “Capriccio italiano”; Pengpeng Wang (CHINA) with “Pensieri”; Ulrike Seyboth (D) with “fructueux” and “abondance”; Olle Borg (S) with “Sine Nomine”; and Andreas Floudas-Zygouras (GR) with “Per Edoardo” and “Wine stages”. Special prize awarded to Roberto Maria Lino (I) by the Femfert family, for the Magnum label and for his works “Sutura”.

The Nittardi Collection _ The artists who have created labels and wrapping papers to date are Bruno Bruni (1981), Maurilio Minuzzi (1982), Karl Korab (1983), Simon Dittrich (1984), Miguel Berrocal (1985), Alfred Hrdlicka (1986), Paul Wunderlich (1987), Rudolf Hausner (1988), Friedensreich Hundertwasser (1989), Horst Janssen (1990), Valerio Adami (1991), Corneille (1992), A.R. Penck (1993), Eduardo Arroyo (1994), Raymond E. Waydelich (1995), Luigi Veronesi (1996), Igor Mitoraj (1997), Elvira Bach (1998), Emilio Tadini (1999), Sandra Brandeis Crawford (2000), Volker Stelzmann (2001), Giuliano Ghelli (2002), Robert Combas (2003), Klaus Zylla (2004), Yoko Ono (2005), Mimmo Paladino (2006), Tomi Ungerer (2007), Günter Grass (2008), Pierre Alechinsky (2009), Dario Fo (2010), Kim Tschang Yeul (2011), Karl Otto Goetz (2012), Alain Clément (2013), Hsiao Chin (2014), Joe Tilson (2015), Allen Jones (2016), Mikis Theodorakis (2017) Johannes Heisig (2018) and Fabrizio Plessi (2019).

The wine _ Chianti Classico Casanuova di Nittardi is grown near the villa residence in Castellina in Chianti and, since 2012, has been the offspring of a single vineyard, Vigna Doghessa. This parcel, lying at 450 metres above sea level with superlative southern exposure, has soil of medium depth, rich in galestro and alberese, two geological materials that define the character of our Chianti Classico. The wine is as unique as it is complex, just as a work of art can be.

The winery _ Nittardi has 40 hectares of vineyards, organically formed since 2014, divided between Castellina in Chianti and Maremma in Tuscany. In the sixteenth century, the estate was owned̀ by Michelangelo, who would send wine from there to Rome as a present for Pope Paul III. Art and creativity are in the DNA of the estate, as evidenced by the extraordinary park of contemporary sculptures and the exceptional artists who, every year since 1981, have created two works dedicated to the historic Chianti Classico Casanuova di Nittardi at the invitation of the curator Peter Femfert; his wife Stefania Canali, historian; and their eldest son Léon, who has managed the estate since 2013.

Passorosso and Passobianco 2020

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Passopisciaro’s “self-portrait wines” interpret the soul of Mount Etna

“In the 2000 growing year,” read notes written by Andrea Franchetti, “summer brought rains, but the heat returned in July, ushering in optimal conditions characterised by beneficial alternations of warmth and summer rains, with the result that we were able to harvest fully-ripe white grapes in late September and reds in late October.” 

Two years have passed since these notes were written, and today, the Mount Etna wine operation founded by Franchetti and now managed by his sons Benjamin and Giordano has released its two standard-bearers, Passorosso and Passobianco. 

It was in the year 2000 that Andrea Franchetti first realised the great potential of this area, with its power-filled yet delicate life-force, and dreamed of what would – with the help of his pioneering contribution – become a one-of-a-kind institution for the Contrade, as well as a winemaking name renowned world-wide. Vineyards growing at the very limits of the extreme yield wines full of emotion. These wines are testament to an unbelievable biodiversity that is nourished by the volcano’s unstoppable vital force.      

“Here is a land that is both ancient and young at the same time,” remarks Benjamin Franchetti, “a place that demands both respect and commitment to quality.” “Passobianco and Passorosso,” continues Vincenzo Lo Mauro, winery director since the very beginning, “are not individual Contrada wines; rather, they each are faithful expressions of our winery’s philosophy and expressions of the extraordinary land.”

Passorosso is made from a blend of grapes from ancient Nerello Mascalese vines growing at elevations between 500 and 1000 metres on Etna’s north slope. This wine represents the comprehensive style of Passopisciaro and its Contrade, with terroir, the emotions of Etna, and the philosophy of the winery all concentrated in a single wine. This year, one notes hints of red berry fruit and eastern spices in the glass, perfectly balanced by minerality.

Passobianco, on the other hand, is the uncompromised essence of Chardonnay, a variety that Andrea Franchetti found perfectly suited to the steep terraces of the Contrada Guardiola, lying between 850 and 1000 metres above sea level. The soil here is deep and loose, consisting of mineral-rich volcanic ash, giving the Chardonnay its Mediterranean flavour and ash-tinged minerality that are balanced by notes of spice.

Together, these are the perfect ambassadors for those who would like to explore the style of Passopisciaro.

WINE: GAS CRISIS ALSO FREEZES ITALIAN WINE, COST SURPLUS AT 1.5 BILLION EURO

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UIV-VINITALY Observatory: market holds (for now), but does not compensate for cost escalation


It is a gap of almost 1.5 billion euro that caused by gas and energy on Italian wine. Even one of the healthiest Made in Italy sectors is forced to raise the alarm, and now the main fear is that the escalation in costs will be compounded by a crisis in consumption, in Italy and worldwide. According to the UIV-Vinitaly Observatory survey carried out last week on companies in Italy, the surplus of energy costs alone (+425 million euros) and, consequently, of dry raw materials (over 1 billion more for glass, paper, cardboard, caps, aluminium) are worth an 83% increase on the budgets at the beginning of 2022. In addition to these, other increasing items (bulk wine, commercial costs, workforce) lead to a 28% increase in total costs this year. The result, according to the survey of a panel representing 30% of the market, has the flavour of a mockery for the sector.

The increase in list prices estimated by the Observatory in the first nine months of this year is in fact 6.6%, a positive figure but insufficient to cover an upward variation in prices that companies have requested in the order of 11%. The equivalent gap is equal to EUR 600 million in costs not covered by revenues that Italian wine is forced to bear in order to stay on the market. The ones losing out the most are the supply chain companies, the largest cluster – but with the least bargaining power – made up mostly of small businesses that produce, vinify and bottle everything, or almost everything, in-house. But, with some exceptions, the wine industrialists and the world of cooperation are also suffering due to a dynamic that particularly penalizes the basic and popular segments of the offer, starting with medium-priced sparkling wines. The impact on the premium segment is different, not only because it is better able to absorb variations but also by virtue of a market that is more willing to accept requests for price increases.

For the president of the Italian Wine Union (UIV), Lamberto Frescobaldi: ‘The survey shows how the current crisis does not spare our sector, which is not energy-intensive but in many of its components suffers direct consequences. What we can do now is to consolidate with a supply chain pact all the dynamics that can produce a buffer effect to guarantee competitiveness and the market. Producers, industrialists, cooperatives and distributors will therefore have to absorb part of the increases so as not to dump them completely on consumers and avoid a dangerous depression of consumption’.

 For the CEO of VeronaFiere, Maurizio Danese, “We consider it a duty for Vinitaly to monitor the dynamics of the sector, all the more so in a delicate moment such as this. What is happening also has a strong impact on wine, but we are aware that today’s events, like those of 2 years ago, represent exogenous and non-structuring factors affecting a sector that is in any case healthy. At the next wine2wine, scheduled for 7-8 November, we will present, together with UIV, the second part of this economic study, also with this year’s complete forecast estimates for the market, profitability, and balance sheet of the Italian wine industry”.

www.osservatoriodelvino.it

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