This year at “Terracotta and Wine 2016” (Impruneta, 19 – 20 Nov) Tuscan amphora wine is represented by 8 vineyards, each with its own particular history, all with the same stylistic choice: to rethink conventional viticulture and to embark on a search which embraces the care of the land, the respect for local varietal characteristics of vines and grapes and importantly, the nature-friendly quality of the vessels containing the wine.
Ultimately it becomes a search for excellence. In this context we find some very brave Tuscan winemakers who have chosen to refine their grapes in amphora to become the emblem of a new way of making wine. Their “new” way has ancient roots and yet year after year, more and more producers are won-over by the excellent results.
The Tuscan wine producers participating in “Terracotta and Wine 2016”:
Azienda Agricola Arrighi, Porto Azzurro, Isola d’Elba
Azienda Agricola Petrolo, Bucine, Arezzo
Tenuta Casadei, Suvereto
Tenuta Belvedere, Rignano sull’Arno
Castello dei Rampolla, Panzano in Chianti
Tenuta Casteani, Gavorrano
Azienda Agricola Montesecondo, San Casciano
Azienda Agricola Ampeleia, Roccatederighi
A journey between two Tuscan wineries: At San Casciano, with “Montesecondo” clay becomes an Arabic word. With “Petrolo” a dream called “Bòggina”
The wine making company, Montesecondo, from San Casciano tells us about its own wine-making process in amphora and the origin of the name of the two wines that will be tasted at the event: Tin, the Arabic word for clay.
They are both called “Tin”, an Arabic word which means clay. One is made with sangiovese grapes, stemmed and fermented with indigenous yeasts, which are punched-down in terracotta jars of 450 litres. When the alcoholic fermentation is over, the jars are sealed and topped up. After this the grapes are macerated for a further 10 months. At the end of spring the resulting liquid is drained and gently pressed. The wine is decanted into concrete vats for a few weeks and then bottled before summer. The same procedure applies to the “Tin” made only with Trebbiano grapes with a slightly shorter maceration time. Some amphorae of Trebbiano wine (about 20%) are refined without skins”
The company “Petrolo” from Arezzo revels the story behind the name “Bòggina” – the wine will be available for tasting at “Terracotta and Wine 2016”
Bòggina came from a dream that my grandfather Engineer. Gastone Bazzocchi had when he planted this Sangiovese vineyard in 1952. (He bought the company in 1947). This vineyard of about 5.50 hectares which over the years, has been gradually replanted with a careful mass selection of vines so as not to lose the clones of the original vineyard, is the best Sangiovese vineyard that we have in Petrolo, not only for its soil and highly favourable climatic conditions, but also for its intrinsic beauty, documented by authoritative sources from the early 1700s. The Bòggina vineyard was the vineyard that my parents Giulio Gambelli and Lucia Bazzocchi Sanjust selected in 1988 to produce the first “Torrione” wine. Today the Torrione is obtained not only from the vineyard of Bòggina but by assembling all the grapes from the “historic” Sangiovese vineyards belonging to our company”
Related
Online pre-registration for “Terracotta and Wine 2022”, all the advantages: the discount on the entrance ticket, the benefits of becoming a member, the reserved queue at the entrance
The “Tour of Italy in Amphora” is back with more wine tasting sessions with the opportunity to learn about wine made in terracotta. Impruneta 29th May, 13th and 27th June 2018
