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The past.
A few details about the past, only those necessary.
Born in Brescia, I graduated in Agricultural
Sciences at the University of Florence, but
felt unhappy with theory and lectures that never
took us out of the classroom and into the fields.
I submitted my dissertation on the production
of sparkling wines in the Franciacorta area
to a publisher who accepted me as a regular
contributor.
Some time later, I had a chance to do some quality
tests for wine production on my family's land,
which we now farm, and the wine consultant's
verdict was positive to the point that in our
first year we came first in a wine-tasting session
devoted to Garda Bresciano. At the same time,
I found that working in the vineyard explained
why I had thought of studying agriculture in
the first place: working in the field is much
more satisfying.
In 1989, the year of our first harvest, I moved
to Portese where my wife Paola reached me a
year later. After some time, besides the wine
and oil production we opened a small country
restaurant and two comfortable farmhouse holidays
apartments. For a few years our simple but distinguished
cuisine, carefully matched to our wines and
olive oil, proved an excellent marketing tool
for our name. In 2001 we decided to transform
the restaurant into a third apartment, thus
ending an activity that was very satisfying
but too labour-intensive to manage on our own
as we had planned.
Where we are now.
Today we have approximately four hectares of
vineyards and two of olive groves, producing
around 20,000 bottles of wine and 1,000 of olive
oil each year. To close the circle, the three
apartments can host around twelve guests.
The small size of our farm and the high value
of the land in our area mean we are always striving
to improve our products, adding value to everyday
work and personal satisfaction, which makes
us appreciate what we do far more than profit
alone.
The following are some of our views on matters
that might interest friends, guests and customers.
Vineyards
in Portese "early 1900s"
Identity.
We aspire to make products, and mainly wines,
which have a clear personality and do not cater
for the average customer's taste. The small
size of our business allows us to be free from
changing tastes, which are often tied to passing
trends. We think of the flavoursome wines that
our land can produce, wines that are persistent
and recognisable across vintages, wines that
do not bend to fashion but want to become classics
in their field.
Typicality.
We are keen to emphasize the ties between product
and place. What the French call bon lieu
à vignes - the proper place for a vineyard
- must reflect on the product all its character.
The land constitutes the basis of typicality,
a concept that is generally linked to a given
area but also more specifically to the individual
producer. It is the farmer's responsability
to express the full value of his land by choosing
the right grapes and appropriate winemaking
techniques.
For those seeking the typicality and tradition
of our hills, we offer two d.o.c. (denomination
of controlled origin) Garda classico wines (Groppello
and Chiaretto) and olive oil.
Our other products also embody a connection
with the place which is clearly certified in
the label as i.g.t. (indication of geographical
typicality) Benaco Bresciano, but the use of
various grapes and winemaking techniques is
free from traditions which at times would restrict
our winemaking targets.
Production area.
Unfortunately winemakers in our district have
not yet shaped a common policy and many farms,
often the larger ones, do not emphasize quality.
Thus those who, like ourselves, tend to improve
production are often penalised by certain decisions
or their absence.
A recent wine catalogue points out that our
products have nothing in common with the wider-sold
labels in our production district, thus stressing
the quality of our wines. On the one hand we
are pleased of this recognition, but it also
shows how much work remains to be done to remove
the negative bias against the area, which is
partly justified.
Le
Chiusure
Consumer confidence.
Another related issue is consumer confidence.
This is even more important in the light of
what we have just said, in an age of easy slogans
and buzzwords. One of the favourite slogans
among wine producers is: "our wine is made
following old tradition combined with modern
technology". Really? We refuse to use these
words due to their inherent lack of meaning.
We prefer to earn credibility by working hard
and writing down what we think.
Scripta manent: for this reason, this
website also becomes a promise to readers. The
descriptions of our products and processes strive
to be precise, detailed and transparent.
Organic.
We believe it is important to express our position
on "organic" farming and the quality of our
products from this point of view.
When we started this enterprise, one of the
first moves was to certify our products as organic.
Towards the end of the conversion period (three
years) we had a very difficult season due to
climate reasons. We lost a substantial part
of our production and, what is worst, quality
was badly affected. We reconsidered our position
and were among the first few companies in the
Brescia area to accept EEC regulations 2078/92
(than 1257/99) which, for the protection of
consumer health, obliges farms to comply with
a number of production standards (e.g. ruling
out chemicals for weed management, strictly
limiting the amount and frequency of anti-parasite
products, and restricting fertilization according
to a plan drawn up by a certified consultant).
We had no difficulty in accepting these constraints,
simply because we had already adopted them by
free choice.
We have now been farming according to these
rules for nine years and do not certify our
products as organic (as we could do most years)
simply because we do not accept the idea that
exceptionally harsh conditions should cause
a loss of quality in the final product. Yet
this does not mean that, with more experience,
we shall not apply for official certification
in the future.
Our customers.
Approximately half of our production is sold
directly to private customers, most of whom
visit our farm. The other half is sold to restaurants
(mainly on Lake Garda and in northern Italy)
or exported to specialized wine shops in Germany
and Holland. A small proportion is sold for
company Christmas gifts.
After fifteen years.
After fifteen years in business we can say that
our labour has been gratified. We have had mentions
in the specialized press and won prizes in wine
tastings. We feel that overall we have a sound
business and good prospects for the future.
However there is also an apparently minor aspect
of our work that deserves mention. Through our
business we have met quite a few people and
the relationships we have built have broadened
our outlook A network of human contacts, born
over a glass of wine or through an enjoyable
holiday, which reach further than place and
age and generate ever new surprising situations.
It is a small world and often those with similar
tastes and sensibilities recognize each other
in the same places and thoughts. Internet can
be useful for this purpose as much as it is
for business.
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