Author: francesco

The grape harvest

It is the dawn of a radiant day in late September. The warm rays of the sun begin to tickle my opalescent, golden-yellow skin. Among the shiny green leaves, I see my siblings, made plump and bright by a cheery summer and a generous land. We are all full of energy, or rather, sugar, and our aroma spreads all over the hill. I smile at the new day and prepare to welcome the warmth coming up from the east, but a column of humans rises from the slope. In their hands they carry small colourful boxes and sharp scissors. There are worried murmurs among us: some time ago, those same scissors took away whole families, large bunches of grapes from the plant without us understanding why. Thinning they called it. We try to hide under the magnanimous shadow of the leaves, but already the scissors are coming down on the stalks. We are taken off the vine and placed in boxes. The tension is palpable, even if our fear slowly recedes because the hands holding us are delicate and we are comfortable in the boxes, we are not too crushed. I start to relax and drowsiness overcomes me. Now it’s off to the cellar, I hear someone say as I doze off.

What distinguishes white vinification from red vinification?

What distinguishes white vinification from red vinification?
The main difference lies in maceration, i.e. the contact of the must with the marc (skins and seeds) during fermentation: while in white vinification the solid parts of the grapes are removed immediately after harvesting through soft pressing to prevent the skins from releasing pigments and giving an undesirable colour, in red vinification maceration is essential for the development of colour, structure and longevity. The substances present in the grapes dissolve in the must due to the solvent power of the alcohol, which has a decisive influence on the character of the wine.

It only takes about thirty minutes by car from Parma, heading west, to find yourself immersed in the middle of the vineyards of a very young company that is at the same time steeped in history: Tenute Venturini Foschi.

The company, founded just six years ago, in 2016, by Pier Luigi Foschi and Emanuela Venturini, has once again given viticultural lustre to some of the land that stretches between the hills of Noceto and Medesano. Lands rich in history – just think of the proximity of the Via Francigena – and in rural tradition, where time slows down and nature dictates the rhythms.

I’ll give you five minutes to think about which grape varieties you would choose to cultivate on an inherited piece of land in the Parma hills to produce quality wine. Ready? If you answered Chardonnay or Malvasia, you may already be on the right track, but only if you specified which Malvasia grape variety.
If, however, you answered Nebbiolo or Vitovska, I am afraid I will have to take on the thankless task of crushing your dreams. Yes, because the land of Emilia is fertile and generous, but not all grape varieties are made for it.
Finding the most suitable vine clones for an area is a complex task that has to take into account many factors and implies in-depth knowledge of the territory, the soil and climatic environment and the composition of the soil.