mercoledì 29 maggio 2013

Wine Research Team


Biodiversità attraverso l’agricoltura di precisione e la sanificazione dei processi di vinificazione


E’ un rivoluzionario progetto avviato dal prof. Riccardo Cotarella, enologo di fama internazionale, e dal suo Team di esperti “sanificatori”, composto dal prof. Fabio Mencarelli (tecnico dell’alimentazione), dal prof. Riccardo Valentini (climatologo), e dal dott. Cesare Catelli (biologo).
Sono ventisei le cantine (*) che compongono la squadra dei viticoltori e che hanno presentato i propri vini alla convention presso l’Hotel Roma Cavalieri lo scorso 16 maggio.
Il progetto prevede la prospettiva di produrre vino di qualità senza l’impiego dell’anidride solforosa.
Il processo scientifico si fonda sulla sanificazione delle uve in tutti i suoi passaggi.
Il prof. Cotarella afferma che: “il controllo dei microrganismi è la ricetta per ottenere un vino longevo, ricco di sentori naturali e di piacevolezza gustativa, senza dover aggiungere solfiti o alcun altro prodotto per garantire l’azione antibatterica e antiossidante nelle fasi di fermentazione del mosto e di affinamento del vino”.

Il Team ha presentato la propria “strategia di regata”.
Il “campo di gara” è il terreno su cui le viti sono state impiantate.
Per decidere la giusta esposizione della vigna, sono stati preventivamente analizzati e studiati tutti i fenomeni climatici, la circolazione delle correnti d’aria e controllate e ascoltate tutte le informazioni provenienti dalla natura circostante.
Il prof. Valentini chiama tutto questo “agricoltura di precisione”.
“tutto ciò è indispensabile se si vuole arrivare a produrre uve sanissime, in quantità limitata e di eccellente qualità, senza dover ricorrere all’utilizzo della chimica di sintesi”.
Una volta in cantina, le uve sono sottoposte a un preventivo scientifico controllo dei microrganismi,
prima di passare alla spremitura e pigiatura. Di fondamentale importanza sono i processi di stabilizzazione delle uve, di alternanza delle temperature, in un ambiente meticolosamente pulito, quasi sterile. Tutto ciò per rendere inattivi i nemici batteri, ottimizzando così la fase di fermentazione, e poi, di maturazione del vino in botte e in bottiglia, senza l’impiego di alcuna sostanza antibiotica o antiossidante.
Un dettaglio molto importante è la scelta del tappo. La società portoghese Amorim ha prodotto un sughero di eccellenza, studiato esclusivamente per questi vini. Ogni tappo sarà annusato singolarmente prima dell’utilizzo, per garantire la distruzione della carica batterica nel sughero e lo scambio osmotico tra l’ambiente esterno e il vino in bottiglia.
Il logo che identificherà le cantine del Wine Research Team, e che sarà presente su tutte le bottiglie, è la vela. Un simbolo che rappresenta l’unità delle idee, la comunione delle forze, e lo spirito di squadra; una garanzia di vittoria per l’intero Team di viticoltori.

Per l’occasione, sono stati presentati in degustazione tutti i vini delle ventisei cantine, imbottigliati anzitempo, in corso d’opera, per rendere gli intervenuti partecipi dell’ambizioso progetto.
Assaggiare un Nero Buono, un Aglianico, un Sangiovese, un Sagrantino, di soli sei mesi, e percepire in bocca la ruvidezza e l’astringenza dei tannini, insieme all’esplosione olfattiva dei naturali profumi ancora vinosi di frutta rossa appena colta, è stata per me una forte ed entusiasmante emozione sensoriale.
Vini provenienti dalle diverse Regioni italiane, tutti espressione del proprio territorio di origine, o frutto della ricerca sperimentale, come quello della cantina “La Madeleine”, di proprietà dei coniugi D’Alema, che in collaborazione con l’Università di Perugia, ha realizzato un Cabernet Franc in purezza dai presupposti e dalle attese di elevata qualità.

Uno Skipper di grande esperienza guida un Team di ventisei cantine, strette insieme da un unico obiettivo e da un unico pensiero, quello di realizzare dei vini naturali e di qualità eccellente, dai profumi intensi e dal gusto “croccante”.
Non mi rimane che augurare “buon vento” alla barca Wine Research Team e aspettare sulla linea del traguardo per assaggiare i vini al compimento della loro maturazione.


Roma, 29 maggio 2013


dott. Bartolomeo Roberto Lepori

Ordine dei Giornalisti - Roma
tessera n. 137270
Sommelier Professionista A.I.S.
tessera n. 112666
e-mail:
roberto.lepori@me.com
            
roberto.lepori@goldtv.it




  (*) Allegrini, Carvinea, Castello di Cigognola, Colpetrone, Coppo, Di Majo Norante, Domaine du Comte de Thun, Falesco, Fattoria del Cerro, I Greco, La Guardiese, La Madeleine, La Murola, La Poderina, Leone de Castris, Poggio le Volpi, Poggio San Polo, San Patrignano, San Salvatore, Tenuta dell’Arbiola, Tenuta di Frassineto, Terre Cortesi Moncaro, Terre della Custodia, Trequanda, Villa Matilde, Villa Medoro.

Wine Research Team


Biodiversity through Precision Agriculture and sanitation of the wine making process.

It's a revolutionary project started by professor Riccardo Cotarella, an internationally renowned winemaker and his team of experts, called the "sanificatori", made up of prof. Fabio Mencarelli (nutrition technology), prof. Riccardo Valentini (climatologist), and Dr. Cesare Catelli (biologist). Twenty-six wineries (*) assembled a team of wine producers who have submitted their wines at the convention at the Hotel Rome Cavalieri last May 16.
The project involves the prospect of producing quality wine without the use of sulfur dioxide. The scientific process is based on the sanitation of the grapes throughout all steps of the wine making process. 
Professor Cotarella states: "Controlling the microorganisms is the recipe for a long-lived wine that has a pleasant taste and is rich in natural scents, without having to add sulfites or any other additives to ensure antibacterial and antioxidant action in the early stages of the fermentation as well as during the aging process of the wine."

The team presented its "regatta strategy."The "regatta course" is the ground on which the screws are implanted.
In order to decide on the correct exposure of the vineyard, the team has previously  been analyzing and studying all climatic phenomena, the movement of air currents as well as all the information coming from the surrounding nature.
Professor Valentini calls this project "Precision Agriculture": 
"All of this is essential if we want to produce wholesome grapes, in limited quantities and of excellent quality without having to resort to the use of synthetic chemistry."

Once in the winery, the grapes are subjected to a scientific control of microorganisms before moving to the pressing process.
Of fundamental importance are the processes of stabilizing the grapes, and alternating temperatures, in a meticulously clean, almost sterile environment. All of this is done to inactivate the harmful bacteria, thus optimizing the fermentation phase. Afterwards, the wine is led to age in casks and bottles, without the use of any antibiotic or antioxidant substances.
A very important detail is the choice of the bottle cap. The Portuguese company Amorim has produced a cork of excellence, designed exclusively for these wines. Before use, each cap is examined individually to ensure the destruction of the bacterial load in the cork and the osmotic exchange between the external environment and the wine in the bottle.

The logo that will identify the Wine Research Team, and that will be present on all of its bottles, is the image of the sail. It is a symbol representing the unity of ideas, the communion of forces, as well as team spirit, a guarantee for victory for the entire winery team.
For the Wine Research Team Convention, the twenty-six wineries have presented all their wines for tasting, to make the attendees participate in the ambitious biodiversity project , even if the wines were still too immature to drink.
I tasted a different variety of wines, among them Nero Buono, Aglianico, Sangiovese, Sagrantino, aged for only six months. I felt the roughness in my mouth and the astringency of tannins, but above all the fantastic explosion of natural, still vinous aromas of freshly picked, red fruit. I felt a strong and exciting sensory emotion.
The wines came from different Italian regions, all being an expression of their territory of origin, or the result of experimental research: such as the wine from the cellar "La Madeleine", owned by Mr. and Mrs. D'Alema, who in collaboration with the University of Perugia, are producing a Cabernet Franc in purity with the prerequisites and expectations of a high quality wine.
A highly experienced “skipper” leads a team of twenty-six cellars, united by one single goal and one single thought: to make natural wines of excellent quality with intense aromas and a "crispy" taste. 

I can only wish a "good wind" for the boat of the Wine Research Team and wait at the finishing line to taste the wines once they have completed their maturation.


Rome, may 25, 2013



dott. Bartolomeo Roberto Lepori

Association of Journalists - Rome 
Card no. 137270 
Professional Sommelier A.I.S. 
Italian Sommelier Association
Card no. 112666 
E-mail: roberto.lepori @ mac.com              
roberto.lepori @ goldtv.it 
PEC: bartolomeo_roberto.lepori@cert.odg.roma.it
Mobile: +39.3346981515
http://robertolepori.blogspot.it



 (*) Allegrini, Carvinea, Castello di Cigognola, Colpetrone, Coppo, Di Majo Norante, Domaine du Comte de Thun, Falesco, Fattoria del Cerro, I Greco, La Guardiese, La Madeleine, La Murola, La Poderina, Leone de Castris, Poggio le Volpi, Poggio San Polo, San Patrignano, San Salvatore, Tenuta dell’Arbiola, Tenuta di Frassineto, Terre Cortesi Moncaro, Terre della Custodia, Trequanda, Villa Matilde, Villa Medoro.

martedì 14 maggio 2013

Biodiversity and environmental sustainability in the wine. Philosophy come true!

It all started with anthroposophy and Rudolph Steiner.
Anthroposophy is a philosophical vision of life that leads the  spiritual in man towards the spiritual in the universe.  It is not easy to imagine how this philosophy would relate to the world of wine.  But indeed, it does ! 
In 1924,  philosopher Rudolf Steiner developed the theory of the “two formative forces” that, taken together, cooperate with each other to balance the effects of the soil, water, heat and light of the sun, animal life and plant life.
The “terrestrial strength” and the “cosmic force”.
In the first, you can find the phenomena of growth and production of substances, and in the second, the phenomena of fertilization and maturation.
The farmers that closely followed Steiner’s philosophy began to breed plants with specific natural ingredients and fertilizers determined by him, completely excluding the use of chemical fertilizers. They were able to achieve remarkable and amazing results.

     Even today, the majority of producers do not completely exclude the use of chemicals for growing grapes, especially  in some  areas of the planet where the balance of eco-system were completely devastated from the unconscionable greed of man. For the past 50 years, too much damage has been inflicted on the land and the environment in general that it is too much to ask of nature for a natural spontaneous resumption to a harmonious balance of life.  The plant and animal kingdoms have altered too greatly.
     Today, it is no longer possible to accept  these invasive and destructive assaults  on the land  without having to come to terms with the negative impact on the survival of  the authenticity and quality of  our agricultural products. The good news, however, is that in many regions of our globe,  many farmers have had a profound rethinking about the techniques of vine cultivation. With much success, they are practicing organic farming that is biodynamic and environmentally friendly based on the principles set forth by Steiner or following methods that have always been part of the tradition and culture of the region, but with a modern twist.

 Some days ago, Marco Carpineti(http://www.marcocarpineti.com) told me about his idea to go back to using the horse and plow for cultivation of part of his vineyard.
No more use of tractors or other machinery.

 “The vineyard should not breathe combustion residues. I think that wine has to be the expression only of manual labor and the love of expression of the winemaker.”  His wines, the result of organic farming and nearly thirty years of experience, have achieved levels of excellence; both for whites and for reds, not to mention the newly born sparkling Bellone which is made with the traditional method of secondary fermentation in the bottle.
He practices the exclusive cultivation of native vines over an area of fifty-two hectares: Bellone, Montepulciano, Arciprete white, Greco Moro, Malvasia, Cesanese, and Nero Buono.
The happiness of the achievements can be perceived by the smile of Marco, never tamed of the desire to discover new ways to convince everyone he meets that the only way to recover the quality of wine is the traditional and biological cultivation of the vine and respect of the territory.

     Last April, during the Vinitaly 2013, I met Filippo Ferrari, an agronomist and enologist, who along with Cristian Giorni, gave rise to the “current” ViniEtici (www.vinietici.it). 
He lays out three basic principles for the creation of the so-called ethical products: keep the land fertile,  keep the plants in good health, improve the quality of the products. He says that “nature provides directly the natural elements in order to grow the plant, without the use of products derived from chemical synthesis.” He talks of herbal teas, mineral compounds, and manure, to restore soil fertility.

     Organic is also the absence sulfites. Intergrapes is a brand that some affiliate wineries use to witness and ensure the overall integrity of the wine produced in the total absence of added sulfites. The company has developed a compound extracted from the seeds contained in the grape that acts as an anti-oxidant and anti-bacterial preservative for wine. It is added in controlled dose after malolactic fermentation and bottling process. It is a natural compound that replaces the sulfur and should not alter the secondary aromas, typical of the first stage of fermentation and aging of wine.

The cellar Nativ (http://www.winenativ.com) of Paternopoli (AV) is one of fourteen cellars of Intergrapes partners.
The ten wines all come from indigenous grapes (Aglianico, Fiano di Avellino, Falanghina, Greco di Tufo). It is a young company led by Mario Ercolino, winemaker, and his wife Ronerta Pirone.
 Their wines express a strong and unequivocal link with the territory and with the tradition and history that over time has crossed the hills of Irpinia; the founding concept of the philosophy of viticulture undertaken by Nativ.
Characterized by volcanic soil, strongly mineral, limestone and tuff.



The position of the vineyards, located at an altitude between 450 to 550 meters (above sea level), near the Picentini mountains, gives the wine extreme temperature changes that have a positive impact on the fragrance and  the intensity of taste and smell,. This  adds to the strength of the wine character, important presence of tannins and richness of extract. White wines  are strongly mineral with fruity and floral notes, typical of the strain of origin. Red wines are loaded with polyphenols, very concentrated and creamy, rich in glycerin and with intense scents of ripe red fruit and minerals. Those passed in the wood enjoy the presence of spices, ether perfumes and greater softness of the sugar alcohols.
It is too early to express judgment on the longevity of these products , even if the conditions portend an interesting result. The tone of the scents and tactile sensations in the medium term widely holds  up  in comparison  to  the wines  treated with sulfur dioxides instead.
I intend to follow the evolution of the Nativ wines over the next few years, and I invite you to do the same in order to test this new antioxidant and natural technique  that keeps the product intact and pleasantly biological.

Rome, may 13, 2013


dott. Bartolomeo Roberto Lepori

Association of Journalists - Rome 
Card no. 137270 
Professional Sommelier A.I.S. 
Card no. 112666 
E-mail:    roberto.lepori @ mac.com              
roberto.lepori @ goldtv.it 
PEC:       bartolomeo_roberto.lepori@cert.odg.roma.it