Rosso Vieilles Vignes 2013

This cuvée comes from the hills of the Marche, in the Rosso Piceno DOC area, around Ostra Vetere and Serra de’ Conti, in the hinterland of Ancona. The San Fortunato and San Sebastiano plots lie on predominantly clay limestone soils, between Adriatic influences and the freshness of the hills. The old Montepulciano and Sangiovese vines produce a red that is deep, fresh and rooted in its terroir.

The grapes are harvested by hand in early October and the plots are vinified separately. Fermentation takes place in stainless-steel tanks, with skin maceration of about 10 to 12 days. The wine is then blended and aged for about two years in large oak casks, notably Slavonian, before resting for at least six months in bottle.

This wine reveals notes of black cherry, ripe plum, blackberry, wild raspberry, violet, black pepper, liquorice, thyme, coffee, cocoa, fine leather and mushroom. With age, a balsamic and slightly earthy touch completes this nuanced bouquet. The palate offers a supple, silky texture, supported by fresh acidity and polished tannins; the dry, persistent and spicy finish keeps a lovely imprint of black fruit.

Ah, Italy, what a beautiful hedonistic country, home of the Dolce Vita, but how hard it is to understand how its wine is organised! The key to understanding Italy's appellation system is to think of it as several small countries rather than a single uniform one, since each region has its own appellation system. Yet Italy can offer wine lovers a multitude of wines with varied and unique flavours and styles, as well as bottles full of surprise and creativity. Unfortunately it also produces a large quantity of soulless, characterless wines sold under their most useful and commercially renowned names: Pinot Grigio, Chianti, Valpolicella, Lambrusco, Prosecco and many others... But let us talk a little history: winegrowing in Italy goes back to the most distant antiquity and originated in Greece. The Etruscans are said to have introduced the vine, and Greek immigrants improved and changed the grape varieties, later calling the country "Oenotria": the land of wine. At the height of the Roman Empire, wine held an important place in daily life, and some regions already stood out for the excellence of their produce. The Romans also planted many vineyards across Europe, leaving an indelible mark of their conquests. Today Italy is the largest wine producer in the world, ahead of France. Italy is divided into three climatic zones. The northern mountains have a fairly harsh mountain climate. The plain in the "middle of the boot" has a continental climate with cold winters and hot, stormy summers. The "south of the boot" enjoys a Mediterranean climate with very hot, very dry summers, not forgetting the islands of Sicily and Sardinia. In short, Italy produces a great variety of wines thanks to its 200 different grape varieties, many of them native to its land. It is a country just as complex as its wines, and well worth exploring!