It seems to me that the current wine crisis is primarily a generational crisis, where "Post-Modern" young people, as anthropologist Ernesto di Renzo calls them , have their own unique understanding of wine and vineyard work.
I've experienced this generational theory every day since my daughter decided that the whole family would become winemakers, following her in her life choice to create Donna Vittori Borgo Agricolo (www.donnavittori.com). We had no experience in agriculture, even though we'd always lived in the countryside, simply admiring the flow of nature through the seasons.
She introduced me to the world of young winemakers: farmers, professionals, and even simply discerning drinkers. I've met so many young people, often with degrees in other fields, who have decided to enter this world, doing it together but in their own way.
It all started with culture, specifically with a sommelier course at the FIS – Italian Sommelier Foundation – that we took together, which opened us to the world of wine aromas. But tasting and producing wine aren't exactly the same thing. The true agricultural initiation comes from oenologist Gabriele Graia, chosen by Maria for the care he takes in creating his wines but also for his passion for helping the growth of Cesanese (and therefore its producers).
Gabriele, with great perseverance and foresight, organized a chat with several producers he follows and began hosting dinners for blind tastings of the wines undergoing aging and to study their evolution.
These dinners then became not only moments of discussion and socialization among the producers, but also opportunities to grow together, exploring topics that concern everyone.
The last meeting took place at our place and concerned the presentation of geologist Andrea Bollati's doctoral thesis at Rome 3. In 2012, Andrea conducted a zoning study of all the historic Cesanese territories—namely, the Piglio DOCG area and the two DOCs of Affile and Olevano Romano—and a census of the vineyards, including the micro-sized family vineyards.
Everyone knows that the geology of the soil influences the growth of vines, and therefore the final olfactory and flavor characteristics of the wine, and knowing the characteristics of your soil can help you choose the right cultivation style.
Zonings are also used to guide wine tourists in discovering the different nuances of wine. In France, they have been widespread for many years, and in Italy, they are found in the historic areas of excellence for certain wines, such as Barolo and Amarone.
At the end of the presentation, there were many questions and a shared interest in updating the 2012 map with new wineries established and vineyards planted or uprooted.
It all concluded with a convivial Ciociaro-Lebanese dinner, Donna Vittori-style, and a blind tasting of nine white wines and eleven reds, whose evolution offers glimpses of incredible new wines.
The evening reminded me of those conceived by Manfredi Berucci, one of the pioneers of Cesanese , for the wines of San Martino at Casa Massimi in Piglio. After all, we're not far from San Martino Day , and we all followed his daughter Maria Berucci in a toast to her father.
And thanks to word of mouth and social media, interest in these meetings has grown, and several producers have joined the chat. My personal thanks to Gabriele for his passion and to young people like Maria who are changing the image of our Cesanese Shire.
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