Made entirely of the Teroldego grape grown in the Piano Rotaliano area near Trento, this is a fresh, charming version of this distinctive variety. The winemaking is complicated but the result is immediately appealing and great for everyday drinking, berryish and open.
All the fruit is produced in the Rauti vineyard, from vines that are trained in the traditional ‘pergola trentina,’ planted in alluvial soil that consists of sand and silt mixed with pebbles and stones. The grapes are organically grown and harvested at the end of September. The fruit is all de-stemmed and partly crushed; part of the must is then macerated at a warm temperature (26-28 degrees Celsius) for 3-5 days in wooden vessels, drained off, and finishes fermentation in unlined cement tanks, followed by natural malolactic fermentation. Selected yeasts are used in both cases. The rest of the must is macerated at a low temperature (4-6 degrees Celsius) in the press, then pressed off and fermented in stainless steel, with malolactic fermentation blocked. (This last is very unusual, the great majority of red wines undergo the second fermentation.)
The result is more straightforward than the process: a deeply colored wine that is fruity, somewhat herbal, lush, silky on the palate and dangerously easy to drink. Very useful red wine, drink it with hamburgers, all sorts of red meat, or of course roast chicken.
