Well, a great deal has been happening since last August when the old vines were ripped out and the ground prepared for the new plants.
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| New Vineyard June 2010 |
The vineyard was finally replanted in March 2010.
Our Enologist Pio Carlini, helped us plan the layout and preparation of the vineyard and advise on the precise variety of grapes. We decided to plant a combination of red and white, both local varieties and capable of producing wines of interesting depth, colour and complexity.
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| Healthy Vine after 6 weeks |
The planting design follows the contours of the land and reflects the southerly position. In total we have planted 2487 vines, 1279 Montepulciano and 1208 Passerina. There are 48 rows, of varying lengths, with a width of 2.6m between rows and up to 1.0m between each vine, there is over 2.3km of vines.
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| 25 Vine cuttings from VCR |
The grape vines came from cuttings produced in Italy by VCR. In over 70 years of business Vivai Cooperativi Rauscedo has become by far the most important grapevine producer in the world. The consistency of its production capacity can be seen through its website.
The red grape variety is Montepulciano, which makes a beautifully deep ruby red wine that is clear and brilliant with purplish shades. Over time the wine turns to garnet red during its maturation. Its a medium to full-bodied wine with moderate acidity and moderate tannins.
The white grape variety is Passerina, it is ideal due to the position of the land and the soft delicate nature of the finished product.
The red grape variety is Montepulciano, which makes a beautifully deep ruby red wine that is clear and brilliant with purplish shades. Over time the wine turns to garnet red during its maturation. Its a medium to full-bodied wine with moderate acidity and moderate tannins.
The white grape variety is Passerina, it is ideal due to the position of the land and the soft delicate nature of the finished product.
There is also the possibility of the vineyard being accredited with the Offida DOC label. Denominazione di Origine Controllata ( DOC) is an Italian quality assurance label for food products and especially wines (an appellation). It is modelled after the French AOC. It was instituted in 1963 and overhauled in 1992 for compliance with the equivalent EU law on Protected Designation Of Origin which came into effect that year.
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| Drilling 2500 holes to plant the vines |
Both these grapes have fabulous examples of wines made locally. We regularly enjoy drinking them, two of our favourites:
The Villa Angela Passerina made by Velenosi near Ascoli Piceno is one of our favourites. A medium priced wine with delicate floral hints and intense fresh and fragrant aromas of grapefruit and lemon. The wide fruity notes of white fruit, peach and cedar complete a clearly enthralling fragrance.
Our favourite bottle of 100% Montepulciano is Kurni by Oasi degli Angeli, situated only 3 km away. It has been described as " on a whole different level of being.” This micro-estate is the vision of Marco Casolanetti and Kurni is a perennial winner of Tre Bicchieri Awards and has become a true cult wine in Italy. At €90 a bottle it is out of the reach of most pockets but probably the best red wine we have ever tried. The production of Kurni is measured in bottles instead of cases with a scant 4000 available to grace fine tables.
The Villa Angela Passerina made by Velenosi near Ascoli Piceno is one of our favourites. A medium priced wine with delicate floral hints and intense fresh and fragrant aromas of grapefruit and lemon. The wide fruity notes of white fruit, peach and cedar complete a clearly enthralling fragrance.
Our favourite bottle of 100% Montepulciano is Kurni by Oasi degli Angeli, situated only 3 km away. It has been described as " on a whole different level of being.” This micro-estate is the vision of Marco Casolanetti and Kurni is a perennial winner of Tre Bicchieri Awards and has become a true cult wine in Italy. At €90 a bottle it is out of the reach of most pockets but probably the best red wine we have ever tried. The production of Kurni is measured in bottles instead of cases with a scant 4000 available to grace fine tables.
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| The last vine is planted! |
The total quantity of wine that we will produce is dependent on many factors, not least whether we produce for quantity or quality, we would estimate that up to 5000 bottles of wine could be produced on 0.7 hectares of land if producing a reasonable quality wine. There will certainly be enough wine to share amongst all the Appassionata owners!!
The work has been hard, and the challenges great, but we have finally got vines in the ground, growing well and looking healthy. The trellis system was installed during July in preparation for training the vines onto the lower wires over the next year.
Our next project is to prune each vine in October to ensure one cane is left to grow strongly as the main trunk. Unnecessary buds will also be removed to ensure healthy growth and concentration of energy into the right parts of the plant next year. It's been a rewarding experience and the main test is still to come when we make our first wine.
To investigate the cost of ownership and the wonderful properties on offer at Appassionata please look through the website.
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