I attended the inauguration of the new Domodimonti winery last week, just 5 minutes away from the Estate Giacomo Leopardi on the Val Menocchia, a beautiful valley in southern Le Marche, Italy.
The investment, technology and wine is quite outstanding. I have a feeling they will be regarded as a world class producer over time.
This is a serious approach to creating top class wines with the very best natural materials, knowledge and technology available. Not often seen in the rural countryside of Le Marche!
The philosophy of the founders 'The Bellini Family' is nothing short of ambitious:
"Domodimonti 's ambition to make the highest quality natural wine does not depend only on quality grapes , fertile land, ample precipitation or the abundance of sun, a highly qualified team is required. At Domodimonti , inspiration and guidance is given by our internationally renowned winemaker , Dr. Carlo Ferrini, who embraced Domodimonti 's cornerstone philosophy as his own: The Concept of Natural Wine. His apprentice, Mirko Morbidoni scrutinizes, and evaluates every aspect of the winery such that no detail goes overlooked. It is this passion, and dedication towards the naturalistic state of wine, which drives Domodimonti's team to excel in developing new wine making techniques. It is these techniques which have put us in a leadership position towards the development of High Quality Natural Wine."
So what is Natural Wine as described by Domodimonti?
The objective is to produce wines as naturally as possible with the least amount of additives. The natural approach to the conservation and cultivation of vines typically exceeds the rules and regulations of organic farming . They focus on specific aspects of sustainable vine growth including water conservation, soil improvement, erosion control and the latest techniques in integrated pest management .
Their minimalist approach can best be described as follows:
This is an ambitious project and the Bellini family should be complimented on their commitment and investment.
Le Marche, as a whole, should benefit from their boldness and its good to see that wine makers are continuing to push out the boundaries.
The investment, technology and wine is quite outstanding. I have a feeling they will be regarded as a world class producer over time.
This is a serious approach to creating top class wines with the very best natural materials, knowledge and technology available. Not often seen in the rural countryside of Le Marche!
The philosophy of the founders 'The Bellini Family' is nothing short of ambitious:
"Domodimonti 's ambition to make the highest quality natural wine does not depend only on quality grapes , fertile land, ample precipitation or the abundance of sun, a highly qualified team is required. At Domodimonti , inspiration and guidance is given by our internationally renowned winemaker , Dr. Carlo Ferrini, who embraced Domodimonti 's cornerstone philosophy as his own: The Concept of Natural Wine. His apprentice, Mirko Morbidoni scrutinizes, and evaluates every aspect of the winery such that no detail goes overlooked. It is this passion, and dedication towards the naturalistic state of wine, which drives Domodimonti's team to excel in developing new wine making techniques. It is these techniques which have put us in a leadership position towards the development of High Quality Natural Wine."
So what is Natural Wine as described by Domodimonti?
The objective is to produce wines as naturally as possible with the least amount of additives. The natural approach to the conservation and cultivation of vines typically exceeds the rules and regulations of organic farming . They focus on specific aspects of sustainable vine growth including water conservation, soil improvement, erosion control and the latest techniques in integrated pest management .
Their minimalist approach can best be described as follows:
- Grapes are hand- Picked
- Sustainably grown, using organic matter
- Low yielding vineyards
- No added sugar, and strict selection of Yeasts
- No acid adjustment
- No other additives for mouth feel, color, etc. .
- Minimal sulfites added
- Use of state-of - the-art technology
Domodimonti's production method revolves around the systematic amalgamation of the best techniques and technologies from the Old World and the New World respectively. The objective is to produce wines as naturally as possible without the use of chemical and/or additives to synthetically enhance our wines.
Old World Techniques:
- Manual harvesting to minimize stress and bruising of the fruit .
- Pruning of grape clusters to 67% increases remaining nutrients to the fruit.
- The use of natural yeast.
- The wines are aged in traditional French oak barrels located in Domodimonti 's wine cellar . Depending on the wine , the duration barrels in May range from 3-14 months , after which , the wine is bottled and stored for an additional period of at least three months.
New World Technology :
- The entire process is performed under nitrogen which is generated by ionic exchange, allowing us to handle and later bottle the wine in the absence of oxygen .
- Temperature controlled VATS with external insulation jackets allow strict control of the very important stage of fermentation .
- The use of cryomaceration : the grapes are de - stemmed and gravity -fed into stainless steel vats where quick drops in temperature, from two (2) to five (5) degrees Celsius is maintained. This allows the pulp to absorb aromas otherwise lost to the pomace, which in turn limits the solubility of polyphenols and protects against oxidation.
- The use of first and second fermentation to ensure the organic and antioxidant properties of the wine are not lost .
There are 6 wines currently available, of varying quality and price. Do try and find them as they will surprise you.
This is an ambitious project and the Bellini family should be complimented on their commitment and investment.
Le Marche, as a whole, should benefit from their boldness and its good to see that wine makers are continuing to push out the boundaries.
ad una descrizione cosi analitica competente ed appropriata del processo di produzione sarebbe davvero interessante avere anche le informazioni di primo e secondo ,livello del margine di contribuzione e l'impatto dei volumi di materia prima del territorio di riferimento ... ma forse i numeri interessano piu di meno dei risultati !!! grazie dellospitalita e complimenti per il lavoro !!
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