The Producers of Dolce Oltrepo

  • Andrea Picchioni

    www.picchioniandrea.it

    The Picchioni Andrea Winery is a small plot of land, approximately seven hectares, located in the Solinga valley. The vineyards grow on a south-exposed steep sloping hillside, on sandy and pebbled soil. The endless summer days bless the grapes with all the energy they need for a full ripening: the vine struggles in the light and the heat for every single drop of water. Their adventure began in 1988 with the singling out of some old vineyards, which they thought were best fit for the production of high quality wines. The recovery of these vineyards has been difficult, but an exciting challenge for us. The cornerstones of their philosophy are the greatest respect for the grapes and the extreme care through all the phases of the winemaking process. But it is their unbounded passion which marks the handcraft of their wines, from the vineyards, which they grow using traditional, environment-friendly techniques, to the cellar. Their wines, obtained from small crops of selected grapes, are rich in body, natural colour components, glycerine and noble tannins, which become smoother and rounder with aging.
    These results would have never been achieved without the help of Giuseppe Zatti, who began working with them in 1995.

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  • Az. Agricola Malbosca

    Creazione di un nuovo produttore.

     

    1.   Il copy paste di un testo word non funziona molto bene.

    2.   Sarebbe possibile avere una minestra per il testo un po’ più completa di comandi, come il tipo caratere e la dimensione? In questo modo riesco a tenere i testi tutti goalie, altrimenti cpiando sformatta e nonriesco più a sistemare il testo.

    3.   Ho aperto il dettaglio di un produttore per modificare il testo o aggiungere l’email e il salvataggio è eterno, tanto che per continuere devo chiudere la pagina e ricollegarmi. Al seconde tentativo va a buon fine.

    4.   Ho creato il produttore Az. AGricola Bellaria. Ho incollato il testo in inglese, ho aggiunto la descrizione in olandese ho salvato. Ho riaperto per controllare e mi trovo 3  finestre del testo tutte e tre vuote, senza testo,  e impostate sulla lingua inglese.

    5.   Molte volte sembra che il collegamento al server abbia problemi, in basso nella pagina del browser mi dice “Waiting for www.dolceoltrepo.com

    6.   Ho riaperto il produttore Bellaria e adesso visualizzo 5 finestra di testo tutte impostate sulla lingua inglese e tutte vuote.

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  • Azienda Agricola Bellaria

    www.vinibellaria.it

    The philosophy according to Paolo Massone, owner of Azienda Agricola Bellaria: “Vine...or better, vineyard”

    He states: “I would assign the paternity of my wines to several factors, the grapes of course have an important role, but this is not the only key aspect. Before going deeply into the matter, I would like you to keep in mind that my goal is always the same: Producing high quality wines. This however implies having a limited grape production.

    Therefore, on a scale from 0 to 100, and taking into account the vines themselves, I would say that the role of the grapes in producing a high quality wine is no more than 20%.

    The other important elements regarding the vineyard are:

    -      Terrain: such as physical properties and geological composition (clayey soil, sandy, calcareous etc.)

    -      Positioning: the cardinal points, height above sea level, at the end of a valley, on the top of the hill, on the ridge and other details that may influence the grapes.

    -      Microclimate: Temperature range, humidity etc.

    These 3 factors according to me influence the final result for about 60 %. The other 20% is determined by the work the man does in the vineyard and the relationship between the vineyard and the wine cellar.”

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  • Azienda Agricola Bisi

    www.aziendagricolabisi.it

    In 1926 the current estate owner’s grandfather bought a vineyard called Roncolongo, establishing the winery called Azienda Agricola Bisi. He later build a smaller cellar where he could process his own grapes and age his own wines, setting himself a prime objective: to produce top quality wines. Despite the time that has passed and the three generations that have followed one another, the love for the land and the passion for wine have remained central to all the activities and initiatives that have contributed to the development and growth of the estate to its current size. The vineyards are tented directly by the family, following the best viticulture tradition and the utmost respect for the environment. The grapes are harvested, selected and immediately vinified following the biological rhythms of the grape ripening. Consolidated experience underlines all the following phases, guaranteeing genuine and superior quality wines that are an expression of the territory.

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  • Fattoria Il Gambero

    www.fattoriailgambero.it

    Fattoria il Gambero’s name goes back to the early eighteen hundreds and refers to a nearby stream full of river crayfish. The vineyard is in the Valle Versa, right in the heart of the Oltrepo Pavese. Since ancient times this area has been dedicated to wine production, thanks to its ideal micro-climate and the very favourable nature of the soil.
    The vineyard, consisting of 11 hectares of vines, completely renovated cellars and a mansion with outbuildings, is run by the young owners Vittorio and Camilla Ferrario. They bought the entire property in 2003 and have chosen to work fulltime in the countryside, bringing their business abilities and enthusiasm to their new lifestyle. The vineyards owned by the Fattoria il Gambero extend over a single area of about 11 hectares, gently sloping and exposed to the south, 250-300 meters above sea-level. Situated in the heart of the Valle Versa, where the vineyards have been established for thousand of years and which benefit from the calcium/clay soils and breezes from Liguria. The vine species cultivated are Bonarda, Pinot Nero, Barbera, Uva Rara, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Riesling, using the Casarsa and Guyot pruning methods and producing an average of 80 quintals per hectare. The grape harvest is carried out manually to ensure that no bunches are damaged.

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  • Tenuta Montelio

    The estate is situated on land that, centuries ago, was a farm belonging to a Benedictine monastery. Vines were already being cultivated as far back as second half of the 1200s, and proof of this can be found in the "rent contracts" of that period. In 1802 Angelo Domenico Mazza bought the first areas of land which later, in 1848, gave rise to Montelio Estate. The idea of bottling and selling the wine was inspiration of Domenico Mazza. It is still possible to see some of the original labels and the distinctly shape bottles which are kept in the "Infernot", the most characteristic corner of the cellar.

    The estate buildings are situated next to the vineyards. It is possible to view the main courtyard with its old XIXth century winepress and the underground cellar which dates back to the second half of the 1700s. The estate's name, "Montelio", means "the hill of the sun" (from the Greek Helios), and serves to accentuate the attractive position of the vineyard and pleasantness of the surrounding hills. Montelio covers a total of approximately 78 hectares, of which 27 hectares, in one complete block, are dedicated to specialized wines. Every aspect of the cultivation, from pruning to mulcing, aims to produce quality grapes and everage annual yield is approximately 85 quintals of grapes per hectar.

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