Wine is a world in which live different realities, different ways of
interpreting the same product seen from distinct points of view. Points
of view which also give truly different results, despite all of them can be
classified as wine. And this also depends, first of all, by the way the
interpreter sees his or her wine, and - in particular - by what wants to
communicate with this product and what wants in return. These two aspects
defines - as a matter of fact - the characteristics of the product as well as
the range and the class of consumers to which it is virtually destined. Not all
wine lovers - therefore, consumers - are interested to the same type of product.
Some see the wine as a simple beverage, others make of it a product for the
élite, romantic and snob, for others more it is a product to be
safeguarded in its cultural and traditional meaning, a value to be defended at
all costs, despite fashions and trends of the time.
Wine, there is no doubt about it, is a product taking its origin from a land and
each land is a world on its own, made of many environmental and social factors,
of cultures and traditions which unavoidably affect every single product of each
land. Among producers, there are many who believe it is indispensable to
listen to the land and to work in order the wines are the most faithful
and genuine expression of it, while rejecting every extraneous factor to that
land and which could alter - even marginally - the expression of a wine, of a
territory. Producers who mainly follow this type of approach generally are the
small ones, those who keep themselves away from notoriety, ignoring the comments
more or less competent consumers could express about their wines. They generally
do not have real commercial interests - although they work in order to get a
legitimate and understandable profit - they are mainly interested in making a
wine respecting a land, their land.
This way of making wine, as opposed to what could be believed, does not mean
leaving grapes, must and wine to their destiny, while waiting for nature
making its course. This simply means getting the most out from the
environmental conditions of a place, while ensuring a control over the
production in order to avoid any possible degradation or fault. These small
producers generally avoid the use of chemical or biological substances and
modern technology of any kind, not only because they could affect their
productive concept, but also - and maybe, in particular - for the reduced
economic possibilities. The ortodox vision of these producers goes beyond
the use or the lack of economic resources. Many, for example, avoid the use of
selected yeast, which cost is very low, a factor undeniably affecting the
character and the expression of the place from which a wine takes its origin.
Technology and research have certainly been fundamental for the development of
wine making, allowing - last but not the least - small wineries to make wines
with the least possible quantity of faults. A big opportunity which increased
the overall quality of wines in this country. Maybe it was the excessive use of
technology made in the last years - which undoubtedly favored the production of
many wines, all the like, all the same - which today they are, like to say,
looking back to the past. If once were technological wines to mainly
catch the attention of consumers, while classifying in a derogatory way as
wines of the peasant the ones produced by small wineries strongly tied to
their tradition, today we are seeing a sort of return. Among wine lovers there
is a sort of competition in finding wines produced by small wineries, in
search of traditions associated to a territory.
Also producers today are proud to say they keep themselves away from technology:
if in the past saying a wine was fermented or aged in a barrique - the famous
Bordelais barrel of 225 liters - gave the right to be part of the group of
important producers, today they avoid to disclose this aspect. Today it
is a distinctive sign to not using the barrique in favor of the traditional
large casks; the ones using the barrique, most of the times, replace the term
with small barrel or small wood, for example. The same happens for
selected yeasts, for example. If in the past the use of selected yeast
represented the norm - as well as being suggested by any technician - today
producers proudly say they ferment their wines with natural yeasts, that is the
yeasts naturally found in grape skins and in the atmosphere of a territory.
Declaring the use of selected yeast has become - today - a reason for being
considered as someone making a non genuine wine in the respect of a territory.
The use of selected yeast, of course, allows a better stability and control of
alcoholic fermentation, but it is also true it is a factor altering the
natural conditions of a territory, as - during fermentation - they tend to
overwhelm the natural population of wild yeasts. In other words, they undeniably
affect the expression of a wine in regard to its natural interpretation. To
say this in French terms, they alter the expression of the terroir of a
place. Traditional and small is therefore better? Not always. Or, better to say,
it depends on what one wants from a wine. Small producers have the merit of
better keeping the typical quality and expression of a territory, while limiting
the use of factors which could alter integrity, both for a matter of choice as
well as for economic reasons. And to make this - it should be said - not always
they are successful in making a quality product. This is also true for big
producers as well. It is a matter of choice. A choice any producer can make,
small or big, there is no difference. And it is also a matter of priority, that
is choosing among economic profits, expression of the territory or to offer a
wine meeting the taste of the mass, for example. Long life the good wine, well
made and honest - either small or big - and capable of telling the emotions of
its territory.
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