Articolo disponibile anche in: Italian
Nearly 100 labels of wines aged in amphorae, 41 participating wine producers (23 italian, 18 foreign), the largest italian artisanal brewery, “Birra del Borgo,” 2 guided tastings, a technical meeting and a world record among Portuguese and Georgian producers; these are the statistics of “La Terracotta e il Vino 2016” to be held at the Antica Fornace Agresti of Impruneta on November 19 and 20.
This will be the second edition of the international Convention which meets for two days to comment technique and culture and experiences in vinification in amphora around the world.
These numbers tell a story of dynamism, that of wine aged in terracotta. In Italy, the answer to a growing need comes from the furnaces of Artenova Leonardo Parisi, first Italian terra-cotta company to start the production of amphorae for vinification and founding member of the cultural Association,”La terracotta e il vino”.
The event is sponsored by the Tuscan Region and with the collaboration of the town of Impruneta and the Archaeological Museum of Montelupo. Contributions were made by the following: the Banco Fiorentino Mugello Impruneta Signa, Hotel Ristorante Bellavista, Agriturismo Vecchio Borgo di Inalbi, the restaurant, La Leggenda dei Frati, Imballaggi-Trasporto-Logistica Paolino Packing, l’Associazione Turistica Pro Impruneta and Forniture Enologiche Vino e Natura.
Italian wine in terracotta producers are represented in the North and South as well as in the islands (Agricola Arrighi, Isola d’Elba e Olianas, Sardegna): names of producers in central/northern italy; La Mano Forte, La Corte D’Aibo, Al di là del fiume, Crealto, 1701, Rocco di Carpeneto, Monte dei Roari, Foradori, Albino Armani; Central/South; Agricola Cirelli, I Cacciagalli, Agricola Marino, Vinicola Savese Vini Pichierri di Sava. There are eight wineries in Tuscany which age in terra-cotta jars: in Chianti Classico: Petrolo, Casadei, Belvedere, Castello dei Rampolla, Casteani, Montesecondo, Ampeleia.
At “La Terracotta e il Vino 2016” there will also be wines from Armenia and Austria as well as those from California, Oregon and Australia. For the second year, Gotsa family Wines from Georgia, a country where wine has been aged in terra-cotta for thousands of years, will be present. There are six representatives from Portugal and six from productive zones of France including Burgundy, Champagne, Loire Valley and Provence. 
After the technical meeting on Saturday, November 19, at 11 AM for the first time, at 3 PM there will be a panel, comparing Georgian and Portuguese producers; a meeting between distant cousins after 2000 years. There will will be a tasting of wine aged in Portuguese “talha” and Georgian “quevri” as well as a unique panorama of two distinct traditions which have survived until today.
The Georgians continue to bury their terra-cotta vase in quevri up to the lip of the jar and the “alentejiani”, in the villages of southern Portugal continue to put it in their containers, Talhas, outside of the earth. Neither the Georgians nor the alentejiani
knew about each other’s wine traditions until a short time ago.
As distant cousins, after 2000 years of separate evolution regarding vinification, the Portuguese and Georgian producers will meet for the first time to share their experiences at “La Terracotta e il Vino”. Entry to the event is fifteen euros, including the purchase of a goblet for the two days. Visitors will be able to taste wine aged in amphorae at the tastings stands and to follow events inside the Agresti “Furnace”.
Reservations are recommended for the two guided tastings, while the technical convention does not require preregistration. There will be a shuttle bus available going from the center of Impruneta to the Fornace Agresti for the two days of the event.