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WeChianti meets four wine producers – located on the 4 slopes of Gaiole in Chianti territory – to talk about this year’s production.

The occasion is the first (and very successful) edition of Terre di Gaiole Festival, the wine tasting event dedicated to the wines produced in Gaiole.

These are the two questions we’ve asked everyone.

A) Now that the grape harvest is over, what can we say about the 2018 vintage?

B) How do you relate to the concept of viticulture zoning that has now been applied to Italian wines, two centuries later than in France?

CASTELLO DI MELETO (EAST) – Oenologist Matteo Menicacci

A) “It’s the right time to talk about it, while we’ve some grapes still resting in the tanks with their skins. The spring growing season was hard, but then we had an unexpected second summer, which enriched the grapes with aromas. We’re counting on having excellent wines, especially in the highest areas, at around 500 meters”.

B) “Vigna Poggioarso has been our cru for years, and has given us great satisfaction. We support the zoning, hoping that it will enhance a land which is suited to wine growing like few others”.

I SODI (SOUTH) – President Andrea Casini

A) “The weather has given us a lot of work this year, because where we are, on the south slope facing Siena, it rained every afternoon.
But from the beginning of September the situation has changed, so much that on the 25th we moved on to harvest grapes that were perfectly ripe. We expect interesting wines across our labels”.

B) “Vigna Farsina is our cru: we produce about 3000 bottles, and only in the best years. Technically it’s an IGT, but we’d be ready to include it in the designation if the wine growing zones were clearly defined; at the moment we feel that this classification is still in its early stage”.

“TERRE DI GAIOLE” 2018

LE MICCINE (NORTH) – Oenologist Sabrina Mastromonaco

A) “It was a very difficult year, especially at first. For us, having been certified as organic for two years, the commitment has been even greater. Then these two fantastic last months gave us clear signs of a positive year, which we were able to preview during the twelve days of the grape harvest”.

B) “We apply the zoning concept without declaring it: for our Gran Selezione we only use the grapes from a few specific vineyards, but without mentioning it on the label”.

CASTELLO DI AMA (WEST) – Italy Sales Manager Donatella Ferrucci

A) “This beautiful end of the summer season delayed the harvest by 20 days, on all our many grape varieties. In the end, our wines have achieved an excellent quality, and adequate quantity. So much so that we can already say that this year we will come out with the Gran Selezioni”.
B) “For years we have dedicated ourselves to this typology, finding a good demand on the market, which can sustain high prices. So we’ll carry on like this”.

Leonardo Pasquinelli

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