Not far from Florence, heading west, we reach the town of Montemurlo. The road climbs higher and higher up the mountainside. The view is spectacular over the Arno River Valley, which continues towards beautiful Lucca and famous Pisa. It is very green, only the leaves of the olive trees shine silvery and the few farmhouses are red from brick and grey from stone. What a beautiful place, even on this cold April day!
Michele Sacchetti awaits us in the fresh air, gives us a quick overview of the vineyards, which reach quite far down the hillside, shows us the wine cellar, and then seeks refuge from the chilly wind among the oak casks in the ageing room. Our impression is that this may be a very short visit. The man seems in a hurry. Of course not! We stay there for almost three hours… Michele explains that he makes two wines, and then there is another one of which he makes a small quantity. It’s a “passito” from different vintages, and he normally does not sell it. The tasting starts with his red wine, Tramonto. This, he explains, is because the wine from white grapes, which he does not want to classify as white, is full bodied, as well, and can be appreciated better after drinking the younger red. We taste and enjoy the wine. The temperature is a little too cold for reds, and yet it is possible to capture their essence.
We step outside and notice some very handsome Maremma sheepdogs, an ancient breed of white dogs, which Michele breeds here, as well. “This used to be my grandfather’s land. We loved coming here as kids and spend time with him in the vineyards, olive groves and woodlands. He left the land to us. My wife and I thought that we should make the best use of it. We’re inspired by biodynamic principles. For us, this means seeking harmony with nature, making truly natural wine, and breeding our dogs in the best environment. We asked a famous oenologist for help with the winemaking, and he brings us his expertise with natural processes”. We leave this beautiful place in the knowledge that we have found some truly unique natural wine – and potentially a future puppy!
SELECTED WINES
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Winemaking
Wine and Winemaking
Wine
Wine is a product of the earth and of man. It arrives at our table from the vineyard in a bottle, passing through a vat and a barrel. To really get to know it, we must first acquaint ourselves with the vineyard and the people who grow it, draw the grapes from it and turn it into wine. To make good wine, you need love for the land, because the future of those who grow it depends on it. You need passion, and you need the right knowledge as a winemaker. These are handed down from generation to generation, taught in schools or by expert oenologists, but only good grapes can give good wine.
How many of us, at home, in a restaurant or at the supermarket, can pick up a bottle and say: I know where it comes from, I know who makes it and what is behind it?
We want to give you the opportunity to get to know the real wine, from its origins to your table. On our journey we will go to discover small producers and their lands, even before their wines. This is our aspiration: to take you with us to discover "real wines made by real people".
Wine, or rather Wines
We believe that there are two great types of the product "wine". The vast majority are wines produced on a large scale, very widespread and well known. For a consumer, the norm is to associate a product with a label. The label signifies what kind of product is inside the package - it is somehow the guarantor. If you uncork a "Mouton Cadet”, a “Blue Nun” or open a "Tavernello" tetra pack, you do so knowing what you will find, and this regardless of the year, or even the land, in which the wine was produced. One may roughly know where Mouton Cadet comes from, but honestly, does anyone have an idea where the Tavernello grapes come from? “Consistency" is what these wines offer, whether they are big or small, does not matter. (In truth, Mouton Cadet offers far more than just consistency). With regard to “consistency”, these wines resemble industrial products, such as Coca-Cola or Carlsberg – products for which the name alone reveals the qualities. It is the strength of the brand. There are also many generic products, such as pasteurised milk, of which we know what to expect. They are safe, (arguably) healthy and have a predictable taste because they are practically the same, as once they undergo pasteurisation, all those little microorganisms that create distinctive flavours fade away.
This is nothing negative. On the contrary, brands and labels greatly simplify our choices. These are industrial products, where the hand of man weighs at least as much as that of nature. They are products, where the "miracle" of transforming grapes into wine is performed with scientific and technological knowledge and the main characteristic of these products is “consistency”, so that the consumer knows what he is buying. Consistency at this level, however, does not exist in nature and hence is the affirmation of man over nature. We prefer to leave this to the great names and large retailers. In any case, you would not need to join our journey to find such wines!
The other "product" wine is produced on a small, artisanal scale. It is a product that reflects the earth, grapes, climate and wise hand of the winemaker. These wines vary from each other, from year to year, from vineyard to vineyard, while maintaining the same label. Some are produced according to the dictates of organic farming, others follow the anthroposophical philosophy of biodynamics, and others yet are made with "conventional" interventions reduced to the bare minimum. They have one thing in common that is fundamental for us: they are produced by passionate people and from grapes grown "with love". They are natural wine, where the additives are limited to a minimum and never used to create "consistency". They reflect a territory, vintage, person, not a company that identifies itself with an emblem, symbol, label… in other words, wine with soul. The wines we want to present to you are "juice of the earth" and not a sophisticated industrial product.
In principle, winemaking is a spontaneous chemical process initiated and governed by human intervention. People wait until grapes are ripe, collect them, press them, wait for the juices to ferment, decide at which moment the fermentation must be interrupted, the wine must be separated from the skins, put into large or small containers and aged… until it is ready to be bottled, sold and drunk. Each of these steps requires human intervention and each of these steps is based on human experience and knowledge. Since the last century and the progress of chemistry, human intervention is less empirical and increasingly scientific. It is so developed, that soil is analysed in labs and with the aid of drones and satellite pictures, it is established which vines to plant in exact spots. Micro sensors monitor the microclimate in the vineyards, the presence of moulds, fungi, parasites and other threats. The level of “readiness” of mature grapes is assessed with high-tech machinery. Science is widely being used to create products that meet the consumers’ palate and sell, to optimise the use of labour and machinery and allow the people who work in the vineyards and in the wine cellars, the marketing gurus, sales force and above all, the investors, to make a profitable living and a return on their investment. Wine is, after all, big business! Well, not for everyone. For many small, or very small vintners, it is passion, it is a vision, a purpose in life to make true, authentic wines. The idea of Vinland was born when we tired of the large wine productions and decided to explore the world of small wines, made “next door” by people and nature, not by industrial processes. When we first visited Paride Chiovini in Sizzano - and such visits can take hours of long conversations - after showing us around his vineyards, he told us how much he loved spending time there. “It makes me oblivious, because I’m so happy there”, he said. One day, while in his beloved vineyard, he received a call from a restaurant he supplies. They asked for an urgent delivery as they were out of stock and had a big party of guests coming. Paride went back to his cellar, loaded his car and drove off. On the road he realised that he was still wearing his dirty clothes and boots covered in soil and dust. Too late, he thought. A Jaguar was parked in front of the restaurant and a very elegant gentleman drove off in it. The restaurant manager asked with a wry smile “ Did you just see that Jaguar leave? That was Mr. A., a colleague of yours”. Paride knew that Mr. A. was one of the best known winemakers in Italy, whose family business exported many thousands of prestigious bottles globally. He was puzzled, felt embarrassed in his dirty working clothes and regretted not having shaken hands with the great man. Then, as he drove back, he realised that no, he did not want to be like Mr. A. He wanted to be just like he was: bound to the soil, happy in the vineyard. At Vinland we have wines from many passionate winemakers like Paride Chiovini, and we are happy to introduce their wines to you, and tell you something about them.
