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The Befana’s* Newsletter

posted on 5 January 2011
*[In Italy the feast of Epiphany is “personified” by la Befana, an imaginary, witch-like crone who brings gifts to good children and (sweet) “coal” to those who have misbehaved]. I always like to be a little bit different, so the Befana’s feast is one I identify with… and that is why I am only now taking the opportunity to wish everyone a Happy New Year, assuming you have survived the massive beanfeasts during the recent holiday period! I just have one or two TEENSY-WEENSY bits of news to tell you about: Cantrina has also gained a foothold in MonteCarlo, for now just with our most extreme wine, the ERETICO 2007… I am increasingly convinced that unique products really do make a difference in the marketplace and so one should always be prepared to TAKE A GAMBLE! Speaking of which, I spent a couple of days in the Principality of Monaco in December of last year, where I had a chance to visit the Cellar of the Hôtel de Paris… I got down on my knees in front of the well-locked “shrine” containing the various vintages of Château Pétrus and in the end I also tossed a coin into the fountain, dreaming of being able – one day – to create such wonders myself!!! (Only an absolute nutcase like me could think such a thing!). In the meantime, though, I managed to leave samples of my wines with the sommeliers of some of Monte Carlo’s most prestigious restaurants. There are new experiences and new arrivals in Cantrina’s product range, too: I take every opportunity I can to talk about our production zone and I wanted to be able to offer one of this area’s noblest products: Olive Oil. I carried out a selection (at the Cooperative of San Felice del Benaco) of D.O.P. (P.d.O) olive oils. I was uncertain between two products with quite different scent and taste characteristics, so I decided to opt for 100 bottles of one type and 100 of the other… I called them Verve (more lively and fruity) and Silk (more elegant). This was the splendid idea of my friend and great oil connoisseur Angelo Peretti; I’m only sorry that journalist Andreas Maerz (one of the major experts in this field) wasn’t there to help me choose between them. Here are the two labels, in keeping with our other “open-minded exercises de style”. The Grappa del Poeta is another new product: Pilzer has distilled the pomace from the 2008 Nepomuceno for Cantrina , which I collected earlier on today. My dear friend Eugenio gave me an idea for the label: a tribute to the poet Gabriele d’Annunzio, one of the iconic figures from our area. The poem was written by Eugenio Farina and is really moving; I trust that the grappa will display the same sensibility and love. The Pinot Nero Rosé… I am happy to inform you that, in spite of the difficult 2010 vintage, we have made an excellent rosé: our second edition of this wine, which is already in bottle and which will be released in February or March. Among the other curiosities, it is my pleasure to tell you that we have now been listed by the Michelin-starred Da Vittorio Restaurant at Brusaporto (Bergamo). What else can I add? This Befana will soon take up her broom once again and fly to New York, in the hope that sooner or later, if I knock long and hard enough on the doors of Manhattan, the Big Apple will eventually let our wines in! But that’s another story… I’ll give you an update when I get back. BEST WISHES TO EVERYONE FOR A NEW YEAR FULL OF HIGH SPIRITS… Cristina

Spring Newsletter

posted on 4 April 2011
Vinitaly 2011 Every time that Vinitaly comes around it seems that time has just flown by… Like last year, we won’t be having our own stand, but those who want to taste our products will still be able to do so on the Garda Classico Consortium’s stand, no. D8 in the Lombardy Pavilion at PalaExpo. The winery, naturally, will remain open for visits or tastings.

Cantrina in real time

posted on 4 March 2011
I am writing from New York… I try in English (no time, unfortunately to have our dear Michael Benson translating for us). The weather is fine, better than in Italy, chilly temperature but no snow. The city is amazing, as always and each time I’m back it seems to me like being back home. Just an update about the mess I’m doing here, working in New York for the second time this year. Today a benefit event will be held by the Brooklyn based Issue project Room, rapidly becoming the point of reference for contemporary art in the New York area. Cantrina is a proud sponsor and our wines will be the only ones in tasting for the night

Harvest 2010

posted on 6 November 2010
What can we say about the 2010 harvest, which came at the end of a year that was especially strange and difficult? There was a late spring and a rainy summer that was cool and humid, an early autumn and lots of problems with the health of the vines. 2010 will definitely not be one of the vintages of the century and, as things stand right now, it is very hard to pick out any products of real excellence. However, after the first few days of harvesting, which caused us a great deal of apprehension because of all the care and hard work that we had to put into selecting the grapes, we can now say that we are hoping for a few pleasant surprises from the vats where fermentation is just coming to an end. In short, it took us more time to pick less grapes than usual; also, we didn’t set aside any grapes for drying to make the Sole di Dario and we selected fewer grapes for the Nepomuceno. From our initial tastings, though, we can look forward to wines that may be less fleshy and muscular, but which display great freshness, fine aromas and acidity and which should eventually offer elegance and longevity. The French (who know a thing or two about wine) refer to these as “cellar masters’ vintages”: years in which the skill and sensitivity of the winemaker really can compensate for nature’s lack of generosity. We hope we’ve done a good job!
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