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2016 Harvest

posted on 3 November 2016
The 2016 harvest is now over. So here we are, as usual, to see how things went this season, which, of course, went by in a flash… This 2016 growing year, in particular, just seemed to fly by, with vineyard operations that were unrelenting up to just before the harvest, but what we finally succeeded in bringing in to the cellar was a very good crop indeed, although at a certain point in the season things looked a bit bleak. The season started out quite warm and earlier than the norm, and it rained without much let up from mid-April until mid-June, which was unpleasant, to say the least. Then it rained again from mid-July to mid-August. Frankly, there were times when we feared that we would lose the greater part of our crop to disease, or to cold, during the critical stage of flowering. For those who, like us, farm organically, the measures that one can use in the vineyard are limited to better and more painstaking vineyard operations. That means constantly working the canopy, so that the clusters, even when just forming, will have excellent ventilation and exposure to sunlight, and anti-pest treatments must be applied timely, since allowed products and dosages are lower than conventional ones. I can say, with a bit of presumption, that we worked very skilfully, but we were also helped by the fact that the weather, at a certain point, turned in our favour, and we enjoyed almost two uninterrupted months of sun, from mid-August to the end of harvest, with warm days and cool nights, ideal conditions for slow, gradual ripening of the grapes. Now that the last few vats are finishing their fermentations, we can say, though with prudent caution, that we are pleasantly surprised by the quality of the wines, and that we are dealing with a good vintage, perhaps even better-balanced than the excellent 2015. We’re present at the Mercato dei Vini On 26 and 27 November, we will be participating in the Mercato dei Vignaioli Indipendenti (Market of Independent Winegrowers) in Piacenza, one of the most fascinating events of the entire year, above all for wine-lovers. PiacenzaExpo Public hours: Saturday, 12:30pm-7:30pm; Sunday, 11.00am-7.00pm Attendance: € 15.00, includes catalogue and tasting glass Discounted attendance: € 10.00 for members of AIS – FIS – FISAR – ONAV and SLOW FOOD Wine may be purchased directly at producers’ tasting stations. Cristina and Diego

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

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!

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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