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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. Mission to New York My second trip in 2011 to New York was very hard work and very exciting at the same time. I had the chance to meet some more important restaurateurs and get a better idea about how that market really works. Now we’re in the phase of firming up orders… One thing is certain, I dragged my suitcase full of samples to show to restaurateurs for miles and miles: I think I’ve worn out the wheels! I shall preserve it lovingly as a faithful comrade-in-arms. The Issue Project Room Event The evening sponsored by Cantrina for the Issue Project Room went very well. In the setting of one of Brooklyn’s historic buildings our wine was sampled by contemporary artists, patrons and art lovers, accompanied by musical performances from Elliott Sharp and Jo Andres. We are now working on the follow-up to this operation. The 2007 Nepomuceno has been bottled The 2007 Nepomuceno, our highly individual blend of Merlot, Marzemino and Rebo was bottled one week ago, ready for the long period of bottle-ageing that normally precedes its release onto the market. In the style of this wine – whilst its typically substantial body and concentrated structure remain constant – the over-ripe notes are increasingly giving way to the freshness of the fruit, a consequence in particular of a more discriminating use of very ripe grapes. We think that the 2007 was an excellent vintage and we therefore hold out great expectations for this wine… 2010 Groppello The 2010 Groppello, too, is now in bottle, and in two months’ time, when it has had the chance to recover from the stress of bottling, it will be ready to go on sale. For those of you who don’t know it yet, Groppello is the indigenous grape variety and wine of our zone, the Valtènesi. We like to offer this wine in the fresh and fruity style that shows off the variety at its best, and the market is proving us right. However, we are now finishing off selling the last few bottles of 2009 Groppello, and we are also very happy with the spicy note it has developed after a year in bottle. Cristina and Diego

Harvest in Cantrina

posted on 8 October 2009
Here we are almost at the end of the harvest (we still have to pick just a tiny part of our grapes and press those that we have set aside for drying) and so, strange as it may seem, it’s time to take stock of the overall situation once again. It was a precocious harvest for the early-ripening grapes (Pinot Nero, Chardonnay and Sauvignon), due to early flowering in the spring and very favourable weather during the summer. The picking time for Merlot, Rebo and Marzemino was more in line with the norm, thanks to a fine September with cool nights and rain-free days. The health of the grapes and the first analyses of the new wines allow us to rate 2009 as a good year. Only time will tell us whether it will be an excellent vintage: yes, time, which is much more truthful than all those exaggerated proclamations we tend to be bombarded with each year as the harvest approaches…

Let’s talk about…Vinitaly 2009

posted on 20 March 2009
vendemmia 2019
Here we are getting ready for Vinitaly 2009, even if it seems to us less and less like a fair that is appropriate for small producers like ourselves: amid all the hustle and bustle of this great event it is difficult to explain to people about our “open-minded exercice de style”. This year, therefore, we are concentrating on alternative methods of getting together with our friends (let’s hear from you!). However, if you are at Vinitaly on 2nd and 3rd April you can find us in the Lombardy pavilion in the PalaExpo on stand C7. If you so desire, we will be able to give you more details about our new releases, which we will merely outline below: Groppello, an indigenous grape variety of the Valtènesi, has become a part of Cantina’s range; with the 2008 vintage we have sought to express and interpret the potential of this cultivar in line with our particular philosophy of production. Rinè 2007 will have a new label, which will also reflect a few small changes we have made in the wine itself. Incrocio Manzoni is the new grape variety that gives this wine a stronger identity.

Cantrina from the old to the new year

posted on 20 January 2009
2008 is now just a memory: it gave us cause for concern with its rains in the spring and then cause for satisfaction with a late summer and early autumn that were ideal for ripening the grapes. The harvest then took place in cool, dry weather conditions: this, together with our efforts to keep down yields, allowed us to pick healthy grapes with a good sugar/acid balance. The resulting wines combine concentration with very fresh aromas and flavours, suggesting that they will have excellent ageing potential. 2008 was also a year for reflection. We thought long and hard about the type of wines we produce, constantly asking ourselves the same questions: “Can we express our terroir even without using indigenous grapes?” and “Can we demonstrate that quality and personality are independent of autochthony?”
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