newsletter

…nothing but rain, rain, and more rain… I swear that we have NEVER seen such a season!!! This has been a growing year that starting way back in autumn has brought rain practically every week, even though the winter was not particularly severe. One must exercise patience, and we know that “it never rains forever,” and that the sun does eventually appear. So, we can only hope. The activities in the vineyard are proceeding slowly (see above paragraph!), but things are going very nicely in the cellar. After bottling in January, we released Rosanoire 2012, and then in March Zerdì 2010 and Groppello 2012 went into bottle. The former may have to wait a few months, but the second is ready now, and the bottles are now on their way to the retail shelf. The first customer reactions have been very positive, further proof that despite the rather bizarre weather, the 2012 vintage has been a very, very good one, at least for Cantrina. While waiting for spring to finally emerge with all of its long-awaited life-force, we can report the good news that on 8 March, right on the date for International Women’s Day, I became a delegate for the Lombardy region of Donne del vino, Women in Wine. This is a new opportunity for me, and will allow me to utilise my experience as a wine producer and as board member of the Consorzio Valténesi. I will be working closely with my colleagues in creating regional- and national-level projects to promote the culture of wine from a woman’s unique point of view. For those not familiar with Donne del Vino, we are not just wine producers, but also sommeliers, restaurateurs, wine shop owners, journalists, and more, all of us working professionally, and with passionate dedication, in the wine world. At the moment, for example, we are planning an event to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the organisation. Here are two young, attractive women of wine… We’ll see what I manage to do, in the midst of the thousands of things I already have to do in my job, but I do like to commit my energies to organisation activities, as long as everyone pitches in. Up to this point, I have found that my colleagues are very team-oriented and have terrific ideas, so… full steam ahead! Cristina