Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
little chance of our having misidentifi ed the
variety from an ampelographic point of view: it
really is that easy to recognize).
I cannot begin to say how happy I am to
have contributed to clearing the cobwebs of
time from Roussin de Morgex. In fact, I con-
sider this to be one of the highest points
reached in my life devoted to wine, and it would
have been impossible without someone as pas-
sionate and energetic as Nicola Del Negro, his
president, Mauro Jacod, and as forward think-
ing an operation as the Cave du Vin Blanc de
Morgex et La Salle: all deserve the highest
praise possible and a heartfelt thank-you from
every wine lover out there for providing their
time and resources. I am currently helping
wineries in two other regions, with the goal of
bringing back to life two other forgotten varie-
ties and, we hope, creating monovarietal wines.
Last but not least, in the winter of 2012-13, I
helped unite six Friuli Venezia Giulia produc-
ers of the rare Tazzelenghe wine (made with
the eponymous grape variety) into a group ten-
tatively named the “Tazzelenghe Team.” We
met at the La Viarte winery of one of those
Tazzelenghe producers to discuss the possibili-
ties before us, and a series of tasting opportuni-
ties and conferences in different Italian cities
have since been organized to promote the grape
variety and the wine, including one in July 2013
at the American Embassy on via Veneto in
Rome. The idea to do something on behalf of
Tazzelenghe came to me during a visit to the
region in the summer of 2012, when I was
dumbfounded to hear a local, very well-known
wine expert denigrate Tazzelenghe, stating not
once but twice that one of Friuli's main prob-
lems was that farmers were bothering with
unimportant varieties such as Tazzelenghe. In
his view, Friuli didn't need to waste time with
its last remaining six, maybe seven, hectares of
Tazzelenghe. Though such opinions are no
doubt made in good faith, I always shudder at
such short-sightedness; and I immediately
decided something needed to be done to help
prevent Tazzelenghe from disappearing (which
is what similar talk would no doubt lead to over
time). Now, it will be wine lovers the world over
who will decide if Tazzelenghe has a future or
not: with the Tazzelenghe Team, my hope is
that both grape and wine will become better
known and understood, whatever their merits
prove to be.
I should point out that I have participated
and still participate in all these activities com-
pletely free of charge, and take care of all my
own travel and hotel expenses. I will receive no
percentages on sales or for promotional endeav-
ors and tasting events concerning these wines.
My only hope is that my efforts will be helpful
in increasing awareness of forgotten grape vari-
eties and wines. It's my way of giving some-
thing back to Italy's native grapes and their
passionate producers, which together have con-
tributed to making my life more interesting
and happier.
WHAT THE FUTURE MIGHT HOLD:
THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY
Though a great deal of excitement is being gen-
erated by Italy's rediscovered “new-old” native
grapes, and wine lovers everywhere are thrilled
to taste new and exciting wines, the truth is
that not enough is yet known about them.
When we consider that even an all-important
native such as Sangiovese (the grape from
which famous wines such as Chianti and
Brunello are made) became the subject of uni-
versity studies only in the 1960s, and of true
in-depth analyses only in the 1980s, then the
magnitude of the problem becomes evident.
Long forgotten, these vines and wines still have
their best days ahead. But not all is right in Ita-
ly's native grape and wine scene.
Jumping on the Bandwagon
Three true stories (I could tell you many more)
from the last fi fteen years will illustrate the atti-
tudes and woeful ignorance of far too many of
the people who talk, write, and deal with native
grapes in Italy. (The names of grape varieties,
estates, and people have been changed to
