Discovering new craft wineries and winemakers is something that I really love and that boosts me with a lot of energy.
My first meeting with Simone was exactly like this. Young and full of passion, connected to the local traditions with a very modern vision, humble and ambitious.
He's a young agronomist who decided to leave the frenzy of today's world to pursue his passions and rediscover the ancestral bond with nature.
He was the one to start Podere Casa Piana in 2018, but his dream was born more than 20 years ago, when he helped his grandfather Pietro (Piràt) with the work on the Casa Piana estate on the hills of Monteveglio.
Simone proceeded with his studies and, after the degree, in the last months of 2018 he took over his grandfather's small company, structuring and modernizing it, still under the supervision of his now elderly grandfather Pietro, sitting in his chair under the portico and with his gaze facing the vineyard that he always keeps in his heart.
Now only autoctonous grapes are grown: Pignoletto, Alionza, Trebbiano Modenese, Barbera, Lambrusco Grasparossa.
Sustainable agriculture, organic cultivation, nature conservation and enhancement of the territory: these are the pillars on which the company is founded.
The company is located entirely within the Pignoletto locality in the Municipality of Valsamoggia.
It consists of about 7 hectares of land of which 3.5 hectares of vineyards, 500 sqm of olive trees, 1800 sqm of forage and the remaining wood.
Simone's goal is to continue producing a wine like the one produced in the past by his grandfather: a wine that, at the moment of tasting, can recall all the characteristics of ripe grapes and the typical aromas of the vine; essentially a completely natural wine that preserves all the properties of the grape bunch in its entirety.
“I want to drink a wine like the one my grandfather made when I was a child, I want to feel again that good and genuine taste, and I want to do it like him, using his press, his barrels, cultivating the vineyard without chemical aids, respecting the biodiversity of the vineyard and the native vines that he cultivated.”
Since 2019, the land has been cultivated organically, without the use of chemicals, pursuing the belief that a new way of respecting the land, the plants and the marking of time in the seasons is necessary, trying to tell in wine not only the characteristics organoleptic characteristics but also the territory where it is grown, the history and the passion behind a bottle of wine.
During the visit, I had the chance to taste some of the wines produced by Simone:
Piràt rifermentato in bottiglia: A wine dedicated to Simone's granpa, Pietro aka Piràt in Bolognese dialect. From Pignoletto, Alionza and Trebbiano Modenese grapes. Refermentation in the bottle for 8/10 months. Fine and elegant with hints of ripe white fruit, harmonious and savory, it closes with a slightly bitter finish, typical of Pignoletto. Aromas of bread yeast, with a fine scent of hay. Hand harvesting of the grapes at different ripening times, soft pressing to better preserve the aromas. The must is cold clarified, and after fermentation the wine is left to rest for 6 months in steel tanks. Subsequently, the blending of the wines is carried out in the winter months. With the arrival of spring, the wine is bottled and undergoes refermentation in the bottle. The Piràt rests on the lees from 9 to 12 months before being put on the market.
Bianco Piana Pignoletto fermo: 100% pignoletto grapes. Bianco Piana comes from the clayey soils of the Valsamoggia hills, precisely in the Pignoletto locality. Obtained from old vineyards, recalls fruits and yellow pulp such as apricot and peach, with a herbaceous and bitter aftertaste typical of pignoletto. Very typical, salty and mineral, thirst-quenching. Excellent accompaniment for white meats, vegetable and fish dishes. Clear straw yellow colour, on the palate we perceive notes of dried fruit and yellow pulp fruits with a presence and persistence of minerality; aromas of freshly cut mountain hay and white flowers unfold on the nose.
Furbein lambrusco grasparossa rifermentato: 100% lambrusco grasparossa grapes. "Furbein" in the Bolognese dialect means smart. Sparkling rosé wine, which drags you to finish the bottle happily thanks to its freshness and easy drinking. A wine that cannot but be shared with friends. It welcomes you with an animal nose and satisfies you with a salty and long sip.
Ramato: 100% barbera, hand harvesting of the grapes, soft pressing of whole bunches so as to extract little color from the skins, only the first must that comes out of the press is chosen so as to capture the most delicate aromas of the grapes. The fermentation is carried out in steel tanks and then left to refine for about 6 months. Delicate pink colour, hints of red fruits, strawberries and cherries stand out on the nose. The taste is soft, creamy, with freshness and flavour.
The wine estate is open to visitors, for more info:
Via Invernata, 19, 40050 Monteveglio (Bologna)
Tel: (+39) 331 8768175
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