The Idea

We endeavour to bring quality viticulture back to an area which is nowadays given mainly over to the cultivation of apple trees, but has once been an ideal place for vines.

The healthy air at this altitude, makes an experimental project with new resistant vine varieties more feasible and the present circumstances with a general increase of temperature, which causes a lot of worries and changes in agriculture, make the analysis of new opportunities for potentially suitable vine growing areas particularly interesting.

The Territory

Geography and Pedology

Val di Non – which in the distant past used to be called Anaunia – is a large high plain surrounded by mountains which begins in the east of the Adige Valley, where the Noce River enters the Adige. The valley runs predominantly north to south, ranging in altitude from 400 to 1.200 metres above sea level, a height where it is still under cultivation, and going up to more than 2.000 metres up the sides of the mountains which crown it.

The valley has the form of a wide, elongated basin, with very steep slopes on the western side. In the East – the municipality of Còredo – it declines in escarpments with a very ample, gently sloping monoclinal structure, limited by a dorsal of rounded mountains which separate Val di Non from the Adige Valley.
Geologically, the amphitheatre-like valley runs along a tectonic depression and along the line of the fault various different rock formations come into contact with each other. The subjacent layers consist of quartz-porphyry; the soil consists mainly of Dolomia principale, with layers made up of marl, argil and lime on top. There are also mainly sandy areas (typical for outwash) and areas where lime prevails (typical for glacial deposits). Generally the soils are sandy, just a small portion is clayey, testifying to lacustrine deposits of glacial origin.

The area has a complex hydrographic system. The Noce River which has its source in the Cevedale Group, enters the valley at the narrow of Mostizzolo – where it changes direction drastically – and flows through it into a long gorge. At about Cles, the 152.50 meters high dam of Santa Giustina forms a retaining lake of the same name, with an extension of four square kilometers and containing 172 million cubic meters of water.

Other artificial lakes are the one formed by a second dam at about Taio – creating a small reservoir among the ravines; the twin lakes of Tavón and Còredo, the “Smeraldo di Fondo” lake and the Santa Maria at Trét. While natural lakes are scarce, the valley boasts the famous “Lago Rosso”, the Red Lake at Tovel.

Climate

The climate is divided into various sections, mostly determined by height. The thermal extremes vary from –8º to +35º C. Because of the relatively low average annual precipitation, oscillating between 700 and 800 mm, a system of irrigation canals was built in the 18th century. Còredo has an average of 75 rainy days (meteorological statistics ISTAT). Hail as well as temperatures below zero are very rare, but nevertheless feared because of the damages they can cause to the fruit trees. Microclimatic variations have been brought about by the large basin Santa Giustina, which for the rest fits in nicely with the valley’s landscape.

The relatively moderate climate of Val di Non in combination with generally good agricultural soil, has always allowed for a rich agriculture, nowadays specializing in the production of quality fruit. Vegetation in the lower part of the valley is therefore dominated by apple and pear orchards.

History and Economy

Val di Non’s economy is based on a cooperative system, which at the beginning of the previous century has enabled the area to break free from a situation of depression by capitalizing on the agricultural potential of the territory. Founded in 1890 by Don Lorenzo Guetti, a country parson of the Val Giudicarie, the cooperative is still the driving force of Val di Non’s economy more than a century later and vouchsafes the survival of many small and extremely small agricultural holdings by favouring quality production.

The valley is famous for its enormous output of apples, particularly Golden Delicious, which are known by their trademark Melinda (the first PDO assigned to a fruit). Going from Cles towards Tres one does actually walk along the famous “Via dei pomi”, the apple tree road, and therefore follows the trail of the economy of the Trentino region.

But well before turning into the “Apple Kingdom”, Val di Non used to be famous for its thriving vine production: when the valley was part of Austria vines were the main crop. Already in 1852 the Italian naturalis Agostino Perini specifies the grape varieties growing in the valley in his “Geographical statistical dictionary of the Trentino”, among them the most prestigious “Groppello di Revò”, a village near Còredo: “The climate is mild over the whole length and with exception of the higher regions, mulberry trees and vines are cultivated. […] The district’s best wine comes from Revò, where the grapes are grown with particular care on the hills opposite the village, which are south-facing and protected by the mountains in the North.”.

The Grape Variety

Vine varieties resistant to cryptogams are hybrids of wine grape vines and Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) or fungi resistant vines. The majority of these varieties were developed between 1880 and 1935 in France with the objective of combining the American varieties’ resistance to cryptogams and grape phylloxera with the wine quality obtained from European varieties. Unfortunately it turned out that it was not possible to cultivate these new varieties without using rootstock, that is with ungrafted vines. The most recent hybrids (dating back to 1950) are very complex, incorporating even Asian species, the result of a decades-long selection process with various and multiple recrossings with European cultivars. From a taxonomic point of view they do not differ from “Vitis Vinifera” and do therefore today belong in all respects to the “Vinifera” species. It’s important to stress this fact as the good results obtained in vinification checks make them out to be varieties authorized for the production of “Quality wines” as provided by EU law.

Johanniter is a white grape variety, bred in 1968 by Johannes Zimmerman at the Weinbau Institut Freiburg in Germany. Breeding:

Father= Riesling x Seyve Villard 12481;
Mother = Pino Gris x Chasselas

This variety is almost unknown in Italy – as the other resistant varieties – and its cultivation has been authorized only lately.

Medium-large sized and compact bunch, very similar to Riesling, while slightly longer. The berry is medium-sized, round, with green-gold skin. Very fruity taste with citrus notes. Highly resistant against grapevine powdery and downy mildew (oidium and plasmopora viticola). Late harvest.

The Vineyard

Elevation: 832 m asl

Extension: about 1.000 sqm

Planting density: 1.00 m x 0.60 m

Vines per hectare: 16.600

High quality grapes were the aim when the vineyard was planted. The high planting density makes it possible to reduce the number of bunches on each plant to a minimum and thus allow them to mature more easily despite elevation and latitude. The fan shape has been chosen as vine training system to let the vines develop without undue effort. Clone is Fr 340. According to soil type two different rootstocks were employed: the slightly more vigorous Kober 5BB on the weaker soil and 125 AA on the lower part of the lot.

Essential factor in the choice of training has been attention to the territory, e.g. the stakes are untreated larch. Larch does naturally belong to the woods in this area and its local availability reduces the environmental impact (transport).

No anticryptogamic and herbicidal treatments and only manual, no motorized work processes in the vineyard.

Biography

Nicola Biasi

Nicola Biasi was born in Cormons (Northeast Italy) in 1981. Growing up at the winery Collio Roncada in Cormons, managed by his father who introduced him to wine-making, he came into contact with the wine world right from the very beginning.
During his studies at the Agricultural Institute “Paolino d’Aquileia” in Cividale del Friuli, he gained working experience at the well-known Friulian winery Jermann. After earning his diploma in 2001, he worked for five years as enologist assistant for the Felluga family’s company Zuani in the Collio area. During this time he widened his expertise in the enological field – particularly regarding the vinification of Syrah and white wines in reduction – by working as cellarer during the harvest in the spring of 2006 at the VictorianAlps Winery of Gapsted.

For a couple of months that same year he was chef cellarer of Azienda Marchesi Mazzei in Castellina in Chianti, where he started working with Sangiovese grapes. At the beginning of 2007 he travelled to South Africa, where he worked as enologist assistant at winery Bouchard Finalyson, Walker Bay, delving further into the wine-making process, this time applying himself to Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.

In May 2007 he took over the management of Azienda San Polo, the new Allegrini estate in Montalcino; where he successfully looked after the agronomical part as well as the action in the cellars, progressively deepening his competences regarding Sangiovese. In January of the following year the Allegrini family also entrusted him with the enological care of the winery Poggio al Tesoro at Bolgheri. Here Nicola had the opportunity to put to use the experience with vinification techniques of international grape varieties gained abroad.

At the beginning of 2016 he decided to dedicate himself completely to his own projects. In addition to producing his Vin de la Neu he now offers enological consulting services.

The width and variety of his professional experiences – some of these gained alongside internationally famous enologists – raise high expectations regarding the work of this young wine technician, which he has already met to some extent, with brilliant results in several wines, achieved through his passionate commitment. Inspiring principle of his work is doubtlessly the utmost attention for the vineyard. He believes that the well-balanced elegance without excesses, which he is in pursuit of in his wines, can be obtained only through perfect management of the vines.

The Future

This project is propelled by the idea to demonstrate how the knowledge and science of today allow us to produce wine at elevations and with exposures different from that of the past. But the most important aim is to grow and make wine in a truly sustainable manner, without disturbing the balance of the ecosystem into which the vineyard has been installed. The study of resistant varieties is doubtlessly an important step forward in modern viticulture: the agronomic traits of these varieties are by now well known and promise a more respectful handling of our environment.

Today it is not enough to produce quality wine, fortunately the market is ever more mindful of environmental pollution and the producers’ approach to territory. These new impulses will help to limit the pressure of commercial interests, which today slow down the implementation of a really sustainable approach. The enologist has to produce quality wines which respect the character of the territory they come from. This is the only way to highlight the extraordinary diversity of terroir which our country has to offer.