I was flipping through the Corriere Vinicolo, and noted some very interesting statistics on Italian wine exports throughout the world that I would like to share with you. I lingered over the category of wine that is closest to my own business interests, which is to say D.O.P. wines, and noted, without surprise, that Switzerland is the European country able to spend the most, on average: for one litre of good Italian wine, 6.05 euros per litre, with a total of 135 million litres. The Ukraine is also listed around 6 euros per litre, but the total number of imported litres is … Continua
Old vintages: the Langa mentality
I am taking inspiration from the post by Franco Ziliani on his popular blog vinoalvino to talk about old vintages and the attitude toward them of Italian wine producers as compared to the rest of the world. This is a topic that touches me personally, since I have a lot of old bottles of Barolo dating from 1944 and I think that Rivetto is one of the few Langa wineries to have such fortune. The mentality of wine producers in this area has never been turned toward this kind of investment: in recent history, vine-dressers/farmers were focused on achieving the maximum profit … Continua
Images of spring by Alex Averin
In this post I am ceding to the wonderful photographs taken a few days ago, right here in our vineyards, by my photographer friend from Moscow, Alex Averin. Even though the weather wasn’t the greatest, as you can see nature is awakening… Have a good trip back to Russia and до свидания!
Capricious April: yesterday morning, sleet in Serralunga
On 12 April 2012 the temperature came close to 0°C and a light sleet briefly covered the Langa hills at 400 m. The week ahead will be a complicated one, with temperatures below the seasonal average and continuous rain. The peronospora alert has begun – as long as the temperature is so cool we are not running risks, but we are nevertheless, as always, keeping a close eye on weather developments!
For Easter, bring out a Barolo Chinato!
For Easter, chocolate eggs are obligatory, and if you want to enjoy the taste of this holiday to the fullest, uncork a bottle of Rivetto Barolo Chinato and pair it with some dark chocolate – it will be exquisite! This infused wine divides palates, either you love it or you hate it. At first it is sweet but then the finish is slightly bitter. It was developed as a medicinal and transformed into a digestive, aperitivo or, as I prefer, paired with chocolate. The wine base is Barolo to which is added an alcohol infusion of thirty aromatic herbs, including china calissaia, or … Continua
Are you ready? The Barolo Serralunga 2008 is on its way!
2008 is a vintage that will fill you with big emotions. The cool September of that year ensured this Barolo extraordinary vegetable notes and notable acidity, guaranteeing increased ageing potential. After an almost fruity and immediate vintage like 2007, we are returning to a more classic Nebbiolo with a grand character, distinguished by fantastic tannins that allow us to predict extraordinary development over time. It is comparable to the 2004 vintage, although the 2008 production level was lower. Our Barolo Serralunga 2008 comprises three vineyards located in the municipality of Serralunga d’Alba: Manocino, which guarantees coolness thanks to its north-west exposure while the … Continua
The Nebbiolo vines are feeling spring!
At the top of the Lirano hill, between Sinio and Serralunga d’Alba, the Nebbiolo vines are germinating and spring is in the air. Here are some photos of the vines, which are shyly reawakening…
Last phase of work on the terrain before the new planting
In our way of working the vineyard we have abandoned all of the machinery that compacts the soil, like the milling machine, and we try to use tools – like the ripper – that gently work the land, ventilating it, without modifying the underlying natural stratifications. For the roots, oxygen is fundamental, especially for small plants, which need space and to grow quickly. In the video you can see the last phase before the manual planting of three vineyards: in Sinio, Nebbiolo and Nascetta in the Lirano area and in Serralunga d’Alba, Nebbiolo in the San Bernardo zone. I will … Continua
Even the grapevine gets emotional
We are close to the arrival of spring and the weather is confirming it with the gift of truly warm and pleasant days. The grapevine, as happens every year, is awakening, activating and preparing for the work to come, as demonstrated by its classic “tears”. In this period the plant in fact generates a strong osmotic pressure which translates into an excretion of a sugar solution from the shoots that were cut during the pruning, which looks like a tear. We like to think that the grapevine is becoming a man and is moved by the thought of its new … Continua
Prowein 2012: an exceptional trade fair
I am back from Dusseldorf, where Prowein just came to a close. In my view this is the best European trade fair in the wine industry. Founded as a fair for German importers, over time it became the point of reference for professionals from Northern Europe, Eastern Europe and Canada, with producers coming from all over the world but especially France, Germany and Italy. The stands are relatively small, the appointments concrete and fast, the visitors are generally high-calibre and the transport organization admirable. I did not see many people from Asia this year, but it must be said that … Continua
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