A Day in the Life…

Snaps from the World of Wine in Piemonte

How many times have you heard saying that story telling is one of the most effective marketing strategies for the wine producers? The key is communicating a wine along with the territory and the environment in which it is born, emphasizing the human component behind every label. The October’s theme of the #BlogPiemonte group is “A Day in the Life…” and Uncorkventional has decided to let the wine speak for itself, to discover what it is like to spend some time in its shoes.

… of an Alta Langa

Bubbles, bubbles everywhere! You still can’t see us, but we’re here! We’re preparing ourselves for the great moment in which you will finally uncork the bottle and light your party up! It’s not that comfortable though, we’re starting to feel… a little under pressure. 6 bars it’s no joke – ask the one who got a cork in his eye last year at Christmas Eve… Anyway, I understand bubbles are cheerful, fizzy and sooooo pretty to watch, but that’s not the only point in a sparkling wine. Alta Langa is a traditional method and to reach it’s incredible complexity of aromas and flavors, it has to spend at least 30 months in the bottle on its lees. I know, it sounds creepy – a lot of dead yeasts hanging around – but you know, they’re quite inoffensive and do the wine a great deal of good! Where do you think that wonderful biscuity and nutty notes come from? It’s the autolysis: if the yeasts ferment the sugar into ethanol, their ‘corpses’ break down into proteins and polysaccharides, releasing savoury components that will confer a creamier texture and a stronger backbone to the wine. You see? Nobody’s useless. But before releasing the wine, the lees will be removed. We want it to be crystal-like. The bottle will be opened for the first time after such a long period. For us bubbles it’s the official rehearsal before the real party – your party! And after this moment, the sooner the better! How could you think we would want to stay here any longer after this wonderful experience of freedom? We want to move up and dissolve into the air, so don’t keep your bottle for too long or we will have to find another way to escape…

… of an Uvalino

Oh, you’re talking about wine! A great wine. Wait… who? ME?! Oh… well… I’m honoured, from time to time someone does remember about me… My name had been lost in time for so long, far are the days when I was considered a luxury item, almost a status symbol. Today I’m back, but only for the most attentive wine lovers. How do I spend my day? Well, you see, I’m a late-ripening variety, therefore I’m very tired when I’m finally harvested. They keep me resting for some time, to dry up. I’m as tough as nails, and Botrytis can’t affect me. Then, the usual things… gentle pressing… fermentation… pumping over, but in the end I’m still so tired… MLF and maturation happen in old beautiful oak casks and then I spend one more year in the bottle, to recover. Why I need all this energy? But it’s for you! For your health! I’ve always been famous for my health benefits: antocians, resveratrol, polyphenols, I’m so rich that even my aromatic profile is unique! But I need to rest so that I can give my best to you… Why this name? Uvalino comes from ‘uvarino’, an ameliorative of ‘uvario’, which in the late 1800s indicated a blend of wines from lesser vines. Instead, the uvalino was a finer, respected wine. Now you know I’m out there, we have to meet. Cheers!

… of a Passito di Stevi

Time to get fit again! A few weeks in the fruttaio and all the additional water will evaporate and we will be nice and shrivelled as never before! Water retention is useless for a passito: it’s not about quantity but about sweetness. We should contain such a high amount of sugar that our dear old friends Saccharomyces should be barely able to start a ferment. How funny to see them struggle! But they are clever guys and in the end they manage up to 12-13% abv. We’re not like the German botrytized wines – and we don’t want to be too luscious either. But we still need to concentrate the sugars while retaining the acids, otherwise we will be flabby and sticky. Not a great pleasure… To do this we need to rest in a warm and dry place and let the water evaporate. You see? We start to dry up already! In a month’s time we will be fit and ready for a gentle pressing! How sweet– I can’t wait for that!

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Discover the Day in the Life of the other #BlogPiemonte members!
(The list is being progressively updated)

Why I’m always SO tired (my day in 8 minutes) by A Texas Mom in Torino
Sloooooow down by Wine and Truffles
A Morning at the Markets by Turin Mamma
A Day in the Life of a Winemaker in Piemonte…After the Harvest by The Entire Pizza
Where is a Line not a Line? In Italy, by Once Upon a Time in Italy

Photo License by Megan Cole