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Malvasia Puntinata is easily recognized by its lovely dots
Let me share with you how we roll in the Castelli Romani. This is how the grapes get picked on a small farm to make a natural, organic wine for personal consumption. We don’t have aprons. And since we are organic, there are bees, wasps and mosquitoes who seem to be out with a vengeance. The sun burns the skin, we have to bend over backwards to make sure we do not miss one single precious grape. And we get sticky. It is gross. Grape juice mixes with dirt and leaves to create a sort of sticky dirty film over the entire body. Picking grapes is hard, back-breaking and sticky work. Did I mention sticky? Why anyone would volunteer to do this is beyond my comprehension. I am picking this year because I will be paid in wine. I feel so medieval, man. Isn’t that, like, illegal?
We are picking now because the Malvasia Puntinata is ready. It has good sugar levels and great acidity. We are also picking Bellone and Trebbiano, but it is mostly a very juicy Malvasia Puntinata we are picking. The sugar meter measures 18-19. Not too bad for a homemade wine. Due to cooler conditions this year the acidity is up, which is good for making a longer lasting wine. But we don’t make a longer lasting wine, we make wine that we finish just when we are picking grapes again.
Tonight we are going to drink. And we are going to drink a lot. We have to drink the rest of last year’s wine to make way for the new. And then we will rise early again tomorrow morning and do it all over again. For the love of wine.
Buon Vendemmia a tutti!
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There are a lot of weeds in most of the organic vineyards in the Castelli Romani. This is because it was an extremely wet year and letting the grass and weeds grow helped the vines not get bogged down
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Malvasia Puntinata: Base grape of almost all Castelli Romani whites
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Roberto, the Ro of Roèt
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Destemming
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One of the oldest ways to make wine…
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A row of Bellone, it gives the Castelli wines softness.
p.s. Roèt is the combined efforts of ROberto and ETtore. Made from Laziale grapes that are grown organicially and fermented with the skins with indigenous yeasts. No sulphites added. This is a traditional farmer’s wine, a pure natural wine made made with nature and hardwork.