Talosa, a bastion of excellence in the Montepulciano wine scene, is pleased to present the developments of the “Pieve del Nobile” project, an initiative begun in 2020 that marked a turning point in the valorization of the historic vineyards and the most suitable areas of the prestigious wine area of Montepulciano, in Tuscany.

This project, launched with the aim of rediscovering and enhancing long- neglected lands , has highlighted the importance of an approach that integrates tradition and modernity in the winemaking field. “ Il Pieve del Nobile – explains Edoardo Mottini Jacorossi , CEO of Talosa – focuses on the recovery of ancient and valuable vineyards, reintroducing traditional cultivation techniques enriched by modern winemaking knowledge. The project promotes sustainable and high-quality viticulture, intrinsically linked to the unique characteristics of the Montepulciano terroir, with the aim of producing wines that are the purest and most authentic expression of these particular lands ”.
A fundamental aspect of the project is the conservation of biodiversity : “Pieve del Nobile – continues Jacorossi – is in fact committed to the protection of historic vine varieties and to the adoption of agricultural practices that favor environmental sustainability . This balance between innovation and historical heritage translates into wines that more markedly reflect the peculiarities of the soil and the local climate, accentuating the finesse and complexity of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano .”
The project involves a series of local producers, renowned oenologists , expert agronomists and local institutions , all united by the common goal of relaunching and promoting an agriculture that is respectful of the environment and local traditions. “Pieve del Nobile” has thus become a virtuous example of how viticulture can evolve in a sustainable way, while preserving the historical and cultural heritage of the Montepulciano area, significantly contributing to the prestige of Vino Nobile on an international scale.
In parallel with the valorization of the wine heritage and its quality, Michele Merola, winemaker at Talosa , offers an overview of the challenges and expectations for the 2024 harvest now upon us: ” The 2024 climate season has brought notable challenges, with a summer characterized by extreme heat and drought that have put the vineyards to the test.”
Merola explains, however, how tenacity and innovation have played a crucial role : ” Despite the difficult conditions, constant attention and the use of preventive treatments have allowed us to keep diseases such as powdery mildew under control. We have adopted reactive and precision agricultural techniques to optimize the physiology of the plants, ensuring balanced irrigation and protecting the bunches from direct sunlight. All this makes us think that the quality will be high, while compared to last year, production has returned to normal, so we believe we will return to the levels of the previous harvest .”
Merola continues by directly linking the project to current growing conditions: ” The agronomic approach we are pursuing aligns perfectly with the goals of ‘Pieve del Nobile’ . The resilience of our agricultural practices and the ability to adapt rapidly to climate change are essential to the success of the project and to ensure that each vintage reflects the quality and complexity expected from Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.”
This unceasing commitment to excellence and sustainability reflects Talosa’s aspiration to go beyond the mere production of fine wines, embracing a broader vision that includes the protection and enhancement of the cultural and oenological heritage of Montepulciano. With each vintage, Talosa renews its commitment to preserving the authenticity and prestige of the territory, consolidating its position as an icon of quality and innovation in the international winemaking panorama.

In the months of September and October 2024 in cellars throughout Italy.

It’s time to celebrate the arrival of autumn by discovering all the secrets of the grape harvest, walking among the rows and tasting the typical products of each region together with the producers of the Movimento Turismo del Vino . The Italian association that includes more than 700 member wineries is ready to welcome wine tourists on the occasion of one of the most popular events among enthusiasts.

From the summer heat of starry nights to the sweet colors of the autumn vineyard… and it’s a party!

Cantine Aperte in Vendemmia is upon us and marks the magnificent transition of the seasons that bid farewell to the sunny summer and lead to the magnificent autumn colours and harvest celebrations.

The unmissable event created by the Movimento Turismo del Vino, which every year involves thousands of wine tourists and producers in the largest grape harvest festival in Italy, is coming with a calendar of authentic experiences. Throughout the months of September and October, the joy of the grape harvest will be celebrated together with the producers of the MTV, sharing a good glass of wine and tasty snacks among the rows.

The snack, a tasty break to be consumed among the rows, which gives joy and taste!

Sharing a snack with genuine products, in the open air and accompanied by the stories of the local winemakers and farmers, gives enthusiasts from all over Italy the chance to live a unique experience in the name of conviviality and fun in the open air .

“ La Merenda in Vendemmia ” – underlines Violante Gardini Cinelli Colombini, president of the Movimento Turismo del Vino – is in fact the theme of this 2024 edition. A unique opportunity to enhance and publicize the rich and varied food and wine heritage of all of Italy. For Cantine Aperte in Vendemmia, visitors to the wineries that are members of the Movimento Turismo del Vino will also discover how to understand if the grapes are ready for the harvest and how the winery transforms the grapes into wine, becoming “winemakers for a day ”.

The protagonists are not only the great wines and the best vintages but also the Dop, Igp products and the traditional specialties for a calendar of tasting itineraries in the MTV cellars that tell the best of the food and wine of each territory.

The snack during the grape harvest in Italy varies from region to region, reflecting the local gastronomic richness. Here is a brief excursus:

In Friuli , salami and homemade bread are the protagonists, accompanied by cheeses such as Montasio and omelettes with wild herbs, all washed down with wine.

In Trentino , the snack is sweet mid-morning, while the “regalia” at the end of the grape harvest is celebrated with potato cake, cured meats, cheeses and beans with onions.

In Emilia Romagna , you can enjoy crescentine with mortadella or salami felino, piadina romagnola with squacquerone and ham, or pinza with mustard.

In Tuscany , “bread, butter and wine” is a classic, but today the “schiacciata all’uva” or bread with grape jam is preferred. The traditional sandwich with Tuscan ham is also not missing.

In Abruzzo , people eat bread with Ventricina, a typical spiced salami, accompanied by homemade bread.

In Umbria , the torta al testo, a low focaccia filled with sausage, grilled vegetables or pork cracklings.

In Southern Italy , “pane e pomodoro” is a classic, with variations such as panzanella, also prepared in autumn. There is no shortage of omelettes with seasonal herbs, which, however, we find a bit throughout Italy.

In Basilicata , the protagonists are the cruschi peppers, sweet peppers dried and fried until they become crunchy. They are often accompanied by homemade bread.

In Sicily , “pane cunzatu” is seasoned with fresh tomatoes, anchovies, olive oil, oregano and caciocavallo or pecorino cheese.

In Sardinia , Pane Guttiau, a variant of carasau, seasoned with oil and salt, is ideal for a break during the grape harvest.

This 2024 edition is truly designed for everyone…

Families with children and teenagers, young people, curious wine tourists, experts and enthusiasts of local food and wine. An exclusive and inclusive experience for everyone : the grape harvest is in fact the most important moment of the whole year and does not end with the grape harvest; even the subsequent phases (fermentation, decanting and tasting of wine at different times) can offer educational experiences. All always supported by the concept of conscious drinking, which promotes wine as a product to be tasted with moderation and attention to quality.

Learning while having fun and tasting 360°

Two months dedicated to good food and good wine, with the most popular initiatives of every MTV event: from the producers’ stories about the grape harvest and local traditions, to walks in the vineyard, guided tours of the cellar, educational grape harvest workshops and painting workshops using the natural components of the grape, from the leaves to the berries. And also music, folk dances, treasure hunts and riddles to learn more about the practices and curiosities related to the grape harvest.

There is no shortage of excitement in becoming “winemakers for a day” by following the instructions dictated by the “tourist grape harvest” regulations.

VICE PRESIDENT BUSSI: “THE ROLE OF THE WINEGROWER IS DETERMINANT WITH SUCH UNSTABLE CLIMATE CONDITIONS”.

The 2024 harvest in Alta Langa began with the first bunches of Pinot Noir and will continue in the next few days with the Chardonnay grapes.

It has started in the earliest and sunniest areas of Strevi (AL), Serralunga d’Alba (CN) and Castel Rocchero (AT), in the next few days the harvest will get into full swing going up towards the vineyards at increasingly higher altitudes, such as Roddino (CN) and Bossolasco (CN), where veraison is not yet complete. Except for some slight reduction in yield due to unstable weather conditions at the time of flowering, what is expected is a quantitatively average harvest with good quality grapes.

The season was characterized by a rise in temperatures at the beginning of spring, followed by a rather rainy and cool period: precipitation was about double the average, making the 2024 agricultural year the rainiest in the last 67 years. In the vineyards of the provinces of Asti, Cuneo and Alessandria, the experience and timely intervention of the winemakers were therefore even more fundamental to avoid the appearance of plant diseases.

With the arrival of summer, conditions re-stabilized, allowing for regular ripening of the grapes: this placed the harvest period between the last ten days of August and the beginning of September.

“ We are confident that the year that has begun can be an excellent one, thanks to the constant commitment of our winemakers – says vice president Giovanni Carlo Bussi – the grapes are beautiful and healthy. In fact, in a context in which the climatic conditions are less predictable, the role of the winemaker is increasingly crucial. Also for this reason, in recent months the Alta Langa Consortium has started a series of events dedicated to its members, in order to spread knowledge of the best agronomic techniques in the vineyard and consolidate the high quality levels of the grapes destined to become Alta Langa DOCG ”.

THE ALTA LANGA CONSORTIUM

The Alta Langa Consortium was founded in 2001, after many years of in-depth, methodical and documented research and studies on the area’s vocation. It brings together passionate and far-sighted winemakers and producers who, driven by great Piedmontese pride, founded and grew this young denomination but with deep roots that sink into history and the territory. The great challenge that unites everyone is to produce a necessarily important wine, which will not be ready for six years after the vineyards are planted.

To date, the Consortium has more than 80 sparkling wine producers and 90 associated winemakers. Since 2022, the president of the Consortium has been Mariacristina Castelletta , and the vice-president is Giovanni Carlo Bussi .

ALTA LANGA DOCG

Alta Langa DOCG has the honour of representing the first classic method in Italy, born in Piedmont in the mid-1800s .

The denomination has a production of 3,200,000 bottles from the 2023 harvest. Alta Langa Docg is made with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes, pure or together in variable percentages; it can be white or rosé, brut or pas dosé and has very long aging times on the yeasts, as required by the strict regulations: at least 30 months. A distinctive feature of Alta Langa is that it is an exclusively vintage sparkling wine, that is, the fruit of a single harvest: each bottle always shows the year of the grape harvest on the label, inextricably linked to the particular characteristics of that specific harvest. It is produced in a hilly area (over 250 meters above sea level) that embraces the provinces of Asti, Cuneo and Alessandria: a land that looks at the snow-capped peaks of the Alps and breathes the sea and that collects the legacy preserved by the ancestors, kept intact for a long time without undergoing radical transformations, as instead happened in the lower hills. The Alta Langa is a precious territory, to be supported, in which biodiversity is safeguarded. A literary land, an extraordinary land of resistance – of wars and cultures -, which has faced changes and supported them without losing its baggage of memories and its strong identity.

Alta Langa obtained the DOC in 2002 and the DOCG in 2011 (retroactive to the 2008 vintage).

THE NUMBERS OF THE CONSORTIUM AND OF THE ALTA LANGA DOCG:

• Over 80 sparkling wine producers associated with the Consortium
• 455 hectares of vineyards between the provinces of Alessandria (46), Asti (185) and Cuneo (224)
• The Alta Langa vineyard is cultivated for 2/3 Pinot Noir and 1/3 Chardonnay
• 3,200,000 bottles produced from the 2023 harvest
• Domestic market: 90%
• Export: 10%

The Go Wine Wine Festival returns to the historic center of Alba at the end of September!

The historic center of Alba becomes a “wine street” for two Sundays!

The Go Wine Wine Festival is back in Alba again this year! This is the 26th edition of the event that brings to the stage, in the historic center of the city , the most representative wine expressions of the Langa and Roero area.

local promotion organizations, wineries, wine shops and producer associations.

New: Tastings open from late morning!

On both days, from 11:00 to 19:00, the producers, organized through the participating Municipalities, will present their products for tasting and will promote their local reality and their events. For the first time, the event hours will be extended, starting at 11:00! From the famous Barolo and Barbaresco, the pride of the area, to the other noble wines of the Langhe and Roero: Nebbiolo d’Alba, Roero, Roero Arneis, Barbera d’Alba, Dolcetto d’Alba, Diano and Dogliani, and many other wines. It promises to be an extraordinary tasting table with many labels represented: an extraordinary opportunity to learn about new and different products, to savor the charm of a journey through the historic center of the city, learning about the typical products that characterize the hills around Alba.

Some collateral events enrich the general program and will be presented in the coming weeks. Starting with a large section dedicated to Monferrato , with a selection of wineries in the historic center of Alba to meet the public. Each visitor will be able to do the tastings by purchasing the glass and the pouch, with the possibility of then choosing and comparing the wines offered for tasting.