Category: Winemaking
Vine Life Cycle
February 17, 2021
One aspect that is of vital importance to both winegrowers and wine lovers is knowing the phases of the vineyard, also known as the phenological phases of the vine. In other words, the vineyard goes through different phases during the annual cycle. Obviously, different viticulturally techniques will be applied for each phenological phase. Let's discuss the Vine Life Cycle It is important to be careful and to understand that for every action there is a consequence. In the following, we will briefly try to analyze a whole year's cultivation of life. The 3 different life cycles It is therefore important to… read more
The Family of Sparkling wine
February 10, 2021
Sparkling Wines & Winemaking Sparkling wines or vino spumante are getting more and more attention such as Prosecco, Franciacorta, Trento doc, Champagne, and so on and so forth. Wine lovers from all over the world seem to have a sort of special attention for sparkling wines and it is also true that especially novices have difficulty in understanding the vast and complicated world of sparkling wines. Defining sparkling wines Sparkling wines are defined as those kinds of wine in which there is a quantity of dissolved carbon dioxide. This carbon dioxide generates an internal pressure inside the bottle of 3.5… read more
Chianti Classico Sangiovese: When a wine becomes the maximum expression of the territory
November 20, 2020
Origins of wine If there is one thing that anyone can notice, from an expert to a beginner, it is that when we are tasting a great wine we understand it from the fact that the wine itself will give us a definite and real idea of which land it comes from. It will tell us its own story, in a direct and clear, but above all, involving way. There is a term, that the French invented, that probably someone will already know: we are talking about the word Terrior. This terminology is used to explain the relationship that binds a… read more
The Quality of the Harvest 2020 Gives Hope
November 6, 2020
Wine Harvest & Hope Harvest this year (2020) has been a small ray of sunshine in an otherwise fairly dark and gloomy year. This, in the sense that the quality seems to have been very good, if not excellent, from the north to the south in Italy. Covid has had its grip over Italy and the entire world for most of this year. Due to lockdown in the spring, many sales channels dried up and wineries found themselves with the cellars full of stock. New sales channels had to be explored fairly quickly, e-commerce (buying wine online) and digital marketing… read more
Something Old and Something New, and It's Orange Wine
September 27, 2020
Why is it called orange wine and what does it mean Orange wine has been rising steadily in popularity during the last several years. It might still be considered by some as a trend only but for most wine lovers it is a winemaking method that has returned to stay. Why is it called orange wine and what does it mean? Does it have anything to do with Holland and their national color? Perhaps it is the Dutch national wine? Does it have anything to do with oranges? Is it a fruit wine? Well, it is a clear NO to… read more
Get To Know Your Taste in Wine! Spanning from Conventional to Natural
April 8, 2020
We are in a difficult period where the Coronavirus is still raging all over the world. As a result of the shelter in place or lockdown in many countries, the economy is in difficulties and heading towards a possible recession. Still, future recession or not, quality will always be important. However, as we have seen, the environment is blooming now that people are traveling less and polluting nature less. Our environment is indeed important for our future success. Environment and quality. Two concepts that go hand in hand. Environment and Quality in Winemaking When it comes to viticulture and wine… read more
Harvest 2019 - A Promising Year for Sangiovese at Montemaggio
November 2, 2019
Another year and another harvest have come to an end at Fattoria di Montemaggio. As usual, it has been a busy period starting with the Chardonnay in early September and then step-by-step picking the different grapes to end with the Sangiovese and the Pugnitello. How was this year’s harvest in the Chianti Classico region? Will it be a good vintage? Let us find out what has been said about this year’s harvest overall in Tuscany and, more specifically, at Fattoria di Montemaggio. A ‘stellar’ year according to the Consortium of Chianti Classico In the 2019 harvest report, the Consortium of… read more
The Destiny of a New Oak Barrel
October 1, 2019
Aging of Wine Historically oak barrels were used for the transportation of wine. Aging of wine in barrique, tonneaux, or big cask is a later phenomenon. Today, there is an art in using oak barrels for the aging of wine. Different styles of wine require different types and or/the combination of different oak barrels, large or small. But is the use of barrique and other types of barrels dependent upon wine styles and trends or rather on the financial capacity of wineries? Can it even be assumed that the power of decision lies in the hands of the accountants running… read more
Organic Farming at Montemaggio
July 14, 2016
Montemaggio has been organically certified since 2009, which has been an important step in order to reduce the use of chemicals to a minimum and being able to offer high-quality wines. However, what does it mean for a winery to be organic in its approach and what is the difference between organic and biodynamic farming? Let us take a closer look below at the history behind organic and biodynamic agriculture as well as discussing the organic methods adopted here at Montemaggio. Organic vs. Biodynamic Farming...A Brief History Organic farming The history of organic and biodynamic farming seems to walk very… read more
What makes the Chianti Classico Riserva so special?
July 1, 2015
Tuscany's Chianti Classico Riserva Chianti is an Italian wine that is made out of a blend of different kinds of grapes from the Chianti region. The chief dissimilarity between regular Chianti and others depend upon the minimum percentage permission of Sangiovese grapes i.e. 75% along with the rules that permit white grapes to be blended in as well. The alcohol content is normally around 11%. The Wines Chianti Classico and Chianti Classico Riserva are two of the best Chianti wines that are admired all over the world. Wondering what makes Chianti Classico different from regular Chianti? Chianti Classico has a… read more