The branch of willow that binds the vine, from 2014 intertwines the stories of three young winemakers: Daniele, Marco and Nicola rediscover the Cannaiola
No one could predict the birth of “Il Vinco” before 2014. Daniele Manoni, Nicola Brenciaglia and Marco Fucini, childhood friends, carried out their own activities. One was a cow breeder with a degree in political science; the other was an olive grower and the third one a goldsmith. The spark between the three was lightning-fast: up to a transversal journey into the world of tastings, and then into the dense forest of natural wines.
“I liked to see the farmers’ dirty hands: they tell us about their wines”. There is a remarkable ferment on the lake, where many natural cellars are born. Daniele has no doubts: “We were a little tipsy when we made our choice: the best and worst decisions are made while drinking”. The Cannaiola is female. Here, on Lake Bolsena, the indigenous Italian vine, known elsewhere as Canaiolo or Canaiolo Nero, has been living in Marta since the 16th century. “We come from here, so the choice was instinctive”. This noble vine was almost extinguished: only seven or eight hectares were left in the territory. Nicola is very grateful: “Marta’s elders heard the news with great enthusiasm. Someone gave us their vineyards for free, others for a symbolic price. Newbies, we went into the vineyard with the books in our hands and they approached us to pass on their knowledge”. With very little resources, the first harvest came without notice and without winemaking tools. “Luckily, Alessandro Occhipinti embraced our project, so we produced the first 2500 bottles with him. We sold everything within a month, even abroad: someone believed in us even in Belgium and Denmark”.
Their fifth harvest will take place in 2019, and things will become more serious: 15,000 bottles expected and a newborn cellar where, alongside the old concrete vats received as a gift, there is space for the barrels of wood. Here, the Sangiovese and Procanico will be refined. Fascinated by the energy of the volcanic soils, in 2017 they began to experiment the biodynamic method in their vineyards of Cannaiola, Procanico, Rossetto and Malvasia. One is ungrafted on the tuff soil, giving life to small clusters with concentrated juice grapes. Here they get about 700 bottles of “Rosso delle Macchie“, a wine with a complex texture and thin body, faithful to the nature of the Cannaiola. The larger quantities come from the terrace vineyard on the lake: the view is breath-taking. The loamy soil gives “Canajò” lightness. It is fresh and lively, sincere and promising as a colt. Description that also applies to Il Vinco.
