A sip of Niko

House wine? No thanks. The cellars and the wine lists are ready for the chef’s wine. After Lucio Pompili and his Lì Cante, a biodynamic sangiovese produced in the small vineyard next to Symposium; Paolo Masieri, who continues to put pieces into the puzzle of his panoramic vineyards; the Una della Palta, a dry malvasia with botrytis cinerea produced together with Torre Fornello, it is now the turn of Niko Romito who, this year, for the first time, has taken a pair of vintner shears in his hands and filled his wicker basket with grape bunches full of dreams and labour.

The genius loci has been waiting since 2010 - while in Casadonna a convulsive building site was pulsating, the cocoon of a what today is a poly-functional Mecca at full speed - to attach itself to that bizarre idea, which came a little by chance thanks to a chat with friend Andrea Di Fabio, director of Feudo Antico in the Tullum DOP: “What if we made wine over here?”. This turned into a sticky obsession, boiling like the must is doing in the barrels these days. These two men, hungry of territory and not less foolish in following their oenological dream, didn’t waste any time.

After analysing the soil and the initial works, in the spring of 2011 they planted the vines: 90% pecorino, an indigenous grape variety that with an early maturation and a great ageing potential, adaptable to extreme conditions though it had never been tested in the area; the remaining 10% composed of mountain grapes (veltliner, sylvaner, gewürztraminer, riesling, pinot noir, mostly as an experiment). We’re at 850 metres above sea level, in what is probably the highest vineyard in central Italy, where no DOP nor IGP wines have ever been produced. Casadonna, therefore, can only become a table wine, destined to have a medium-high positioning.

A team from the Agriculture Science Faculty of the University of Milan has been watching over all the phases, including the most dramatic moments, such as the freeze that in May 2012 destroyed 30% of the vines. The team is guided by professor Attilio Scienza while the role of oenologist has been taken by Riccardo Brighigna who, following the common intentions, is setting up this wine following the same “natural” guidelines that are already followed by Feudo Antico’s wines. Not yet certified, because of the necessary time required to do so, the vineyard is “beyond organic”, with its copper and sulphur treatments sprayed among the lines of vines.

After the hand-harvest, which Romito celebrated with Feudo Antico on October 24th, the intention is that of following the spontaneous fermentation initiated by the indigenous yeasts and to have a short maceration on the skins. As in the case of the excellent Pecorino DOP Tullum, which is characterised by some explosive scents of grapefruit zest and hydrocarbons, at the moment no stabilization or filtration procedures are foreseen; small acacia barrels (once-used, after the Bianco Biologico) are the chosen container for this wine. The acacia wood is more neuter when compared to oak, and can delicately highlight the sweet notes of honey and flowers and later the mineral tones.

It is difficult, of course, to predict the future by observing an empty glass; for sure, the wine which will be thus obtained will have a strong structure and an intriguing nose. “We expect to obtain a Pecorino wine characterised by a fresh and salty acidity, with aromas of citrus fruits and minerals that are in line with the wines produced in mountain areas”, those of Feudo Antico anticipate. In order to be able taste this wine, however, we need to wait an indefinite time and bottling will only lead to 800 bottles tops, most of which will be destined to the restaurant itself.