25-11-2013
A close-up of Valentino Sciotti, patron of Fantini wines by Farnese in Ortona (Chieti) and of 5 more brands from Southern Italy, with a total of 80 wines, that sold 20 million bottles in 77 countries across the world last year
It all began with a lovely sip of “novello” wine drank in Milan, during the Identità di Carne event dedicated to cassoeula. Thanks to a further research, we learnt that Valentino Sciotti, the soul behind Farnese winery from Abruzzo, is a continuous source of ideas that go far beyond this nectar obtained thanks to carbonic maceration. He’s a person with whom it is nice to spend some time and chat. And not only because he finished as many as 8 marathons in New York – the latest one being a few days ago, with his daughter by his side – with a personal record of 3 hours and 4 minutes, something like 4’18’’ per kilometre.
Cinque autoctoni, in between two regions: Abruzzo and Puglia
In this wide range, there’s a bottle that is closer to the patron’s heart. And perhaps it is the most renowned among connoisseurs, thanks to the many prizes it has collected in over a decade, and also to the unique story of its genesis and composition. We ask Sciotti himself to sum them up for us: «It is called Cinque autoctoni and the peculiar and most evident aspect is the fact it is a table wine created with a blend from two regions, my Abruzzo and Apulia: Montepulciano, Sangiovese, Primitivo, Negramaro and Malvasia Nera. This is a vision I owe to the great British journalist Hugh Johnson, who in the beginning of our adventure, in 1996, when international wines were so popular, was brave enough to suggest: ‘you, Italians, have so many autochthonous wines that perhaps you should start focusing on them’. This may be a banal statement today, but it was revolutionary one at the time».
Alessandro Benetton, Farnese's partner
Stories of men, women and bottles that enrich the galaxy of wine, in Italy and in the world
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This article is curated by Identità Golose, the publication that organises the international fine dining congress, publishes website www.identitagolose.com and the online Guida Identità Golose, on top of curating many other events in Italy and abroad