In part 2 of my interview with Brancaia’s Barbara Widmer, she explains how a major shift towards quality winemaking has brought Chianti back into focus as Italy’s premium red wine region.
Excerpts from the interview:
The emphasis on grape varieties is giving way in Tuscany to an emphasis on the vineyards themselves. Do you feel better vineyard practices can improve the quality of local varieties like Sangiovese, Canaiolo? How?
I think it is a mix of many things that have been improved over the last few decades. An important point is that for many winemakers the focus is today on quality and not on quantity. For this reason, clones with precisely these properties have been bred inthe last few decades. The quality of all grape varieties benefited from this.
How did the 2019 vintage for your wines in Castellina, Radda in Chianti, and Maremma go? How do you find demand and buying sentiment among your clients during COVID times?
Barbara Widmer at Brancaia
2019 is an excellent vintage for the Chianti Classico region as well as for the Maremma. Thanks to essential rainfall in spring, the water stress in the Maremma was just as it should be. We are thrilled with the quality as well as with the quantity. The weather conditions allowed us to handpick all grapes, healthy and perfectly mature, from mid-August till mid-October.
Generally speaking, it seems that people want to drink wine; good wine. I’ve heard people saying many times that they want to have a nice dinner and a nice bottle of wine, at least. Therefore, I would say the demand exists. It has just shifted towards consumption at home and therefore the big question is – how you can reach these people? This has been a challenge for our importers. Many of them already have an online shop, while others had to react fast. For example, our importer in India, Wine Park, had to create an online shop. As a winery, we try to support our partners by being more active on social media, doing webinars, online wine tours etc. It goes without saying that we hope that we will be back to a more normal life as soon as possible, where we can enjoy a nice dinner with friends in a beautiful restaurant.
Climate change is a real and urgent issue, one that affects viticulture in many ways. How has this affected Tuscany’s growing areas, and what plans do you have to tackle these issues?
Climate change is a big issue all over the world. In Tuscany, we experience everything from very hot and dry years to fairly cold and wet vintages. But so far, things are still not too difficult to manage. Nevertheless, it’s crucial to adapt and to prepare the vines as much as possible. Here our main focus is: to grow cover crops the whole year round to avoid erosion (besides increasing the biodiversity, of course). Organic farming also helps to have stronger vines that can cope with climate change better.
Replanting only with the massal selection helps us guarantee that young vines are already adapted to the terroir. Not replanting vineyards from zero to avoid movements of the soil. And creating ponds in case water becomes a bigger issue than it is today.
You said, “Chianti Classico must have its alcohol, acidity, and tannins all in balance.” What are you doing to achieve this balance? Could you explain to the readers what happens if this balance is lacking? And please describe Chianti Classico today, versus in the past?
The Brancaia wines: perfect with food
The perfect balance between alcohol, acidity, and tannins is always a must, not just for a Chianti Classico. Planting the right varieties and the right clones at the right spot is crucial to achieving the perfect balance. Understanding each vineyard’s needs and believing that all of them can reach the quality of a top-wine is another important point. Picking all grapes by hand, fermentation, and maturing all vineyard blocks individually is also extremely important. Only with this, can we fully respect the character and need of every single vineyard.
Tuscany relies on wine tourism, which has been severely affected during COVID times. Can you explain how Brancaia has been affected during this time, and what plans you have to get back to normal?
At Brancaia, we love to welcome people at our holiday home as well as in our cellars and vineyards for tastings, cellar tours, lunches, and dinners or private parties. Usually, we have a full house from Easter till the end of October with people from all over the world. This year we could host people only from July to September. Of course, only people from Europe (due to COVID restrictions). As we are in the middle of nature with a lot of space, it actually worked out pretty well. Our guests felt safe and enjoyed their time. We did feel that given the difficult circumstances, we should do what we can to offer a great and safe experience at the winery. Unfortunately, when it will all be normal again is not something within our control. As long as traveling is difficult, we will have fewer visitors than what we were used to. In order to connect with as many people as possible, we try to be present on social media (@brancaia.winery on Instagram) and support our partners as well as possible.
Finally, tell the readers about your bistro, tasting room and the charming cottages that can be booked for vineyard stays.
Visit us at our winery and osteria in the middle of the Chianti hills, between Florence and Siena. Discover some of the secrets behind the winemaking process. Whether wine knowledgeable or wine curious a visit to Brancaia is truly exciting and educational.
We offer different types of wine experiences from casual tastings at the wine bar to seated private tastings guided by a professional sommelier. The tour takes you through the vineyards and the cellar to discover our winemaking process from grape to glass. Enjoy a glass of wine on our terrace and complete your stay at the Brancaia winery with some fresh and home-made Tuscan dishes prepared by our chef. This is Tuscany at its finest: a beautiful setup, outstanding wines, and seasonable Tuscan food.
The Brancaia pool & homestay
If you have some more time, immerse yourself in the beautiful hilly landscape of Tuscany. Our lovingly renovated apartments are in the midst of the Brancaia vineyards and offer peace and comfort for a perfect holiday.
More details on https://brancaia.com/en/
Brancaia wines are available at https://www.thewinepark.com and at top wine retailers in Dehli, Mumbai and Bengaluru. Ask your local retailer for details.
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