The concept of “Old Vigne” is enjoying a favorable moment both from the point of view of the value perceived by producers and consumers, and from the legislator with more attention and priorities.
If in this case we are talking about small historic vineyards, however, there are individual ultra-centenary vineyards distributed throughout almost the entire national territory which represent the maximum synthesis of our viticultural identity not only because they have always been integrated in a specific territory but also because they are capable of giving us surprising and original wines are the “Wall Vineyards”.
These are living monuments that are over a hundred years old, almost always leaning against a house or a historic wall which, almost like a work of human ingenuity, best tell the enological history of that territory, a history made of respect and attention on the part of of custodian winemakers who have taken care of it over the years.
These “Wall Vineyards” can often be considered unique both for their spectacular size, for their positioning, and for how they are linked to the building that supports them, but above all because they are very rare if not unique vines from the point of view of genetic view.
Certainly their management can be considered anti-economic and the wine produced may not be interesting from a purely commercial point of view due to the few bottles that can be obtained from them, but these vineyards have cultural, cultural and human significance, from the roots to the majestic foliage. , which absolutely must be told and preserved.
On GRASPO’s last trip to Alto Adige, among many pleasant confirmations, there were also many new discoveries.
If in Margreid we found ourselves in the company of her historic and passionate guardian Robert Cassar and our local tutor Giacomino Fasano, in splendid health “our” Hoertroete who this year celebrates her 424th birthday and in Fiè dello Scillar from the Prakfol company between enchanted landscapes and mountains that “breathe” in the company of Patrick and Petra we found two centuries-old vines that GRASPO would like to get to know better, the real surprise of this journey comes from Cortina on the wine route.
Cortina or rather Kurting on Wein Strasse is a small, tidy and charming village of 600 hard-working inhabitants also called the village of vines due to the numerous houses almost married to the vines.
In fact, in Cortina all’Adige it is tradition to plant a vine on the facade of the house on the occasion of the birth of the first child, for the transfer of ownership of the farm or for the renovation of the house.
Like many of our other wonderful surprises, this story starts from a report from the many “accidental Graspis” who travel in the wine territories.
Simona Orlandi, FISAR manager of Prato and Bogani Emiliano, authoritative AIS representative also from Prato, have been husband and wife for some years, theirs is an incredible story, born between the desks of wine courses and cemented with comparisons, tastings, trips and by a inexhaustible curiosity.
They are the ones who reported to us a large vine chained to a building in Cortina.
A chain which fortunately was neither a constraint nor an anti-theft device but only a support element for the wonder that we found ourselves faced with during our visit.
The vine in question, locally called Venediger Traube (Venetian grape), is outside the ancient house of the Teutsch family built in 1629.
The exact age of the vine is not easy to estimate, here there are no plaques of the time nor the carved beams like those of the “Queen of Margreid” but the story of Mrs. Teutsch and her daughter Yvonne takes us back at least 200 years. The occasion for planting this plant was naturally the eighth birthday of a son of Peter Teutsch, the ancestor of this family who has always lived in the building since the construction of the house.
The vine is a white-berried vinifera, to which no treatment has always been done, given that it is wonderfully exposed to midday. A truly monumental plant that seems to embrace the building, almost hiding the pickets and wires.
Ivonne’s brother, Peter, a fruit grower specializing in apples who has always followed the organic production philosophy, lives in the building with his sister and mother and inside the courtyard where other large vines embellish the structure, however in this case it is Hybrids Direct Producers.
He says that Cortina has always been a place rich in water and because of the Adige it was often flooded with vast lands surrounded by marshy areas that could only be reached by boat, almost like a small Venice.
For this reason the gondola is still one of the symbols of the town today and curiously greets the many visitors at its entrance. Now with the construction of canals and the subsequent reclamation of the land the issue has been resolved. An initial search of the VIVC catalog as Venetian Grape identifies it as Planta Fina, a white grape of Spanish origin identified with the code 9542. The collection of plant material for identification with DNA analysis will tell us if this first intuition is correct or if we are faced with a new beautiful discovery by GRASPO. News that we will certainly be happy to bring home to Teutsch on the occasion of the party organized in Margreid for the 424th birthday of the “cousin”
Hoertroete in the first weekend of October.
The journey continues….
Aldo Lorenzoni and Luigino Bertolazzi
Photo by Gianmarco Guarise
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