#SehnsuchtChiantiClassico: A conversation with Alessia Riccieri from the Antico Podere Gagliole winery
My new blog series
As you probably know, I keep something of a "wine and Chianti diary" here on my blog. About wines from the Chianti Classico that I have drunk. About places I have visited. But above all about people I've met. About winegrowers, employees at wineries and restaurateurs. Many of them have become friends in the course of my many, many visits. At the moment, however, Italy has become a tragic epicenter of the corona epidemic that is keeping the whole world on tenterhooks.
Despite everything - or perhaps because of it - I am trying to keep in touch with my friends in Panzano in these difficult times. We talk on the phone, send emails or "meet" via video call for an aperitivo. They tell me how they are doing these days. But we also talk about how things can - and must - continue. As I see myself as an ambassador of the Chianti Classico region and have recently been asked several times how the local people are doing, I would like to share my exchanges with the people of Chianti Classico with you over the next few weeks in my new blog series #SehnsuchtChiantiClassico - and the deep affection that connects me to the people and this region.
The terraces on Gagliole in Castellina in Chianti
Antico Podere Gagliole: One winery - two places
The #SehnsuchtChiantiClassico blog series begins with my conversation with Alessia Riccieri, who is responsible for marketing and sales at the Antico Podere Gagliole winery. The winery, which has been owned by the Swiss Bär-Bettschart family since 1990, is located in Castellina in Chianti. Ten hectares of land are nestled on the traditionally terraced hills lined with cypress trees that surround the stately estate.
In 2011, Thomas Bär expanded the family estate to include La Valletta in Panzano in Chianti. This includes ten hectares of vineyards located in the famous Conca d'Oro, in the golden, shell-shaped valley with its ideal microclimatic growing conditions.
La Valletta in Panzano in Chianti
At La Valletta, which has been converted into a beautiful bed & breakfast, Edi and Giuliana look after their guests. In the last two years, a new state-of-the-art wine cellar has been built at La Valletta. This means that the grapes from the vineyards in Castellina and Panzano can now be processed in one place and mature under the best conditions. The 2019 harvest has already been vinified in the new cellar and the two cellar masters Cesare and Giulio were very satisfied with how the harvest went, with the new processes and the new technology in the new "cantina".
In addition, new event facilities have also been set up at La Valletta - in the hope that joyful celebrations can be held here in the future. And finally, all of the winery's administrative offices were moved from Castellina to Panzano.
Giulio from the Gagliole winery during the 2019 harvest in the new winery
The 2018 Rubiolo - the Chianti Classico from Gagliole - was presented at the Chianti Classico Collection in Florence in February. The start to 2020 seemed to have been a success in every respect. And then came Corona... and changed everything.
Living and working in the shadow of the virus
The situation in Chianti Classico at the moment is as follows: You are not allowed to cross the borders of your municipality without express permission, which is also strictly controlled by the Carabinieri. All production facilities that do not produce essential goods have been forced to close - including the wineries. Even if Chianti Classico can be considered vital under certain circumstances...
But of course, health comes first. And this is also the view at Gagliole: "All the necessary work in the cellar and the work in the vineyard, which is so urgent at the moment, can be carried out despite the restrictions. Of course, in such a way that contact between people is kept to a minimum. After all, our primary goal is to protect the health of all employees," explains Alessia.
All employees who work in administration, i.e. Alessia, Serenella and Cosimo, are currently working from home. The bed & breakfast is closed. Although Stefano is manning the warehouse, it is almost impossible to organize transport from Italy at the moment. The hope remains that things will work a little better again in the week after Easter, at least in terms of transportation.
Alessia from the Gagliole winery in conversation with Nina in Chianti on La Valletta
As vulnerable as a young shoot: the hope of normality
Giulio and Cesare take turns with the necessary work in the cellar. "This is because important steps are needed in the cellar right now for the 2019 vintage: Once fermentation in the steel tanks is complete, the wine has to be transferred to barrels. This is work that requires a great deal of dexterity and, above all, knowledge of the right time. A job that cannot simply be postponed for a few weeks," explains Alessia. And she continues: "As paradoxical as it may seem in the face of the human tragedies that accompany us every day, nature never takes a break. Everything grows and thrives." In other words, the vines have to be prepared for the new wine year.
Trees and shrubs have been planted around the new cellar in La Valletta to harmoniously integrate the ensemble into the landscape. In addition, a four-hectare vineyard between Panzano and Badia a Passignano has just been launched in Cappella Dei Pesci with a new Sangiovese planting. Thanks to its fantastic terroir, Cappella Dei Pesci is set to become an important part of Gagliole production in the coming years. "All of this is happening," emphasizes Alessia, "in the hope that things will continue. That there will soon be a bit of normality again. That the winery will live on."
Antico Podere Gagliole
Persevere and look positively to the future
At the moment, however, we still have to hold out. "Even if we are currently only allowed to see each other via Skype or hear each other on the phone, our first thought is the health of the other person. The difficulties we are facing as individuals but also as a community," says Alessia, "worry us. But we are trying to support each other as much as possible." Because the most important thing in this situation is to try and look positively to the future. Alessia smiles and quotes Voltaire: "The bravest choice you can make every day is to be in a good mood. Even if it's not easy sometimes at the moment..."
And even if I can't see Alessia and others in Gagliole and La Valletta in person at the moment, I'm absolutely convinced that we'll see each other again soon, hug each other and toast life with a glass of Chianti Classico - or what else?
The unique view from La Valletta into the Conca d'Oro of Panzano in Chianti
Special discount #LongingChiantiClassico for Easter
The Bär-Bettschart family has spontaneously decided to offer all customers who support Gagliole in these difficult times a 20% discount on all Gagliole wines from now until April 13, 2020 as a gesture of gratitude. Available of course at NinainChianti.com, free shipping for Germany and Austria.
So that we can all continue to enjoy the wines from our beloved Tuscany, despite or especially during these difficult times. A sip of Gagliole wine also helps to remember a vacation spent at La Valletta, the wonderful hours spent there in Chianti. And above all in the hope that these days will soon be over and that the Gagliole team will be able to welcome guests again. And that we can toast together again.