Buyers going to this week’s Sangiovese RESET tasting on March 3 in London will be able to taste and get to know the producers that are looking to showcase the quality and special terroir of Modigliana Romagna.
Can you explain what the group is about and how you all came together?
We are a group of 11 producers from Modigliana, a small town in the Apennine mountains which separate Romagna from Tuscany. We all decided to promote our wines together, while putting the unique terroir before their own name.The result is extraordinary, because producers here understand that the strong identity is more important than each individual interpretation. We are a small community, that discusses, experiments, grows and dreams together.
Giorgio Melandri has helped bring the Stella dell’Appennino producers together. Picture by Simone Manzo
Our name is ‘Stella dell’Appennino’, star of the Apennines. The name refers also to an extraordinary woman, Maria Stella Chiappini, who according to legends, wanted to stay over one night in Modigliana while coming from Orleans with a newly-born son. The story dates back to 1773 and suggests the King of France, Luigi Filippo d’Orleans (1773-1850) was actually born in Modigliana. Maria Stella dedicated her life to telling this true story.
Six of the 11 Stella dell’Appennino producers will be at Sangiovese RESET: Casetta dei Frati, Il Pratello, Il Teatro, Lu.Va, Mutiliana and Villa Papiano.
What kind of wines are they making?
When an area like Modigiana has a certain terroir it forces that strong personality into the producers and the wines they make. It means all the producers in the region share this special terroir which help create wines with great elegance and freshness. Modigliana is unique, with a recognisable and timely style based on the high quality of the wines.
How much of your wine do you export and what are your main overseas markets?
Around half of the 11 producers export their wine overseas. The most important export markets are the US and the UK. Both are mature markets that understand the subtlety of these wines.
What do you see as your target markets in the future and why?
Our group is focused on the fine wine market. The finesse and age worthiness of Modigliana Sangiovese allows us to look to the future with healthy ambition. We know there is huge potential for our wines as they combine quality and originality.
Can you explain the style of Sangiovese you make and what is your approach towards winemaking?
The marl and sandstone are key to the style of Sangiovese made in Modigliana
Modigliana manifests itself forcefully in four ways: great freshness, austerity, richness of aroma and flavour and longevity. They are paired with tannins that carry the aromas and perfumes of cypress, helichrysum, sage, pomegranate, gentian, graphite and spices. They are the voice of the mountains, which carries the landscape of forest and rock into the wines. The marl and sandstone soils are fundamental for the style of the Modigliana wines, and which create elegant wines. In fact, in Modigliana you won’t find any clay at all.
What changes have you made to your viticulture of Sangiovese in recent years?
In Modigliana we conduct a classic viticulture that respects the environment. We are inspired by the natural environment, of which 80% is covered with forest, which creates an extraordinary, overall balance. The continuous movement of air, that comes down from the highest mountain peaks that surround our vineyards, particularly the cool air that streams down to the valleys, has an extremely positive effect on the vines.
Do you find certain export markets prefer certain styles of Sangiovese?
We think Modigliana Sangiovese is better suited to more mature markets. Our wines do not have ‘sweetness’, instead they have freshness and austerity, fragrant fruit aromas and cool flavours, like pomegranate as well as spicy and balsamic notes.
The town of Modigliana
Why are you coming to Sangiovese Reset event in London?
We believe that the Modigliana terroir and style is something completely new and we would like to let the world know! This is a great chance for UK
buyers to discover a new, unique and fascinating language of Sangiovese.
Which channels of the UK market do you think your wines are best suited for?
The restaurant trade as sommeliers can recommend the wines and explain their identity.
What price points do you sell at?
Modigliana Sangiovese is not in the lower segment of the market due to the high production costs, our lower yields, and the extra effort needed to work vineyards situated on steep slopes, where it is impossible to use machinery. The wines are produced in an artisanal way.
Do you have a distributor in the UK or looking for one?
Several of us have, while others are looking for distribution. In any case we realise that collectively we will need to knock on many doors to tell our story with energy and enthusiasm.
A special seminar on the Stella dell’Appennino wines and producers will be conducted by Giorgio Milandri and Walter Speller at Sangiovese RESET.
Sangiovese RESET
- The Sangiovese RESET tasting takes place on March 3 at London’s Royal Horticultural Halls. You can find out more and register here.
- Jane Hunt, a Master of Wine with over 20 years of experience in organising large scale trade tastings and seminars with an almost exclusive focus on Italy, and Walter Speller, Italian correspondent of www.JancisRobinson.com have come up with the Sangiovese RESET concept.
- This new initiative follows two very successful editions of ‘Nebbiolo Day’.
- Participation at Sangiovese RESET will be by invitation to a select group of up to 90 of the best Sangiovese producers from central Italy. Seminars led by experts on the country and the grape variety, its past as well as its future, will deliver additional in- depth information, education and lively debates.
- Sangiovese RESET is a full day’s immersion in Italy’s Prima Donna grape number one: Sangiovese. A first for this variety, Sangiovese RESET brings together producers from a wide number of contrasting regions of Italy where Sangiovese is grown and will illustrate how this widely planted grape performs in different climates and soil types with varying viticultural management systems.
