(20 Dec 1997) Italian/Nat
Italian wine lovers are expecting a belated Christmas present this year – the opening of what’s expected to be the best wine in a century.
All the experts agree this year’s harvest was truly exceptional and they can hardly wait until the spring to get a taste of the results.
The hillsides of Frascati look a little bleak in the weak winter sunshine.
The grapes are all in and pressed, and the vines are empty.
Guilio Santarelli is cutting off the dead branches with next year’s crop in mind.
But he’s got plenty to look forward to.
This summer was perfect and the wine looks set to be stupendous.
SOUNDBITE: (Italian)
“It only rained a little, and at the right time. The balance between the temperature and the moisture needed to feed the plants is fundamental. In this respect, 1997 was an excellent summer and so led to these fantastic results.”
SUPER CAPTION: Guilio Santarelli, Frascati producer
Now the wine is fermenting, and experts and drinkers alike have to wait and see.
Bottling begins around February, with the earliest wines ready by May or June.
And it’ll be years before the fine wines are ready to be tasted.
But the tension is building, amid talk of a record-breaking year.
SOUNDBITE: (Italian)
“Certainly, it was an excellent wine harvest, maybe the best in one hundred years. Why? Because of the climate, first of all. Then, the producers are telling us so. Now, we’re working on the wine in the cellars. Along with all my Sommelier friends, I’m waiting to taste the product to tell you, yes, indeed, it was the harvest of the century.”
SUPER CAPTION Franco Ricci, Sommelier
So the pressure is on the winemakers to nurture their precious harvest.
Santarelli, who makes red wine as well as the better-known white Frascati, changes it from vat to vat over every 15 days or so, to remove the sediment which could pollute it.
Traditionally a cautious breed, he concedes that this year producers are, to say the least, excited.
SOUNDBITE: (Italian)
“This year has become the stuff of legends. There’s enormous curiosity to see if the results match the predictions. It’s not always the case!”
SUPER CAPTION Guilio Santarelli, Wine producer
Meanwhile, with Christmas around the corner Italians are happily sampling previous vintages in bars and enoteccas.
Demand for the 1997 vintage will be high – and so will the price.
Many people are already thinking of putting a bottle or two on their Christmas list.
It won’t be a waste of money.
SOUNDBITE: (Italian)
“As for our important wines, like Brunelli, the great Chiantis, the wonderful wines from Tuscany and Piedmont – these great wines will multiply in value by one thousand per cent in seven or eight years so this means they will become something of a small investment!”
SUPER CAPTION Franco Ricci, Sommelier
But for the next few months, there’s nothing to do but wait – and see if the Frascati vineyards live up to expectations.
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