linea

newsletter

cantrinaventianni

20th Cantrina's anniversary

posted on 19 February 2019
Here we are again with our newsletter to start out the year, and as you’ve already noticed, it arrived a bit later than usual, since we decided to let Befana fly unannounced this year… But 2019 will be, in fact, a memorable one for us. For it was in “long-ago” 1999, amidst countless apprehensions, much enthusiasm, and just a pinch of bravado, that we decided to launch “Project Cantrina”.
It represented above all the long-time dream of founder Dario Dattoli, who since the early 1990s dedicated himself to producing just handful of bottles—but made with meticulous care!—for his own enjoyment in his numerous restaurants.So here we are at our 20th ANNIVERSARY of managing this winery, the 20th milestone from our foundation, years that you, our friends and customers, have followed so well with us.
Yes, a lot has changed over the course of those 20 years! We started out by spreading into the spaces under the house, then finally succeeded in building our new cellar in 2004, which has been made even more efficient and functional over recent years. The vineyards, too, saw their own changes: the varietal mix was significantly altered, and vineyard practices improved, so that here we are today with a full eight hectares in organic viticulture.And you noticed that our wines evolved as well, with our 1999 “first child” Riné-Nepomuceno-Sole di Dario being joined by other offspring: Zerdì, Groppello alias Valtènesi, Rosanoire. This process of gradual research and innovation brings forth another new wine this year, VALTÈNESI CHIARETTO DOC, made of 100% Groppello. Chiaretto is well on its way to becoming the wine that best represents our growing area, and so we thought it right to join our fellow producers in the Valtènesi and produce a Chiaretto ourselves. There are only 3,600 bottles of this inaugural vintage, and the label will be obviously in full Cantrina Style. Many of you will recall that in the past we produced just a few bottles of a 100% Pinot Noir, CORTECCIO, a wine whose last vintage was 2005.
In 2017 we decided to vinify a small part of Pinot Noir exclusively in steel and liked it so much that we wanted to bottle and release it. There is a limited number of bottles (only 660), which makes this a deliciously appealing wine for our friends, customers, and all you lovers of Pinot Noir and Cantrina! Meet us!
At Vinitaly, in April, from 7th to 10th, we’ll be at a stand that we are sharing with Cascina Maddalena di Lugana in Booth 8 in the FIVI space.
WEB: We are working on a new website, which will obviously be realized in our “exercice de style”
Cristina and Diego

Harvest in Cantrina

posted on 8 October 2009
Here we are almost at the end of the harvest (we still have to pick just a tiny part of our grapes and press those that we have set aside for drying) and so, strange as it may seem, it’s time to take stock of the overall situation once again. It was a precocious harvest for the early-ripening grapes (Pinot Nero, Chardonnay and Sauvignon), due to early flowering in the spring and very favourable weather during the summer. The picking time for Merlot, Rebo and Marzemino was more in line with the norm, thanks to a fine September with cool nights and rain-free days. The health of the grapes and the first analyses of the new wines allow us to rate 2009 as a good year. Only time will tell us whether it will be an excellent vintage: yes, time, which is much more truthful than all those exaggerated proclamations we tend to be bombarded with each year as the harvest approaches…

Let’s talk about…Vinitaly 2009

posted on 20 March 2009
vendemmia 2019
Here we are getting ready for Vinitaly 2009, even if it seems to us less and less like a fair that is appropriate for small producers like ourselves: amid all the hustle and bustle of this great event it is difficult to explain to people about our “open-minded exercice de style”. This year, therefore, we are concentrating on alternative methods of getting together with our friends (let’s hear from you!). However, if you are at Vinitaly on 2nd and 3rd April you can find us in the Lombardy pavilion in the PalaExpo on stand C7. If you so desire, we will be able to give you more details about our new releases, which we will merely outline below: Groppello, an indigenous grape variety of the Valtènesi, has become a part of Cantina’s range; with the 2008 vintage we have sought to express and interpret the potential of this cultivar in line with our particular philosophy of production. Rinè 2007 will have a new label, which will also reflect a few small changes we have made in the wine itself. Incrocio Manzoni is the new grape variety that gives this wine a stronger identity.

Cantrina from the old to the new year

posted on 20 January 2009
2008 is now just a memory: it gave us cause for concern with its rains in the spring and then cause for satisfaction with a late summer and early autumn that were ideal for ripening the grapes. The harvest then took place in cool, dry weather conditions: this, together with our efforts to keep down yields, allowed us to pick healthy grapes with a good sugar/acid balance. The resulting wines combine concentration with very fresh aromas and flavours, suggesting that they will have excellent ageing potential. 2008 was also a year for reflection. We thought long and hard about the type of wines we produce, constantly asking ourselves the same questions: “Can we express our terroir even without using indigenous grapes?” and “Can we demonstrate that quality and personality are independent of autochthony?”
1 Unfortunately, 13 14 15