#LongingForChiantiClassico: Among the Vines and the Cement Egg with Piero Lanza at Poggerino Winery
Piero Lanza from Poggerino winery in Panzano in Chianti
Today, I want to continue my blog series #LongingForChiantiClassico, where I explore how people are doing in my beloved Chianti during the Corona pandemic, with a video tip. I really want to recommend the videos by Piero Lanza, owner of Poggerino winery, to you – they offer a kind of 'authentic insight' into how life is currently going on in 'my' Chianti.
Fattoria Poggerino in Radda in Chianti
Fattoria Poggerino is nestled in a small 'valley within a valley' just outside Radda in Chianti, and it's owned by siblings Benedetta and Piero Lanza. Piero, who's an agronomist and oenologist, takes care of the winery, while Benedetta runs the Bed & Breakfast that's part of Poggerino. On about 43 hectares, you'll find vines, olive trees, and forest – the forest helps cool things down at night during hot summer days, which gently ripens the grapes.
On eleven of the total twelve hectares of vineyards, Piero grows Sangiovese – Tuscany's main grape. Only one hectare is dedicated to the international grape variety Merlot. Poggerino is farmed organically – sometimes even with a few biodynamic practices thrown in. But Piero is always open to new ideas when it comes to winemaking too: For example, the 2013 vintage saw the first 'Chianti Classico (N)Uovo,' which ages in a man-sized, roughly 800-liter cement egg.
The Videos: With Piero in the Vineyard & Cellar
In his first video from April 17, 2020, Piero checks in directly from the vineyard: Standing among the vines, he talks about his winery, and the unique characteristics and advantages of Poggerino's size, soil, and location. He shows how vigorously the vines are already growing and announces that the next steps in the vineyard will soon be needed – and that there will be new videos about those too. A regular series with current news from the vineyard and cellar is planned.
Because it takes so many steps for a tiny seedling to finally become a glass of wine, and that work can't be put off, even during these Corona times. While these videos can never fully replace a trip to Chianti Classico, they're a way to ease my big #ChiantiClassicoWanderlust just a tiny bit – and maybe for others who still have to wait a while for their next Tuscany trip.
A bit more realistic is the excitement for Piero's new wines, which he also describes in short video episodes. For example, his Rosato 'Aurora' will be available from me this season. Plus, Piero talks about the 'Il Labirinto Toscana Rosso' in a video, a classic IGT made from 100 percent Sangiovese. Both of Poggerino's wines will be arriving with me soon!
Also arriving are the two current Chianti Classico 2018 vintages – one made traditionally and one fermented in a concrete egg. The delivery also includes the current 2017 Riserva 'Bugialla' – and, by the way, a batch of the highly sought-after 2016 vintage – plus some bottles of the Supertuscan 'Primamateria' 2017 vintage.
Of course, you can watch all of Piero's videos directly on Poggerino's YouTube channel and subscribe to it. Or, you can just regularly stop by #NinainChianti and enjoy the latest videos here; I'll always keep them updated, maybe with a glass of Poggerino... I'd love that!