This week…
This week, we’re looking at the effect of climate change on the vines and giving you the chance to buy a special Solatione wine selection available (at a discount) exclusively to Uncork Italy members.
Watch the Video
Luca interviews Fabio in the Solatione vineyard. Click the button below to watch!
Uncork Italy 6: Solatione Part 2: Climate Change in the Vineyard from Uncork Italy on Vimeo.
Buy Solatione Wine
By clicking this button below you’ll see our favourite Solatione wine selection and have the opportunity to buy them directly from the winery at our discounted price!
Sustainability & Winemaking
There are many ways to appreciate wine from just plain drinking the delicious stuff, to learning the big names and the small, the point systems, prizes and competitions to the personal story of each winemaker. But something we didn’t expect as we began this wine journey, was the earth.
By the time we have a bottle of wine in front of us and a splash in our glass and the right food to pair it with, we can forget where that “product” came from. From roots seeking for nutrients in the rocks. From leaves lifting to the sun for nourishing energy. And from the hands of the farmer himself who cultivated the vines in a way to produce the very best grapes that could be gathered, often by hand and turned into the wine we drink.
That’s why we’re starting the Uncork Italy journey in the vineyards. As much as we can’t wait to show you what’s happening in the cellars, understanding what happens to the plants themselves is essential to appreciating wine and how we treat the earth that grows the grapes that becomes the wine we drink.
Beyond the “organic” label
The question of whether a winemaker is organic or not has become a catch phrase but what it really means beyond the label is someone who not only respects the earth but respects people. If you live on the land you work, you don’t want to be personally exposed to those chemicals either. You want to protect your family. And you want to protect the people who will eventually consume your wine.
Fighting Rising Temps
Sunscreen for vines
Wineries like Solatione spray soy lecithin on the leaves to protect them from the sun. Leaves are the plants solar panels, taking in all the good energy of the sun and turning it into nourishing energy for the plant. Leaves damaged by insects or even burned by the hot rays of the sun or damaged by frost naturally can’t take in as much solar power energy for the plant and so the grapes will suffer.
Natural air conditioning
Every winemaker we talked to said it was very important to have the forest close around them. A forest is cooling. So on hot summer days when the temperature gets over 100 degrees F, the forest creates a natural air conditioning for the vines so they don’t burn.
Vineyards are moving due to sun exposure
Something we are hearing again and again is that while south-facing vineyards used to be the prized ones, with the best sun exposure, north facing vineyards are beginning to take precedence as temperatures everywhere increase.
Wine Tasting in Rome
Vino & Bagels in Rome
Last week we co-hosted a wine event in Rome, in the lovely garden of the Beehive. We were excited to pair up with Linda and Steve, another couple in the tour industry who had performed a “pandemic pivot” just like us. This year, the Beehive (which offers rooms and apartments in Rome) started producing homemade bagels for individual orders and restaurants across the city. Their ingenuity was even featured in the Washington Post in April! We paired our wines with their new bagel sandwiches and had a lovely evening chatting in the warm summer air.
Sign up for our next Rome Wine Tasting Event
We plan to do another event with them in the fall so for those of you in Rome this September or October. Stay tuned and we’ll announce it here in advance so you can reserve your spot!
If you’d like to book a private wine tasting, write us at uncorkitalynewsletter@gmail.com for more information.
Support Uncork Italy for more content
If you’re enjoying Uncork Italy, consider making a monthly donation to the project as low as €3 a month. In exchange, we offer exclusive additional video content, discounts on winery tours in Tuscany and more!
Next Week…
Lauren, Luca & Luca will be back with another tasting video, this time paired with a typical Italian dish.
