That was very much the theme of the first Old Vine Conference field trip for a group of leading wine professionals who travelled to Veneto to see and hear the influence that old vines can still have on modern viticulture, as Mattia Scarpazza reports.
Villa Bogdano 1880 and Azienda Zani in Veneto northern Italy were the hosts of the first Old Vine Conference field trip which gave the chance for wine professionals to see the impact that old vine viticulture can have.
At the turn of the 19th century wine was considered to be an everyday necessity in Friuli, and much of Europe for that matter, as water was vastly impure and clean water was not readily available. Wine and beer were the most secure way to hydrate, and the older generations treasured their vines and made sure that they could live for the longest time with a multigenerational mindset. A hundred and twenty years later the average vineyard life expectancy is 10 to 15 years – where we are going wrong?
In early November a group of wine specialists participated in the first field trip of the Old Vine Conference, co-founded by Sarah Abbot MW and hosted by Villa Bogdano 1880 in Lison, north of Venice.
Over two days, lectures from Professor Carlo Petrussi, ampelographic researcher, and Professor Mario Fregoni, teacher of viticulture at the University Cattolica of Milan, took place in the historical vineyards of Villa Bogdano and Azienda Zani.
Upon arrival at the Azienda Zani in Faedis one immediately sees the humbleness of the setting, a stark contrast to wineries in other famed wine regions. But if vineyards could speak, I would rather listen to the stories of those at Zani’s – and drink its wines.
The reverence that the family holds for their half a hectare heritage vineyard is deep, as Professor Petrussi explained: “The vineyard is the original planting from 1885. At the time most vines grew among other cultures and vineyards were only reserved to wealthy families in Friuli and those were only a few and far between.”
The plot is planted with a number of varieties, the principal one being Refosco di Faedis.
The scope of the trip was to learn about how old vines and what happens to them as they age and what in the past was done differently than today.
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