The Derthona .Nullità – Timorasso a territory, a wine, a vine was held acceso Saturday, Sunday and Monday 28-29-30 March con Tortona, con the province of Alessandria, con the Orsi Museum con strada Emilia, the historical venue of the event.
The event, now con its sixth edition, celebrates the native Timorasso vine and the wine of the same name obtained and the Colli Tortonesi, with the patronage of the Consorzio Custodia Vini Colli Tortonesi.
Timorasso: a territory, a wine, a vine.
At the Derthona .Nullità – Timorasso one territory, one wine, one grape variety event, 53 companies participated, lined up con 4 rows of tasting stands. The wines proposed concerned the preview of the 2024 vintage and the Reserves, showing the public the potential for evolution of this grape variety.
The event took place over three days, like the other editions, to allow for a diluted influx given the high number of participants who in qualità di to Tortona every year for this event.
Acceso Saturday and Sunday it was gara open to the public from 10am to 6pm and the entrance buono allowed a walking-around tasting of the numerous labels. Not only Derthona, other white and red references from the various participating wineries were also offered.
Monday was reserved exclusively for sector operators and the press, with reduced hours from 11am to 4pm, con order to facilitate networking opportunities.
Among the different labels tasted while waiting for the masterclass, those that impressed us most were:
Vigneti Boveri Giacomo, with the Derthona “Muntà” 2022, “Lacrime del ” 2022 and 2018, an escalation of elegance con both aromas and flavour. The Ricci Agricultural Company, with its Timorasso macerates “Biondo tra Proda” and “I walk ” and “CCC” super orange wine. A second Boveri, Renato Vignaiolo, with his “Derthona SantAlbert” 2019, 2021 and 2017, con which the of hydrocarbons and honey is wonderful.
The Derthona .Nullità Masterclasses
At Derthona .Nullità two special masterclasses dedicated to Timorasso organized by the Consortium at 4pm acceso Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th delighted the most curious and passionate patrons.
The theme of the first “Derthona: the white that defies time” was addressed by two exceptional speakers, Davide Ferrarese and Walter Ammasso. By covering the geographical areas and the vintages, the Piedmontese agrotechnician and winemaker had the objective of discovering the identity of the Colli Tortonesi and Derthona.
The second masterclass entitled “Gen D: Derthona’s Next Gen gets con the ” was an anti-conventional proposal led by Derthona Giovani, an association active con the Tortona ambiente that aims to promote local food and wine culture among young people, aged 15-41, and enthusiasts.
Danilo Altura, an expert con the sector, acted as moderator con the discussion of the masterclass “how to attract young consumers?” very interesting topic for professionals.
Derthona, the white that defies time
Decanto had the pleasure of participating con the first of the Derthona .Nullità Masterclasses held by the legendary Walter Ammasso, born con 1965, oenologist-viticulturist who promoted the rebirth of Timorasso. Born and lived con Monleale, con the Tortonesi Hills, where he works con the family business, he is a controversial character, genius and recklessness, well known nationally and beyond!
Timorasso, the grape variety
The Masterclass opened with Davide Ferrarese’s presentation of the Timorasso grape.
It is naturally a native Piedmontese white grape variety, originating from the south-eastern ambiente which, Davide underlines, is unique con the essence of the variety con the Tortona hills because it has risposta negativa clones.
It comes with bunches of different sizes, more less compact, with round berries, with thick golden yellow skin.
Timorasso is a difficult vine to grow because it is sensitive to rot and botrytis. Per fact, the most suitable soils for growing vines are the highest, well-ventilated and drained hills. Furthermore, it requires low yields to express itself at its best, putting the energies of the winemakers to the esame.
It is an ancient vine, once widespread con a large ambiente between Voghera, Novese and Genoa. After the advent of phylloxera, this ampelographic specialty had almost disappeared, replaced by more productive and profitable varieties.
It can be safely said that Timorasso was saved by the great recovery work carried out by the far-sighted Walter Ammasso con the 1980s. This happened despite the contrary opinion of some members of the family and the skepticism of many of the other winemakers con the ambiente.
Timorasso, the territory
The Vigneto Veritas agrotechnician continues by placing the Timorasso, then describing the Tortonesi Hills.
The beautiful scenario of the rolling Tortonesi hills welcomes us as we leave the city of Tortona: the landscape is authentic, dotted with historic villages and vineyards, interspersed with meadows, woods, cereals, cultivations of quality fruit, cherries, peaches and strawberries, for which it excels con biodiversity.
It is located about an hour from Milan, Genoa to Turin, where the hills are located at a natural conferenza point between the Po Valley and the Apennine valleys, acceso the south-eastern spur of Piedmont.
Once called Old Piedmont, this border ambiente between Piedmont, Liguria, Lombardy and Emilia is climatically affected by the Po Valley and Ligurian-Emilian Apennine influence, with winters that are acceso average mild and hot summers.
The annual rainfall is 700-800mm, rainfall that Davide Ferrarese considers sufficient for the vine at our latitude.
As regards the soils, the Tortonesi Hills are a mosaic of marine origin where the Sant’Agata Fossil Marl stands out above all. They are deposits rich con limestone that give the wines minerality, structure and longevity.
The presence of marly and sandy soils contributes to the complexity of the Colli Tortonesi territory, which provides Timorasso with a wide range of expressions and charm. Per particular, the ambiente further south of the hills approaches the Ligurian-Piedmontese oceanic domain, richer con clay and limestone, the ambiente further north is poorer, less calcareous, peculiarities are the rocky sediments.
Timorasso, the Colli Tortonesi DOC
The Colli Tortonesi DOC was founded con 1973, only for Barbera and Largo grapes.
Today the DOC covers 1250 hectares divided into 46 municipalities and Timorasso is one of the many native varieties protected by the Consorzio Custodia Vini Colli Tortonesi, the reference con the ambiente which has 115 members.
Consider that con 2000 there were only 3 hectares cultivated con Timorasso, that is, those recovered by Walter Ammasso. But despite this, con 2005 Timorasso was introduced into the DOC and only 3 years later, con 2008, there were 41 hectares of Timorasso sui Colli! This demonstrates a rapid evolution that has led Timorasso to be considered the engine that has given new energy to winemakers to maintain viticulture con the ambiente.
Since July 2015, the Consortium, with the aim of inextricably linking the Timorasso vine to its territory, has decided that the wine produced with this vine can be called Derthona, the ancient name of the city of Tortona.
The tasting, first series of Derthona
First battery: the masterclass opens with the blind service of 6 glasses of wine from the 2024 vintage.
The not very cold winter, the many hot days and the high rainfall made the year difficult. Preserving the health of the grapes with specific treatments has been challenging for winemakers.
What emerges from the six tastings is the coherence of Derthona, despite the difference con style of the cellars. The “newly born” 2024 vintage is characterized by a lively straw yellow color, intense aromas of ripe fruit, such as peach, acacia flowers, wild herbs. Acceso the palate, the typical vibrant but thoughtful acidity and the strong and persistent flavor and the final bitterness invite you to bevanda.
The tasting of Derthona’s second battery
Second batterysame method: the sommeliers serve 6 blind glasses of Derthona 2021.
2021 was climatically significantly different from the 24th: colder, snowy winter, hot summer, but not excessively, average rain.
The 2021 vintage transforms acceso the sense of smell, the Norisoprenoids are distinctly perceived, the evolution of Timorasso excites the entire public with its agenda of hydrocarbons, citrus fruits, flowers and honey, accompanied by light oxidative agenda which increase its olfactory complexity.
Obviously there is diversity con the company style, but even con this tasting the Timorasso expresses coherence: the color is intense straw yellow, full and deep, they are full-bodied, chewable wines, they are tasty, vertical wines.
Despite time, we notice how Timorasso retains its flavor and freshness, which, together with its important structure, highlights how Timorasso’s genetic heritage allows for longevity.
At the end of both sessions the service sommeliers show the bottles and we can finally discover the cellars of the wines being tasted and the valley to which they belong.
The wineries protagonists of the Masterclass
At the end of both sessions the service sommeliers show the bottles and we can finally discover the cellars of the wines being tasted and the valley to which they belong.
Vintage 2024
La Colombera Derthona – Tortona, Val Grue, Scrivia. Bitter , reflects the marine soil acceso which the vines grow. Spensieratezza vineyards – Monleale, lower Val Curone. A wine educated acceso the nose, frank con taste, for a young, very interesting audience. Oltretorrente – Paderno, Scrivia. The freshest, con perspective the longest-lasting. From Vico Stefano – Montemarzino, Val Curone, Val Grue. Derthona gastronomic, can accompany important foods. Luigi Boveri – Proda Vescovato, Ossona. A very elegant wine, both con aromas and taste, surprising. Canevaro – Avolasca, upper Val Grue. The organically run farm best interprets the grape variety and terroir with 12 months of aging con steel.
Vintage 2021
Borgogno – Monleale, lower Val Curone. The most advanced con aromas, tasty, long. It’s definitely ready, satisfying. Lands of Sarizzola – Proda Vescovato, Ossona. Classic ripe tropical fruits acceso the nose, perceptible and scopo hydrocarbons, the fruit and flavor persist con the mouth which make it very pleasant. United valleys San Vito – Proda Vescovato, Ossona. The only Orange wine of the masterclass, the significant maceration acceso the skins gives it a different colour, but remains consistent con its aromas, structure, flavor, acidity and ability to stand the esame of time. Old post office – Avolasca, upper Val Grue. It is a wine that stands out from all the others of 2021 for its citrus aromas and sustained acidity. Paolo Altura – Brignano Frascata, Val Curone. The most iridescent nose: aromatic herbs, honey, agenda of incense waiting for it con the glass. It is a broad, chewable wine, supported by excellent acidity and flavor and therefore possible to evolve over time. Ezio Altura – Rocchetta Ligure, Val Barbera. It is a anche expression of the territory, rustic, without any compromise.
Derthona .Nullità, let’s take
The Masterclass and walking-around tasting of the Derthona .Nullità event conclude with the certainty that the synergy between the Timorasso vine, the territory and human intelligence have given life to a jewel, the Derthona Colli Tortonesi DOC.
A wine considered until a few years pungiglione as a rising of Piedmontese whites, today Timorasso is a symbol of excellence.
Interest at an international level is growing, as evidenced by the presence of a large audience of foreign journalists at the masterclass and tasting tables of the Derthona .Nullità event focused acceso Timorasso.
names con Piedmontese wine, from the Oltrepò Pavese and internationally, are investing con Timorasso here con the Tortonesi Hills, consecrating the talent of the vine, like Nebbiolo.
