Friday, December 31, 2010

MY WONDERFUL YEAR by BACCO

2010
JANUARY
SWIMMING IN THE ADRIATIC, DON'T WORRY, I HAVE A FUR COAT

FEBRUARY

MY FEBRUARY BONE AND MEETING UP WITH MY SON PONGO AT HIS HOUSE

MARCH

MAKING DOGGIE SNOW ANGELS AND ENJOYING THE ARRIVAL OF SPRING

APRIL
SOCCER SEASON

MAY (QUASI)
GUARDING THE GUYS WORKING IN THE VINEYARD

JUNE
MY FAVORITE "SENTIERO" (TRAIL), GOLA DELL' INFERNACCIO, DRINKING MY FILL OF FRESH MOUNTAIN SPRING WATER

JULY
CHECKING OUT THE WINERY CONSTRUCTION, ANOTHER WATER SOURCE FOR ME

AUGUST
KING OF MT. SIBILLA

SEPTEMBER
HERE I AM INSPECTING THE NEW STAINLESS STEEL TANKS, HARVEST IS 2 WEEKS AWAY

OCTOBER

MIKE, MY NEW HIKING BUDDY AND OTHERS FROM KC AND CO BACK IN GOLA, YEAH!

NOVEMBER
SOMETIMES A LOCAL PUDDLE HAS TO SUFFICE, ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT RIGHT AFTER DAD GIVES ME A BATH

DECEMBER

WAITING ON THE LAST DAY OF THE YEAR FOR THE PASSING OF THE BATON FROM FATHER TIME TO BABY NEW YEAR

BUON ANNO NUOVO!!

WISHING YOU FROM THE 1ST DAWN OF 2011 A JOYOUS YEAR FULL OF RAINBOWS
COME VISIT!











Thursday, December 30, 2010

2010 year in review

30/12/2010
The year is drawing to a close and I first want to thank all who have followed along on the blog and especially all who came to visit Nascondiglio di Bacco this year.  Each year gets busier and thanks to my old and new american friends, we extended the season into November this year.


The January photo shows our vineyard looking west in a month of rest, as yet too soon to start pruning.
February shows pruning in the Merlot vines and with help we finished in about a month.
March shows the layout for the winery excavation in white and ground was  broken.



April brought bud break and tying of each of the 30,000 vines with at least 5 elastic ties to train them along the lowest wire.  Again we had help with this job which lasted into May.  Also you see the totems we placed in the 2 Ferraris worth of reinforced concrete which formed the foundation along with 53 columns -13 meters deep into our clay earth, all to satisfy the new building regulations initiated after the earthquake in L'Aquila.
May found us with walls for the winery and late May the flowering of the grape clusters.




June amidst copper and sulfur treatments almost weekly in the vineyard which are the only substances allowed as we are organic, the construction continues apace with a deadline to finish the lower section before harvest.
July was spent at the house of Gina and Tim with perhaps the largest meeting ever in Ascoli Piceno province of expat americans-4.
Early August shows the grapes having just finished veraison, changing colors from green to purple meaning about 6 weeks remain until the harvest.  This year was a bit late in all respects due to low temperatures and cloudy days.


September deserves a spot all its own as miraculously, the working part of the winery construction was finished in time and the new toys arrived to crush and destem and later press the first arrivals, the Merlot.



The last three months saw more grape pressing and work in the winery with racking of the wines to prevent off characteristics.  We were blessed with good fortune our first year with all the wines coming in with good numbers as far as alcohol level (13.4-14.5%), pH and total acid levels.  After a little hitch with my Pecorino, all is calm and correct and we have a big formal tasting with 2 winemakers named Roberto prior to transferring almost all the wine from stainless to oak.
Lots of americans came to visit in October and November which are good months for me to show folks around.  Olive harvest just takes 3 days and pruning is done in December, so I got to put on my tour guide cap a few times and see some new things as well.
The olive oil this year was a grand surprise and the 100%  frantoio (one of our olive varieties) oil is the best we have made in my opinion.  The pruning, 50,000 cuts, was finished with no major injuries this year prior to my only visit to the USA where I enjoyed seeing great friends, skiing, eating wonderful foods and making a dent in my remaining wine cellar.  All ended with an early Christmas celebration with my family which was thoroughly enjoyable.  
As I can't stay long away from my buddy Bacco, I returned on Christmas day to a happy pup.
The rainbow picture taken in November pretty much sums up our "most difficult year" which while stressful for both Raffaele and myself, has ended with great promise, turning out about as well as possible with happy, healthy wines, a prospective importer and distributor lined up for the US and an improving economy.
Happy 2011 to everyone and thanks again for a wonderful 2010. dds



Wednesday, December 15, 2010

California Zins, fresh powder, friends and family

15 Dicembre
Yes, we are loco and no, we didn't ski there

View from the top of Larkspur with my gracious hosts

The night of the celebration of the lives of Raffaele and Bacco who survived a Doblo destroying car crash.  Norcia and Beccofino

I am back in the USA for the 1st time in a year, which sounded strange when I told that to the welcoming customs agent in Denver.  Got my bags X-rayed and cleared after being honest and telling them I was carrying olives, cheese and olive oil-3 of the essentials of life.
http://lifestyle.msn.com/your-life/your-money-today/staticslideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=26422035&gt1=32078
Check out this link above which I am almost in full agreement with.  I visited a store in Boulder this week selling a DOP Umbrian olive oil which was made from olives harvested in the 2007-2008 season which means it was already expired!  50.00!  I told the owner who said the oil had just arrived from his supplier.  Shame on that supplier and buyer beware.  I say the best way to buy olive oil from Italy is from the producer in person.  My oil sells for from 14-16 dollars a liter at Nascondiglio di Bacco, is organic and this year is stellar.  I am not going to pass judgement on Trader Joe's oils, but I am betting much of their inexpensive "italian" olive oil is made from olives grown in Spain, Morocco or Tunisia and your spanish oils are usually made from only 2 types of olives vs many hundreds in Italy,  and are easily recognizable and not to my liking.
I am trying my best to make a dent in my remaining wine collection which are getting older as I am and I am not sure either of us are getting better.  The tasted wines to this point have been 1995 Piper Heidsieck champagne (94 pts), 2003 Seghesio Zin (86), 2003 Seghesio Old Vines Zin (90), 2001 Ridge Geyserville (88), 2002 Ridge Geyserville (90),  2003 Puligny Montrachet (89) with those being my ratings.  Don't worry, I had help.  Kudos to "The Kitchen" and their sommelier Tim who had Umani Ronchi Montepulciano on the menu.
Today, new snow has arrived at Beaver Creek, so I can't wait to get on the slopes.  I am looking forward to seeing family and friends in MO soon and some time I need to finish my last assignment for UC Davis, so I can pass my winemaking class and move on in my studies.