To draw the vines with Le Colture

Magnificent exhibition celebrating the Valdobbiadene area, conceived by Veronica Ruggeri with family support, thanks to photographer Lorenzo Cicconi Massi with curator Denis Curti. A new bottle-fermented sparkling wine sees the light of day with the occasion: Incàlmo.

Almost as if it were an invitation to do so, the title of Le Colture winery's photography project is "A disegnar le vigne." Born out of a collaboration between Le Colture, at the wish of Veronica Ruggeri and with the support of the whole family, curator Denis Curti and Marche-based photographer Lorenzo Cicconi Massi. 

A disegnar le vigne, which after its debut in Milan also exhibited in Valdobbiadene at the ex-opificio di Villa dei Cedri, is a traveling exhibition celebrating a territory, its forms and its everyday life. Lorenzo Cicconi Massi, strictly in black and white, recounts through the language of photography the feelings that the territory and about the characters have conveyed to him over the course of a year and the visits he has made there. In creating this project, the goal of Le Colture Valdobbiadene farm is to invite visitors to fill their eyes with beauty by admiring landscapes, faces and the work of this farming territory through the lens and sensitivity of an exceptional photographer.

Amazing is the ability of these shots to come alive with sounds, colors and seasons. I had the honor of visiting the exhibition in the photographer's company and listening to his commentary on the works, and there are two aspects that I will take with me after this experience. One is about the winery and the foresight in recognizing in art something of the wine and vice versa; the other is about the work of the photographer who found himself for the first time telling the story of a territory new to him and succeeding in capturing its essence. 

Le Colture winery, owned by the Ruggeri family, is located in Santo Stefano, in the heart of the Valdobbiadene shore. Forty-five hectares and a line of Prosecco Superiore Docg that we now know very well, starting with the Gerardo Riva di Santo Stefano Extra Brut, dedicated to his grandfather and representative of the work on the land. The Ruggeri are a family like the Mulino Bianco family but more beautiful, because they really exist. Mom and Dad started the company in 1983, which bears the symbol of two horses in its logo. Today they run 45 hectares flanked by their three children, Alberto, Silvia and Veronica; who in turn have an unidentified number of children, also somehow already protagonists of the company's projects.  

It is Veronica herself after a fortuitous meeting with Denis Curti who wanted to realize her vision of Conegliano Valdobbiadene "as you have never seen it." Her dream involved a narrative in images that speaks of the territory as a whole. That dream began to take shape, shot after shot, and was named A disegnar le vigne. A tribute to all the producers who populate this territory, to all those who have picked up a hoe and helped draw it. To those who from year to year prune its shoots, tie them, comb them and finally harvest them, bringing home the fruit. The vision took shape thanks to Cicconi Massi's careful, trained and creative eye. Thanks to his sensitivity as a photographer and artist, a grape becomes a pregnant belly, running children seem to really move, an old woman caressing vine shoots seems to play a violin. It really took an outside eye to lift the beauty that this area has under its nose every day. A beauty still too little told, engulfed by its beautiful wine, so easy to drink and so beloved, that sometimes ends up overshadowing its place of origin. Wine is made once a year, but the land calls every day, and it is good to remember that.   

Speaking of wine...could I possibly pass up a taste? Great news, and all the approval of my palate, for the new bottle-fermented sparkling wine. Too easy to drink but not so obvious to make. Once again a return "to the origins," like a black and white photo, Incàlmo tells about Glera and the tradition of consuming it still cloudy, after a more or less light refermentation in the bottle. Glera likes to be on the lees a lot, I am more and more convinced of that. Moreover, once again art has the opportunity to collaborate with wine and enhance its narrative. The drawing on the label, created by Aldo Rebuli, an artist from Valdobbiadene, depicts the symbolic embrace between plant and man's work. 

I recommend keeping an eye out for upcoming events with A disegnar le vigne, and going to see the exhibition if you happen to be there. And if you get thirsty in the meantime, here are my notes on Incàlmo.... 

Le Colture
Incàlmo vino frizzante rifermentato in bottiglia 2020 

92/100 - € 10,00

1st vintage. 100% Glera. Bottle-fermented, crown cap. Cloudy straw yellow. Hints of small fruits on the nose, sweet and tart at the same time. White currant, raspberry and wild strawberry. Then thickens with spicy notes of star anise, white pepper. The palate leaves its mark with its freshness. Finishes with notes of peach infusion, lavender, rosemary. Far from banal. Low alcohol content. Finishes quickly.

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