AcquaViva, something new in…Valpolicella!

Evidently when we talk about Valpolicella we are talking about red wines, often structured and important. But if we refer to the geographical Valpolicella and no longer to the appellation we discover some projects that really seem to be born to amaze us. 

This is the case of AcquaViva, which in the middle of classic Valpolicella, from native grapes has decided to produce sparkling wines. These are not the first Valpolicella bubbles I have encountered on my path, but this project is the first I know of dedicated only to this type of wine, so I decided to tell you about it. 

Put one day, in 2019, four friends.

They are called Cesare Pelosato, a young winemaker fresh from experiences in the new world and in Champagne where he inevitably gets thunderstruck; Domenico Brancaccio, who is a lawyer; Lucio Riga, who may not have known it yet at the time but would soon become the commercial manager of a new wine project; and Andrea Fasoli, owner of four hectares of vineyards in Valpolicella of Molinara and Corvinone pergola, and of a farmhouse in Torbe that is evocative but in need of restoration.

Say that same day one of them says "shall we make a wine of our own?", and another replies "yes but let's make it pink and with bubbles, that I have just come back from Champagne and I am obsessed with sparkling wines," and the other two say nothing, but he who is silent consents, you know. And so (at least in my head), shortly thereafter AcquaViva was born, a winery for the purpose of making sense of a vineyard that didn't have it and to satisfy the desire to create something that wasn't there yet.

In 2019 they churned out the first 4,000 bottles of Principium, from 75 percent Molinara (remember Molinara? The unknown one?) and Corvinone in pink, long Charmat, brut dosage 5g/l, strictly from blends (with purchases at the beginning of reserve wine bases). Soon the bottles of Principium will become 7,000, and in the meantime with the 2020 vintage Novum, blanc de noirs classic method, from the draw of 2,200 bottles, Corvinone 50% and Molinara 50%, will also be born. It will be released in 2023, and only then will the dosage be determined; I have already tasted it and the betting pool currently sees a parity between zero dosage and extra brut.

Why bubbles in Valpolicella?

Acquaviva is an alternative, decidedly unconventional project that had to come up with something different, possibly new. Bubbles are always a winning choice, these verge on emphasizing freshness and flavor of the grapes themselves harvested, you can feel it from the lashing acidity, even when not fully ripe. The long Charmat lends creaminess to the whole, balancing the edginess and ensuring the wine's ability to last in the bottle. Principium is a Charmat intended for the horeca, costing about 20 euros per bottle. Excellently made and calling for food pairing.

Why cuvées? 

It may seem trivial but it is the key to Acquaviva's production philosophy. In this regard Cesare, the winemaker, is uncompromising. Millesimates don't make any, except perhaps in some rare exception that really deserves to be celebrated (alright I added that, but sooner or later a vintage always comes along). His thinking is French, based on the principle that sparkling wine is built in the cellar from the blending of the bases. It is a game that of cuvée creation that only if you are a true sparkling wine maker can you fully understand and enjoy, perhaps accepting that you are not always understood by everyone. 

My opinion in this regard is that if sparkling wines are the only wines that allow you to make cuvées there must be a reason, and so ... why not?

Accepting that in Valpolicella there may also be a different range of wines for the more still on the question will not be easy, but it really seems to be working... all that remains is to try it to believe! So here it is that starting in the fall of 2022 it will also be possible to book tours and tastings at the winery, in the historic farmhouse refurbished for the occasion. Valpolicella's Enoturismo offer is thus enriched in terms of variety with a Charmat pink bubbly and soon a Metodo Classico blanc de noirs. 

Good luck with this new project!  

AcquaViva
Principium Rosé

88/100 - € 20,00

75% Molinara, 15% Corvinone in rosa. Una parte di vino di riserva matura in legno. Rosa pastello, perlage ben presente. Al naso arriva piuttosto complesso con note di frutti rossi, foglie di limone e accenni tostati più evoluti. Al palato colpiscono l’acidità sferzante e il tannino mediamente ruvido ma presente. La spuma è cremosa e assemblea il tutto in un sorso pulito e dissetante. Da godere in abbinamento al cibo. 

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