Trebbiano dell'Empolese and the use of amphora for wine making

Saturday, December 19, 2020

Let's discover with the producer and how the amphora differs from the barrique.

How and why wine is produced in amphora

Trebbiano toscano is perfect for amphora winemaking.

When talking about amphora for winemaking, let yourself be surprised by Trebbiano, a grape variety of the peasant tradition known since Roman times.

It takes its name from the Latin "Trebula" or farm, it's the "wine of the village", "or homemade wine" as Pliny the Elder writes in his "Vinum Trebulanum".

It seems Sod's law that in the terracotta amphora, the oldest wine container in the world, this wine finds such an interesting expression.

Sometimes it happens by chance or it's due to the most stubborn obstinacy, that the most interesting ideas are born and this is the case of Assentada, a wine completely produced in amphora, in spontaneous fermentation.

After 40/60 days of fermentation on the skins, the Assentada is refined on the noble lees until the warm days arrive. Then it's bottled. It ages in bottle at least 5 months.

The Anfora is an oxidative container like the barrique and thanks to this characteristic it allows a prolonged maceration of the wine on the noble lees. Unlike the barrique, however, it doesn't affect the taste in such a marked way, and this way the vines can express their characteristics at the best.

Amphora and biodynamic wine

The fine lees of yeasts are a fundamental component to obtain a wine with an important structure and persistence, in particular on white wines as they increase the taste in the mouth and their importance in general.

From the combination of biodynamic production and the use of amphora, a wine comes out that gives merit to the ancient history of this varietal, giving us great satisfaction in having produced it.

The enthusiasm that was born with this wine is giving shape to a new project, a new biodynamic and natural wine, a new expression of Trebbiano that we will present to you soon.

Roberto Falzari