Next appointments on November
Save these dates. Here there are two wine tasting events in Italy. We will be too:
- 18-19 November 2017, in the port of Livorno, Mare di Vino: wine fair with wineries from the province of Livorno (Denominations: Bolgheri, Val di Cornia, Montescudaio and Terratico di Bibbona). Info on: http://www.maredivino.it/
- 25-26 November 2017,at the Fair of Piacenza, Mostra Mercato dei Vini dei Vignaioli Indipendenti: wine fair of the vinegrowers from all of Italy, members of FIVI (Federazione Italiana dei Vignaioli Indipendenti), little or medium artisanal wineries. Info on http://www.mercatodeivini.it/
Taormina Gourmet October 21-22-23 2017
Save the date: we will at the food&wine festival Taormina Gourmet, in Sicily.
Info on: http://www.taorminagourmet.it/
Criseo: one of the best tuscan white wines
Crise
o, the first aging white wine in Bolgheri Denomination, continues to attract attention. The Italian journalist Daniele Cernilli put him among the best white wines of this summer, describing it as follows:
"Nose of formidable complexity, notes of flint, cedar, fresh almond and exotic fruit hints, full flavor, salty, excellent body, warm but agile and with a very pleasant drinkability. One of the best Tuscan whites this year. Complex".
Thanks very much!
Katrin Pfeifer "Bolgheri: Impressioni dalla Natura" "Impression from Nature"
Ecco alcune immagini della mostra.
Here there are some pictures of the exhibition.
Saturday 8th July: unveiling of the work "August Dance" by Fabrizio Tiribilli"
Saturday 8th July, from 6.00 pm till 8.00 pm, presentation of the work.
We are waiting for you.
Tom Hyland: Guado al Melo, expressive wines from Bolgheri
Tom Hyland wrote about Guado al Melo:
Guado al Melo, expressive wines from Bolgheri
Vineyards at Guado al Melo, Castagneto Carducci
(All photos from the Guado al Melo website)
The Bolgheri district, located along the western coast of Tuscany in the province of Livorno, has become, in the short time frame of 35-40 years, one of the most celebrated of all wine territories in Italy. There’s more than a touch of irony here, as the leading varieties are not indigenous, but rather ones imported from France, namely Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Yes, Sangiovese is grown in Bolgheri (this is Tuscany, after all), but this variety takes a back seat to the cultivars from Bordeaux.
The names of the most critically acclaimed red wines of Bolgheri (there are some notable whites produced here as well – more on that later) are quite famous, names such as Sassicaia and Ornellaia. Less well-known, but as impressive (arguably, even more so) is Grattamacco. These estates have made Bolgheri a household name and today they continue to craft stunning wines.
Of course, as with any wine zone, there are numerous excellent producers that are not as well known. One of the best of this category is Guado Al Melo, property of the Scienza family. Michele Scienza, who had spent time in Bolgheri, learning the land alongside his father Attilio, moved to the small town of Castagneto Carducci in 2000, and opened Guado al Melo soon after.
Michele had a wonderful education in wine, thanks to Attilio, who is one of Italy’s most knowledgable personalities when it comes to viticulture and grape varieties. One of the features of the winery today is a library of wine books, one of the most exhaustive in Italy, or the world for that matter. If you need to know anything about what varieties should be planted in which soils throughout Italy, ask Attilio Scienza. Believe me, you will get a thorough answer!
Inheriting such a vast wealth of knowledge from his father, it was only natural that Michele would become a bit adventurous in his work. Along with crafting his versions of Bolgheri reds – and one impressive Bolgheri white – Michele produces a special red known as Jassarte. The name is that of a river of the ancient world; together with the River Indo, these bodies of water separated East from West several thousand of years ago. Together with his father, Michele planted a separate vineyard at the estate that would be a field blend, with a mix between Mediterranean (current Western Hemisphere) and Caucasian (Asia Minor) varieties. The vineyards themselves are trained in ancient Etruscan methods, and the wine is a bit of a tribute to Etruscan winemaking from centuries past, while implementing current technology in the cellar. Jassarte is a blend of at least 30 varieties, which includes a few from Portugal, as well as Caucacus and the Rhone Valley; while there is little information given out regarding the exact varieties used in this wine, the dominant one is Syrah.
Here are a few brief notes on the wines of Guado al Melo:
2015 Criseo (Bolgheri Bianco) – This is one of the top two wines of Guadl al Melo, and of the current releases, it is the finest. A blend of Vermentino (80%) with smaller percantages of Verdicchio, Manzone, Fiano and Petit Manseng (how’s that for an unusual mix of varieties?); aged in stainless steel and given several months of aging on its lees. Aromas of lemon zest, guava and a hint of apricot. Medium-full with excellent depth of fruit, and a rich mid-palate. Impressive persistence, very good acidity and a light minerality. Excellent complexity, this is well made and engaging now, but will display greater complexities over the next 3-5 years. Excellent
2015 Antillo (Bolgheri Rosso) – Sangiovese-based, this offers aromas of black cherry, tobacco and menthol. Good acidity, with a slight bite to the tannins. Fresh and fruity, but lacking complexity. Enjoy over the next 2-3 years. Good (Antillo means “sunny place.”)
2015 Rute (Bolgheri Rosso) – Primarily Cabernet Sauvignon with a small percentage of Merlot. Bright ruby red; aromas of black cherry, myrtle, plum and mint. Medium-bodied, with ideal ripeness, good acidity, medium-weight tannins, very good persistence and impressive harmony, though perhaps a touch too much oak. Enjoy now and over the next 2-4 years. Very Good (Rute is an Etruscan word meaning “red.”)
2015 Atis (Bolgheri Superiore) – Atis is the name of a legendary Etruscan king. Cabernet Sauvignon-based, this has aromas of black plum, violet and thyme. Medium-full with very good to excellent concentration. Ripe and somewhat forward, with medium-weight tannins, good acidity and impressive persistence. This needs several years to settle down and display its finest qualities. Best in 10-12 years. Excellent
Bravo to Michele Scienza for his consistently excellent work at Guado al Melo. He was recently recognized for being one of the up-and-coming wine estates in Italy by a prestigious wine publication in that country, and I personally admire his Criseo Bianco quite a bit. I think you will be hearing more about his wines over the coming years.
Tom Hyland
Guado al Melo summer opening hours
There is the summer change of our opening hours. From today till mid of September, we will open from Monday to Saturday morning 10.00 am - 1.00 pm / 4.00 pm - 8.00 pm.
Come in our winery: during these times you can make wine tastings, free visit at our museum about history and culture of wine, wine shopping.
But if you prefer a guided wine tour + tasting, don't forget to make a reservation.
Serving and pairing wine
Do you know that it is better not to leave the wine in the car under the sun on summer (Italian summer, above all) ?
Or that serving wine at a wrong temperature does not make us appreciate it?
You must not be (necessarily) an expert to enjoy yourself with a glass of wine : the best thing is to let go of pleasure. However, there are little things to make this time better or, at least, to enjoy a good bottle of wine without problems. There are a lot of books on the subject for those who want to deepen. In these brochures we only give some basic information.
There is also some idea of pairing our wines with food ... then you can use your imagination.
Local dish: it is a dish typical of our area (Castagneto Carducci, Tuscan Coast).
Italian recipes: here italian (in general) dishes.
Here there is the pdf file:
August Dance - The artist Fabrizio Tiribilli creates again for Guado al Melo
Fabrizio Tiribilli, an artist of Florentine origins who lives on the Tuscany Coast, now in Livorno (after an intermezzo in Sicily) returns to create for our winery. He does so with a beautiful work inspired by nature and our work of vintners. Fabrizio is a great person and friend, as well as an artist of great sensibility.
The title of this latest work is "Dance of August", inspired by the color dance that is created on the bunch of grapes during the veraison*. Technically, it is an oil painting on wood panels. The work is very big and Fabrizio has broken the bunch into many panels, playing with full and empty, for a spectacular overall effect.
We are finishing the preparation and shortly there will be a worthy inauguration!
* The bunch, after flowering, is shaped by green little balls that begin slowly to swell. At the beginning of August acines do not grow anymore but begin to change color. This change is called "veraison". For white grapes it is a discrete process, turning to yellow or yellow with green shades. For black grapes it is more noticeable and spectacular: the acines, even on the same bunch, take different colors before reaching the final one, different for each variety, ranging from violet to deep blue. At the end, the whole grape has changed color but is not ready yet. Now it begins to mature, that is, all the internal transformations that lead to the accumulation of sugars, aromas, tannins, etc. To reach to the optimum maturation they pass about 40 days, which may also vary according to the seasonal trend of this delicate and very important moment.
This is the second important work that Fabrizio has made for our cellar, inspired by the vineyard. The first one dates back to 2007. This is a triptych, "Leaf", oil colours on wood, which represents a vine leaf divided into three parts and with the three colors that nature gives it in different seasons. This work, always of great impact, enlivens our tasting room.
Later he "played" with the air recirculation turrets (n.9 in total) on the green roof of our cellar, with a work called "Regenesi Ludica", always inspired by the colors of the surrounding nature. He has transformed technical objects (to hide) in living elements that characterize the landscape.
Lastly, in 2015, we hosted an his exhibition in our cellar. Do you remember it?
Un Mare di Gusto, San Vincenzo, 5-6-7 May 2017
During the next week-end, 5-6-7 May, there will be the event "Un Mare di Gusto" in San Vincenzo (near Castagneto Carducci). It is a fish cooking festival, in particular all around the local fish "palamita", a kind of oily fish, very very delicious. In pairing with food tastings, there will be our white wines, L'Airone Vermentino 2016 and Criseo Bolgheri DOC Bianco 2015.
Here there is the event web site
programma-2017-un-mare-di-gusto
Mostra-mercato dei Vignaioli Indipendenti FIVI, Roma, 13-14 Maggio 2017
Il 13 e 14 Maggio invece saremo a Roma, al salone dei Vignaioli Indipendenti.
On 13th and 14th May, we'll be at Rome, at the wine tasting of FIVI Association.
Anteprima Vini Costa Toscana, Lucca, 6-7 Maggio 2017
Ecco il prossimo evento a cui partecipiamo con i nostri vini. Vi aspettiamo a Lucca!
Here there are the next event where you can taste our wines. See you at Lucca!!
Vinitaly 2017
This year, 2017, we were at Vinitaly in the stand of our new distributor for Italy, Cuzziol GrandiVini. We really like the style of the stand (elegant and sober). The Cuzziol's staff was very competent.
We also met some of our foreign importers, with whom we work for years. They have thus been able to taste the new vintages of our wines. They come from German, Belgium, Sweden, Great Bretain, USA, Japan, Australia, etc. There was some new contacts too. So, we will be able to export our wines to some new countries in next months... (news soon).
Prof. Attilio Scienza (Michele's father) was ranked fourth in the list of major influencers of the Italian wine world, for his scientific research on the viticulture sustainability.
Thanks very much to all!
Michele with Antonio Paolini (Press) and Attilio Scienza
A new precious book for our library
A new book, of great cultural value, becomes part of our library, on display at Guado al Melo.
It is an edition of the sixteenth century of the only medieval agricolture treaty of Western, the work of Pietro de Crescenzi "Ruralium Commodorum libri XII" written in 1307 in Bologna. This edition, in 1561 exactly, translated from Latin into Italian, was published by Francesco Sansovino, Publisher in Venice .
Here are some beautiful pages.
Our wines in Brazil
A good news: we are beginning to work in Brazil !
We have starded a collaboration with the importer:
PORTINTEX COMERCIO, IMPORTACAO, EXPORTACAO E REP. LTDA
EST DE SOROCAMIRIM, 23
18130375 SAO ROQUE
Lesson about genetic improvement of grapevine
Michele was invited to give a lesson to the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna of Pisa in relation to research projects carried out by Guado al Melo in recent years. In particular, he explained some of the basic concepts of genetics and selection of vines. We perform micro-fermentations of individual varieties from our ampelography collection for study purposes. At the lesson, Michele presented to tasting some samples of these red grapes. We thank the Sant'Anna Institute for invitation and in particular prof. Piero Tonutti and Marco Zito (representative of the Association of Students).
Presentation of the new catalog of Cuzziol Grandi Vini
Last Sunday and Monday there was the official presentation of the catalog of who has become our new distributor for Italy: Cuzziol Grandi Vini. I attended the event in Conegliano to present myself, our work philosophy and wines to Cuzziol’s agents and customers.
The event was very nice, organized flawlessly. I also found remarkable similarities with Luca Cuzziol, Paolo Leone and other collaborators, who immediately understood the way we work linked to the territory, the craftsmanship of the product, as well as our ideas about sustainability. They have been able to appreciate our wines, their care and originality under the Bolgheri area. For my part, I was always enriched by the encounter and confrontation with people of great professional competences (and there were many of these in Conegliano…).
Some chefs have also delighted us with their dishes (and this is the pleasure-seeking side of my work ....). I was happy (and proud) that Luca Cuzziol decided to thank them by giving them a magnum of our Bolgheri Superiore, the Atis 2013 (at his expense). It was a tangible sign of mutual respect that is the basis of this new partnership.
Michele Scienza
The evolution of our wine Guado al Melo Bianco: Criseo Bolgheri DOC Bianco (white)
Our wine “Guado al Melo Bianco” becomes Criseo Bolgheri DOC Bianco (white) with the new vintage 2015.
Criseo is the result of an important path that has led us to produce an aged white with of considerable depht in a land of great red wines. We have drawn a new high-quality road in Bolgheri.
This wine is born with the estate, because of our passion for the great aged white wines. It’s been almost fifteen years: it is born with our first harvest in 2002.
We were pioneers in Bolgheri for a wine of this type, moreover based on Vermentino grapes (usually used to produce only young wines). We wanted to use this variety for the ancient bond that it has with our vineyards. We tried and tried for a long time. This lack of experience made us proceed cautious. So we decided to declassify this wine all the years to IGT Toscana, until we would not feel fully confident in a sublime and proven quality.
Michele has soon realized that we would need a small blend that would support Vermentino in aging. Especially it need to integrate the acidity, notoriously deficient in this variety but essential in a structured wine (characterized from balance and elegance).
In 1998 we planted a single small particle of vineyard (it is not a big production, about 4000 bottles a year) with the desired proportions of Vermentino (80%), Verdicchio, Fiano, Incrocio Manzoni, Petit Manseng and Vionier. The latter was eliminated (over -grafted) after a few years, because it is too aromatic (covering perfumes of all other varieties).
The aging is now made in steel tanks for a year, on the fine lees, and then in bottle. For the first few years a small part of the must (about 15%) was aged in wood barrels (not new). But we have abandoned wood after a few years.
Finally Michele has worked extensively on the harvest time (to try the best moments of ripening for each variety) and wine-making steps. He tested different ways of fermentation, separating each variety or combining them. He understood how these variables have influence above all on the primary and evolutive aromatic expressiveness of this wine, until it has found the way that most convinced him.
After years of hard work, after years that have shown that the quality achieved was well-established, after producing enough historical vintages to be able to follow the evolution in the bottle, we felt to finally to make the leap. From the vintage 2015, this wine is no longer “downgraded” to IGT but will be a great Bolgheri DOC White.
The event rightly requires for a bit of “celebration” and then we decided to use a new bottle (with sinuous forms), a new evocative name, a new dedicated box. The label does not change however, with its intense yellow color and dancing satyrs.
Dancing satyr. In the left hand he has a “kantharos”, wine cup symbol of Bacchus. In the rig
ht one, a rattle instrument.
Criseo means “made of gold”, to recall the golden color of the wine and the mythical Golden Age in which the ancients aspired. The Bacchus gifts to the mankind (wine, music and dance), depicted on the label, can give us the vision of the Golden Age (Aetas Aurea), the mythical and happy period, under the reign of Saturn, where still there was no corruption of the time, pain and fatigue.
The satyrs dancing barefoot. In antiquity baring feet was a sacred act, needed to get in touch with the Earth and its presences.
Christmas time closure
We will be closed on Christmas time, from December 24th to January 8th included. Season's Greetings.
The local Italian Federation of Indipendent Winegrowers was born
The Tuscan FIVI was born just recently.
FIVI is the acronym of Italian Federation of Independent Winegrowers, association to which we adhere for several years.
This birth comes from the necessity arose between some Tuscan partners, to have the ability to address more local issues: in fact there are several aspects of the wine world that have a regional basis, and that a national association can not (of course) be able to follow . The boost also came from the desire for a more direct comparison with their "neighbors". The exchange of ideas, proposals and experiences that take place more easily and quickly in the small. Then the local these ideas may be bringing the national association (while remaining the fact that each member may still represent himself independently at the FIVI "mother").
To emphasize the absolute adherence to the association originally, it was decided that only who is already a member of the National FIVI can enroll in the Tuscan , following the same admission rules and objectives. Of course, the converse is not true.
Tuscany is still the first region to organize themselves in this way and certainly (we hope) will be the forerunner for other regions. Meanwhile, this project has yet to begin and to grow: we hope it's a positive experience as the original association.
All this comes at a very important time for FIVI that the last period has grown so dizzying in their own ranks.
It could not be otherwise: a large part of the wine in Italy is produced by independent winegrowers (meaning small to medium sized companies who take care personally the production, from the vineyard to the finished bottle). Despite this so far it was a category voiceless, with wine policy dominated by large groups and cooperatives. FIVI was born as the voice of winegrowers and has already achieved some important goals (although the road is still long and winding).
It is important not underestimate FIVI and what has managed to do so far. And that built up to now must be maintained because nothing is taken for granted and the achievements can be dissolved without the commitment of all.
FIVI has managed to hold together so many different souls, all united around the figure of the independent winegrower, without placing stakes on production philosophy that everyone has decided to follow. This is not trivial. The big risk (it is common in Italy) it is to close each in their own small clan, maybe useful on the promotional plan or another but little influence on the political one. Without unity we would also voiceless (where it counts).
We all winegrowers are aiming for a production of excellence, made in respect of the Earth and of our customers. However there may be different ways to try to reach the goal. We all believe deeply in what we chose but it is also important to try to keep an open mind, with no narrow-mindednesse in intransigent positions towards different choices, made with honesty and pointing in the same direction.
For this we sincerely thank the first who believed in and built the FIVI with these principles. Thanks to those we know and respect on person, as Walter Massa and Mario Pojer, and all the others who have shown great commitment and self-sacrifice such as the current president Matilde Poggi and other operating members.
Guado al Melo News 2016 - Year's memories
Here you are the PDF file of our Guado al Melo News 2016. It is in English and German too.
Fifteen harvests at Guado al Melo
The vintage 2016 is our fifteenth harvest. All together we celebrated the event in our usual final lunch.
