The guardians of memory: Foglia Tonda, Pugnitello and Barsaglina - article on bibenda.it

16 Feb The guardians of memory: Foglia Tonda, Pugnitello and Barsaglina – article on bibenda.it

Posted at 12:57h in Press, Wines of the Past by Mannucci Droandi

One of the feelings that always excites me most in wine are those that manufacturers give me in my meetings with them … I have the privilege to taste the wines of memory that a large family has recovered managing to get varietal wines gives me hope that in Italy all is not lost and that people with a big heart who believe in diversity as wealth still exist.

This the story of Roberto Giulio Droandi. Since the early 90s, in the old vineyards, in abandoned fields, we try varieties that have been lost memory that make up the heritage of grapes of Tuscany, immense and at risk of erosion. To help save it, we planted these vines “found” in two experimental vineyards, the grapes microvinificato and verified quality. Some results are so interesting that we decided to imbottigliarne wine. The awareness of having been the first to present them on the market by the feeling of a duty fulfilled in the whole Tuscan territory, the pleasure and pride to bring something back to life by a too distant past: a thrill for the senses . The whole company since 2003 is entirely run Organically.

For a decade, the company works with the Arezzo Section Experimental Institute for Viticulture of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry: at first with projects aimed at the development of methods for monitoring and fighting against fungal or parasitic weeds such as powdery mildew and moth, in order to minimize the use of chemical products in view of an eco-compatible viticulture (currently not used in company fungicides of chemical synthesis, while for fertilizing uses only organic fertilizers); later with the implantation of an experimental vineyard face the “Preservation of grapevine germplasm of the Province of Arezzo” (as stated in the authorization of Regione Toscana), where old vines were planted a popular time in the area and now risk of extinction.

Pugnitello is a Tuscan grape variety, originally from the Grosseto Province, whose name was not be found in contemporary works of the grape variety or the past. One can only assume that the name “Pugnitello” comes from the shape of the bunch, which is small and reminiscent of the fist.

The Barsaglina is a Tuscan grape variety, originally from diMassa Province Carrara, described for the first time in the Agrarian Bulletin Mass of 1874.
The Foglia Tonda is a Tuscan grape variety, originally from the Siena Province, described for the first time by Di Rovasenda in 1877.

All three of these rare products bottled in small amounts are likely to un’invecchiamento cellar appropriate, will be a pleasure to discover every year as you evolve.