{"id":510,"date":"2024-10-09T20:23:36","date_gmt":"2024-10-09T18:23:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enterprisehost.eu\/albinopiona\/?p=510"},"modified":"2024-10-09T20:23:36","modified_gmt":"2024-10-09T18:23:36","slug":"a-rose-revolution-chiaretto","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.albinopiona.it\/en\/a-rose-revolution-chiaretto\/","title":{"rendered":"A ros\u00e8 revolution: Chiaretto"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

www.patriciathomson.net<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the shores of Lake Garda comes Chiaretto, a ros\u00e9 in a lighter shade of pale<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a revolution happening on the shores of Lake Garda, and its foot soldiers are all in ballerina pink. They\u2019re amassing for a ros\u00e9 revolution in Italy\u2019s largest appellation for ros\u00e9 wine, and they\u2019re now 10-million strong and growing. The ros\u00e9 is called Chiaretto di Bardolino (chiaro means light colored), and ground zero for this revolution is the town of Bardolino on Lake Garda\u2019s eastern shore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why ros\u00e9 here?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bardolino wine zone lies just five miles west of Valpolicella\u2014Amarone country, one of the biggest powerhouse reds you could imagine. How is it possible that something so delicate and lithe could be made so near? And using the same grapes, no less? (Mostly corvina and rondinella.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As is often the case in Italy, terroir trumps grapes. Lake Garda is one of five lakes that hang like crystal pendants from the Alps\u2014Maggiore, Lugano, Como, Iseo, and Garda. Each was formed by alpine glaciers that came and went, pushing and carving soils like so many bulldozers. Four glaciers took stones from the Alps and dumped them at the bulbous southern end of Lake Garda, where the climate is more Mediterranean than alpine\u2014warm enough for olives, lemon trees, grape vines, and touristic water parks, which draw 12 million visitors a year\u2014whereas the lake\u2019s northern, fjord-like end has a chill more suited to the pines and chestnuts of the lower Alps. In short: Chiaretto has the benefit of morainic alpine soil in a Mediterranean climate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then there\u2019s the lake\u2019s ceaseless winds. A delight to windsurfers, these are charted in navigational maps crisscrossed with arrows. Viticulturally, they keep the grapes healthy and free of mold, and create a night-time drop in temperature that results in good acidity. Bingo: an ideal microclimate for zippy, refreshing ros\u00e9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ancient Romans had a hand in it, too. When making wine for their troops in northern Italy and France, they used a torchio, or screw press. There being no maceration\u2014that is, extended contact of juice with grape skins, wherein comes the color\u2014\u201call their wines were pink,\u201d explains Angelo Peretti, director of the Consortium for Chiaretto and Bardolino Wine. \u201cHere they didn\u2019t know reds. In the south, they did, because they used the palmento method, of Greek origin. The ancient palmentos used stone vats to make maceration after pressing,\u201d he says. \u201cSo you can understand why the main regions for ros\u00e9 in Italy and France were Roman areas.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jump to the 19th century, and the ros\u00e9 tradition continued. \u201cThe most interesting document dealing with Chiaretto is the Italian vocabulary of the Crusca Academy,\u201d Peretti relates. \u201cIn 1804, there was an edition printed in Verona, in which they inserted about a thousand words coming from the territory of Verona. We find the word chiaretto there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first Chiaretto winemaker we know by name is Pompeo Molmenti, a lawyer and writer who had a vineyard on Lake Garda. In his travels to Provence, he\u2019d developed a taste for their style of ros\u00e9\u2014pale, dry, and aromatic\u2014so when he produced his first ros\u00e9 in 1896, that was his model. Following the lead of Provence winemakers, he eschewed saign\u00e9e, a method that ros\u00e9 fans consider inferior, being a byproduct of red-wine production: In an early stage of fermentation, some grape must is drained from the tanks (saign\u00e9emeans\u2018bleeding\u2019 in French) to create a more concentrated red wine. This drainage is fermented separately, making a ros\u00e9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ros\u00e9 advocates endorse another philosophy: From vineyard to cellar, everything must be calculated to produce the best pink wine possible: where you plant, how you prune, when you harvest, what kind of yields. The ros\u00e9 is not a byproduct, but an end in itself. This, it could be said, was the first ros\u00e9 revolution on Lake Garda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bardolino makeover<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second revolution began in 2008, when the Bardolino consortium hired journalist Angelo Peretti to come up with a game plan for the whole appellation, which subsumes Chiaretto and Bardolino. Sales had been suffering for Bardolino\u2019s namesake red wine, its reputation tarnished by cheap, undistinguished, industrial versions. (Created as a DOC appellation in 1968, Bardolino is an easy-drinking red made from corvina, rondinella, and other local varieties. The best are delightful, with juicy red-berry fruit and pretty aromatics\u2014perfect for lakeside quaffing and summer dining.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Based on his research, Peretti made some radical recommendations. First, prioritize the ros\u00e9. \u201cI told the consortium, \u2018We will invest in Chiaretto.\u2019 They looked at me and asked, \u2018Chiaretto! Are you sure? They didn\u2019t believe in Chiaretto.\u201d But their ros\u00e9 was a blank slate in the wider wine world, with no bad reputation to overcome. And Peretti\u2019s plan showed foresight; over the past five years, ros\u00e9 has enjoyed a sales boom, particularly in the U.S., and Chiaretto has caught that wave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the past five years, ros\u00e9 has enjoyed a sales boom and Chiaretto has caught that wave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cChiaretto is selling because it\u2019s pink,\u201d says Matilde Poggi, owner of the highly regarded La Fraghe winery. \u201cPeople don\u2019t care about the appellation when they buy ros\u00e9. Now our ros\u00e9 is doing well not because it\u2019s Chiaretto, but because it\u2019s ros\u00e9.\u201d Starting two years ago, she upped her ros\u00e9 production to equal that of Bardolino, once her flagship. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another key message of Peretti\u2019s proposal was a call for consistency, starting with Chiaretto\u2019s color\u2014the hallmark of any ros\u00e9. Corvina and rondinella are low in anthocyanins and thus will never make dark, inky red wines. As ros\u00e9s, however, they\u2019d been a range of colors, from watermelon to salmon to powder-puff pink. Acidity, dryness, and other technical aspects varied as well, leaving consumers confused. \u201cI saw, especially in the U.S., that when people saw a darker color, they thought it was sweet,\u201d notes Poggi, who has always made her wines dry, but started making Chiaretto in a paler shade in 2000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winemakers as a whole fell in line with the 2014 vintage, adopting Peretti\u2019s plan. Chiarettos on the market today are pale pink and dry. They typically offer bright acidity, citrus and wild-berry aromas, some floral or herbaceous notes, and occasionally a trace of minerality that\u2019s so typical of alpine wines. (Remember the glaciers.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bardolino\u2019s makeover has meant an overhaul in viticulture as well, with separate vineyards dedicated to pink and red. \u201cIf you aim to produce a good Chiaretto according to the new disciplinario,\u201d says Peretti, referring to the newly created, autonomous Chiaretto di Bardolino DOC, \u201cyou have to grow it in a very different way from the vineyards for Bardolino. Otherwise, you won\u2019t have the right acidity, the right pH, the right sugar level, and so on. And by dividing Chiaretto from Bardolino, nobody will use the saign\u00e9e method again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The other half of Peretti\u2019s plan pertained to the appellation\u2019s reds. He called for the resurrection of Bardolino\u2019s three historic subzones: La Rocca, Montebaldo, and Sommacampagna. Wines labeled as such would meet stricter quality controls and emphasize terroir\u2014much like Beaujolais Cru, a key reference point. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bottom line, the Bardolino region is now identifying itself with ros\u00e9. According to Peretti, \u201cWe aim to reach 15 to 18 million bottles of Chiaretto\u201d\u2014 a serious 50 to 80 percent growth\u2014\u201c6 to 8 million bottles of daily, basic Bardolino, and 2 million bottles of the subzone Bardolino. This is our goal.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Chiaretto sampler<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The number of wineries importing Chiaretto has quadrupled over the past four years, to about 25. More are looking to do business here. When ros\u00e9 season rolls around, give a try to whichever Chiaretto lands in your shop. But keep a lookout for these wineries, among my favorites:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Villabella: This is the Chiaretto that first put Lake Garda ros\u00e9 on my radar. The palest on the market, Villabella\u2019s Chiaretto is nicely aromatic\u2014think wild berry and mandarine zest\u2014with a touch of residual sugar, which manifests as ripe, succulent peach flavors. Villabella is the largest Chiaretto producer, making 95,000 bottles under two labels, Villabella and Villa Cordevigo, an organic single-vineyard ros\u00e9 that comes from their gorgeous 18th century estate (its villa and gardens are a popular wedding spot). Co-owner Franco Cristoforetti is president of the Bardolino Consortium, so he\u2019s fully invested in the region\u2019s makeover. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Le Fraghe: The name of the old farmstead that Matilde Poggi inherited, Le Fraghe, means \u2018strawberries\u2019 in local dialect. Five years after turning her vineyards organic, she found out why: Wild strawberries spontaneously appeared. Clearly, fruit loves this place. \u201cCorvina grows well here,\u201d Poggi says, which is evident across her full range of wines. She\u2019s also a rondinella whisperer, the only winemaker to make a 100 percent version of this spicy, light-colored grape. Combine the two, and you\u2019ve got terrific synergy. Her Chiaretto R\u00f2don offers a noseful of wild rose and strawberry, appealing savory flavors, and a touch of salinity on the finish. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Albino Piona: Another trustworthy name is Albino Piona. Founded in 1893 by its namesake, the winery is now fourth generation, run by four siblings. \u201cWe\u2019ve made Chiaretto from the start, and always a pale version,\u201d says wine director Silvio Piono. They follow the commonly used ratio of 80\/20 corvina\/rondinella, harvesting the grapes a good 10 days earlier than those destined for Bardolino, thereby capturing a tangy acidity. In a cool vintage like 2017, Chiaretto is particularly \u201cfresh and crunchy,\u201d says Piona, and theirs shows good concentration and appealing floral and cherry\/berry aromas.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sparkling Chiaretto<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you ever visit Lake Garda\u2014or Verona or Venice, for that matter\u2014chase down a sparkling Chiaretto. A number of producers make small quantities, but none is exported to the U.S. (Prosecco\u2019s low price makes it difficult to compete in the sparkling niche.) But boy, are they delicious! Chiaretto\u2019s red fruit, floral, and citrus notes get the perfect lift from bubbles. My favorites come from Poggio delle Grazie (above) and Tenuta la Presa. Poggio delle Grazie makes two: one fermented in bottle using dried garganega grapes to kickstart the bubbles, and a Chiaretto Spumante using the Charmat (autoclave) method. Tenuta la Presa\u2019s Qve\u00e9 Magica is magic indeed, with delicate perlage and bright cherry aromas. Perhaps one day these lovelies will come Stateside. As they say in the New York Lottery: Hey, you never know! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"\"\/<\/a><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

www.patriciathomson.net From the shores of Lake Garda comes Chiaretto, a ros\u00e9 in a lighter shade of pale There\u2019s a revolution happening on the shores of Lake Garda, and its foot soldiers are all in ballerina pink. They\u2019re amassing for a ros\u00e9 revolution in Italy\u2019s largest appellation for ros\u00e9 wine, and they\u2019re now 10-million strong and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":511,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"iawp_total_views":29,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-510","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-non-categorizzato"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.albinopiona.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/510","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.albinopiona.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.albinopiona.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.albinopiona.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.albinopiona.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=510"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.albinopiona.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/510\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":512,"href":"https:\/\/www.albinopiona.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/510\/revisions\/512"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.albinopiona.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/511"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.albinopiona.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=510"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.albinopiona.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=510"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.albinopiona.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=510"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}