You can now have a taste of Montalcino here in the Philippines
In this article about her trip to the Pacenti wine estate in the Montalcino region in Italy, Margaux Salcedo takes us through the history of the Siro Pacenti wine and the incredible winemaking process of Giancarlo Pacenti, who is considered to be the best winemaker in the appellation of Brunello di Montalcino.
Margaux visited the Pacenti wine estate in early May. She shares in her article how impressed she was at the hands-on care that Giancarlo provides for their vineyard. He personally tends to the field to check on their grapes; he also decides which seed to plant and when to harvest in each plot of their land.
Barbara Torriti, who is in charge of Siro Pacenti’s exports, explains, “Each plot is different. The rain is different, the soil may be different so the harvest will be different. The same grape that you plant in one plot can result in a very different wine if you plant it in another.”
Giancarlo is the son of Siro Pacenti, a mathematician and physicist, who founded the label and planted vineyards in the family estate in 1971.
During the 90s, Giancarlo went to Bordeaux and worked in a vineyard. He also took the time to study the agricultural and manufacturing philosophies behind winemaking in Bordeaux. And today, he is recognized for his innovations in wine production in Italy. Giancarlo invests in technology while making sure to respect winemaking traditions.
Moreover, at Siro Pacenti, grapes are selected both by hand and by machine, and over 200 grape berries are personally selected by their staff. They also ensure sanitation and control during the three-week process of fermentation.
No wonder Siro Pacenti is highly respected when it comes to Brunello, the noblest expression of the Sangiovese grape.
The Brunello of Siro Pacenti is best known for its elegance and incredible capacity for aging. However, Siro Pacenti’s Rosso di Montalcino is just as excellent.
“People in the past thought that Rosso is the poor brother of Brunello,” Barbara said. “But Rosso is also a good wine. We produce our Rosso from the same grapes used to produce our Brunello, the Sangiovese. The only difference is that the Brunello is DOCG and the Rosso is DOC. So the Rosso we can release after two years, while [with] the Brunello, we need to wait five years.”
Margaux shares that her visit to Siro Pacenti has definitely given her a deeper appreciation for Brunello and Rosso di Montalcino, but the best part is that these wines are now available here in the Philippines at Artisan Cellar Door in Makati City.
via Inquirer / Margaux Salcedo
