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Da Vinci Winery makes its own press - 2007/05/09 13:34
I met with Giovanni Nencini, of Da Vinci Winery a few weeks ago to taste and talk about his wines. Giovanni is in charge of traveling the world promoting the Da Vinci label. As we talk, his pride, passion, and excitement about the wine is evident.
I ask him about the movie Da Vinci Code and if the winery had any idea that there would be so much hype about a book and movie that bears the name of their wine. "We just lucked out . . . there is such a fuss about this book and movie, but when you go to any emerging market, people know Leonardo, not the book. In some markets we use a self portrait of Leonardo instead."
The label and the book emerged around the same time, but Nencini points out that this was just happenstance. "The label [referring to Da Vinci's artwork] we stared about three years ago. The name has been used by the producer since 1961. We trademarked the name in the early sixties. We are in the town of Vinci."
Dan Brown's book enjoys phenomenal success, but Da Vinci Winery doesn't need to ride on anyone's coattails. Nencini tells me about Da Vinci Winery's milestone event, an event that positioned them in the global market.
"The wine was well known in Italy first. Then in 2001 we won the 'Wine Challenge,' which is the largest competition in the world. We were awarded the Best Red Value Wine Of The Year. The wine must be priced under 6 English Pounds [about $11 USD]. It is so competitive and since it was a Chianti that won, it sent a message to the world about what we were doing."
"We stared in early 1990 making a new world Chianti, a young Chianti. This award told us that the best restaurants in England wanted the new world style. We are recognized for the young wine. You can make a great Reserva by cutting back production, but it is different to make a great young wine. This is a modern wine and people ask, 'Did you make it for the American palate?'"
He goes on to explain that this Chianti is not just for the American market because the expectations of people are changing. "I used to have an aperitif before dinner, which was never wine, but now it is common place." He talks about the culture of food and wine and how people used to drink mixed drinks and liquor before a meal. "Italians look at food with drinks." Now the culture of food focuses on food and wine.
The difference between new world and old world is apparent in flavor and longevity. One unmistakable difference is the extremely fruit-forward flavors of the new world. The old world has always struggled with ripeness and in most years has plenty of acidity. Ripeness and acidity have an inverse relationship, which is why old world wines have always used acidity as their moniker. Nenechi talks about the challenges of making a modern Chianti. "New world is about phenolics. They worry about too much ripeness. We have good acid, but we need to bring grapes to ripeness or the acidity will be too aggressive."
With one sip of the Da Vinci Winery Chianti you'll taste the ripeness necessary to be in the new world arena. These are very approachable wines that shed the old acidic, mouth-puckering profile of Chianti. Rich in fruit flavors, they still look to sangiovese as their signature grape showing that tradition and forward thinking can create a fine bottle of wine.
Read Da Vinci wine reviews.
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