Piccini

Piccini- one of the most prominent wine producers from Tuscany has such a diverse portfolio that a wine lover could take a couple of years to get properly acquainted with it. I realized this during my visit to their various estates in 2016, tasting several wines with none other than Mario Piccini, the fourth generation Managing Director of the firm.

Two of their wines in particular evoked my interest during that time- both of them coming from the Torre Mora estate in the Etna DOC in Sicily. The wines- Scalunera Etna DOC Bianco and Rosso not only expressed their famed volcanic terroir  but also its typical grape varietals. I also wondered if we could get these wines in India, being somewhat niche.

It seems that the wine Gods were reading my thoughts, as both the wines have indeed arrived in India. The wines will augment Piccini’s already existing portfolio in the country that includes their Chianti range, a Prosecco and a Brunello di Montalcino. Noteworthy to mention is that Piccini wines are represented in India by Prestige Wines and Spirits, a prominent wine importer of the country.

Tuscany and Beyond: The story of Piccini

Located in the heart of the famed Chianti Classico region of Tuscany, Tenute Piccini was founded in 1882 by Angiolo Piccini and his wife Maria Teresa Totti with merely 7 hectares of vineyards to begin with. Today the family owned business has more than 400 hectares of vineyards spread across their five estates- Fattoria di Valiano in Chianti Classico, Tenuta Moraia in Maremma (coastal Tuscany), Villa al Cortile in Montalcino (producing Brunello wines), Regio Cantina in Basilicata (specialized in Aglianico del Vulture wines) and now the newly acquired Torre Mora estate that produces the Etna DOC wines we are talking about. It is highly justified then, for Piccini to proudly proclaim their principal value as: “grounded to the Tuscan land and its traditions but not bounded by it”.

Unique Wines

Mount Etna in Sicily is an exceptional place to produce wines owing to its fertile volcanic soil. Etna D.O.C. is situated very close to the volcano on its north, east and south slopes. Much of these slopes are covered with crops and natural vegetation among which grape vines are the most prominent ones.

Piccini’s Torre Mora estate is divided into two plots that extend over 13 hectares on the North-Eastern side of Mount Etna.  According to the winemaker, their estate  is inspired by the perfect match between the native varietals and Mount Etna, focussing on sustainability, organic viticulture, traditional methods of winemaking, typical varietal characteristics and respect for the local culture.

Mount Etna is the largest active volcano in Europe and one of the world’s most frequently erupting volcanoes.

The Torre Mora estate produces three variants of the Scalunera label viz. Bianco, Rosato and Rosso; as also Torre Mora Etna Rosso DOC, which is a blend of both the vineyard plots. Out of these, Torre Mora Scalunera Etna DOC Bianco and Rosso have been introduced in India.

Scalunera” means “a flight of steps” in Sicilian dialect. The label is inspired by the terraces of Lava stone on which Piccini’s Torre Mora vineyards are planted.

The New Wines

We (a small group of people from the wine trade) sampled the newly introduced wines around an “Italian trattoria lunch”at La Piazza Hyatt Regency, one of Delhi’s oldest Italian restaurants. Piccini’s globetrotting Sommelier Alessandro Nesi arrived specially for the purpose, sharing many insights about the wines while interacting with each guest.

The afternoon started with Piccini Prosecco, going on to Scalunera Bianco and Rosso, their Valiano estate Chianti Classico and finally their Villa al Cortile Brunello di Montalcino. Having tasted the other wines on numerous occasions earlier, I will restrict myself to describing the newbies i.e. the Scalunera wines in this space.

What’s so special?

Torre Mora Scalunera Etna DOC Bianco (MRP ₹ 4500)

For one, the Scalunera Bianco (95% Carricante, 5% Catarratto) had a clean yet complex nose which expands on the palate in the same demeanor. If I co-relate it with more common wines, I would describe it as closer to a cold climate Chardonnay but with a much higher degree of complexity. The wine had remarkably balanced acidity which gave it a “steely” structure accompanied by stone fruit flavours and a mineral finish. At the lunch, I tried the wine with antipasti, Pizza Margherita and Tortellini in Parmesan cream sauce. The wine handled the light as well as creamy food with equal ease. It turned out my best wine for the day, even with the powerful reds around.

Torre Mora Scalunera Etna DOC Rosso (MRP ₹ 4500)

This deep ruby medium bodied red wine (95% Nerello Mascalese and 5% Nerello Cappucio ) was soft on the palate with a good structure, flavours of red berries and a spicy-smoky finish. Co-relating with more common wines again, I would equate it with a Granache wine or even a Grenache-Syrah-Mourvedre (GSM) blend with a predominance of Granache. In short, Scalunera Etna DOC Rosso is a friendly wine possible to be enjoyed on its own but ideally with some savoury food. At the lunch, I tried it with Pizza Pepperoni and Tagliatelle Lamb Ragu and enjoyed it to the hilt. The pairing somewhat reminded me the fabulous Pinci Pasta that I enjoyed in Piccini’s  Villa al Cortile estate in Montalcino back in 2016.

A diverse offering by Piccini in India

Sumit Sehgal, Director Prestige Wines and Spirit  shared on the occasion that their selection of the Piccini “bouquet” for India aims at offering something for everyone. Hence their wines range from ₹ 900 to ₹ 8000 with wide options for both retail and restaurants. For example, he cited  Piccini’s Valiano Estate Chianti Classico – a mid price range wine- as good for restaurants  while the Brunello di Montalcino being available only “on trade” for wine aficionados. Likewise, their Chianti DOCG is available in both channels and has been a good volume generator. Lately, Piccini Merlot and Chardonnay have been the value wines for parties, by the glass and banquets.

Torre Mora wines from Piccini will be interesting for deep rooted wine lovers, especially for consumers who are looking for unique grapes. To start with, these wines will be available in select restaurants and for private clients only.

– Sumit Sehgal, Director Prestige Wines and Spirits

On enquiring if there were more wines from Piccini being considered for India, Sumit did not negate the possibility but preferred to maintain it as an element of surprise and excitement for the future.

An excitement that passionate wine lovers would always welcome.

The difference between a wine producer and a fashion designer is that the latter can produce something good for 24 months, after which a new design is necessitated. In contrast, a grapevine planted today will bear fruit not earlier than 4 years, with the wine being available for consumption in another 2-3 years. Wine hence, is always a long term perspective.

These words of Mario Piccini came fresh to my mind as I shared lunch with him on a pleasant November afternoon in New Delhi. Barely a few months back Mario had made this interesting comparison during my one-on-one conversation with him  in Castellina in Chianti from where he presides over his wine empire, exporting to 72+ countries worldwide.

Back then, Mario had signed off with a promise to visit India in November 2016 and invite me to share a meal with him. True to his stature, the promise was kept and I received a special invite from Prestige Wines and Spirits- Piccini’s importer in India- requesting me to attend a lunch with him during his day long visit to New Delhi.

My conversation with Mario Piccini featured in this post largely took place in his Valiano estate in Chianti, but I waited to gather some more ‘pearls’ during his then upcoming India visit. I was not disappointed as I was able to capture this video where Mario raises a toast to the cultural affinity between India and Italy.

The Interview

What enthuses you about the Indian market for wine that brings you to the country on your maiden visit?

Mario Piccini (MP): When we last met in Tuscany, I had mentioned about the relevance of  long term perspective applicable to wine. In the Indian context, though the initial market size may be small,  I would still like to invest resources in the country for the promise that it holds. We would like to do that largely through customer education initiatives- by having brand ambassadors who can present our wines in the right fit of Indian culture and cuisine.

What would you like to see as changing in India related to the wine business atmosphere apart from the all obvious travails of taxation?

MP: Addressing the high taxation issue  remains an important issue, because one can always guide people on drinking wine but not put money in their hands to buy it.

The other important thing is to create an impression that wine is more about culture than plain indulgence. Wine is all about sharing good moments with friends, acting as a social binder. Needless to mention, it  also brings extra value to one’s dining experience.

I would like to see such a culture developing in India. The need of the hour is to guide wine lovers  not only on what to drink, but how to drink ! We would like to see a whole range of Indian food being paired with our wines. As my experience holds, a Tandoori Chicken goes really well with a nice Rosé wine .

When I was 6 years old, my grandmother would make a concoction of wine with water in a 20:80 ratio and offer it to me with some bread at ‘Merenda’ – a meal time between lunch and dinner  in Italy . This gives an idea of  how closely wine is integrated in the Italian culture.

Coming to Indian food, which are your favourite preparations? Apart of course from the Tandoori Chicken that you just mentioned.

MP: I love Indian food and have tried many preparations. I do not remember the exact names but I can describe a particular mutton dish which had lemon, mint and some curry served with lemon rice on the side. I also like various vegetable and chicken preparations and Indian breads like ‘Naan’. In fact this Saturday I will be in London and have asked my daughter to book a table for us in one of the Indian restaurants in that city.

Being a major producer from Tuscany, what is your take on traditional versus Super Tuscan wines?

MP: I think each of them is in its own league. The old denomination Chianti, Chianti Classico, Brunello, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano etc are the important foundation of Tuscany’s heritage. They have been around for hundreds of years and are uncompromising.

Super Tuscan wines on the other hand prove the versatility of terroir . They are just to give an idea on how to become contemporary in history. A 100% Sangiovese as Brunello or arriving at a beautiful blend of Sangiovese with Cabernet like Sassicaia both work very well. My perspective on such innovations is that as long as these give stimulation to the producer to go for something better on quality and consumer appeal, they always turn out good.

I happened to try one such innovation as a wine produced by you called Memoro Rosso. What was the idea behind it?

MP: We created the Memoro label to convey the idea that quality cannot solely be defined through Denomination of Origin. Under the sun and nature anything is possible- variable being the human penchant for innovation. In Memoro Rosso, the idea was to have a quality reunion of different grapes produced in large volumes in different regions of Italy. Hence we have a blend comprising of 40% dried late harvest Primitivo di Manduria, 20% Nero d’Avola to render the fruit (plums, cherries, strawberries), 20% barrel aged Montepulciano di Abruzzo to impart the structure and 10 % Merlot del Veneto for light and fresh flavours.

Further, consider this overwhelming scenario of wine service:

With Memoro Rosso, we intended to alleviate  situations similar to the aforesaid and offer a wine that even a novice can order as an “Italian Red Wine”.  At the same time, we wanted to create a blend that is easy to pair with a variety of cuisine.

Being present in various regions of Italy, does Piccini have any expansion plans into other Italian wine regions?

MP: We are indeed exploring some other areas within Italy for our next generation. Tonight I am leaving for one of the prospective regions with my son Michelangelo (smiles) though I have asked him whether he would agree to pay for the proposed new venture.

Organic wines are being accorded a lot of importance in these times. What has Piccini’s approach been towards these?

MP: We have gone about organic viticulture in a big way. We feel that the focus should not just be to maximize production through factoring every resource available to us in the modern times. They have to be analysed with due consideration towards sustainability. I think that in the next 10 years, everybody will have to revert to earlier days of organic farming irrespective of around 15% of production getting lost in the bargain. As for Piccini, majority of our estates viz. Chianti Classico , Brunello, Aglianico, Bolgheri and Etna are in their 3rd year of organic adaptation. By the next harvest (2017) all our wines will be produced organically .

What about biodynamic wines? Do you think they are good idea?

MP: For producers with large vineyard areas, biodynamic wines are not easy to manage- their suitability restricted to little parcels in the current day . The logical costs involved in producing these wines push them beyond the reach of the average wine consumer. Since wine is more of a social than a classy drink it is important to keep costs in check so that it can remain affordable to the majority of wine lovers.

That said, biodynamic wines are in a distinct niche and a wonderful option for people who can afford to buy them. But until the costs are optimized, their relevance will only be restricted to a select few.

Did you know?
Piccini’s striking orange label was adapted as a consequence of a debate between Mario and his sister Martina who wanted to incorporate red and yellow colours respectively. Elisa, the youngest of Piccini siblings intervened and made them settle on an orange label that has ever since become a hallmark of Piccini’s Chianti wines .

How do you think that the global climate change has been affecting your vineyards? What measures have you incorporated to counter its effect?

MP: When I was a little child, I remember that we had harvest in Chianti Classico region during end October- early November. Today the global warming has pushed harvest timings to at least fifteen days in advance, at times even a month. These changing patterns have made us to adapt  measures like choosing the right clones to plant and incorporating sufficient foliage to protect the grapes from harsh UV rays. Earlier we would go to the vineyards in September to prune excess foliage, but if we do it in today’s climate, we would only be doing passito wines (laughs).

I remember my father worrying  before harvest every year  “Is this year going to be difficult?”. The difference is that today we worry “How difficult is this year going to be?”

But has the fruit quality been affected because of climate change.

MP: It is precisely to maintain the fruit quality that we have gone back to the organic way of farming. We have been spending more time in the vineyards than the winery- to continuously check the crop as to when it is ready for harvesting.

There are also situations where we cannot do much, like in case of the thin skinned Sangiovese grapes getting damaged beyond redemption during heavy rains. However, we have to take things in our stride.  To look at the positive side, we treat each vintage as a different baby that develops in mother nature’s womb and comes out at the right time with its unique identity among billions of beings.

Mario Piccini’s philosophy of  life
Unfortunately we do not know how our respective lives will finally belong , but one can surely decide how large it can be. The person who lives more is actually the person who has happy memories. Every morning I wake up, I consider it as my first day. I want to learn everything possible in that day.

Photo Feature: Piccini Wines

Pinci Pasta at Villa Al Cortile

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Avant garde food and wine pairings are a foregone conclusion when you break bread with a sommelier, specially one with a strong pedigree. Alessandro Nesi works for the Tuscany based Piccini – wines since 1882, and was in India for a 5 month stint with the Piccini’s importers, Prestige Wines and Spirits Pvt Ltd. Alessandro’s brief was simple – to disseminate the essence of Italian wine and food in India – and he travelled from Delhi & Gurgaon to Chennai, Goa and Mumbai leaving the fine dine loving Indian in awe.

I was invited to share a meal with Alessandro by Sumit Sehgal, CEO Prestige.  I readily accepted in anticipation of the opportunity to exchange notes with a professional from the land of pastas, tomatoes, herbs and fromaggio- all very discreet ingredients for pairing with wines that he perhaps understood the best.

An Italian speciality restaurant in New Delhi – 28 The Capri was the venue for our rendezvous where Alessandro arrived with Sumit and his Marketing Manager, Sarang Kumar. We started off  like a Golf “fourball” – goblets and plates substituting the tees.

The wines

Given our time constraints, Alessandro selected two wines from the Piccini portfolio. We warmed up with a customary standalone tasting, as we browsed through the menu.

Piccini Pinot Grigio 2013

Pinot Grigio is known for its light but refined temperament and Piccini has preserved this essence. The varietal grows mostly in the cooler regions of North-eastern Italy, most prominently in Veneto. This wine has been produced with an affiliated winery in Veneto, to save the significant logistical challenge of transporting the fragile berries. With floral and subtle stone-fruit notes, the wine is all about freshness, whilst maintaining its easy going demeanour. This wine can be enjoyed even subconsciously while poring over a book or amid intense discussions at a working lunch.

Piccini Toscana Rosso

Alessandro suggested that this could be Chianti’s younger sibling owing to its Sangiovese dominated character in the blend of Malvasia Nera and Cillegiolo. The wine had delicious red fruit aromas, earthy undertones, a medium body and very supple tannins. A hard core red wine lover would desire more structure, if enjoyed on its own. But exploring it with food could reveal its dexterity to match its cousins in Chianti with equal aplomb.

Our lunch

We ‘teed off’ and ordered what each one of us thought would be probable matches from the menu. With the crisp Pinot Grigio, I chose the Caesar Salad with Bacon and Parmesan, while Alessandro preferred the Greek Salad with Feta, and Sumit and Sarang went for Grilled Chicken Bruschetta. Each of these dishes had some connect with the wine, and I discovered that good pairings can be bettered too, as the tangy and creamy character of the feta on Alessandro’s plate matched far better with the wine, than the bacon and parmesan on mine.

Next up, the pastas and pizza with the red. Alessandro ordered Pasta Barberesco and I went neck in neck with a Pasta Primavera. Sumit and Sarang provided a different dimension with the savoury All Chicken Pizza. The texture of the pastas being the same, the flavours ranged from vegetal to herbal and spice. And both pastas were equally good with the wine. The thin crust pizza with its savoury topping providing a nice angle to the overall meal that we all shared.

Wine is my calling

As the conversation winded through the meal, Alessandro’s wine story came across as absolute passion personified. I felt more to his personality than classic Italian charm. Inspite of clocking 20 years in the trade, he showed great composure despite his deceptive youthful appearance. He started in the trade without formal education, and studied at the prestigious FISAR Sommelier School after realizing his true calling. His approach towards wine changed and he transcended from mere technicalities to a deeper focus on appreciation, with a special focus on the consumer. And that, he believes, has made him relate to his wine customer better.

In Italy, Alessandro’s typical workday involves travelling to the various estates of the company, helping the wine maker choose blends and contributing to winery works. He also takes care of the promotion of the Piccini portfolio at tasting events and international fairs. His favourite wines from Italy are Chianti and Franciacorta. From outside of home, he has several favourites but bets strongly on Porto wines. Considering how young the Indian wine industry is, Alessandro feels that Indian wines are pretty decent, but has not tried enough to have a favourite.

On the Indian wine landscape

Speaking about his Indian séjour, he found the restaurants that were on his itinerary well prepared and very interested in continuous learning. On the wine storage front, he believes that a lot needs to be done. “I found very different situations regarding storage. Wine requires specific storage conditions viz. no light, temperature control, horizontal storage for cork closed bottles etc. As this represents high costs, many businesses are unable absorb them.” But he is optimistic though, and feels that as the wine culture grows in India, people will get more and more particular about their wines and things will be better.

I asked him the burning question, what about his best pairings with Indian food. He believes that spiciness is the main challenge, and wines that are rich in perfume, with low acidity and soft or no tannins would pair well. He vouches strongly for an extra dry Prosecco or an ‘appassimento’ (high residual sugar wine made from shriveled grapes) as complementary to Indian food.

The course ‘played’, and all players scoring well, it was time to pose for the ‘clubhouse’ photos. I insisted that Alessandro put on the elegant stole around his neck that he entered with, rather than his Sommelier’s jacket. Sure enough, the classic Italian charm reflected on the photo too!

(This writing has been adapted from my original work in vino india– news views and reviews from the market for wine in India)