Abode2 meets the Italian Torti Wines dynasty

12.06.16

Abode2 meets Dino Torti of the celebrated Italian Torti Wines dynasty and discovers what true passion for the vine can deliver.

Dino Torti, award-winning winegrower in Montecalvo Versiggia is a man with vintage passion. The proud owner, and rightly so, of a vast estate in the heart of Lombardy dedicated to the cultivation of exquisite wines; it’s clear to see that the Torti way of life is one characterised by love, dedication and zeal - a succession of family members, who, down the generations, have tended the vines and nurtured the terrain.

Today, production of the Torti D.O.C selection includes classic grapes such as Pinot Nero, Pinot Noir traditional in red, also vinified in white, sparkling Chardonnay, Barbera and the Croatina for the Bonarda wine, not to mention the zesty Pinot Nero encapsulated in the vineyard’s crisp, classic selection of whites and in their delicious sparkling Spumante.

Wine-production embraces both modern and traditional methods from state-of-the-art pneumatic presses to age-oaked barrels, from barriques to ultra-modern equipment for bottling and labelling, as well as hand-crafted cellar racks where the wines can slumber to the point of peak quaffability.

As for the vineyard terrain - breathtaking is an understatement – undulating trammelled fields composed of limestone, loam and clay, characterised by a salubrious climate and refreshed by the maritime breezes wafting in from Liguria. Airy and cool during the summer, crisp and dry in winter, the vines, adds Dino “are even lightly caressed by gentle mists from the Po Valley. It all adds to the depth and complexity of taste.”

“In fact wines have been cultivated here for more than three thousand years,” he adds. “We can see this by the abundance of ancient wooden wine casks unearthed in the region. In the Middle Ages, when stately castles started to appear in greater numbers, the quality of wine in the area also began to improve. Today, the vineyard’s prime location between the North Pole and the Equator puts us on the 45^th parallel. It’s actually here where the longest harvest in Italy takes place: first the Pinot Noir for sparkling wine is gathered, then the white grapes such as Chardonnay, and finally the fulsome reds including Barbara and Croatina. It’s a splendid succession every season and long may it continue.”