Lorenzo Corino

TRADITION IS NOT ABOUT WORSHIPING THE ASHES BUT PROTECTING THE FIRE

I met Lorenzo Corino a few months ago after doing some research in natural winemaking practices, of the real non-bs type. We sat at his dinner table for a couple of hours sharing stories, ideals and visions for the future, talking about his wines. Lorenzo has been a researcher in viticultural and farming practices for a long time, with over 90 publications in the field over national and international projects so he definitely knows his stuff. He recently published a book called “L’essenza del vino” which summarises his experience, his approach to winemaking and portrays a new way of re-thinking our relationship with the land and the environment. I just finished the book and I am going to share with you 6 main points that he refers to in order to define natural wine:

-The land suitable to produce these wines must contain a clear environmental variability including within the specific vineyard cultivation. A tasting… in the vineyard.

-The soil used for vineyards must meet the requirement of flora and animals biodiversity including a convenient biological quality assessment (SBQ).

-The cultivated varieties should correspond to criteria of the area’s culture, history and that of local tradition. -The cultivation practices must underpin the principles of organic agriculture* (EU law on bio is not adequate).

-The grapes in the cellar must be naturally managed up until wine is produced: producers must absolutely avoid any process, addition, subtraction or anything else that counters the natural process of obtaining and maturing the wines. Clearly this applies to SO2 as well.

-The company must remain artisan-sized to allow the entrepreneur to personally follow the stages of production. Indicatively, the threshold should be at less than 50,000 bottles produced.

-The book is easy to read so grab your copy and get in touch, we’d love to hear your opinion!

Thank you Lorenzo for your hospitality, and keep it up.

It goes without saying, Lorenzo’s wines are going to be featured in our Wine Club, so sign up NOW!