Artisanal Wine
The Animals
Fruit and Vegetables
Artisanal Wine
A Labour of Love
Our dear grandfather, Pietro Albertazzi
Our vast and abundant vineyard was the pride and joy of grandpa Pietro. We still have many photos of him, always in front of a bright summer sky with the vineyard behind him.
The photos date back to the early sixties, when the cowherds still existed and the stables were full of cows named after Hollywood actresses. It was a time when the fields were all full of fruit trees and when the farm was the livelihood of the family.
With the passing of time and following the gradual exodus to the city, the vineyard has undergone some changes since those golden days. It is not as extensive as it once was and a part of the vines has been reserved for table grapes, though the biggest part is still used for producing wine grapes.
Uncle Franco and Grandpa Pietro in front of the old stables
After Grandpa Pietro retired, our uncle Franco took up the management of the vineyard. Later, after uncle Franco left us, it passed on to our father, Carlo (known to all as Lino).
After a few decades, our father was no longer able to take care of the vineyard alone. He decided that it was time pass it on, a very painful decision considering its beautiful history and all the love and hard work that had been put into it. So we discussed the situation together and decided to reduce the size and that Roberto and Davide would dedicate as much time as they could to keeping the tradition alive, a difficult responsibility even after the downsizing that requires passion and dedication.
The vines as they were under Grandpa Pietro's management
Our vineyard currently consists of Pignoletto and Lambrusco grapes for making wine, along with a row of table grapes. We take care of every aspect of the vineyard ourselves, including the planting, pruning and harvesting, as well as the production of wine made exclusively from our grapes and by traditional organic means.
The winery as it was before the restoration
Our wine gets better every year, as our customers have attested, and it has even been praised by sommeliers for its exceptional perfumes.
The winery, which has been restored to a high standard, is still equipped with the traditional wine-making instruments, and we are perfectly content to keep it that way. We believe that our wine is perfect as it is; made in the good old-fashioned, natural way without any complicated modern tools. Our wine is so natural that its taste can tell us whether the winter was mild or cold. We don’t use chemical products, either to protect the vines or in the wine-making process.
The Animals
Our Little Creatures
Chiara with a baby rabbit
We keep chickens and rabbits on our farm, and on the edge of the fields close to a stream we have also made a home for some bees, who make us lovely acacia, mixed flower and chestnut honey.
Hens feeding
Our free-range hens have always been a fundamental feature of the farm, providing us with a fresh supply of an important ingredient in our traditional family recipe for the famous ‘Bianconera’ cake. Fresh eggs are also a vital part of the most famous Bolognese dishes such as tortellini, lasagne and ricotta-filled tortelloni.
The specialities of Bolognese cuisine, as well as our special family recipes, have been passed down through the generations.
Unfortunately, as we are located within a large national park, we very occasionally receive an unwelcome visit from Mr. Fox!
The surrounding forest is in fact populated by many different wild animals, including wolves, wild boar and deer.
Fruit and Vegetables
The Fruits of Our Labour
Zoe with a basket of freshly-picked blackberries
In the fields bordering the farmhouses we have many kinds of fruit trees; apple, cherry, persimmon, fig and walnut.
Fruits of the Forest
Emma and Paolo among the raspberry plants
We recently planted an orchard of forest fruits which has already begun to yield very satisfying results. We have even started making the first blackberry and raspberry jams, which have turned out exquisitely.
Other Fruit
We are now planning to install an irrigation system to see if we can further increase our harvest.
The Vegetable Garden
We have a terraced vegetable garden with tomatoes, courgettes, aubergines and aromatic herbs, to name a few.
