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Pietro “Piero” Tomassini
has been producing specialty wines out of his home for over 50 years.
Tomassini’s uncle taught him the process when he was about
35 and he first felt the passion for it. He is carrying on the tradition
with his son.
Tomassini’s specialties are Vino di Visciole, or “wine
of cherries,” and Vin Santo, or “sacred wine.”
Both of these wines take a long time and a human touch to be done
correctly. |
It has to be done the right way,
by hand, to make it better,” Tomassini said. When produced
industrially, the Vino di Visciole is not even called by the same
name since it is not of the same high quality as Tomassini’s.
It is produced faster and it is not allowed to age for the required
year.
The visciola, or wild cherry native to certain mountainous regions,
such as Cagli, makes the Vino di Visciole a rare specialty. In comparison
to the ciliegio, a common cherry tree in Cagli, the leaves and berries
of the visciola are considerably smaller.
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The visciole are harvested at the end of June or beginning of July
when the berries are very ripe. The riper they are, the more water
they lose, leaving more substance to the cherry.
The cherries are then mashed into a pulp, but avoiding the poisonous
nut inside. The cherries must be mashed so that the nut is not fractured;
otherwise the poisonous substance will be released into the pulp.
Once the pulp is created, it is added to a base of wine, alcohol,
and sugar.
The wine used in the base must be a good red from the previous year,
or the recipe will not work. Tomassini says that a “good red”
is stamped with D.O.C., which signifies controlled origin and certifies
a higher quality. He also states that it must be corposo, or have
body.
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From the numerous personal vineyards
around Cagli, one might assume that the wine used in this recipe
would also be home produced, but this in fact is not the case. In
the area around Cagli, wine is very acidic and of low quality, according
to Tomassini. This is why he procures a “good red,”
to produce his dessert wine. |
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After the contents are put in a covered container with a wide
mouth, the essences of cinnamon, clove and nutmeg are added. According
to Tomassini, every home wine maker has a specialty. Some pick the
visciole sooner or later depending on how sweet they want the wine,
and some use more or less nutmeg or cinnamon.
The wine is placed somewhere of moderate temperature, usually 25º
to 30º C, to allow the fermentation to occur. It then must be stirred
every day for 50 to 60 days before it is filtered and allowed to
rest. It sits like this for 20 to 30 days and then is bottled.
The wine requires aging. It does not go bad, so the longer it is
allowed to sit in a dark room and in a dark bottle, the better.
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The visciole are ready to pick by the beginning of July. “This
year was pretty cold though, so there won’t be as many cherries
as other years,” Tomassini said. He normally produces about
70 bottles per year.
While the Vino di Visciole takes a considerable amount of time to
produce and age, the Vin Santo takes even longer. The Vin Santo
is the “sacred wine,” and according to Tomassini, it
was formerly made to be used only by priests for Mass.
This wine uses a special grape that is harvested at the end of October
and must be allowed to dry until February. Then the grapes are mashed
and combined with la madre, which is the past year’s sediment.
It is known as la madre because it generates the new wine.
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The ingredients must be closed securely so air cannot get in.
A tube is then attached to a jug that sits in a container of water
to allow for the gas to escape for one year. After a year, the lid
is removed and the contents are poured into another container.
It is important to transfer the liquid carefully, so as not to disturb
the sediment. The wine is then bottled, but it must sit for another
full year before use. Like the Vino di Visciole, the longer the
wine is aged, the better it will be.
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These wines are considered specialties because they are not made
in large quantities and because it is necessary to produce them
by hand to ensure a superior product. Tomassini, like other home
wine makers, said he is unhappy about the industrialization of his
“hobby.”
“They do it just to make money; I do it because it is my
passion,” Tomassini said. He also said he believes that the
industrialization of the wine reflects a change in life. “Today
we all want everything, and we want it now,” he said.
Tomassini is keeping the tradition alive by passing it on to his
son. Tomassini and his wife are relocating from their home in the
hills of New Cagli to a 14th-century house in Old Cagli, which contains
a larger cellar. The move will allow him to continue his art.
Their son, who has been observing the process over the years, will
inherit their previous home and cellar and will begin his own tradition
of home wine making there.
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There currently aren’t any
contests or awards given for these specialty wines, but Tomassini
is interested in creating one. Next year, Tomassini said he hopes
to create a contest in which local restaurants will be given wild
mushrooms and must produce the best recipe with them. He hopes to
accompany it with a contest for the best Vino di Visciole.
Aside from making wine, he is involved with the associations of
wild mushroom pickers and blood donors, and he attends the University
of the Third Age for retired people.
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