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Story by Candace Cage Web Design by Gina Licari Photographs by Cook Alciati Video by Jackie Curcio
 

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."They do it just to make money, I do it because wine is my passion." Tomassini
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.

"This year was pretty cold though, so there won't be as many cherries as other  years." Tomassini


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.

"Today we all want everything, and we want it now." Tomassini

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

"It has to be done the right way, by hand, to make it better." Tomassini

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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