“Lessini Durello” wine: the “Aperitif” of Verona, Italy.

Verona is known all over the world to be the town of Juliet, but also for its fine wine. As regards the export of same, Verona is the first Italian province with a value of EUR 923 million, that to say about 12 per cent of the national total value, with a 4,7% increase in 2016. This is due to the quality of the grape produce, to the fertile soil, to the terroir, but also, and this must not be forgotten, to the wise commitment of the farmers, toghether with the active and dynamic approach from the Consorzi di Tutela, or Protection Committees, and from the Cooperative Wineries. In this context, the interesting title “Durello d’Autore” has been recently published as a strong wish of Mr Aldo Lorenzoni, managing director of the Protection Committee for the Lessini Wine, consorzio@montilessini.com, www.montilessini.com. A Durello wine, which due to the origin of the grapes, is, must and will be the extraordinary sparking wine & apertiv of the Town of Juliet. Durello d’Autore
incorporates in its 33 pages, decorated with superb watercolours by Gianni Cucovaz, a true academic work, aimed at the dissemination, also educational, of information on the origin, the history, the growing of the wine grape variety “Durella”, the quality of same and on the highest quality of the wine “Durello dei Lessini”, coming from said grape. The elegant brochure, written by Elia and Gianni Cucovaz is supported by the European Agricoltural Fund for Rural Development, the Veneto Region and the Veneto Rural Development Programme 2014-2020. The text: You only need a few words to communicate something that is unique, or a few rapid brushstrokes to capture its natural vivacity. These simple considerations lie behind our attempt to convey, in written language and in pictures, the naturally unique quality of sparkling Lessini Durello, twenty-five years after this wine became D.O.C. Content becomes form thanks to the poetry of watercolours, whose deftness and lightness mask the great rigour of their execution. This is a technique, therefore, that expresses perfectly the dynamic, anti-rhetorical style of this wine, as well as the clear light of the Lessini Mountains: the land of Durello and of those who are its true auteurs. A youthful, alternative sparkling wine that is inviting, dynamic, never banal, and with a volcanic soul that makes it absolutely unique: that is Lessini Durello D.O.C.. A wine that always makes a difference; a wine that is distinctive by nature. To understand the naturally unique quality of our sparkling wines means discovering an indigenous grape variety with very special characteristics, a terroir that contains within it the age-old energy of creation, and producers with ideas in which innovation is not the opposite of tradition: it is the spark that lies behind it. Durella is the indigenous grape variety of the Lessini Mountains, an ancient and rustic vine that gives golden-hued grapes whose fundamental characteristics are a typical acidulous flavour and skins that are thick and rich in tannins: polyphenolic substances that normally contribute towards determining the full-bodied structure of red wines. When we talk about indigenous (or autochthonous) cultivars we mean those varieties of vitis vinifera that have adapted in a very specific way to a particular area, as a result of many centuries of natural and human selection.
For this reason, indigenous varieties are capable of capturing the deep-rooted secrets of their natural habitat, transmitting its unique identity into the wine. The presence of Durella has been documented in the Lessini Mountains since at least the Middle Ages. A thousand harvests may not seem very much, but they do mean a thousand years of adaptation to this terroir, a thousand years in which to express its nature to the full – and give the Lessini Durello D.O.C. sparkling wines of today the volcanic minerality, that is typical of this region’s soils. Volcanic soils are exceptional in every sense of the word. They represent 1% of the Earth’s surface, but offer sustenance to 10% of the world’s population. They are composed of tuffs and basalts that are rich in iron, magnesium and a whole host of other micro-elements which, through the grapes, are transferred into the wine, giving it a characteristic mineral tang. Because of their porosity, volcanic soils are capable of accumulating water and heat from the sun, rereleasing them as and when necessary. They are also rich in substances that are nutritional for the vines and act as a natural barrier for any diseases in the soil. For these reasons viticulture on volcanic soils calls for little external intervention and is therefore more sustainable from an ecological point of view. Italy is the country with the greatest variety of volcanic regions, yet those that boast a history of grape-growing can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Among these one can certainly include the Lessini area, very close to Soave, as being one of the most interesting in Northern Italy. Another aspect of terroir that has risen to prominence in recent years is the ecosystem. The presence of woodland and meadows, of insects that act as predators and pollinators, and of indigenous microorganisms that live in symbiosis with the vines – generally speaking, offering natural biodiversity – constitute highly positive elements in terms of the quality of life of the vineyard itself. This, as has been amply demonstrated, invariably translates itself into quality in the wine.
The presence of a nature reserve like the Lessini Mountains Natural Park therefore con- stitutes a highly important resource for our viticulture, acting as an incentive for us as producers of Lessini Durello D.O.C. to adopt agricultural methods that are sustainable and environment-friendly, in order to express to the best of our abilities that terroir which is our greatest treasure. A long time ago Durello was considered to be tart, astringent and duro (literally “hard” or “tough”), and it was for that very quality that it had been known since time immemorial. However, as tastes evolved, that archaic stereotype risked making this declaredly territory-based wine disappear in favour of more easily appreciated ones.
We, who have decided to bank on tradition and on a greater awareness of its specific qualities, have discovered, hidden under that old, rather coarse exterior, a Durello that can express the finest characteristics of our zone. It is a wine that can appeal to international tastes without losing its identity: that energy-laden character that sets it apart now just as it has always done. Someone once said that the best of what today we call innovation, tomorrow will be called tradition. Twenty-five years ago we accepted the challenge of making sparkling wines from an indigenous variety, thus breaking the mould of traditional sparklers: we thus laid down the foundations for creating a new tradition – a tradition that pays homage to its region even in its name: Lessini Durello D.O.C. Whoever uncorks a bottle of Lessini Durello D.O.C. will always find a sparkling wine that is fresh, delicious and full of character, with an aroma that is reminiscent of Rennet apples and yellow citrus fruits, the great minerality that is typical of wines from a volcanic terroir, and characteristically appreciable tannins – a really unique feature for a white wine – which makes its perlage particularly attractive.The two styles in which it is produced make it a wine that is suited to all sorts of different occasions, but it is not difficult to choose the right one: Lessini Durello D.O.C. made by the Italian or Charmat Method if you are looking for greater mellowness and particularly fresh, bright aromas, or else Lessini Durello D.O.C. made using the Metodo Classico (second fermentation in the bottle) if you want greater structure and more complex aro- mas and flavours in the wine. he Lessini Durello Denomination was created specifically to protect our indigenous sparkling wines, which are the pride of our area and its ambassadors around the world. Our valleys do, however, produce other wines, which belong to a different Denomination of Origin: Monti Lessini. This includes – first of all – Monti Lessini Durello D.O.C.: this is a traditional style of Du- rello, which is not made as a sparkling wine but nonetheless possesses all the gutsiness, vivacity and personality that make this wine unique: an attractive acidulous vein, forth- right volcanic minerality and a tannic backbone that make this a well-structured white, with excellent potential for ageing.
Also, the Durella grape could not but be part of the centuries-old tradition of appas- simento (drying the grapes), giving rise to a rather unconventional sweet wine: Monti Lessini Durello Passito D.O.C.. Golden in colour, with an intense bouquet of dried fruit and honey, sweet yet appealingly fresh, vibrant and gently astringent: it is ideal for ac- companying bright, flowing conversation. n the Lessini Mountains the indigenous Durella is, quite obviously, grown alongside other local and international cultivars: Garganega, Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio and Pinot Nero, grapes that have found certain areas where they express their varietal characteristics to the full, but with a definite local accent.
In the Monti Lessini Bianco D.O.C. all of these varieties can be used according to the individual producer’s interpretation of the terroir, giving rise to wines that may be fresh and fruity or, on the other hand, with greater structure and complexity. For this reason, on the label we only specify the terroir – the common denominator of all the wines from the Lessini Mountains. The Monti Lessini Pinot Nero D.O.C. comes from a variety that is very different from Durella, but which is in some ways actually very similar. Pinot Nero is in fact a wine with an unconventional personality par excellence. This may well be why several producers of Durello have fallen in love with it, taking on the challenge of making this wine with its ripe scent of wild berries. Lessini Durello D.O.C. is a sparkling wine that makes an excellent aperitif, but which can also be enjoyed throughout a meal. Its palate-tingling freshness prepares you for the treats in store, but it is also a wine with the structure and personality to stand up well to richly-flavoured recipes that might traditionally call for a red wine. A Lessini Durello D.O.C. made by the Italian/Charmat Method goes splendidly with a selection of fine cold cuts, such as Sopressa Vicentina D.O.P., or moderately mature cheeses, which should definitely include Asiago D.O.P.. And it is stupendous when drunk to set off the delicate flavours of a Veneto-style risotto made with Radicchio di Verona I.G.T. and Monte Veronese D.O.P. cheese. However, it is with richly-flavoured dishes that Lessini Durello D.O.C. shows at it best: with a splendid fish such as Baccalà alla Vicentina or with succulent roasts, or even rustic treats like Cotechino or tripe. It is the Metodo Classico that makes the best match with more opulent dishes, while the refreshing bubbles help create a food-pairing experience that is hard to match. Lessini Durello D.O.C. is also a wonderful choice for accompanying and adding new flavour to the classic dishes of international cuisine and – thanks to its non-conformist nature – it also goes very well with ethnic cuisines. Do you want a suggestion? Try it with the strong, tasty flavours of Mexican food. Forty-five million years ago, rising bubbles of magma created the Lessini Mountains, raising them from the bottom of a primordial sea. It is for this reason that today we find –next to the volcanoes – amazingly rich fossil beds, and indeed some of the very ancient fossils that have been found prove that, ever since the extremely remote past, our area has constituted an ideal habitat for vines. Viticulture in the Lessini Mountains, however, began with the arrival of the Romans. We do not know a great deal about these first grape varieties, but as long ago as in his De Agricoltura, Pliny the Elder cites a grape that is duracinus, in other words “with a tough skin”. Then, in local documents dating back to 1292, we find mention of a variety called Duràsena, which must have already been quite widespread and from which today’s Durella undoubtedly derives. The countryside of the Lessini Mountains has also been marked by the presence of the Cimbrians: a Germanic tribe who settled in the high hills around Vicenza in the Middle Ages, and who were famous for their metalworking and cheese-making skills rather than for viticulture. more substantial influence was exerted by the Republic of Venice, which reinvested on the mainland the profits it had accumulated across the seas. An edict of 1377, in particular, imposed the loading onto ships with distant destinations of a certain wine from the Lessini Mountains to which pharmaceutical and corroborating properties were attributed, presumably in virtue of its exaggerated acidity. This is a Durello of which only fond memories remain: it was appreciated in an age of rural civilisation for that genuine, unsophisticated character which made it ideal for accompanying rich dishes – those that were eaten on feast days. We like to preserve these stories intermingled with legends, because they form part of the collective memory of this area: a cultural heritage that is part and parcel of our Lessini Durello D.O.C.”. Durello d’Autore: we reproduced the text above in order to pay tribute to the passion with which Mr Aldo Lorenzoni is working on the promotion of an ancient original Veronese wine, of which he deeply knows characteristics and potencial, not forgetting that viticolture means also economy, the good development of which does create job and wealth for the locals.
Pierantonio Braggio