Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/552044
62 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2015 Who: "Professors" Christian Scrinzi, Rudy Buratti, Enrico Cerulli, Mauro Merz, Alberto Lazzarino, Salvatore Geraci, Benedetta Poretti, Franco Bernabei and Nicolas Quille. What: A Sense of Place Where: Island Hotel, Newport Beach, California by Meridith May / photos by Margaret Soss Discovering "Rescue Wines" Obscure wines on the brink of extinction but revived due to winegrowers' efforts were termed "rescue wines" by our team of winemaker professors at Cru Artisan College. One such wine is Frascati. "It's an ancient, yet modern wine," stated Mauro Merz, Director of Winemaking for Fontana Candida. Fontana Candida was the first to bottle Frascati in the early '60s, preceding its initiation as the first DOC in Italy in 1966. Located in a province close to Rome in an area called Castelli Romani, Frascati's volcanic grounds on the Alban hills facing the country's capital city offer up deep, potassium soils in the vine - yards. "This is ideal for winemaking," claimed Merz, who added, "It's now our duty to bring new value to this wine." As Rome's signature wine, dating back 2,000 years, Fontana Candida has indeed rescued Frascati, which is comprised of Malvasia grapes, now selected and cultured in a variety of microclimates. From Hillsides to the Sea HILLS: Pecorino From the region of Abruzzo on the eastern Adriatic coast of Italy, the Pecorino grape is grown on a small area of hillsides, or colli. With aromatics of white flowers, Asian pear and a distinct freshness, the Tenuta Cerulli Spinozzi "Cortalto" Pecorino, Christian Scrinzi, Chief Winemaker at Bolla in Pedemonte, Italy jumped into the conversation feet-first by conceding that "sustainability isn't something you just talk about, you act on it; and it is a challenge for even those of us who do this." In the 1990s Scrinzi was "fascinated by the extreme winegrow - ers who made wines that were technically perfect, and then they took it one step further." When he took over as winemaker at Bolla in 2006, he started on an "ethical path" which ended up being "a showdown between man and wine." With an abashed smile, Scrinizi remembers making wines that were "clean, correct, spoke to a sense of place . . . and couldn't sell." Fast-forward to 2015 and his goal is to bring sustainable practices to Italian wines in a thoughtful and attainable man - ner. "Wines should be unique to themselves. Italy is great at this. People who are loved by everybody probably aren't real. Wine is the same way." Of course, it wouldn't be a debate if Rudy Buratti, Chief Winemaker of Castello Banfi in Montalcino, didn't have the final word. With a stern look and a knowing smile, Buratti reminded the classroom that "we need to talk about social sustainability, also. Once you get that taken care of, you can talk about other things." Buratti moved to Montalcino in the 1980s and recalled the shock that came when he realized that his first paycheck had an "extra line" to supplement his income. At the time, Montalcino was considered a region in serious financial distress; "there was no structure to produce anything," remembered Buratti. He banded together with a small group of winegrowers and undertook an economic and social push towards economic health. What started as 40 wineries in Montalcino turned into close to 300 over the span of a decade. "Today," Buratti proclaimed proudly, "there is no 'extra line' on the paycheck." "Now we have a responsibility to speak to environmental sustainability." Buratti continued, "We have a moral duty to pass on our land, healthy and whole, to our children." This is achieved through changing small details at every step throughout the grape growing and wine making process; reduction of water used in the cellar and use of bottles that are constructed with less glass weight, for example. "We have a moral duty to our customers to produce a unique wine, that is true to place and variety. A wine that is to be enjoyed and that gives pleasure," noted Buratti. "Poetry can exist if there is economic sustainability behind it. Anything less is folly." At the Orange County Cru Artisan stop, Headmaster Troy Smith, Beverage Manager, Montage Hotel and Resort Laguna Beach; Meridith May, Publisher of The SOMM Journal; pop quiz winner and OC class valedic- torian, Andrea Scuto, Sommelier, Trattoria Amici in Glendale; and Lars Leicht, National Director, Cru Artisan Wines.