2020 G.D. Vajra Pètracine Riesling

Aldo Vaira is the pioneer of Riesling in Piedmont. Aldo got passionate about this variety during his university studies, investigated it further, and then planted the first clones in Langa. This is how Petracine was born, a wine whose name evokes the roots diGGing into the stone. It is an exercise of biodiversity, born by a massal selection from Alsace, Pfalz and Rheingau. This is a wine that requires patience, much like the great reds of our land.
The first vineyard dedicated to Riesling (1985) was the one in Fossati, located in the highest part of Barolo and facing the morning sun. The soil is a singular composition of gravel and sand. The second vineyard (2000), northeast-exposed, is situated in the region known as Bertone (Sinio), a lower hill and characterised by limestone and homogeneous soils.
The Riesling harvest takes place in the first half of September and goes on for about two to three weeks. The harvest, as well as the conveyance of the grapes in small crates, are manually carried out to preserve the whole fruit. A triple selection ensures the best quality of the grapes: first in the vineyard, observing the grapes on the vine, and later with a double sorting in the cellar. The fruit was gently pressed and the juice given a brief cold settling before fermentation that goes for about 15-20 days. The wine is aged in steel before bottling in the first half of the spring after harvest. – Giuseppe Vaira