RICOSSA APPASSIMENTO LAUNCH
The story of Ricossa is a story of loyalty to territory and tradition, a blend of resourcefulness, professionalism, and ingenuity which transformed a small provincial distillery into an international brand. The Ricossa family were the owners of an award winning distillery at the end of the 1800 s on the outskirts of Asti in the region of Piedmont. Nearly a century later the Ricossa story continues today mixing Italian tradition and ingenuity for the production of quality wine. Ricossa sources grapes for its products, and since the beginning quality has been key. All our grapes are grown and harvested throughout Piedmont. Come experience the hospitality of our region. Enjoy Ricossa wine!
TERRITORY
Piedmont is a region that borders with Switzerland and France and is highly influenced by the Alps (the name Piedmont means foot of the mountain ). This results in many diverse microclimates.
CONSORTIUM BARBERA D ASTI E VINI DEL MONFERRATO
In Italy we have Consortiums. These are compiled of growers and winemakers representative of the area. This group protects (i.e. no one can call their wine Piemonte Barbera DOC outside of this area) the wine of their territory and is always looking for ways to improve this beloved tradition. Basically, you can think of the Consortium as a collaboration of expertise from the soil to the bottle (kind of like a union, but for grapes). www.viniastimonferrato.it
RICOSSA WAS THE FIRST
We requested to use the appassimento technique for our Barbera and it was approved during harvest of 2014. Our Ricossa Piemonte DOC Barbera is the first appassimento wine coming from Piedmont!
TECHNIQUE
The harvest is normal in the vineyards as any other Barbera wine and takes place in the months of September/ October. After the grapes are hand-picked The grapes (80% by regulations) are laid gently in small open cases of 5Kg/10 lbs. for about 4-6 weeks in a dry, temperature controlled room with fans used for ventilation. Fermentation happens after the drying of the grapes in inox tanks at 36 C-39 C / 79 F - 86 F (10-12 days)
BARBERA APPASSIMENTO We are the first Barbera DOC Piemonte using this unique process. Why is this unique? NO wood ageing NO Botrytis Cinerea MORE concentration of flavor compounds PERFECT ratio of sugar & H2O TYPICAL acidity of BARBERA grape results in an ability to age FRESH bouquet NOT heavy but balanced SUGAR is completely NATURAL coming only from the appassimento technique ITALIAN SIMPLICITY at its best! This will be our first product we will have applied the LCA (Life Cycle Assessment). STELLA GRASSO Winemaker
Appellation: Piemonte DOC Barbera Appassimento Vintage: 2014 Number of bottles: 80.000 Grape varieties: 100% Barbera Type of soil: Calcareous, clay and limestone Yield per hectar: 9t/ha (dried approximately 6t/ha) Yield grape to wine: 55% Training system: Guyot Harvest: September/October Residual sugar: 13,4 g/l Total acidity: 6,45 g/l Ph: 3,43 Appassimento: Grapes are handpicked and laid gently in small open cases of 5kg/10 lbs for about 4-6 weeks in a dry, temperature controlled room with fans used for ventilation Fermentation: Maceration on the skin takes place after the drying of the grapes in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks at 36-39 C/79-86 F for 10-12 days Élevage: stainless steel tanks for 8 months, then minimum 2 months in bottle Alcohol content: 13,50%Vol Tasting Notes: This wine has a beautiful ruby red color with violet highlights. The bouquet is rich with blackberries, homemade jam, dark chocolate, and hints of vanilla. Dry, elegant, and balanced with a pleasant acidity. Food Pairing: This wine pairs nicely with aged Italian cheeses, gamey meat, and most savory cuisine. Serving temperature: 16-18 C. The approval to use appassimento techniques for Barbera Piemonte DOC has only been admitted during harvest time 2014. Our RICOSSA Piemonte DOC Barbera is the first appassimento wine coming from Piedmont! Our agronomists and winemakers have done their best to create an authentic piedmontese appassimento wine.
PORTFOLIO
ricossa.com Ricossa Wine @ricossawine ricossawine