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- by THENATIVEGRAPES
- Filed under 2017, 2019, Friuli Venezia Giulia, HISTORY, Italy.
- Tagged 2017, 2019, Collio, Friuli Venezia Giulia, vino della pace.
THE NATIVE GRAPES
VINO DELLA PACE – PROSIT
In turning the clock back, Cantina Produttori Cormons have simultaneously turned it forward.
Back to the future you might say?
Well, following a 5 year repose, the release of its Vintage 2017 announces the long-awaited return of
‘VINO DELLA PACE’.
To recall this celebrated wines inaugural vintage, we have to go back to 1985.
Interestingly, the original idea grew out of an earlier initiative, when the winery began planting their ‘Vigna del Mondo’ beside the Cormons cellar. Envisioned as a ‘Vineyard for the World’, the yard contains a staggering selection of grapevines gathered from viticultural regions all around the world. And today as many as 950 different varieties are being actively cultivated on the same plot.
During the official launch ceremony at Cormons town hall, attended by the Major and various dignitaries, Luigi Soini, the original inspiration behind the project, outlined how the idea for VINO DELLA PACE took shape. From this very unique vineyard, a singular wine would be created. A symbolic wine, conceived to embrace and support the notion of a living and lasting peace between all peoples of the world.
There’s no doubt the 1980’s was a transformative decade. The world bore witness to the increasing vigour of people power, a dynamic that sought to urge disparate political regimes to sow seeds of peace rather than war. And within the mix, VINO DELLA PACE duly played its part. With every vintage, the winery devised a program that dispatched bottles around the globe to heads-of-state, political and religious leaders, each one carrying a renewed message of peace.
Today, as it once again takes its place at the table, “VINO DELLA PACE” reinforces its creative foundations – those of artisan winemaking and artistic design.
As originally devised, each new vintage, presented in its identifiable embossed bottle, will be dressed with a specially commissioned label design, created by nationally and internationally renowned artists and designers. Unique messengers one and all, one of the 1998 vintage labels remains a personal favourite, including as it does the poetic inscription of Yoko Ono – “A dream you dream alone is only a dream, a dream we dream together is reality.”
Leadership changes, in any walk of life, are often what’s necessary to stimulate new growth. Indeed Filippo Bregant, Cantina Produttori Cormons president outlined how the winery itself has recently undergone changes with the arrival of new team members. In a significant move, Alessandro dal Zovo, the winery’s new Director General has returned to the fold. As he himself explained, many moons ago his oenological career began as part of the Cormons winemaking team. In the light of change, the re-awakening of VINO DELLA PACE seems both fitting and timely. Doubtless we all need daily reminding that global peace, as fragile now as ever it has been, is a gift to be cherished.
VINO DELLA PACE 2017 – So what catches the eye?
Well, the original weighty embossed bottle is retained sporting, as it does, the stylised label of acclaimed Italian fashion designer and artist Roberto Capucci. At almost 90 years of age, the legendary Capucci has created a wonderful pencil and oil pastel as an homage to the “Joy of Harvest”. And to compliment such joy, you’ll find “Prosit”, the poetic toast of journalist, writer and artist, Paolo Menon. An eye-catching piece for sure, the overall label design makes excellent use of quality materials, embossing and spot gloss lacquers to create depth and movement for Capucci’s central figure.
In keeping with their search for excellence, the Cormons winery has decided to make the notable change, re-imagining VINO DELLA PACE as a future Quality standard bearer for the winery. This means that the original wine blend, previously based on the grapes picked from the Vigna del Mondo, will be no more. Instead, from the 2017 vintage, the winery has selected a more classic ‘Collio-esque’ white grape blend, comprised of 5 varieties, native and international including Friulano, Chardonnay, Malvasia, Ribolla Gialla and Pinot Bianco. According to Dal Zovo, while the percentages of each variety will vary from vintage to vintage, these 5 varieties are now envisaged as the perpetual grape source for future vintages.
And so what can be said about VINTAGE 2017 ?
Well, here’s our own personal tasting review…
Luminous straw with a light golden hue coupled with a bounty of floral aromatics. This is a strong reflection of the early stages of vinification when the wine must underwent a period of cold soaking on the skins.
Fresh and fullsome body, well rounded ripe, fleshy, stone fruit with a sprinkling of white pepper and sweet spice, referencing both the selected aromatic grapes (most notably Malvasia Istriana) and the 12 months the wine spent being raised in oak barrels.
While this is a classic stylized modern white blend offering immediate pleasure, one can equally imagine how another year in the bottle should help top up the evolutionary rewards.
VINO DELLA PACE’s global peace mission is set to resume later this year, which means, if you are a world leader, be prepared.
Taking our seat on the peace train, thinking back to Yoko Ono’s historic contribution to this project, and also recollecting the Plastic Ono Band’s poignant musical intervention in 1969, it feels appropriate that we raise a glass of VDP 2017 to ALL peace seekers and peace makers… may their combined efforts inspire hearts and minds to steer our world toward more peaceful dreams. After all, in Yoko’s own words, ‘a dream we dream together is reality.’