Monferrato: interview with Cantina Bellicoso

We meet Cantina Bellicoso, an emerging winery in the Asti area, located in the hamlet of Molisso di Montegrosso d'Asti. The story begins only in 2003, when Antonio Bellicoso, an oenologist who had practiced the profession of agricultural technician for 15 years, decides to quit his consulting work to become a farmer. He thus transforms his parents' estate into the current winery, located in an area rich in vineyards among those most suited for the production of Piedmontese wine.
Antonio Bellicoso, a dreamer in love with nature, capable of shaping it to his will while also following its lead. Who personally oversaw the ground breaking, the leveling, the planting of every single vine shoot. Who during fermentation stays up at night in the winery next to the tanks, to hear every gurgle and bubbling of the must.
A great wine can only be born from the greatest grapes. It cannot but arise from a great passion, a great love for everything one does: but this is all the more true when there is true and direct contact between the man and his product.

Antonio, how many hectares of vineyard do you manage?
The estate comprises about 4 hectares of vineyard

In percentage terms, what is the variety composition of the vineyard?
Broadly speaking, 80% of the vineyard consists of barbera and 20% of freisa: however the wines I produce are always and absolutely 100% true to the name they carry on the label.

What is the soil composition of the vineyard? What is the soil texture, divided between sand, silt and clay?
Mine is a medium-textured soil, slightly calcareous, with a slightly acidic pH. Compact soils that require little fertilization. Good clay structure.


What is the exposure of the vineyards?
Generally south, from southwest to southeast. Then there is a plot on the upper part of the hill, which is the point with maximum exposure and sunlight.


What is the typical climate pattern?
Over the last decade: from 500 mm to 700-800 mm of annual rainfall. In fact the winter season has shifted later. The climate is mild until early January, while winter certainly lasts beyond the March equinox. In winter temperatures have reached -20°C. On the other hand, today in summer we have very hot peaks, when temperatures even exceed 40°C. Regarding the wines we will taste, 2010 was an average, regular vintage. 2011 was a very hot vintage.


What is the planting density of the vines per hectare?
The planting distance is as follows: 0.80 m along the row; 2.10 m between rows. This fairly high planting density (6,000 plants per ha) allows on one hand for very short pruning with very low yields per plant, but on the other hand it is precisely the high number of vines that compensates, even if only partially, for the short pruning. Furthermore, the high planting density combined with low fertilization stimulates the root system to search deeper for the nutrients it needs, given the natural competition that exists between plants to obtain the same resources contained in the soil. However, high planting density alone is a necessary but not sufficient condition.


What is the grape yield per hectare? How much fruit does each plant produce?
Normally in my vineyard no more than 1 kg of grapes per plant is produced, with an average yield of 60 q/ha. Heavily loaded plants lead to poor ripening of the berries and the overall quality of the fruit declines. The quality and finesse of the wine are achieved only if each individual plant is not very productive – that is, when a low bud load per individual plant and therefore per hectare is achieved.


What is the training system of the vines? What is the average height of the plants from the ground? What rootstocks?
My vines are entirely trained to low Guyot. The first wire is placed at about 40 cm from the ground and on it, normally, the cane is bent into a horizontal position (bending of the fruiting canes); thus the grape zone is placed at about 60 cm from the ground. When they say "the earth is low," this is the vine training system that is decidedly the most laborious to cultivate. Low training systems allow a certain degree of ripening by also exploiting the heat of the soil. Indeed, one can have high densities together with giant vines, far from the ground and very productive, a situation that in practice negates the high planting densities. Low Guyot is certainly one of the most satisfying cultivation methods from a qualitative standpoint: moreover every activity connected to cultivation – such as pruning, the horizontal bending of canes, the removal of secondary buds (desuckering), leaf removal, shoot thinning, cluster thinning, all canopy management throughout the entire season – is performed exclusively by hand, as is the harvest, always in 18 kg crates: every single grape produced is always the fruit of enormous effort and sacrifice!
In summary, the high vine planting density, the limited cluster weight per plant and the limited number of berries per individual cluster, the low and compact training systems capable of exploiting soil heat, all favor the elevation of the skin-to-pulp ratio – a substantial and indispensable support for quality that resides primarily in the skin and its substances (aromas, polyphenols..).


What is the average age of the vineyard? Are there any plots dating back to a completely different era, or does the entire vineyard date from the same planting period? What is the productive behavior of the vineyard?
All the vineyards were planted by me personally starting from 2003. But this is precisely the secret of the great vineyard: youth. The more years pass, the more the winegrower manages to renew the vegetative-productive balance in a way similar to young vines, the higher the quality of the grapes: the reason why they say it is old vines that produce great grapes is because in general vines manage to reach this vegetative-productive balance on their own, naturally. In practice, old vines are as if they become young again: so the good winegrower is the one who keeps the vines as youthful as possible – that is, with an optimal vegetative-productive ratio! The entire vineyard must be imagined as a green wall colored 100% without gaps, because every gap, every non-green space constitutes a wasted opportunity for quality. The large leaf surface area favors the process of chlorophyll photosynthesis and therefore the formation of sugars in the berries. But at the same time, that same leaf surface, if excessive and uncontrolled, paradoxically constitutes an obstacle to grape ripening.


What type of fertilization do you use? Chemical? Organic?
Fertilization is rarely carried out with mineral fertilizers; phytosanitary treatments are performed following integrated pest management at most: treatments resulting from continuous studies, research and experience – no more than 5 treatments per year are applied, the last of which at the end of July. In any case, every treatment is suspended at the start of veraison: even if not certified, mine is much more than organic farming.


What is the harvest period for the various grape varieties you cultivate?
Normally the harvest would begin around September 20–25 with the freisa, followed by the barberas. I say "would" and deliberately use the conditional, because in these last two harvests the very hot summer has moved everything forward by at least 15 days: climate change constitutes the real challenge for the attentive winegrower, because one must inevitably adapt to it, intelligently adjusting every operation. And here one could open a vast new chapter: twenty years ago in these areas barbera was harvested well into October!


But let us move to the winery and talk about winemaking.
As I said before, the grapes are harvested in crates of no more than 18 kg. They are then crushed in tanks of no more than 25 quintals: the destemming-crushing is as gentle and delicate as possible.


How long does the tumultuous maceration of the various wines last? How many punch-downs and pump-overs? How long does the slow maceration last? How long does malolactic fermentation take?
During the first days of fermentation at least 2–3 pump-overs per day are performed, with the aim of evenly distributing the yeasts throughout the mass, cooling it, and extracting as much as possible the phenolic substances from the skins – a fundamental and decisive phase for the final quality of the wine. After the first 3 days of fermentation one normally limits pump-overs to once a day. The must is drawn off from the lower part of the tank and sprayed over the upper part of the fermenting mass. During alcoholic fermentation, the skins and seeds tend to stratify at the top, forming the so-called "cap." The pump-over system ensures that all the must comes into contact with the cap, favoring intimate contact between the various parts of the must, determining greater extraction of the different components present in the solid parts and avoiding, among other things, any undesired fermentations. Another fundamental activity, in order to preserve the organoleptic character of the grapes without dispersing quality, is to constantly monitor the regular progress of primary fermentation, following the regular consumption of sugars almost hour by hour. At night during fermentation, at least a couple of times I personally oversee this process: night is in fact indispensable especially at the end of fermentation, when everything around is silent and one can even hear the smallest movements of the must, every gurgle. In fact, fermenting wines so rich in phenols and sugars to dryness is sometimes truly a monumental challenge: indeed everything that is an indicator of quality (color, aromas, sugars, sweet tannins, etc.) is in reality always a natural obstacle to the fermentation process. The richer the must, the more care and attention is required.
Normally freisa finishes alcoholic fermentation in 7–8 days. For the barberas, in particular for those destined for the production of Merum, it is necessary to wait at least twenty days of maceration if not more. The extraordinary beauty, thickness, and integrity of the skins of these grapes allow for very long macerations to be sustained: but it will be precisely these macerations that guarantee the wines are ready from the outset, while also being suited at the same time for very long aging. As soon as fermentation is complete the wines are drained and transferred to steel or fiberglass tanks. If necessary an additional racking is performed. From this point on one waits for biological stability, which is achieved with the start and completion of malolactic fermentation. It must occur spontaneously, with indigenous lactic bacteria. The important thing is that during this phase the wine temperature does not drop below 20°C. This entails a significant investment in winery heating, bearing in mind that the conclusion of malolactic fermentation in many cases coincides with Christmas or thereabouts!


How many rackings are necessary?
As soon as biological stability is achieved, the wines are racked again to remove the lees rich in bacteria that, at this point, from being indispensable could become very harmful to quality. In general, the richer the wines are in phenolic substances, the more they need an additional racking. My wines at this point are almost ready for aging. A few more rackings are still needed to avoid reductive phenomena. Then bottling will proceed, taking place in the late spring or summer months as regards the Freisa and Barbera Amormio. Much later for Barbera Merum.


Let us talk specifically about Barbera Merum, which undergoes wood aging. For how long? And in what type of wood?
The wine destined for Barbera Merum, at the beginning of the spring season, is transferred to tonneau – small barrels with a capacity of 500 liters – in which it will rest for about 15 months. My tonneau are either new or second-use at most. After that the wine spends a stabilization period of 6 months in bottle before being put on the market.


Are the wines subjected to sulfur dioxide with an antiseptic function? Are they subject to other treatments?
My wines do not undergo any fining (protein-based fining agents, bentonite...), no thermal treatment, not even cold stabilization: an absolutely harmful practice that compromises aromas and colors. Not even physical treatment (filtration, centrifugation, etc.) is carried out. These wines are not subjected to deacidification. As with the management of the vineyard, my wines, even if not certified, are much, much more than organic – they too are the fruit of boundless passion, studies, and above all love for what nature is capable of giving us: every single winery operation must be aimed at preserving what nature itself manages to give us!


What is the optimal consumption window for the wines?
Given the youth of my estate, the consumption horizon of the wines I produce can only be guessed at. Given that I favor wines drunk young, at a rough estimate the Freisa could be drunk about 5–7 years after the harvest year, perhaps reaching 10. A similar story for Barbera Amormio, which should be consumed up to a minimum of 10–12 years. Barbera Merum much longer. The longevity of the Freisa is linked predominantly to the tannin from the seeds. That of the Barbera to the great acidity and sugar content of the grapes.

Wine is absolute life, color, energy, joy, naturalness: this is what one finds in a glass of Antonio Bellicoso's wine.