A Morning with Paolo Saracco in Muscato d'Asti
Paolo Saracco is one of the most well known names amongst Moscato d'Asti in Northern Italy's Piemonte wine region. The fourth generation on this vineyard, Paolo has brought the vinification of Moscato into modern times, migrating away from the warm, golden, concrete fermented days of old, into the intoxicating, fresh, clean and crisp delicacy today.
Ninety-five percent of the cultivatable land in Castiglione Tinella is planted with Moscato grapes, thought to have been brought by priests to the region during Medieval times. The micro-terroir, with sunny dry days and breezy evenings, tends to be rain-free so the roots of the vines search deep through chalky land. The vineyards at different altitudes have varying degrees of minerality, and Saracco received his own cru from one special vineyard that produces his Muscato d'Autunno.
While Saracco produces 700,000 bottles per year, they remain a self-proclaimed "farm, not a factory". The grapes are still hand-harvested and no pesticides are used. I wish I were there to see the tiny truck run between the vines collecting the precious bundles from the harvesters!
A special treat on the visit, we were allowed to taste the pressed juice directly from the stainless steel storage tank, prior to fermentation. Putting my nose into the glass was akin to putting my nose into a fresh bouquet of Lily of the Valley. Eye-opening, heavenly - shocking such perfume could come from pure grape juice!
For the vinification, it is critical you move fast - the speed from pick to press assures all the aromatics of the grapes are preserved. Chilled in stainless steel tanks, at Saracco each grape and vineyard are stored separately and blended later. For fermentation, which only takes about a week, they use only the grape's own yeast (nothing added).
For the tasting we were first treated to his infamous Moscato d' autunno, 2015, a sparkling bouquet of elderflower that would pair great with a chalky white goat cheese, either at the end of a meal or the start.
Paolo is an experimenter. He produced 6,000 bottles of a Chardonnay blend in 2015, but admits to be having fun playing with Riesling right now, which emits the characteristic petrol on the nose, but pure honey on the tongue - and ironically not too sweet. They use batonnage, or lees stirring, to combine the yeast that rises during fermentation back into the young wine, adding more complex flavours.
Their 2013 Pinot Nero, aged 12-14 months in barrique, proves Paolo is more than a Moscato expert, and indeed an all around wine master. This Pinot, with more condensed flavour than Pinots of other regions, was full of autumn spice that would pair perfectly with the comforting dishes of the season. This wine can only get better with age. Yummy.
Go to Castiglione Tinella. Find Paolo. Drink his wine.
