This is how Resta looked yesterday. There was such a beautiful light.

Right now I am working at putting something to say at a conference to be held here in Buonconvento next week, where I have been invited to speak about "wine, museum and territory".

All is very quiet, am enjoying very much this season, and our new wood heater, we really needed an extra help for this cold house. We found out also that we have to repair the container of the gas, which is under the ground in the courtyard. How fun...

Will come back with more interesting news than these, this time I let the pictures speak!

January

I am reading a beautiful little book, by Karel Capek, "the year of the gardener". About January, it says that "not even January is a period of inactivity", no, because the winemaker is cultivating time.

It is true. We just pruned a couple of days ago, and this is the real start of the new season.

A part of me is looking at the new bald vineyard, all to be, and another one is tasting the Martino 2007, almost ready to be bottled, with a little bit of anxiety: did he receive enough wood? Or is it too much? In a way is like when you are pregnant, at the end: an instinct that wants to keep the baby inside, not to come out...you can call it fear! Then I have the 2008, still very young, in the stainless steel tank. I tasted it two days ago and it is very fruity. Let's hope that doesn't lose this caracter.

But these are just moments, and time goes fast. It is still full winter, but there is already something springy in the air, maybe the light.

Luckily there is Paolo. I would like to add something that I found on internet about Martino's enologist, Paolo Caciorgna, and share it with you:

"The Thrills of a flavour - and a plan"

I believe in Italy's vineyards. These words sum up my philosophy and my approach to wine. The vineyard expresses the fragrance and flavour of the soil and of the sun; it expresses the soul of the people who live in a certain place, their wisdom, their culture, their traditions, their history".

Thank you Joanne for translating this for me.

Winter in Resta

Dear All,

happy new year to ALL of you, and thank you so much for your greetings - my card collection grows every year and cheers a lot our house. It is great to receive "envelopes". My son, when coming back from school, always went to the main table, looking for some of them and asking me "and who sent you this one, mom?". So I would tell him, "this is a lovely family from Texas that came here in July to taste our wine"... and so on with many other stories...

This 2009 started very well for me, as you know this is the quietest moment of the year, and I have time to think how wonderful last year was, how many interesting people I met, and look at the future season coming, thinking of what new or better to offer.
Have some good new ideas, one is to give cooking classes together with the chef of Poggioli, Guido Feltrin, our local restaurant in Buonconvento. This is because some of you might want to learn from a real chef something, not just from me!
Something else that kept me interested during the fall is the existence of our 3 museums in town; I organized a couple of wine tastings there, and got to know them well, and will love to show them, during one of my tours. Not just wine...
Then, as usual, there are the spring's pic-nicks, which I love to organize.

The brunello 2004 will be released soon, in a couple of weeks, and I will send you some comments. There is a big expectation, being a great year.
Of course I have tasted Altesino's already, and of course...it's great...

My Martino is resting in the "barriques", probably until next April. It is aging very well, sofar. I want him to be strong and velvety, with caracter but not hard...will he listen to me?
Some of you already asked me when it is going to be ready, so I will let you know when, right now I don't know exactly, I want him to take his time.
By the way, I just found out that San Martino is the saint protector of the wine harvesters! (am not sure this is the right word...)

Life here...we are a bit worried about the general economic situation. My way to go on is to try at least to do something interesting, creative and of quality. Then we will see. I will keep on making the wine my best way, keep all the wonderful contacts I have made during these years, and hope for the future. Not just sit and cry and complaint.

The country is very quiet now, there is not much to do in the field, or in the cellar. One of these days we will prune the vineyard, that will be the only action, and get rid of the part that created the grapes the past year, giving new life. We will start to see something growing in the spring.
We had a lot of rain, and that is very good for the soil, and thereafter for the trees.
Right now there are no worries for hale storms, or big rain, or deers and wildbores enjoying the fruit of our work before us. Right now the busiest are the glasses: it is the perfect season to taste our full bodied wines. And, to tell you the truth, we are doing a very good job there....