Filippo Cassano
Picking a bottle of wine from a restaurant menu or from the shelf of a supermarket it is only the last part of a very long procedure which starts months – if not years – before the wine is delivered and, finally, enjoyed. This procedure is repeated every single year: the vines are prepared during the winter and constantly checked in spring and summer: weather conditions are scrutinized, as too much or not enough rain are both a problem. It will be too hot this month? Or perhaps too cold? All these are the hassles of a winemaker. The crucial point arrives in autumn, when the harvest takes place and the efforts of a year are now visible in the form of ripe grapes, ready to become wine in a few weeks. End of the story? Not at all: the most remarkable wines take years to get delivered, after a careful aging process.