I met Mario Maffi – Winemaker and Technical Director of the Agricultural Montelio – thanks to his invitation for a visit to the cellar. I listened and listened to me for hours. A simple man like few – gaze frank and sincere – linked to the territory, its history and its traditions. A real Italian.
The Farm Montelio, whose name derives from the greek Helios Upstream of the sun, It is located in Codevilla, in the province of Pavia. Fu l’Ing. Angelo Domenico Mazza, big fan of viticulture, to start business with the acquired land in the first 1848. From 1982, The Technical Director is the winemaker Mario Maffi. Then a Varzi, He is a great expert and connoisseur of Oltrepò Pavese.
A few weeks ago I went back to find it. A person who I respect very much, one of the best men I've known in recent years.
- Our origins ... it all starts with them. How did your adventure in the world of wine?
I was born in the vineyards because my father was a winegrower. But the my favorite hobby was to design homes. When I went to sign up for Tortona Surveyor, fate has it that I forgot a document at home. Along the way I met my Italian teacher of Retorbido, that, felt my choice, I strongly advised against. Urged me instead to enroll at the Institute agrarian despite my best grades were in construction and topography. After school Eng. Shoulder offered me a partnership in his studio. Literally burst into tears when I had to give up ... I had just received a call; I had to leave for the military. It was not his destiny, and I surrendered to fate. Once back I specialized in Oenology.
- I often ask this question and I would also like your opinion. In Italy there are many small producers. I often hear industry experts argue that these small businesses, failing mostly to pay the expenses for new technologies, can not make quality wines. What do you think?
This speech may make sense only with white wines. For red wines, no. The red wine is born in the vineyard. I have a dear friend who is going through a difficult time due to health problems, a music teacher involved in social. It, Giuseppe Colombo, along with three friends decided to produce wine good, and he turned to me. A day in the context of the important ones Piedmont, in a tasting of eleven wines tasted blindfold, It was very successful despite the small dimension of reality. Red wine, starting from a good grape, can be produced safely with excellent results.
- What do you think will make the institution immediately to help manufacturers in a concrete way?
Need less bureaucracy, need a strong investment in young people, focused and not scattered, to create entrepreneurship.
After the war the Friuli Venezia Giulia gave money to the peasant families. But they had to invest a minimum of eight acres, and thirty-year mortgages with subsidized. If you decided to quit before the company, had to return the money ...
- And 'now widespread tendency to classify wines in biological, biodynamics, organic ... Do not you think that we can further confuse the consumer?
To say organic is almost a fashion seen that the average Italian is not polite to an end. As long as I shall see an organic vineyard sign near highly polluted areas, I can not believe in biological. The biological might have a logic if there was a strict regulation that would ensure its implementation.
Should be done with a mapping of land free from major sources of pollution, and a little rainy mapping of areas. They can not tell me you in the valley of the Adige with 1300 mm of rain per year can do with the biological parameters of Brussels.
Our Wine Company Montelio, falls into a category I call "towards the environment”. We try to make integrated agriculture. We left the woods around the vineyards, and we have allowed a group of natural building, next to the plants, artificial nests to facilitate the return of great tits and redstarts.
Recreate a natural environment, This is what's really important…
