2014 October 31st 
@ MioBio, Via Thaon de Revel 7 , Milano

The new Guida al Vino Critico 2015 speaks about vintners and winemakers from a distinct perspective and with a critical approach. It tells about people before reviewing their wines, conveying stories of life choices and passions, and of sustainable and artisanal models of agriculture that resist homogenisation.

When Gianni Camocardi at Officina Enoica called me on the phone to ask for collaboration, I was happy and scared at the same time. I was happy on one side, because the first edition of Vino Critico (Critical Wine) had conquered me with its simple and direct prose, a convivial approach and a pioneering selection of producers, many of whom I appreciate and respect. But I also panicked, because I am not a professional writer nor a journalist and, furthermore, I am a winemaker myself.

Gianni was the most reassuring and kind person, as he always is: he encouraged me to at least try, offering me total freedom to write about whomever I wanted and as much as I wanted, with no conditioning nor binding indications whatsoever. And this I liked very much.
I delivered 6 profiles, all of which I wrote in one go during my harvest between a cap stirring and a pumping over, and all of them are about people I admire, both as individuals and as winemakers. I am not going to tell you who those producers are, because Critical Wine is a group work, where each voice contributes to reveal the different experiences of the same story shared by men and women who stand up for the defence of crafted wines, the ethic values embodied in natural winemaking processes and the cultural values that lay beyond a good bottle.

It is a beautiful book, and it's worth reading.

You can purchase online on Altreconomia website, or during the public readings that will be held across Italy in the next few months. The first one will take place on October 31st at MioBio, a small grocery store that carries organic food and wines in Milan, Via Thaon de Revel.