It’s a very powerful message the one Walter Massa (from Vigneti Massa of Monleale in the province of Alessandria, Piedmont) brings to #vinoumano: he talks about barbera’s identity and the pride in its territory.
We met Walter in Piacenza, at the Independent Winemakers Market FIVI. While describing his Monleale wine, he also told us of an entire world.
First of all, he reminded us of the basis: “the barbera grape is a female, the barbera wine is a male” according to Walter, his Monleale is a “great son”. Therefore it’s a male. A very energetic sixty years old. So much so, he has been travelling across the world, simply and with not much fuss. He is a citizen of the world with an international character and yet keeping strong local roots. He exclusively ‘speaks’ the dialect due to the strong tie with its territory. “In Monleale, barbera is called Monleale”, no compromises allowed, according to Walter Massa a great barbera ought to be called with its local territory’s name.
Barbera grape is a great and historical ingredient, yet barbera wine has to be more than that. It has to identify itself with the territory of its own origins. Embracing in this way the entire historical, cultural, geographical and economical background.
Monleale wine identify itself with agriculture, culture, belonging and life. The pride involved in producing a wine representing all of this is clearly very strong. Such a commitment communicates a confident identity, it turns wine making into a true asset for the local territory as well as for the entire nation. It is this kind of approach that lead to an ‘ethical’ GDP far from the past’s careless logics.
“There’s no need to write many things, you need to write in the glass” Walter delivers many pearls of wisdom, as it always happens with #vinoumano, in the glass there’s an entire world with its complexity and richness. You only have to try it…
