Winery Mossi 1558, Emilia-Romagna region, Italy
So, your plane has landed at Bergamo Airport, which is near Milan. In your plans, which, of course, will be adjusted in the course of events, there is a desire to visit Tuscany and swim in the Ligurian (or Tyrenian) Sea. Or, first you decide to swim in the sea and then visit Tuscany. You can go directly to Genoa and then the Ligurian Sea remains - this is it. Or you can rush to Parma, and only then turn to the sea towards La Spezia. Or drive even further to Bologna. But if evening comes soon, and you are already tired, then it is worth slowing down in Piacenza, which is only 70 kilometers from Milan. Yes, the "Genoese" road seems to be shorter, but, starting from Rapallo (towards Chiavari), such serpentines (!), that at night looking for adventure on the mountain slopes of Italy is a very risky activity. What to do in Piacenza itself? Here you will find many tips on the Internet without us. But nearby, 30 kilometers from the city of Piacenza, there is a small winery Mossi 1558 (or Cantina Mossi 1558)
(at: Località Albareto, 78, 29010 Albareto, Ziano Piacentino PC, Italy),
This is our new member of the Yellow Road
Read the interview with Silvia Mandini here and now,
Until then, we will decipher the mysterious numbers " 1558 "
Jo Francesco Mossi was the first member of Mossi’s family that was recorded on an official document: in 1558 Farnese’s family census register stated that he was living in Albareto (where the Winery still stands) with his family, helping this fertile land to produce what it produces best: grapes and wine. Since then, 14 generations of winegrowers have followed Francesco’s footsteps: 500 years of work, during which the Mossi Winery has become an asset of our land, rooted in the vineyards like the most tenacious vine.
Silvia Mandini
Silvia Mandini , Marketing and Communications Manager. Silvia and her husband Marco now own the vineyards "Mossi 1558"
It’s not easy to say which kind of wine Jo Francesco Mossi used to produce. Ancient Romans were already producing wine on Piacenza hills. In fact we can assume that Barbera, Croatina, Malvasia di Candia Aromatica and Ortrugo have been grown here for many centuries. A recent study has proved that in the vineyard of Leonardo Da Vinci in Milano, there were some roots of Malvasia di Candia Aromatica, the same variety that grows on Piacenza hills!
Interview with Silvia Mandini
1 - Please tell us about yourself, why did you continue the family tradition?
2 - Your family has owned Mossi vineyards since 1558. Have you ever wanted to find ("restore") the very first wine of the winery, which was produced by Francesco Mossi?
Question 1+2:
Jo Francesco Mossi was the first member of Mossi’s family that was recorded on an official document: in 1558 Farnese’s family census register stated that he was living in Albareto (where the Winery still stands) with his family, helping this fertile land to produce what it produces best: grapes and wine. Since then, 14 generations of winegrowers have followed Francesco’s footsteps: 500 years of work, during which the Mossi Winery has become an asset of our land, rooted in the vineyards like the most tenacious vine.
In 2014 my husband and I took over the winery from the hands of Mr. Luigi Mossi, member of Mossi’s family 14th generation. We are not related to him, but we are continuing on his path, with even more passion, improving technologies and always taking care of our vines and wines.
It’s not easy to say which kind of wine Jo Francesco Mossi used to produce. Ancient Romans were already producing wine on Piacenza hills. In fact we can assume that Barbera, Croatina, Malvasia di Candia Aromatica and Ortrugo have been grown here for many centuries. A recent study has proved that in the vineyard of Leonardo Da Vinci in Milano, there were some roots of Malvasia di Candia Aromatica, the same variety that grows on Piacenza hills!
3 - Do you have the very first wine labels? And when did the labels appear on the bottles?
We can only make some assumptions, as we don’t have any labels, but we do have a collection of old bottles, all kept inside the Infernotto, a "cellar within the cellar" located in the most ancient part of the estate, dating back to 1700.
This is where historical labels are found: we have bottles that were produced by Luigi Mossi’s grandfather, dating back to the 1930s. As you can see from the picture, it’s not easy to read these fascinating labels. Until the 1960s, people used to buy mostly “damigiane”, so they used to bottle wines by themselves from these big “jugs”, and labels were not that common yet. When the first DOC started to appear, labels became compulsory. We also have some labels dating back to the 1970s: we managed to get these bottles during an auction.
4 - Just curious: What does your winery's yard look like?
5 - Luigi Mossi was the first to make wine from Ortrugo grapes. Why has it become a popular white wine today in the Piacenza region?
Before Luigi Mossi started to produce wines 100% Ortrugo in the 70s, this grape variety was used only to blend Malvasia di Candia Aromatica. In fact, in those years Malvasia was 80% of the production of white wines in the province of Piacenza, while Ortrugo was only 20%. Consumers’ tastes were changing: people were starting to enjoy easy-to-drink wines and Ortrugo was meeting these new needs. In fact, the so called “aperitivo” was becoming an habit, especially in cities like Milan, and then in neighbouring regions (Piedmont, Liguria…). Ortrugo is perfect as an aperitif: after Luigi Mossi started, also other producers followed him. Now Ortrugo makes up 50% of the surface of white grapes in the province of Piacenza!
According to the Italian wine regulation, wine grapes need to be officially recognized: Professor Fregoni managed to register Malvasia Rosa only at the beginning of the 90s. Then, only 3 wineries in the world decided to “adopt” Malvasia Rosa. We are very proud to be one of them!
6 - Malvasia Rosa, a rare variety that was also discovered in your winery. It’s probably not only the unusual color of the wine?
Malvasia Rosa is a spontaneous genetic mutation of Malvasia di Candia Aromatica. Grapes mutations usually happen from red grapes to white (e.g. Pinot Noir becoming Pinot Gris and then Pinot Blanc), so a white grape (Malvasia di Candia Aromatica) that becomes pink (Malvasia Rosa) is something very rare. Malvasia Rosa was discovered in 1967 in the province of Piacenza, then Professor Fregoni (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore) decided to study it in order to stabilize its color. He planted Malvasia Rosa also in our experimental vineyard where more than 30 local varieties are preserved, some of which are now exclusive to our collection. According to the Italian wine regulation, wine grapes need to be officially recognized: Professor Fregoni managed to register Malvasia Rosa only at the beginning of the 90s. Then, only 3 wineries in the world decided to “adopt” Malvasia Rosa. We are very proud to be one of them!
7 - If possible, list a set (gift box) of three or four of your own wines (red and white), which, in your opinion, can represent your farm.
SEMI CROMA - Spumante Rosé Brut, 70% Malvasia Rosa, 30% Pinot Noir: we made a bet on Malvasia Rosa, and we got a fascinating sparkling rosé.
BACIAMANO - Colli Piacentini Doc Malvasia, 100% Malvasia di Candia Aromatica, aged in Clayver (https://www.clayver.it/en/). 2019 is its first vintage: Malvasia has a great potential and we want to see how it will age.
CONTRO TEMPO - Ortrugo dei Colli Piacentini Doc Spumante Brut, 100% Ortrugo: an elegant Charmat method, that spent 6 months on the yeasts.
CONGEDO - Gutturnio Doc Classico Riserva, 70% Barbera, 30% Croatina: our Gutturnio Riserva, aged in barrels.
8 - What is your choice for "Yellow Road"?
Semi Croma, Baciamano, Contro Tempo, Congedo, plus Infernotto, the special Riserva of the Winery, named like the “cellar within the cellar”: it’s made with three different varieties and three different vintages: 50% Barbera vintage 2011, 40% Croatina vintage 2013 and 10% Pinot Noir vintage 2015; and Le Solane, our Vin Santo produced with Malvasia di Candia Aromatica.
9 - What white wine producer (from Italy or another country) would you recommend for Yellow Road?
I would recommend Ergo by Montecappone Vini (http://www.montecapponevini.it/NEW/ergo/). It’s a Verdicchio, a variety that is well known for being able to age many years. Ergo is a very interesting late harvest that spent some time in amphoras.
10 - If it's not a secret, what are your plans for the future?
The Winery is under renovation: we have renewed the production area and in the next few years we will open a charming B&B, where we will host events in order to attract tourist and journalists. We are also focusing on sustainability: soon we will get the VIVA and CasaClima Wine certifications. VIVA is a project by the Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea aiming at the improvement of sustainability performances of the vinicultural through the analysis of four indicators: air, water, vineyard and territory (economic, social and cultural impacts). Casaclima Wine is a certification about energy efficiency, waste management and the ecological footprint of the Winery.
11 - Returning to the question of your very first wines (1558 year). On such a bottle one could put a reproduction of Caravaggio's painting: Wine tasting at the Mossi Winery in 1591 (this year Caravaggio went from Milan to Rome). Unfortunately, the newspaper form of the blog does not allow me to put a smiley in this place, but you can take my word for it, this unknown picture of the genius Caravaggio has been lying somewhere in my workshop for many years. I just need to search well for her.
Well, it’s a very nice idea, but we have just renewed our labels
12 - Do you have time for any cultural events?
When the pandemic will end (hopefully very soon!) and the renovation works will be finished, we will start to organize events in our beautiful hall overlooking the vineyards. Apart from event for tourists and journalists, we would like to host events like vintage cars rallies, as Luigi Mossi already did. Moreover, we have a very rare “Museo Contadino” (Farmers’ Museum), with a rich collection of agricultural and wine-making tools and machineries.
Sergey Evtuhov,
author of the "Yellow Road" project
