Ca' de Noci is built in the middle of nowhere, 25 kilometres to the south of Reggio Emilia, where the Apennines slowly fade into the Po Valley. Walnut trees line the driveway to the winery and also explain its etymological origin: the house of walnut trees. When we arrive, we are greeted by Alberto and Giovanni Masini. The two brothers belong, if you like, to the classic avant-garde of Emilia. They have been opposing since 1993, the year they took over the winery from their father. Since then, they have been recognised as the benchmark for high-quality natural wine in the region.
Old vines
Our first route leads to the vineyards immediately surrounding the farm. Here, one of the five hectares is planted exclusively with white vines. These are old Spergola vines - trained in a way that we have never seen before: mighty, gigantic cordons with an incredible length of up to six metres. ‘Spergola,’ says Alberto, ’has a natural acidity that predestines it for sparkling wines.’ But it's not just the acidity that makes Masini's Spergola so valuable for high-quality sparkling wines. The wines from these old vines also simply have impressive substance. This becomes clear when tasting the Riserva dei Fratelli - one of Italy's great sparkling monuments. After brief contact with the skins during fermentation and spontaneous secondary fermentation in the bottle, the wine remains on the lees for five years before being disgorged and released onto the market as Brut Nature. Pressure corresponds here with structure, depth with freshness.
When we enter the cellar after the round outside, we are greeted by a pleasant coolness. After a relatively early harvest, the grapes are brought in here in 10-kilo crates, then crushed, macerated and fermented spontaneously. The constant 15° C prove to be ideal for this. The wines end up in different containers depending on the intention, with a choice of wood, concrete and steel. That's it, time does the rest. Alberto and Giovanni do not add any additives to their wines.
Lambrusco too, of course
Wine bottles and glasses are placed on a table in the cellar. The dramaturgy of the winery visit takes its classic course. After the tour of the vineyard and cellar, the resulting wines are tasted.
In addition to white sparkling wine, the two brothers also make Lambrusco, of course. They are among the main protagonists who began early on to restore the lost dignity of red frizzante. They do this with Sottobosco, for example. Two Lambrusco varieties, Grasparossa and Montericco, form the basis, along with Malbo Gentile and Sgavetta, two other grape varieties that only exist in their local area. The first maturation takes place in concrete tanks, the second fermentation in the bottle. In addition to bottle fermentation, other major differences to industrial Lambrusco varieties are the low yield per hectare (4,000 instead of 20,000 kilos), the meticulous hand-picking and the absence of any additives - in short, the intention not to produce just any cheap product for supermarket chains from their grapes, but a wine that combines drinkability and liveliness with depth and character. No concessions are made on residual sugar.
Really rare
Then there's the Tre Dame. The label reads the possibly not entirely irony-free sentence: ‘Vino Frizzante da rifermentazione in bottiglia ottenuto dalle vigne di Sgavetta e rare varietà autoctone...’. In English, this means: ‘A frizzante created by secondary fermentation in the bottle from Sgavetta and rare, autochthonous varieties...’ And Sgavetta? Does anyone actually know Sgavetta? Apart from us? Who only know Sgavetta because we love, import and sell Ca' de Noci wines... In fact, Ca' de Noci is the only winery in the world that makes wines in which Sgavetta plays the leading role. Although the variety has always been said to have excellent qualities, it has rarely been really popular. Alberto and Giovanni Masini use it to make a rosé frizzante alongside the Kyathos del poggio, pressing the grapes after one day of skin contact, fermenting them and then bottling them for secondary fermentation (rifermentazione). Subtle red berry fruit, juiciness and freshness characterise this further wine rarity!
A second red frizzante is the Kyathos del poggio made from 100% Sgavetta. After ageing the base wine in amphorae, the wine is bottled for secondary fermentation like all Ca' de Noci sparkling wines. Cherry fruit, herbaceous flavours, plenty of freshness and depth make this wine, like the Sottobosco, a wonderful accompaniment to food, especially in the warmer months of the year.
In addition to the sparkling wines, Ca' de Noci also produces two still wines. The white Nottediluna is a cuvée made from Spergola, Malvasia di Candia and Moscato. The wine is fermented on the skins for 12 months in medium-sized wooden barrels and, with its aroma, freshness and complexity, is certainly one of the most exciting orange wines in Emilia.
Le Brine d'aprile is one of the most extravagant red wines we know. The single-varietal Malbo Gentile is light in alcohol and has a remarkable freshness. Above all, however, it impresses with its extraordinary flavour. In addition to cool, red berry fruit, there are so many herbs, including marshmallow, that we have not yet discovered in any other wine.
Visiting Ca' de Noci is like experiencing the history of natural wine. And even more: to get to know great wines that have set standards that are still valid today. It also means meeting incredibly friendly and humble people who know a lot about the culture of their region. We can only describe this genuine experience, not deliver it. But the Masini brothers' wine can.