A pure Rossese Bianco, a white red wine — a contradiction in itself, or perhaps not? “U Veciu” means “The Old One” in the dialect of Liguria’s Cinque Terre — but what’s meant here is not the age of the vines, rather the old tradition of the region: to macerate the white Rossese Bianco grapes for a very long time, in order to extract almost all the pigments from the grape skins, so that the wine ends up with a faint reddish hue.
Heydi Bonanini of La Possa once said that the idea for this wine goes back to 2007. At that time, he vinified each of the indigenous grape varieties from his parcels in the Cinque Terre separately — often in microscopically small quantities. Rossese Bianco performed brilliantly — despite relatively high alcohol levels, the grape variety maintained its acidity. The problem back then, however, was that he didn’t have enough grapes. So he decided to plant new Rossese Bianco vines, even though it meant he had to wait almost 15 years before he could make his first wine from them.
Finally, in 2022, the time had come. Accordingly, “U Veciu” remained in contact with its skins for over eight months. In addition to the long maceration, the choice of wood was also surprising. Heydi opted for a larch-wood cask which, according to his cooper, allows only the gentlest micro-oxidation and has no sensory influence on the wine itself.
On the nose, “U Veciu” is warm and saline, shaped by Mediterranean herbs and citrus notes. On the palate, it has substance — it’s structured, juicy, straightforward, and finishes with a genuinely mineral character.
Fact Sheet
- Variety: Rossese Bianco
- Vineyard: 0.3 ha sandstone-dominated vineyard in the Cinque Terre; yield 30 hl/ha
- Harvest: By hand
- Fermentation: Spontaneous | wild yeasts | 80-day maceration in larch cask
- Aging: In stainless steel tank
- Filtration: None
- SO₂: None added
- Alcohol: 13.5% vol.
- Closure: Natural cork
- Serving temperature: 10–12 °C
- Best drinking window: From now – 2035
- Bottle size and price per liter: 0.75 l / (€31)
All winemakers listed at Vinonudo work their vineyards with compost, organic fertilizer, and natural preparations, and refrain from using herbicides, pesticides, and synthetic fertilizers.
