3-07
edit by Laura Riolfatto
Valnogaredo is a small and fascinating town located in a gorgeous valley, with about 200 inhabitants, immersed among vines, olive and almond trees, brooms and cypress trees.
Here, in the Monte Versa, you will find the Marco Sambin company, which carries the name of its founder. It is a cloudy afternoon at the end of September, Marco meets me in his farm and welcomes me accompanied by his lovely honey-color dog.
Marco Sambin, farmer and former Professor of Psychology at the University of Padua, decided to purchase lands in the Euganean hills about 20 years ago. The projectual plan has led to the creation of a multi-functional space made up of a canteen, areas dedicated to wine tasting, a fully equipped kitchen and a conference room, where during the weekends Professor Sambin organizes meetings dedicated to the education of young psychotherapists. The location is incredible and you can see the entire Valnogrado Valley, whereas in the evenings it is possible to enjoy the most marvelous sunsets behind Monte di Lozzo, recognizable from its volcanic cone shape. Marco defines himself as an experimentalist, in life, in his professional career, and also in his vines. His personal ethic has brought him to develop a sustainable philosophy; his canteen is characterised by attention and respect for nature and people, today the canteen is certified as organic, although it goes beyond organic as it follows biodynamic practices. Marco shares with me the story of his Company, made up of 4 hectares of vines, of his deep love for these hills and of his personal commitment to enhance the wines of the territory, which features red wines that have nothing to envy to other national and international labels. His Bordeaux blend ‘Marcus’ won several awards.
But I am going after Garganega wines and Prof Sambin produces four types of pure Garganega, with a fifth one on its way; in addition to these, two years' time he should start offering his first pure Metodo Classico.
But let’s start from the beginning: the idea was to produce a characteristic wine, in a costal area at 40° south, with white stones rich in limestone and silica, area with a typical Mediterranean climate. He tried planting Vermentino but the project failed. So the idea to swap Vermentino with a native grape like Garganega took shape. For him, this native grape represents flexibility and multiformity, features that not many other wines have; so it can be produced in extremely opposite ways, from sparkling wines like Metodo Classico up to sweet wines.
The first production was a “sparkling Garganega”, thought as a provocative wine in opposition to the more popular prosecco. Initially it was vilified in red, with indigenous yeasts and no added sulphur dioxide; Marco tells me that the result was a savage wine, a bit too strong and brave, it smelled a little and it was necessary to wait a while before its perfumes were released. The second production had a less significant smell, but the flavor was the one of sulphur, so it reminded him of the scent of a matchstick, interesting but rather difficult. Now, Martha, their slightly sparkling Garganega, is vilified in white but with a brief maceration on the skins that lasts 3 days and is followed by a slow prise de mousse of 6 months, and it is a wine with strong golden tones and enveloping scents of broom flowers, candied citrus, sage and some notes of yeasts. It is a savory and persistent wine, elegant and enveloping.
The other Garganega is Psyche, strongly wanted by Marco. Born from the will to experiment, after a long confrontation with a Spanish producer specialized in maceration, 7 months of rest in contact with the skins inside stoneware jars. The result is an intense, rich wine, with an ancient gold color and intense perfumes of hay, selvatic herbs, broom flowers, incense, sage and candied cedar. It almost reminds of a dry and savory sherry with a long persistence. A great wine to combine with seasoned goat cheese, I tried it with a salmon tartare, chickpea hummus and avocado cream. A pairing that I found particularly interesting and in perfect balance with the aromatic notes of the food and the wine.
We can find the typical elegance and olfactory cleanliness of Garganega in Sarah, a wine that we can describe as incredibly refined. The fermentation and the aging in tonneau and barrique acquires intense notes of citrus and yellow fruit, wisteria and sage. A fresh wine, sapid, intense and elegant, with a strong personality. I tried it with a risotto with scallops and found this pairing harmonious, the creaminess and the sweetness of the risotto perfectly contrasted with the freshness and sapidity of the wine.
Martha, Psyche e Sarah, 3 female names chosen personally by Marco, who tells me they represent the women in his family, then there is Helena, a sweet wine with intense notes of tropical fruit, persistent on the palate, with strong scents of apricots, dehydrated mango, caramel and ginger.
I wonder what the fifth wine based on Garganega grapes will be dedicated to, so… we just have to wait before we will be able to taste the sparkling Metodo Classico, with which -Marco told me- the can consider concluded the multi shaped production of this grape, so important, here in the wonderful Euganean hills.
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||