December
2, 2008
Terre del
Silenzio: An Ancient Territory Revisited
Italian Wine
News
Terricciola (Pisa), Toscana
December 2nd
A few miles from Pisa, in a valley set between the Tyrrhenian
Sea and the Florentine and Sienese hills, lies the Valdera
valley, a land traversed and named after the river Era (affluent
of the Arno) rich in winemaking traditions dating back to
3rd century BC. Today, it is a flourishing territorio
that includes the communes of Lajatico and Terricciola, the
home of eight estates represented by a newly established consortium
called Terre del Silenzio, the Land of Silence.
The name was appropriately chosen to connect the territory
to the renown Teatro del Silenzio, or Theatre of
Silence, the brainchild of Italian tenor Andrea Boccelli,
a native of the area and honorary president of the project—a
natural amphitheatre set among the hills of Lajatico untouched
and in perfect silent harmony throughout the year, but brought
to life for one day as the unique setting for an evening
of international art, dance and music performed by international
artists and friends of the Maestro.
Last week a gala dinner in the majestic Villa San Marco,
a restored 9th century Romanic church in Solaia (Terricciola),
served as the official introduction of the consortium to
the press. An initiative with the main purpose of bringing
attention to this small and virtually unknown wine producing
area of Tuscany and the personal mission of the eight member
companies making up the consortium today: Alberto Bocelli,
Bellavista Toscana, Castelvecchio, Fattoria Fibbiano, Gualandi,
Pieve de’ Pitti, Poggio Sette Venti and Vallorsi.
A fertile valley split by the river Era, it benefits from
the presence of the plane of the Arno to the north and the
breezes of the Etruscan Coast to the west and is characterized
by a natural blend in microclimate and geology, allowing
for the production of a multitude of varietals.
A small territorio extending over 86 hectares, it is deeply
rooted in the cultivation of Sangiovese and the traditional
Tuscan varietals of Canailo and Colorino, used for the production
of Chianti DOCG and the subzone Chianti Colline Pisane,
but it is also ideal for Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc,
Merlot and Syrah. Among the white grapes cultivated are
the local Trebbiano, Malvasia and Colombana, but also a
few hectares of Vermentino, used in the production of lesser
known DOCs such as Bianco Pisano di San Torpè, Colli
dell’Etruria Centrale and Vin Santo del Chianti, in
addition to the production of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc
and Viognier.
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