Words by Ludo Paul van Mill*
Photos by Arianna Cristiano*
Mid-September in Piedmont. The shadows are getting longer, it’s sunny, warm, but not too humid. Over narrow country roads meandering through the crisp green hills like a slow-motion rollercoaster, we’re on our way with Yvonne to the village of La Morra. In the distance a dusty cloud curls upwards; a seemingly lost tractor calmly drags its trailer uphill. The Langhe is in a deep rest. But looks can be deceiving…
With a giggle, Daniela accepts the warmest greetings from Yvonne, who urged us not to forget about this. “She’s such a sweetheart” says Daniela in flawless English with a charming Italian accent. “On Friday evening we’re going for a bite to eat together.” She beckons us and we follow her inside. “Welcome to Cantina Mauro Veglio”.
From Yvonne we had already understood that she and her husband, Joerg, have been close friends with winemaker Mauro and his wife Daniela for many years. She told us they have a shared passion for good food, good wine and the good life.
This passion is unmistakable when Daniela exuberantly begins talking about how she grew up among the vineyards, how she and Mauro got together, how they continued to build the azienda together and about how Alessandro – the son of Mauro’s brother- merged his company with theirs. We hang on her every word as she ardently speaks.
Seated at a heavy table, enjoying the various wines and Daniela’s stories, we see Alessandro coming through the door with a broad, welcoming smile on his face. As we introduce ourselves it becomes instantly clear that he is a true child of the Barolo valley and that his blood is undoubtedly Nebbiolo coloured.
He tells us that he’s happy he merged his business with Mauro’s, who gives him a free hand when it comes to experimentation and innovation. Alessandro plays an important commercial role in the company, and also has a role in operational challenges such as changes in the field of vineyard maintenance, in particular the anticipation of climate change. Alessandro has the important task of keeping the company future-proof and sustainable.
Regarding the latter, he reminds us once again that he and Mauro are strongly against the use of chemicals in their vineyards. They don’t use herbicides and pesticides out of respect for nature and future generations, and out of gratitude for the beautiful region that is their home. In addition, they have set themselves the goal of making wines that are almost immediately drinkable without the necessity to store it in a cellar for years for it to mature.
From the corner of our eye we notice a shadow taking shape on the floor; we look up to see a figure standing in the door, nervously fiddling with an imaginary splinter on the doorframe. It’s Mauro Veglio, the vinological father of the wines we have come to taste.
Daniela and Alessandro start to laugh out loud at the sight of the nervous Mauro, trying to force his face into a smile with visible effort. As if feeling caught, he digs his heel into the gravel, blushing. He waves at us; “Ciao!” and looks at Daniela expectantly from the door as if to ask her to explain to us why he is so nervous. “He’s been like that for a few days now,” she says. “He keeps pacing back and forth, in and out of the vineyard and doesn’t know what to do with himself.”
The harvest is about to begin. This is the moment that the Veglio’s have worked so very hard for all year round. The ripeness of the grapes is good, but there is still room for just that tiny bit extra. This is the moment at which the air is charged with so much energy you can almost hear it crackling.
All the winegrowers hold their breath while keeping an eye on each other, ready to explode out of the starting blocks. That instant of the sounding of the starting gun causes a sudden release of the built-up tension and everyone is off in the sprint; the harvest has started at last! That starting shot is the first tractor driving down the road, on its way to a vineyard bulging with ripe grapes, where the pickers are impatiently waiting and eager to start. We let these words sink in and realise that the timing of our visit to Cantina Mauro Veglio is very special.
The wines we have just tasted are all gems, culminating in the Barolo Castelletto 2016. Castelletto is an area between Monforte d’Alba and Serralunga d’Alba, where the Veglio’s grow 4 Hectares of Nebbiolo grapes. A full-bodied, balanced wine that can remain in the cellar for years, but can also be enjoyed straight away thanks to its round tannins. This bottle will definitely come home with us and we decide which other wines to bring with us.
Alessandro approaches with all the wine we bought and helps us to put it in the car. We thank Daniela and Alessandro for their warm hospitality (Mauro had set off nervously pacing back and forth in the vineyard again) and after our goodbyes we made our way back to Barolo.
We took the same route back, over narrow country roads meandering through the crisp green hills like a slow-motion rollercoaster. In the distance, that hill of the dusty cloud we saw on the way here. The apparently lost tractor is now parked in a vineyard with an army of pickers excitingly swarming around it, the starting shot echoing between the hills.
*Ludo Paul van Mill
@dutchwineembassy
@ludopaulspottery
*Arianna Cristiano
@ariannacristiano
@lestradeditorino
*Fabio Rovere @fabiofacose
