Not just natural wines, but really wild wines in Rome. At least that is how the wines are defined in the title of the Roman event dedicated to them. An "alternative" event, which managed to capture the interest of hundreds of young people.
That I am not a fan of so-called and self-proclaimed “natural wines” is common knowledge. That is why, when the indication came imperiously from the editorial office of DoctorWine that I should follow the event Wild Wines – Independent Fair of Natural Wines, I was literally blown away!
The reasons for my granitic aversion are of two categories: organoleptic and philosophical. On the organoleptic side, I proudly belong to the family of lovers of classically good, well-made and at least faultless wines. For the philosophical aspect, I abhor those who slyly proclaim themselves as “natural” as opposed to all others who consequently would automatically be “unnatural” or “unnatural.”
Here, if I were to preemptively say what this piece is going to be about, I would have to say that we will be circling the cunning. Sometimes quite sly, too.
I have to say that it is a world that I know relatively little about, and therefore before I went there I did a lot of documented and some genre-loving friends I asked which wines and whose producer I should go and taste. The indications were many and with A different scale of preventive warnings. Some went so far as to tell me that in their opinion certain producers, although they liked them, I would not like them at all. And therefore I should have avoided drinking its wines.
Intentionally alternative
If I were to compare this Wild Wines to the presentation of our Essential Guide, both made in the same Roman hall of Spazio Novecento, I would have to say that this one is precisely a bit wild, less perfect, more messy and visually alternative. But I, who have always belonged to the truly alternative currents of Italian politics, from the Social Centers, to the political parties in which I have long militated, must say that this alternativity of theirs seems to me smarter, more facade than substance. From the look of the exhibitors to the look of the patrons, from the clutter on the tasting counters to the deleterious choice of spreading loud pop music, which combined with the normal noise of any event, really made everything less bearable.
Another substantial difference is the average age of the participants and the presence (or rather, absence) of the trade press. At Vini Selvaggi the room was packed with young people and sparsely populated with the usual industry journalists I usually meet. Maybe they will all have gone the next day, but I have the distinct feeling that it was a snubbed event.
In the magnum sea of my tastings
But let’s come to the wines. Overall, I did a hundred samples, from north to south of the country, and honestly the organoleptic landscape has improved somewhat from a few years ago. The decidedly terrible wines are still there but in a much smaller percentage. Keep breathing this air of a besieged fortress by the enemy’s turrible troops, but perhaps we, even I, as traditional wine lovers, are a little too biased. And when you go into discussing the defects you’ve perceived the answer is always the same: I didn’t put anything in this wine … so a few flaws are part of the game (my addition). Of course there are also good and very good wines. Among the latter are the Sardinian ones of Dettori Estates, which I drink all the time and therefore know very well, so much so that, at one point, enjoying myself immensely, I momentarily replaced the banquet attendant who had to improrogably leave. Also very good are the wines from Radikon. Of all the other tastings I did, I particularly liked some wines from
Ca Sciampagne Estate
(Marche),
Tenuta del Conte
(Calabria) and those of
DS Bio
, the estate of Danilo Scenna (Lazio).
Fluctuating quality
What still strikes me negatively about this type of product is the extremely fluctuating quality Of the wines also offered by the same company. That is, drink wines that are well made, classically good and free of defects, to others that on the contrary look like they were made in a barn on Mars!
As a final coda, it occurred to me to wonder why these two worlds so enologically different still do not dialogue with each other as much as they should and as much as would be helpful. You can breathe a lot A feeling of ideological belonging, Almost like a besieged fortress. In my opinion it is not good but perhaps it is “natural” for it to be so.
