To those who claim that the guides always review "the usual knowns," I softly point out that in decades of critiquing wineries we have truly discovered many. And the work of discovery never stops, because we taste thousands of wines every year and not, as some think, always the same ones.
Generally, the criticism They make me think and I take that into account. Not always, but often. Some, however, are just to be sent back to the sender, despite the fact that it is becoming a catchphrase. I allude to the one for which “guides” always reward the usual knowns and never discover anything. The
outsiders would be excluded, in short, as if the work of the talent scouts was not practiced by those who taste and evaluate Italian wines to make a guide. Utter nonsense.
If the Gambero, Slow Food, Veronelli and now DoctorWine guides have had any merit, it is precisely that they have discovered a lot of producers that no one knew about before. There are thousands of them. If someone does not realize this, it is only because they either do not read or because they have to criticize out of bias. Of course, we always award Sassicaia, Monfortino, Vigna Monticchio. As the French prize Premier Crus from Bordeaux and Americans Caymus, Opus One or Harlan.
But how many producers have we made known over time?
From Barolo Boys to many Montalcino wines, I allude for example to Altare, Clerico, Casanova di Neri, Marroneto, Siro Pacenti. Sure, they are known today, but who first wrote about them 30 years ago? Try to check. What about today? This year we awarded Montauto Of Riccardo Lepri who makes an incredible Sauvignon in Maremma. Then in Montalcino the discovery of Paradiso di Cacuci, in Chianti Classico by Boschetto Campacci, in Sicily by Gaetano Di Carlo, in Sardinia of the Cantina di Neoneli, of Piero Carta, of Gungui, of Dessena.
E Raffaella Bissoni outside of Romagna did anyone know her? E Lasorte Cuadra Of Martina Franca in Apulia? And who awarded as “emerging winery” Amalia Cascina in Langa a few years ago and now Ceri estate in Carmignano? And who knew Lasterosse in Val di Non or Concarena in the Camonica Valley?
These are just examples. I could go on and on, I assure you. Why we travel, we taste, we really try to find outsiders And we are happy to do that. Memories of the past are called Falkenstein, Caprai, San Michele Appiano, Valle Reale, Skerk, Fino, Oasi degli Angeli, but these are just the first ones that come to mind. No one had written about it before. This is a fact.
And those who argue otherwise would do well to say why.
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The French have no qualms about carrying their “big names” in the palm of their hands. In Italy, you are at best accused of being boring. But the “well-known ones” are often “the good ones.”
