Released in July is Valle Isarco Cooperative Winery’s new wine, Granit 960: Kerner aged in a granite “sculpture.”
Cantina Valle Isarco, among the most active wineries of the last two years, never stops making waves. And this time it surprises us with the launch, starting in July, of a unique wine: A Kerner aged in a granite tank. A real sculpture, specially made by a local company from a 20-ton block of Bressanone granite..
The operation, unprecedented for the company that handled it, presented quite a few risks, from handling to progressive digging and finishing to obtaining a hollow container. With courage and persistence, the winery, led by general manager Armin Gratl, chose to take on all the production risks (managing to assuage the board’s anxieties, since, let’s remember, Valle Isarco is a cooperative winery consisting of 135 members cultivating 150 hectares of vineyards). And luck paid off for them: the operation went off without a hitch on the first shot, with the smooth implementation of the First 960-liter tank in pure granite ..
The Granit 960 project
The project had begun in 2018 by commissioning a local stone maker to find a single block of granite. “But no one was willing to support us in this crazy endeavor – says Armin – until we found a company in Klausen that was intrigued by the project and began searching for the boulder. In 2020, they finally found a block in Brixen that could suit us and called us.”.
The cutting and milling of the block took more than a year of machining, to the creation of two hollow cylinders stacked on top of each other, equipped, of course, with taps and a door so that wine can be tapped and decanted. The tank thickness is 8 cm-a number designed (again on a hypothetical basis) to balance insulation, fermenting wort pressure, and final tank weight.
“In early 2020, we were finally handed over the tank, which today towers in the center of the aging cellar. The new unknown at this point was. The aging of wine in contact with granite, which no one had ever experienced before tells Armin. – At the beginning of fermentation, it began to ooze and all the tank walls were damp because the wort was coming out of the micropores in the granite. However, the situation has stabilized, as has transpiration, which has been minimal.”
Refinement
The wine was left in the container for one year on the fine lees, after which it was racked into steel. “Our idea was to have a wine aged for at least three years, but also to have a wine for each vintage. Then to release the keg, the second part of aging takes place in steel for another year, concluding in the bottle for at least 18 months.” explains the winery’s new in-house winemaker Stefan Donà, who is joined by Cotarella’s team of consultants. The label makes its market debut in July and is set to set the standard.” Granit 960 – explains the director – presents an innovative vision for viticulture and embodies the symbiosis between tradition and innovation, with the aim of highlighting the uniqueness of our production area.
The exclusivity of this project is reflected in every aspect from idea to implementation to the final product. It is not only an ode to the mineral diversity of our region, but also offers an unparalleled taste experience.”
“Mineral, savory, long-lived“, are the three epithets chosen to define Granit 960 fruit of the 2020 vintage, featured on the special packaging. Packaging that, of course, is also completely original. A black textured box, with light blue company logo to convey the idea of freshness that goes with the wine, containing the bottle wrapped in granite-colored tissue, capped with wax capsule also customized with granite sand. The box also features a small drawer, inside which is stored a velvet bag containing a scrap piece of the original granite. Finally, there is a pocket where a booklet with a description of the genesis of Granit 960 and instructions for signing up for the Club Granit 960, through a dedicated website (www.granit960.it). The club will allow members during the year to take part in Exclusive dedicated special events.
Distribution
This is because distribution will also focus on exclusivity. “Kerner Granit 960 will be available only in wine shops carefully selected and through direct sales – Gratl adds. – It is not intended to be sold to the catering industry. The reason? To preserve its uniqueness and exclusive character, but also because this wine requires a detailed explanation before consumption, which cannot always be guaranteed in catering.”
A premium segment wine of which only 500 bottles of each vintage, all numbered, whose public price in wine shops will start from 130 euros. Another 500 or so bottles will be set aside for future vertical collections, exceptional tastings and events.
But let’s come to the tasting. The stated focus of this product was minerality and freshness. A goal that can be said to have been more than met.
TO READ THE WINE DESCRIPTIONS, WITH SCORE AND AVERAGE SHELF PRICE, CLICK ON THE TABS BELOW.
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TASTINGS
