• The dancing art of PurpleRyta and my reflections on the five senses

    In the beginning everything was chaotic and in turmoil; this is what we’re told in the stories of the beginning of the world, so how could it possibly be different for any other new beginning? Today, after a day spent working in the vineyards and the cellar, and looking after my children, I took an hour to reflect a little.

    The turmoil of sounds gives birth to a melody, the turmoil of words gives birth to a thought which can be refined and become a story, a poem or a song. And in the very same way, a wine stain can be used to generate a painting, a multisensory work of art.

    The art of PurpleRyta with the wine 

    And this is how the works of Rita Barbero, aka PurpleRyta, are born, from wine that is poured onto paper and becomes a stain, giving life to the creative process. The wine dances across the sheet and creates images and inspiration which she then moulds into art.

    Rita Barbero’s “wine paintings” are quite literally multisensory works of art. They involve all the senses of those who stand and admire them: sight, smell, taste but also touch (think of the astringency of tannins, which is textured), and sound – everyone is familiar with the sound made by bubbles when they fizz up inside a wine glass and make the atmosphere in a room sparkling and fun.

    The works of PurpleRyta are both entertaining and sensual, dancing on paper and just begging to be admired and discovered with all the senses. They are paintings that talk about the vine, grapes and wine as feminine art elements.

    Rita Barbero guest at our winery on Saturday the 15th of December

    Rita Barbero will be a guest at our winery on Saturday the 15th of December, and will be bringing her art and her “women with messy hair”, for an event where everyone will have the chance to paint with wine.

    An afternoon devoted entirely to the nectar of the gods and to art, in which each participant can discover how the senses interact with wine, along with the brain and the body. 

    Painting with wine and tasting: Barbera and Nebbiolo, two very different grape varieties and wines: let’s explore them with all five senses”, this is the event I’m organising at the winery, dedicated to those who want to play and have fun with their senses and with wine.

    Appointment at 2:30 p.m. at the winery in Località Castelletto 39, Monforte d’Alba; the cost of admission is €15.00 per participant.

    sara-vezza-firma

     

  • An itinerary for the summer: from Sale San Giovanni to Monforte d’Alba

    Summer is coming! Despite the rains, abundant precipitations in May, the beautiful season is finally here. The Langhe are a marvellous territory rich in landscapes, food and wine and historical-cultural beauties. These characteristics make it pleasant to visit at any time of the year.
    In particular, summer allows you to fully enjoy all the local beauties accompanied by a pleasant climate that will make your visit unforgettable. For this reason I thought of some itineraries that I will recommend here in my blog throughout the summer to discover villages and seductive landscapes to make your visit in our territory unforgettable.

    Sale San Giovanni

    The first step of our route is Sale San Giovanni, located on a hilly area about 600 meters above sea level. The village is famous for being the “Provence of the Langhe”! Yes, the small centre of the Alta Langa is famous for its splendid expanses of lavender. If you want to take a tour, here you find a map with all the plantations that can be visited. I recommend a visit just in June because in this month you will witness the flowering of the plants and you can enjoy a unique naturalistic spectacle. Also from 22 to 24 June 2018 Sale San Giovanni hosts “Not only Herbs” an exhibition dedicated to medicinal plants and aromatic herbs that animates the country of events and guided tours. Here you can find the program of the event..

    Murazzano

    Going up from Sale San Giovanni we are in Murazzano, about 700 meters above sea level. The town is famous for its medieval tower, 33 meters high, which dominates the town. For those who wish it can be visited. I recommend a visit because from its top you can enjoy a truly incredible panorama. From the tower you can also see the land that has recently become property of our company to develop an ambitious (long-term) project on bubbles and whites. It is a unique body of 16 hectares, really impressed!
    Not far from Murazzano there is the Safari Park of the Langhe. Along a 5 km trail, which can be run across by car, you will be able to see many species of live animals (there are about 350) guests of the park. If you get hungry at the end of the path, take a trip to the Trattoria da Lele, where you can find a familiar atmosphere to taste the authentic flavors of the Langhe.

    Dogliani

    After Murazzano, going down, we find Dogliani. Little center of the Bassa Langa famous all over the world for its Dolcetto, it is absolutely worth a visit. Today the country is characterized by the presence of two distinct historical centers. On one side there is the castle and on the other one the village. I suggest you to take a walk along the streets of Dogliani you can admire the clock tower and, among the most interesting buildings, there are the Sanctuary of the Madonna delle Grazie and the Church of the Immaculate. Do not miss the “Dolcetto Wine Shop of Dogliani” located in the medieval basements of the Town Hall and group the best of local production of Dolcetto di Dogliani Winery I recommend not leaving Dogliani before having tasted a good glass of Dolcetto and admiring the view from the wonderful “Piazza del Belvedere”.

    Monforte D’alba

    After visiting Dogliani I suggest you take the road to San Luigi to reach Monforte. It is a road located on the crest of the hill that allows you to enjoy a priceless view. Last stop of this itinerary is Monforte d’Alba, territory where our company is based. We are located in the Langa del Barolo. The medieval structure of the old town that develops around the castle is characterized by very narrow streets and features that invite you to a short walk. The noble palace of the Marquises Scarampi of Cairo has been built from the ancient castle. We also find the mighty Romanesque tower that is what remains of the ancient medieval church, demolished at the beginning of the 900. The unique feature of the central square of the village is its amphitheater shape. Precisely because of this configuration it has been transformed into a summer auditorium named after the Polish pianist Horszowski who inaugurated it in 1986. During the summer season, it hosts numerous events from music concerts to theatrical performances and film screenings. In the evening you will be submerged in the soft light of a timeless stage.
    Then you go down to the village taking the underpass to the right of the square, a characteristic tunnel for a popular legend that, according to tradition, would be animated by ghosts, moans and moans. The souls of the Càtari that populated the hill many years ago. Precisely the castle of Monforte, built in the Middle Ages, was a center for preaching the heresy càtara. The fortress was taken and burned around 1208 by the Archbishop of Milan.

    Visit our Cellar

    Also our company is located in Monforte, one of the 11 Municipalities that produce Barolo. We have been winemakers for five generations and with great passion we produce wine, with attention to quality and profound respect for the land we grow. In a few minutes you can reach us and visit our company. We will be happy to welcome you and tell you about the history of our winery, guiding you through the curiosities of our production, from the harvest to the labelling phase. It will be a great pleasure to have you with us on the farm and to walk among the barrels, among which the wine is silently matured. Immersed in the nature that surrounds us you will taste our wines accompanied by tasty platters of local meats and cheeses. It will be an opportunity to talk about the places you have visited and suggest new destinations in our wonderful land of Langa.
    For more information and for reserving your spot you can write at info@josettasaffirio.com or directly click on the button below.

     

     

  • Why we have chosen the path of sustainable production and organic production

    Why we have chosen the path of sustainable production and organic production

    The road to sustainability is a direction that we have chosen to adopt in the company for over 10 years, not only for practices related to winemaking processes, from the field to the winery, but also in all the initiatives to which I participate or promote in person.

    A choice that was born from two main principles:

    • The very strong connection with the territory:
      • we are pieces of a puzzle, it is fundamental to understand this. We are not the authors of a wine, but actors of nature: we help plants to grow, like children and we are in contact with something alive: the Earth, the wine and all that surrounds them. Wine is a vital force: rich in micro-organisms without which it could not evolve. This is why we have chosen to orient ourselves towards sustainability based on a strong sense of responsibility towards the earth and the coming generations.
    • Sustainability has to start from within:
      • we can not use it like a dress to make ourselves more beautiful: there must be a soul, a heart that beats, we must believe in it even if sometimes it is about making choices that apparently seem anti-economic in the logic of an immediate profit.

    Today, Josetta Saffirio is proudly a certified organic CCPB company, whose sustainable processes are approved by Ecoprowine.

    In a period in which the demand and consumption of healthy and natural food, obtained with a low environmental impact, grows every day, I reinforce an important choice that I made many years ago with the aim of respecting our territory.

    We have been growing vineyards in Monforte d’Alba for over two centuries and five generations, trying to express the territory through our wines. Harvest after harvest, we sink our roots in this land of Langa

    What it means to produce wine in a sustainable way

    I believe that producing wine means treating the vineyards with respect for the land and the responsibility to leave to our children the precious heritage I received from my parents: a unique and generous territory that produces wines of exquisite elegance and exceptional longevity, famous all over the world.
    The vineyard and its work must not be an element detached from the landscape, an instrument for exploiting the land but, on the contrary, something through which to start a virtuous process of enrichment of the territory itself. The plant symbol par excellence for those who produce wine, the vineyard, becomes the main vehicle of care of the territory on which it is located. This change of vision allows us to produce better wines and at the same time do good to our environment. The challenge is this: the production of high quality wines must be linked to sustainable processes in the field and in the cellar.

    How I put this in practice

    Starting from these assumptions, I decided to put this concepts into everyday activities. Our wine comes from a care of vineyards that does not include chemicals. Any type of product that may have a negative impact on our land has been banned. We only use organic fertilizers that, unlike the first ones, allow to enrich the soil and to nourish our grapes in a “natural” way. Also in our vineyards we use grassing, letting the grass grow to combat soil erosion and make the vineyard more liveable and passable. We use special prototypes of tractors that, with their reduced weight, contribute to not press excessively on the ground, avoiding its crush.

    Fieldwork is just one aspect of my business, which is why I have supported a sustainable renewal process that involves the entire company.

    • In 2006 we started designing the new winery, a structure designed to be integrated into the rural landscape and reduce heat exchange, isolating the perimeter with natural cork. The building has been designed to optimize work and resources. On the ground floor we find the whole part concerning the first processing of the grapes: from the harvest to the fermentations. At that point the wine for fall is transferred underground, where it will silently age in the barrels.
    • In 2009 we designed and created the Biopark and every year we increase the area of managed forest and this allows us, on one hand to protect the local flora and fauna, on the other to reduce our carbon impact.
    • In 2010 we inaugurated the new photovoltaic system that allows us to reduce CO2 emissions by 13,000 kg every year.
    • We use 90% recycled glass for our bottles, shorter corks and a thinner cardboard for packaging.

    Not only in the company: my sustainable initiatives

    In order to promote and raise awareness for the environment, the company organizes social and educational activities that also involve children, to promote the idea that the land is an asset and as such it deserves respect and attention. We focus very much on these activities that aim to raise awareness of the new generations on the beauty of nature.

    For the IED students of Turin I created a contest on the theme of sustainability starting from the waste materials of our cellar. This is how the ReWineD project was born: converting what is no longer useful for our production purposes into new functional design objects for other industries or fields.

    Another important initiative undertaken is that of Adopt a Row, that allows all those who wish to be responsible for their own row to see it grow day by day. A way to involve wine lovers in the care of the territory as well

    Now it is on you

    One thing that I often say to all those who visit our cellars is that sustainability processes require the intervention of the final consumer as well! Yes, you! Every time you buy a wine, try to read the label and understand if the wine you are drinking is good for the environment. Sipping an ethical and sustainable product gives a double satisfaction and allows you to contribute to a virtuous wine culture. The future of our planet also passes from here.

  • ReWineD. My idea for IED students

    ReWineD. My idea for IED students

    ReWineD: a new life for cellar stuff

    In wine-making process have always been used many different packagings such as glass bottles, of course, barrels, cork tops, big and small wood boxes. Manytimes I asked myself “How can I reuse all this stuff?”.I was sure there was a way to give a new life to all these unused things, and to make the production of my wine more virtuous, let’s say more sustainable. I wanted myself to lead a project focused on recycling, strongly connected to another very important matter: environmental sustainability. I have always look at my job of wine-maker as a part of a wider framework; it is not only about my farm but also about take care and respect of our territory. I love to say:

    “Being a farmer is about feeling the hard responsabilty to the land we have inherited from our fathers and that we will give to our children.”

    Why I have chosen IED

    I decide to involve in my project the designers-to-be that now are studying at IED School, in Turin. Who can give me the right answer, if not them? And so the ReWineD! Recycled Wine Design project was officially born. The project is about giving a new life to unused stuff lying in our cellar, transforming objects that are no more useful in our production process into new objects useful in other fields. In cooperation with IED I have funded a scholarship to reward the best idea. The project is addressed to 9 students at the 2nd academic year of IED Product Design course. Professor Giorgio Ceste will lead them. The winner will be chosen by a jury composed of designers, architects and journalists expert of the matter.

    I strongly wanted this project

    I had this idea in my heart for a long time, and I am very proud of it. In 2004 I have converted my farm to organic standards and I am really interested in whatever action can be usefull to achieve a higher level of sustainability, both in my wine-making process and in the recycling of our equipments. There is another fact that makes me really satisfied. A new cooperation network has risen on the territory from this project, for example Italia Bellissima has become partner of ReWineD. Italia Bellissima is a project created by Architect Andrea Capellino, from Asti, and it is a network of Italian architects and craftsmen working in interior design and in the construction sector. Why is it so important? The growing of ReWineD project gives the evidence of a new awareness about these subjects and it shows how sustainability can become a driver for the development of vituous networks.

    The Winner

    This project is my challenge to young designers. And I am preatty curious about the winner, about which will be the most beautiful and functional project made from my cellar stuff. Transforming the raw idea into this well-defined project means a lot to me: it is not so important who will be the winner, the most important thing has been starting a process able to involve big partners and that can bring beneficial effects.
    Do you want to know who will win the call? Follow me on my blog and you will see it! The award ceremony will take place on 4th May at my Winery!