Case Vecchie is a small mixed farm in the morainic hills south of Lake Garda, where Paolo Ferri tends a few hectares of vines as one part of a living agricultural whole.
Backstory
Paolo Ferri and his sister inherited the farm from their father, with the oldest vines planted roughly four decades ago. Ferri has bottled wine under the Case Vecchie name since around 2010, working strictly by natural methods.
The Region
The farm lies at Monzambano, in the province of Mantova in Lombardy, on morainic hills just south of Lake Garda. Beyond wine, Ferri produces honey, olive oil from the native Casaliva variety, medicinal plants and ancient grains.
Vineyards and Farming
The vineyards are planted mainly to Chardonnay, Cabernet and Merlot. Ferri farms organically and in harmony with the many bees kept on the property, using only minimal copper and sulfur and keeping clover and wild herbs between the rows to encourage biodiversity.
Winemaking
Fermentations are spontaneous, with indigenous yeasts. Skins macerate for several days, the wines are bottled unfiltered, and sulfite use is absent or minimal, up to a maximum of around 20 milligrams per liter when needed. Aging takes place in stainless steel.
The Wines
The wines appear under the Spostato label in several colors: a Rosso from Merlot, a Viola from Cabernet Sauvignon with about eight days on the skins, plus Rosato and Bianco bottlings. They are light, low in alcohol, around 11 to 11.5 percent, and made to be drunk with pleasure.
