Marco Buratti, who might seem rather gruff and surly at first impact, is just quiet and slightly shy...initially at least. He then pleasantly explodes in a frenzy of joyous activity, imbued with the sacred fire of he, who wants to make the wines he loves to drink, and who loves to speak of his land.
Before returning to his native burg of Villa di Teolo, in the heart of Veneto’s Colli Euganei hills, he lived more than a few lives: he almost graduated in enology, then managed a few successful restaurants in Padova, and then worked as a chef in New Zealand. All this changed when, also thanks to a small sum he inherited, he was able to purchase the farm of his dreams and begin to revive it with rigorous and loving biodynamic work.
The farm extends over about 2.5 hectares, located in a terroir rich with volcanic soils where viticulture rests on a history dating at least to the eighteenth century. Marco works indigenous and long-localized grape varieties such as Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon for the reds and rosès and Moscato Rosa, Tocai Italico, and Malvasia for the whites.
Of course in the cellar – which is simply an extension of his house, and his soul we’d dare say – where he uses mostly steel, concrete fiberglass vessels, and old tonneau, there are only wild fermentations, no fining or filtration and no hint of added SO2.
Marco’s wines mirror his personality and attitude: they’re friendly, brusquely direct, sincere, and always animated by a streak of genial insanity that often defines true art.
Take Rosato Anin 2017: a fresh but characterful rosè from 100% Merlot with 1 fleeting but cathartic day on the #sacredskins that marries ninja drinkability with a full and burly presence, miles away from frozen salmon-colored poolside rosès. It sings of boysenberries and basil sherbet over frozen pomegranate and smoked apple berries.
Rosso Ombra 2018, the mother of all daily wines which comes, thankfully, in a 1lt bottle: a field blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Raboso made with carbonic maceration in cement and especially to be drunk in one lustful gulp. Wild, fresh, and irreverent, it explodes with red spices, wild arbutum berries, and fresh tamarind.
To encounter Marco’s wines on one’s trip to vinnaturist Nirvana is to explore a new dimension of “naturality”, completely alien to any whimsical hipsterism or to the vapidness of many of today’s “glou glou” wines made to be drunk and abandoned. These are chewy, soulful wines that will stay with you for a long long time.
