(photo credit: vinidivignaioli.fr)
Podere Magia, which means “Estate of Magic”, is located in one of Italy’s true heartlands of authentic culinary and viticulture-winemaking traditions, Emilia-Romagna – to be precise the Western part of the region, called “Emilia”.
Emilia-Romagna is not only the birthplace of tortellini, cappelletti, Parmigiano Reggiano, Prosciutto di Parma, Culatello di Zibello, balsamic vinegar (phew, what a list already!), but also the home of Lambrusco made with the “ancestrale” method of sparkling wine production. Emilia-Romagna is a hot spot for natural wine, with several producers based in the region – some historical like Vittorio Graziano and Camillo Donati and some relatively new, like Podere Magia.
The essence of Podere Magia is best captured by the words of Podere Magia's owner, vigneron Stefano Pescarmona when he describes the farm as: “a home, a cellar, two vineyards, and in the middle a stream of pure water. And then breeze, trees, birds, flowers, and wild fauna. A beautiful corner of Emilia”.
Stefano decided to move to Emilia’s San Polo d’Enza in 2013 after a remarkably rich and wide experience in the natural wine world: a respected agronomist and biodynamics expert, he held academic and consulting positions at Pollenzo University of Gastronomic Science and California’s UC Berkely, as well as having worked as a Demeter inspector.
At Podere Magia the soils are of alluvial origin, characterized by medium grain and silica, as well as being extraordinarily vital and rich in biodiversity. Stefano aims to revive and bring out the authenticity and heritage of his native land, giving light to natural wines that, in his own words "must, vintage after vintage, always be good, healthy, and alive", the heralds of an "eno-eco-gastronomic" avant-garde movement.
Farming is strictly biodynamic, while in the cellar ingredients are 100% grapes, along with the wisdom and passion of the consummate vigneron that he is. Stefano's wines are freshly-squeezed, pure, uncompromising juices of healthy local varieties, an unflinching natural wine vision, and a deep understanding of and love for this land.
His Lambrusco is born from 100% Lambrusco Maestri, fermented with native yeasts; the wine is never fined, filtered, and no SO2 is used at any stage of production. The second fermentation is facilitated by adding frozen must to the wine, which according to biodynamics principles, greets the bottle in agreement with the moon and the stars around February or March.
Podere Magia Lambrusco is a one-of-a-kind wine that effortlessly displays a somewhat wild and animal rustic soul but also shows a nuanced elegance and infinite finesse. It whispers rhymes of wild mulberry, black peppercorn, spiced rhubarb, and Autumn forest floor.