Those who know me know that I am always rather sceptical about the word bio associated with wine... in fact I am very sceptical about the concept of bio in general on such a sick planet. That is why when dear Claudia Bondi invited me to the presentation event of Joska Biondelli's new Prémiere Dame, I was overcome by two conflicting feelings: on the one hand, the curiosity of tasting a preview of a Franciacorta Millesimato... and on the other, the goose bumps of having to enter the great circus that is Expo, something I had been very careful not to do until now. And so it was that my desire to meet Claudia in person and taste Prémiere Dame prevailed... and on Thursday 24 October at 3pm I was there.
'We are winegrowers first, and winemakers second'
Joska Biondelli
But let's go in order... Francesco was home from work last Thursday and I was delighted to be able to invite him for the occasion and go together to the event organised in the Franciacorta Wine Bar, alas set up next to the Kazakhstan pavilion. Alas! Kazakhstan, caught in a fit of cubism (and I'm not talking about the artistic movement that starred Carrà, but a series of cubes with as many young ladies undressed and dancing on them) made an unspeakable mess throughout the day, so much so that the perfect success of the event was compromised. The loud Kazakh music is certainly not optimal for the tasting... and that was quite annoying. Now, those who know me know that the Expo is not for me: I hate noise, I hate crowded places, I hate shindigs... at any level. But in principle I am absolutely convinced that the decision to present the Prémiere Dame at the Expo was the right choice.
Right because Expo is about 'Feeding the Planet' and it is precisely healthy and eco-sustainable food that is the beating heart of this event.
Debatable because I found the pavilions of Coca-Cola, Ferrero and Mc Donalds embarrassing... but then again they are the Official Partners of Expo... so it is 'normal' to see them at the forefront. Bravo to them for rehabilitating their bleeding image... and what a laugh the visit of the US First Lady Michelle Obama who presented her programme against childhood obesity with the aim of training future generations of Americans to eat in a conscious way, starting with food education in schools and arriving at influencing the production of large companies... just a few metres from the McDonalds and Coca Cola pavilion, the main culprits of global obesity (for those who doubt this, let me remind you that 1 can of Coca Cola contains 10 packets of sugar... 10 packets of sugar... 10! McDonalds sandwiches I refuse to comment on...). The Food Fact estimated an outlay of close to 20 million euros... healthiness can be bought... can't it? On the other hand, every healthy principle crumbles in the face of money, and patience if billions of children grow up with any health problems resulting from dietary diseducation!
But back to Joska Biondelli... right from the start I wondered about the origin of this name! So I discovered that it is the diminutive of Jòsef... in Hungarian! The origins of the Biondelli family can be found in the Piacenza patriciate, at the time of the Duchy of Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla. During the Second World War, Giuseppe Biondelli, an Italian Ambassador, married Clementina Franciacortina dei Conti Maggi di Gradella, changing his destiny forever with the purchase of the villa and agricultural property of the Conti Fè d'Ostiari. In addition to his desire to fulfil his wife's love for Franciacorta, Giuseppe Biondelli had been deeply impressed not only by the beauty of the places, but also by the special atmosphere that one could breathe in those years that many defined as the 'belle époque' of Franciacorta. Subsequently, his son, Carlottavio Biondelli, renovated the 16th century farmstead located in the heart of Franciacorta and continued the family's agricultural activities with passion. However, it was only in the year 2010 that Cantina Biondelli was officially born.
Prémiere Dame 2011, with its 3000 labels born from a particularly happy vintage, consecrates the lineage of Joska Biondelli who, after a past as a Headhunter, or HeadHunter as the Anglo-Saxons say, felt his personal vocation for wine. The result? A very interesting wine, Kazakhstan permitting, whose evolution shows great promise. I very much appreciated the minerality and freshness, while on the richness of the bouquet I can do no more than let the wine speak for itself in a couple of years when, in my opinion, it will reach its splendour. What is certain is that I would need to taste it calmly, in silence, perhaps on my jetty on Lake Iseo. If I have the chance to taste it again, I will give a more precise evaluation, so from an organoleptic point of view I do not feel like going any further at the moment.
The bottle is well dressed and the wine has a splendid colour... and its being 'organic' is not too noticeable from an organoleptic point of view. In short... I liked it! I read that the winery converted completely to organic in 2013... So if you love organic this is the Franciacorta for you 😉
The wine label was created by Joska together with her father Carlottavio. The basic idea is on the one hand to convey the values of the family and the company (simplicity, elegance and respect for tradition) and on the other hand to emphasise certain elements (the names 'Biondelli', 'Franciacorta' and the family coat of arms) that are necessary for the Biondelli family to take immediate responsibility. In fact, Joska argues that never more than in the food sector is it fundamental that the producer always exposes himself in the first person so that he can personally answer for the quality of his wine in front of consumers.
If I may, since it is my job... I advise Joska Biondelli to lighten up her website. There are too many animations that make it 'old' and too heavy: the cork spun 13 times on itself before opening the site... if it weren't for the fact that I am writing an article on the Biondelli winery, I had abandoned the page long ago! The speed of opening is decisive in a website... and let's leave the cork on the bottles 😉 Let's call it professional deformation!
In short... Thanks to Claudia for inviting me... she was very good (though very quick) at explaining the wine and the characteristics of 'Nave', the ship-shaped vine on the plain where it comes from... and thanks to Francesco for accompanying me. We spent a very pleasant afternoon, even at the end of the event, thanks to the company of Irene Cantarella, wine woman of Wining, the wine magazine of dear Umberto Gambino. Irene and I met at Biondelli's a bit by chance... but I really liked her! Besides, I am a fan of numerology, so how could I not appreciate her extraordinary knowledge on the subject? I really believe that this acquaintance will be the beginning of a fascinating collaboration 😉
The heart-shaped eyes, however, are not the fault/merit of Biondelli's Prémiere Dame 😉
A hug,
Chiara
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