Cibino

In 2015, I become passionate with the vite maritata (literally, married vine) training method, which is today almost totally vanished. It’s an antique system of training the vine up on specific varieties of trees, typical of central Italy, and other parts too.

I found a small property with more than one century-old vines, “married” to field maples (Acer negundo). Many of the plants were ungrafted native vine varieties, red and white, still completely unknown and unclassified today. The property had been abandoned and it took three years of restauration to free the trees and their vines from understory overgrowth and to have a first production of quality grapes.

The grapes used to make Cibino (from the name of the area), are almost entirely white varieties: Canaiolo Bianco, Trebbiano, Malvasia, Orpicchio and other unknown varieties are harvested in three different periods, and lightly macerated with the skins.

Since my territory is not ideal to make a fresh and fruity white wine, Cibino wants to be a tribute to the farmer’s wine when it was produced from the “married” vines - a fair homage to these ancient vines. This is also a wine capable, with time, to show its best.