Fiorano Wine

I’ve been deciding whether or not to discuss wine on my blog, since there is a legal age at which the dialogue becomes more relatable. More and more, though, I’m leaning toward discussing it just because it is a product of both a scientific and aesthetic process, in addition to a very relevant historical connection.

At this current point in time, I’ll just point to an article and follow up in the New York Times, written by Eric Asimov. He discusses an Italian prince, Alberico Boncompagni Ludovisi, who made wines in the second half of the 1900s. The prince believed in the natural course of action, trusting in his vines and in the surrounding mold– and not in the pesticides used by his Italian contemporaries– and result has since been remarkable.

I like this story because aside from being a wine story, it has the mystery and intrigue that came from one person’s single-minded devotion to a personal way of doing something. Also, what I like most about that element of mystery and the fantastic is that it resides in truth.

Original 2004 Asimov New York Times piece

His April 2009 follow-up His April 2009 follow-up

Bottle photo from Italian Wine Merchants, one of the “Prince-approved” sellers in the Asimov piece (I have no financial affiliation to the company)