The ‘NV’ in the description stands for ‘non-vintage’, meaning that the wine is made from the product of more than one single year. Federico has made what he calls his ‘perpetual cuvée’ - a wine that slowly changes and evolves over time. The idea is a little like a simplified version of the Solera system used in Spanish sherry-making. Each year wine is added to a tank that already contains wine from up to ten previous vintages; wine is then bottled from that tank roughly every six weeks throughout the year with wine taken from all the available vessels in the cellar to top it up again. Next vintage more new wine is added to the tank, and so the process continues. This results in fresh, zesty notes from the young Pignoletto, and savoury, nutty notes from the Pignoletto that has had more time to mature in the tank. The wine will also display subtle differences depending on which bottling it comes from - check the back of the label to see when yours is dated. Always different, always the same.
Federico Orsi's biodynamic farm is in a beautiful part of the Colli Bolognesi, just outside Bologna. These hills were known locally for producing great wines for many years, before the local grapes and this humble appellation fell out of favour with drinkers, leading to many leaving their farms to seek jobs in the city. Since purchasing the land and converting it to biodynamics, Federico has been on a mission to put the region back on the map and over the past few years we've watched the wines go from strength to strength. Diversity is embraced fully, the vegetables grown here are now served at several of Emilia's great restaurants and you'll also find a small group of the local Mora Romagnola pigs roaming the farm. From these, Federico makes some of the most delicious Mortadella you are ever likely to eat. In the cantina, Federico is always experimenting, fermenting and ageing in all sorts of vessels in countless ways. The end goal is the same, to make wines which are honest, delicious and representative of the territory. In short, the kind of wines you'll want to drink each and everyday.
