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CHARACTER OF THE YEAR AWARD



On 4 December 2023 I was awarded the prestigious award as "CHARACTER OF THE YEAR" by AIS Lombardia for the dedication and professionalism dedicated to the continuous search for innovative and sustainable solutions in the agronomic field.

AIS is an association that I respect very much and that has always followed my work, which is why I am particularly happy and proud of such an important recognition.I thank President Hosam and all the members of AIS Lombardia with a promise that I will never stop working to improve sustainability in viticulture with the spread of resistant vine varieties that I have been studying for many years.



GREAT SUCCESS FOR OUR THEIA AT THE INTERNATIONAL PIWI AWARDS 2020




- TOP GOLD WITH 97 PAR POINTS


- BEST PIWI PASSITO IN THE WORLD


- BEST ITALIAN WINE EVER




Watch the video of the mine wine

COSTA JELS

Organic sparkling wine which ages 5 years in the mine of the same name

Episode 1:  Journey from the cellar to the mine
"Our Winery is a group of people who share the understanding of the importance of environmental sustainability, of uncontaminated places where herbicides and substances of chemical synthesis are not used, of technologies that save energy and preserve the region" 
Alessandro Sala  
2009

In 2009 I began to apply the organic procedure on my land in Bergamo with great enthusiasm. It is a small sunny plot with a good exposure that lends itself perfectly to this practice.
My philosophy of being able to make quality wines without using substances that are harmful to the environment pushed me to go even further. For years I have been greatly interested in the increasingly frequent success of the new disease-resistant vine varieties that have become available in the last decades by research. I continued to study them and visit vineyards here and there to speak with the vinedressers about their wines produced in a truly natural way and this allowed me to meet with the most important researchers from the main research institutes.

2013

In 2013 I decided to plant three varieties of these vines on my land, to see for myself if what I had read and heard was true. I committed to my research 100% and carried out no treatment for the entire year. What I discovered was truly sensational. The vines had grown strong, healthy and without any trace of disease. The grapes had a very thick peel, and I dried a few bunches of them to check their drying potential. The grapes resisted for a few months drying without splitting, excellent for producing quality passito wine.

2014

In 2014 I planted another variety in greater quantities, and it also grew like the others with no treatment and no problems with diseases. I began to do some micro-vinifications with these grapes to test the oenological potential, with excellent results; there were new fragrances, aromas that were different from the usual ones. New wines came into being that had not existed before, with their own aromatic legacy. Now was the time to start up a more substantial production. In the meantime it became legal to cultivate the first varieties of resistant vines in Lombardy after their previous entrance into the National Register of vine varieties.

2015

NOVE LUNE was founded in 2015 in the natural oasis of Valpredina in the town of Cenate Sopra (BG), a winery whose purpose is to cultivate and vinify only grapes that require no chemical treatment (going from “No veleni” (no poisons) to “Nove Lune”(Nine Moons) was effortless ...). It was the year of the first large planting with four varieties, three whites and one red. I had great expectations from this vineyard because it enjoyed the ideal conditions to exploit the full potential of the vines. Obviously no treatment was done and the vines faced the adversities all by themselves.
In 2015, I completed a year-long study for the University of Milan on three varieties which confirmed their total resistance to fungal diseases and a correct vegetative-productive balance. The sensorial analysis of the micro-vinifications indicated a high quality level for the wines, which were greatly appreciated by all the judges.
Simultaneously I dried a variety in order to make a sweet wine. The grapes dried perfectly for months remaining intact with considerable sugar accumulation (about 400 g / L at Christmastime!). I then decided it was time to vinify, to make a wine, and the result was truly sensational. A passito wine that was second to none.

2016

In 2016, convinced by the successes I had achieved, I continued, doubling the vineyard, and then proceeded to build a new eco-compatible wine cellar, equipped with the best technical features for producing fine wines with the utmost respect for the environment.

2017

In 2017 the new wine-making cellar was finished and fitted out with all the finest wine-making technologies.
The structure was conceived and built to reduce environmental impact and maximize energy efficiency.
The first Nove Lune harvest confirmed the excellent quality of the vine varieties chosen.
My first three wines came into being:
310, a white wine vinified in steel
RUKH, an orange wine vinified and aged in terracotta amphorae
THEIA, a white passito wine
Theia was awarded the Rosa d'oro by AIS the Viniplus guide, the highest award given by the guide.
In April the first Solaris vine cuttings were planted at an altitude of around 1000 meters in the town of Pizzino (BG). This is one of Italy’s highest vineyards.
In November, I was elected Chairman of "PIWI Lombardy", the newly formed association that brings together winemakers who use resistant vine varieties in Lombardy.

2018

In 2018 all the wines were certified organic: 310, Rukh, Theia and HeH, the latest creation from Nove Lune, a sparkling wine col fondo (lees-aged) made by the ancestral method. It astounds for its enormous drinkability and crispness. A wine with no added sugar or sulphites that is completely natural.
The Theia is awarded the Golden Rose by the AIS Viniplus guide, the highest recognition awarded by the guide and the 4 vines of the Vitae Guide, the highest national recognition.
Theia and Rukh get the gold medal at the international Piwi wine competition held in Germany.
I continued to experiment in my wine-cellar with red wine and began a production with the classic spumante method.
I started experimenting in the wineyard on two new next-generation resistant varieties.

2019

In 2019 I plant the first Solaris plants in Asiago (VI) at over 1000 meters above sea level for a test.
I continue to experiment in my wine-cellar with red wine and the production of classic spumante method.
The Theia is awarded the Golden Rose by the AIS Viniplus guide, the highest recognition awarded by the guide and the 4 screws of the Vita Vita Guide, the highest national recognition.
Theia and Rukh get the gold medal at the international Piwi wine competition held in Germany.
I started experimenting in the countryside on three new next-generation resistant varieties.

2020

In 2020 finally the first vintage of COSTA JELS organic sparkling wine is brought to the mine of the same name for the long rest on the lees which will last 5 years.
AMARO MISMA is produced, the first bitter of the world obtained from a Piwi wine
The BOSCO VITATO becomes reality. Plants of Souvignier gris are planted to form what will be a real wood where the plants grow as a sapling without wires, anchors, etc.
We begin the hybridization of two resistant varieties to obtain a new resistant variety of ours to be homologated
The experimentation in the cellar with red wine continues.
Experimentation continues in the wineyard on some new resistant varieties of the latest generation.


2021

In 2021, KAL is produced, a new orange wine with aging partly in amphora, partly in concrete inside our "Kalimero" egg and partly in French oak barrels.
The selection of the new crosses made by us continues to obtain a new resistant variety of ours to be approved
We begin the vinification in purity of a new resistant white variety that we have selected in previous years
The experimentation in the cellar with red wine continues
The experimentation in the countryside on some new resistant varieties of the latest generation continues.


2022

The selection of the new crosses made by us continues to obtain a new resistant variety of ours to be approved
The experimentation in the cellar continues with red wine and with the new white variety
Experimentation continues in the countryside on some new resistant varieties of the latest generation.

2023

In 2023, DEVA was released, an orange wine from a new resistant variety grown in Nove Lune. The refinement for only 49 bottles of this wine is very particular and did not exist before.
The selection of new crosses made by us continues to obtain a new resistant variety of our own to be approved
Experimentation continues in the cellar with red wine and the new white variety
Experimentation continues in the countryside on some new resistant varieties of the latest generation.

I look forward to sharing this fascinating journey with you.

The Lombardy PIWI association was founded in 2017 at the Nove Lune winery and promotes information-sharing between research institutes, wine grape growers and producers of PIWI wines, in order to allow fungus-resistant vine varieties to spread.

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