On Vicenza hills, a group of young wine producers gave birth to a movement that upgrades the land and preserves the rural heritage. For some of them, Tenuta L'Armonia is an incubator and a source of inspiration.
We are interested in small wine producers, we tirelessly look for high-quality wines, we are fascinated by winemakers’ stories, especially when they involve hard achievements, strong passion for the land, full respect for the surrounding nature. No wonder why we ended up meeting Andrea Pendin who, with an unstoppable flow of words and enthusiasm, explained the charming adventure of his winery, Tenuta L’Armonia.
Founded less than 10 years ago, the estate is located in Montecchio Maggiore, Vicenza, and includes a few hectares that spread to the Berici Hills.
However, Pendin, who graduated in Gastronomic Sciences in 2007 and later focused on his passions for food and design, is not merely interested in promoting his own winery, but in a general upgrade of the rural heritage. Along with a few, young producers, he aims to represent a new movement that refuses the industrial viticulture in order to make a wine without additives, adopting biological methods in the total respect of the land’s features.
From the 60’s, most of the winemakers worked in order to produce as much as possible, with no regards for the use of pesticides and artificially adjusting the wine to the market trends. This has been the fastest way to destroy the soil’s balance, along with its indigenous species and, I would add, the authentic local culture. These young guys don’t have much financial resources, but do understand the importance of working together towards a shared goal: make the land vibrant again. Each one in his personal, very own style.
Tenuta L’Armonia serves as a sort of incubator for whoever owns a small piece of land and wants to experiment; who’s tired of working as a manager and needs to create a business in touch with nature; who temporarily can’t afford a winery. Pendin offers them advice and space, well aware that they represent an opportunity to revitalize the territory, and that one day soon everyone will be able to benefit from this patient work.
A revolutionary approach that involves communication and organization of events, as long as the food aspects (in 2016 Pendin opened the street bistrot “Fare Cibo”, whose concept is based on the use of biological products by food artisans in a modern kitchen).
MaterVi, Yeasteria, Do-line are just some of the farms involved in the project: while producing less than 10 thousand bottles each, altogether they reach 120 thousand bottles, over a total area of 24 cultivated hectares.
The wines of this area grow on a soil that ranges from volcanic to marine, therefore tend to be savoury, mineral, with a high level of acidity. So it is Durella grape, an indigenous specie that Andrea is currently nurturing, counting on his own hand, following his own idea of wine.
Excited by the refreshing project, we strongly encourage our followers to explore the new frontiers these young producers outlined and we are proud to include them in our wine region tours.
For more info visit: https://www.facebook.com/TenutaLarmonia/