Enantio Free-Foot Grape

It is written as “enantio”, but it is read as “enanzio” as it is in its original Latin. The name of this native grapevine is already mentioned in the 1st century AD by Pliny the Elder, in one of his “Naturalis Historia” volumes. The enantio grape derives from the adaptation of a wild grapevine which, is still found today in the Valle dei Molini, amid the brambles of the slopes of Monte Baldo, between the Garda basin and the Adige valley, behind the medieval Avio Castle. However, it is not only its very ancient origin that makes its history unique. In the second half of the nineteenth century, phylloxera (Phyllossera vastatrix) arrived in Europe and destroyed almost all of the continent’s viticultural heritage and changed the history of grapevines and wines. As a remedy to combat this, the European species were grafted onto the stumps of American vines by exploiting the immunity the roots developed in the place where the aphid had originated from. This fate, however, did not touch the ungrafted enantio vines that are cultivated along the Adige River which, thanks to the sandy-siliceous structure of the soil, survived. Even today, in these vineyards, new plants are born by using an offshoot technique, which is done by burying a branch of the ancient vine so that it can become a new grapevine.
The ungrafted enantio grapevines are rustic, long-lived and fairly hardy. They therefore require less intervention for the prevention and treatment of diseases – this is also thanks to their scattered clusters with small berries – they do however require a good amount of manual intervention to control the growth of the plant: it is a very vigorous plant and pruning it is very important. They are grown using a double Trentino pergola system, they have a low yield, and they are harvested by hand between the middle and the end of October. The vinification process is typical of red wines, spontaneously fermented and without any additives, but each producer modifies the grapevine according to their own family tradition, thereby imprinting the identity of their company.
The result is a wine with an intense ruby red colour, with garnet reflections when aged and it can be potentially aged for as long as the common great red wines. It has a fruity smell with a hint of small red fruits, and it is slightly spicy; the flavour is dry, full and harmonious. The structure is as important as the intensity, the acidity is well presented, and its tannins are soft and well balanced. It goes well with the rustic dishes found in Trentino cuisine, but also with cured meats and aged cheeses.

Season

The harvest takes place between the middle and the end of October, and the wine is available all year round.