Get the latest Alliance news sent to your inbox - Sign Up to our Newsletter

Riecine, Italy

Riecine has always followed a pioneering path, defining a new style and approach in this classic region.

Founded by Englishman John Dunkley, and today run by the Frank family, the estate is committed to a natural approach in winemaking. Certified organic and following biodynamic processes, the land is gently nurtured with plants, flowers, and grasses encouraged to flourish. This is to promote vineyard diversity and the health of the land. Closely monitored pickers select only the best, ripest and cleanest bunches from the vines; everything else remains in the fields to return to the earth. With winemaking in the skilled hands of Alessandro Campatelli, low sulphur additions, natural yeasts and long fermentation are de rigeur, as wines are gently coaxed into the world. Adhering strictly to the belief in Sangiovese and indigenous varietals, these incredible wines are honest examples of that overused phrase 'a true sense of place'.

Viticulture

Various different terrain provides Riecine with some protection from extreme weather conditions such as hail and frost, and importantly, produces grapes with different characteristics and nuances so that they can produce complex, elegant wines that are still distinctly Riecine. Carefully tended by hand and all the farming techniques are 100% organic with biodynamic processes being introduced. Sprays are kept to an absolute minimum–no herbicides or insecticides are used. All the vineyards are left with grass growing in the rows to reduce erosion and bring the soil and ecosystem back as close to the natural state as possible. Closely monitored pickers select only the best, ripest and cleanest bunches from the vines; everything else remains in the fields to return to nature. Before de-stalking, the grapes are checked for quality once again, with only the very best grapes making their way into Riecine’s wines.

Winemaking

Riecine is a rare example of what can be achieved through handcrafted, artisan individual care and attention. The grapes are destalked into shallow bins and then all softly crushed before being dropped into either cement, stainless steel, oak or open topped bins. The fermentation is carefully controlled to ensure proper temperature and perfect extraction of soft tannins, colour and flavour. Once in the tanks they run off a “salasso” of about 10-20% of the juice. This process increases the ratio of skins to juice in the remaining must to ensure a more concentrated finished wine. All the wines are fermented with their own natural yeasts and therefore start off very slowly. This adds character but also has the bonus of causing a cold maceration that lasts normally 3 to 4 days.

Highlights
  • Vineyards 100% certified organic. Organically produced wines (Not certified),with some biodynamic practice. Grass in rows to minimise erosion.