Producer Azienda Agricola Baccagnano

EMILIA ROMAGNA

When Marco began making wine in 2014, he lacked technical training but possessed great curiosity and a deep respect for those who had been producing wine on the hills of the Lamone Valley for centuries without the aid of modern oenology. What started in 2010 as a small, one-hectare vineyard intended for aperitifs with friends evolved over time into a serious project defined by a distinct identity. At Azienda Agricola Baccagnano, there is a firm belief that the best wines are born from healthy grapes, careful observation, and the courage to let fermentation run its course spontaneously—relying solely on indigenous yeasts, without temperature control, and with minimal use of sulfites. Vineyard management has also shifted over the years, moving from a quest for obsessive order to an embrace of biodiversity: wild plants such as mugwort, chamomile, lemon balm, and savory grow freely between the rows, softening the soil and attracting pollinators—even providing the botanicals for the estate’s Vermouth—while pruning clippings and grape pomace are recycled as compost. This vibrant ecosystem is home primarily to indigenous grape varieties—such as the Sangiovese di Brisighella, which yields the profound and authentic *52 Fuochi* (aged for a full 18 months in the bottle); Trebbiano Romagnolo, the base for *Bessagalena*; and the complex Albana—alongside a small, rebellious plot of Chenin Blanc near the river. In the underground cellar—built in 2019 to resemble a natural burrow where work follows the rhythm of the seasons—the wines age at their own pace in steel, concrete, used *tonneaux*, or evocative Georgian *qvevri* amphorae; in the latter, the Albana Pirona undergoes a slow fermentation on the skins for 31 days beneath a natural cap. The pursuit of utmost purity and evolution is ultimately reflected in the practical choice of screw caps and Burgundy-style bottles for nearly the entire range—with the sole, romantic exception of the wood-aged Albana "Alveda," housed in a Bordeaux-style bottle with a natural cork closure, because some traditions deserve to be preserved.