October• 2018 | 107“I CAN’T DRINKconventional wine,”
says Gabriele da Prato. “I can taste
thechemicals.Icantastethetemper-
ature control. A conventional wine
tastes dead.”
We are touring Podere Còncori,
daPrato’svineyard110kilometres
north-west of Florence. Podere Còn-
cori produces several labels, includ-
ingasyrah,apinotblancandarich,
elegant pinot nero.
Da Prato walks me through his cel-
lar. Between giant steel wine barrels
there is a table piled high with lush
red tomatoes. He grabs a handful,
rinses them off and plops them in a
terracotta bowl with a sprig of fresh
rosemary. It’s time to eat. We sit at the
wooden table in his tasting room with
those tomatoes, platters of crostini,
bowls of homemadepasta e fagioli
(pasta and beans) and generous pours
of Podere Còncori Melograno.
“his is not a simple wine, it is more
diicult,butitwarmsyouup,”hesays.THERE’S ARTISTRYand erudition
in this world. It attracts Italians who
retreattothehillstothinkdeep
thoughts.ManyofthefarmersImeet
aremusicians,somepainters.Allof
them try to educate me.
“You must read Goethe,” says
Stefano Amerighi. We are at hisLeft: Bringing in the harvest;
Right:ArelaxedStefano
Amerighi at his Poggiobello di
Farneta vineyard