Pignoletto: A Terroir Wine?
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A quintessential vine native to the hills surrounding Bologna, the Pignoletto raises many questions. How come? Is its authenticity in question? Are there new technical/scientific arguments against its being a typical product?
None of the above. The fact is that often –too often– the Pignoletto it is not seen as a terroir wine. Briefly, the behavior of many insiders clashes with the traditional reputation of the wine, which places it by rights among the typical wine and food products of Bologna.
Let's think about this observation. Anyone's behavior is usually the manifestation of one's attitude, which justifies actions without ever showing its true nature. Our 'provocative' take on the subject is that the underlying attitude is love for the Pignoletto wine. A love though, which often is unbalanced, so to say: in fact, there are those who love the Pignoletto too much and those who do not love it enough.
Pignoletto: Those Who Love It Too Much
These are the producers. It is understandable that their sincere, often silent, tenacious, passionate love, is not always reciprocated, as they love the Pignoletto like a son. Their favorite son, the one that best expresses the parent's qualities. But, as it often happens with enamored parents, they wrap the offspring in a protective feeling, they see mostly the merits and believe that it is naturally beautiful and good. They are pleased with it and the fatherly love of the producers is a cross and a delight at the same time for the Pignoletto. If on the one hand the product is protected lovingly, then on the other a satisfied smugness can hide possible problems.
Pignoletto: Those Who Do Not Love It Enough
Generally speaking this group is wide, and includes various Bolognese wine and food professionals: distributors, sales people, wine bar managers, restauranteurs, owners and managers of trattorie and osterie, opinion leaders, and journalists. That is, those who promote –or should be promoting– quality wine and food products.
Too often many among these experts neglect the Pignoletto 'regardless': regardless the fact that it is a terroir wine, regardless the fact that its average quality has improved consistently, regardless the fact that they know it intimately and are up-to-date as to the latest news about it, regardless the fact that the competing products are more or less valuable. It is said that Bologna is sadly known to be overflowing with various, cheap, low quality Proseccos when there are excellent local frizzy and sparkling Pignoletto. It is a kind of reversed promotion in which some see nothing more than provincialism constantly searching for 'outside' products, always believed to be better by definition.
What To Do?
To keep it simple we say that more balanced behaviors could be introduced by still more balanced attitudes. Thus –we continue the provocation– someone should not love less, but rather love in a different way, while someone else should love this wine more.
The Producers
They could start by adopting the point of view of an educator rather than that of a loving parent. In other words, in addition to caring for the health of the vine, they should also mind the growth of the final product. Basically, they should provide ongoing stimulus to the sector, constantly struggle to improve quality, favor the opening of new markets and compare with other producers and with other quality white wines, not just with those from the area, but even from outside Italy. They should push new outside-the-home experiences, in addition to the local city and provincial markets, and take on new locations far from Bologna and the Emilia region as well.
Self-satisfaction and smugness can be a frightful, silent enemy similar to rust, which stiffens up little by little but inexorably. that's why we believe that smug love must be transformed into a different kind of love, more similar to the love of a concerned tutor for her pupil.
The Other Professionals
Those in the sector who do not love the Pignoletto enough should learn to love it more. Know it well and keep up-to-date about the estates and the types of production. They should compare, keep informed and update their tasting experience instead of accepting someone else's opinion, avoid the common tourist's mistake, that pushes them to get to see everything everywhere, except where they live. If we take a look outside our borders, what can we learn from the French or the Americans? Exactly this: that first of all these people know, understand, love and promote their own home quality products. They are not ashamed to offer their products abroad, rather they are proud to do so.
Pride though comes from awareness, and awareness comes from knowledge and love, from the mind and the heart which, as in any other field, must move along in harmony. Brain and heart are needed by the Pignoletto as well, because if we Bolognese do not promote the Pignoletto wine, there is no one else who will do it.
Is There A Moral?
It is hard to say, and it is not our place to say it. In any case, re-balancing the two faces of the love for the Pignoletto –different for some, more for others– may contribute to making this wine more of a terroir product than it is currently. At least, this is our hope.
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